Overview
My time working with Eide Bailly involved a full website re design and leveraged extensive discovery to translate the pain point of leads seeking service and users browsing for information. The platform contained a suite of products which brought the challenge of navigation, and user retention reflected in their jump rate metrics.
Project
UX Research
During the initial phase of the project, we conducted extensive UX research to gain a deep understanding of the user behaviors and pain points on the Eide Bailly website. Recognizing the need for a comprehensive approach, we hosted over 20 stakeholder and potential lead interviews. This allowed us to gather valuable insights and feedback from the users, enabling us to develop a user-centric design strategy. We discovered a common pattern where users showed a significant drop in interest in exploring additional resources beyond their initial search request. Primarily seeking tax advisory services, they exhibited a lack of engagement with other offerings, such as webinars or industry products represented by Eide Bailly. This finding highlighted a crucial challenge for the website: how to cater to diverse industries while ensuring seamless navigation for its core audience, primarily interested in tax advisory services.
Discovery
In the discovery phase, we analyzed the research findings and explored the complexities of designing for navigation in a multi-industry context. The insights gathered from user interviews shed light on the disconnect between the primary user goals and the presented additional resources. Our team collaborated closely with stakeholders to understand the intricacies of Eide Bailly's diverse business offerings and their positioning as a tax advisory service. This phase enabled us to align our design objectives with the company's business goals while keeping the user experience at the forefront.
Low Fidelity Wireframing
While designing the skeletal makeup to the EB experience. I enhanced previously built components such as side bars, footers, and social media handles. Keeping hierarchy as a priority for legibility. There was an understanding how spacing would effect a users interest to a landing page and maintaining their means to stay or seek contact.
Solving Problems
To address the challenge of high bounce rates and user disinterest in exploring additional resources on the Eide Bailly website, we implemented key solutions. Firstly, we strategically truncated posts with bullet points, presenting essential information succinctly to combat user fatigue. Additionally, we employed a "Read More" mask for larger articles, encouraging users to engage further while maintaining a clean layout and opportunity to see additional resources. Moreover, high traffic landing pages like profiles and event pages were revamped with modern design patterns, optimizing visual appeal and user-friendliness. To cater to diverse interests while prioritizing advisory services. a personalized recommendation system was introduced, suggesting relevant content based on user behavior. Finally, we restructured the content hierarchy, emphasizing advisory services and arranging related resources logically, which would lead to increased user engagement and reduced bounce rates. These combined efforts resulted in a user-centric experience, aligning with Eide Bailly's reputation as a leading advisory service provider.
Iterations
Reflection
By prioritizing the persona of a general advisory service while keeping in mind the complexities of navigating a multi-industry website, we successfully addressed the user drop-off issue. Our research-driven approach and iterative design process helped connect the gaps between diverse business offerings and user preferences. The redesigned website would not only improve user engagement and satisfaction but also aligned with Eide Bailly's branding as a leading advisory service provider. We learned valuable lessons in designing for complex navigational challenges and the significance of continuously iterating to refine the user experience for a diverse audience.