Redesigning XQ’s Web Platform

In a nutshell At the forefront of high school educational transformation, XQ recognized the need to refresh its web platform with its evolving mission and vision in helping educators, policymakers, and students transforming high school with XQ tools and resources. The objective of our web platform refresh was to:

• refresh our new branding on the site
• increase user engagement
• optimize conversions: product adoption and content delivery
• ensure a seamless user journey from awareness to action

Problem

XQ’s web platform struggled with a high bounce rate and low session engagement. The site had historically fluctuated between being a static digital brochure and an evolving digital product, lacking clarity in its role as an Edtech platform.

Opportunity

How can we enhance the overall web platform experience, ensure branding is aligned, and inspire diverse audiences to take action in high school transformation through our XQ products, curated content and resources?

Approach

As the Product Manager, my approach focused on understanding and aligning with the strategic objectives of XQ. Collaborating closely with design and tech teams, I spearheaded the effort to optimize user experience and journeys. This included revamping a new navigation and introducing a 'Get Started' CTA - a constituent funnel into our site’s content, tools, and resources, aiming to create a more engaging and intuitive interface.

Competitive Analysis

Conducting a competitive analysis was crucial to understand how other Edtech platforms positioned their information and educational products.

This analysis informed our strategy to make the website not just informative but also compelling and user-friendly.

Stakeholder Interviews

To really understand our users’ pain points with the site and get a better read on the key players, we conducted individual interviews with both internal (product, marketing, school success, editorial) and external stakeholders (teachers, policymakers, students). Here, we gained some really interesting insights, highlighting areas for improvement in website design and user flow.

Key design- or flow-related quotes include:

“The navigation menu is cluttered, making it hard to find specific resources quickly”

“What do “activations” mean? It’s on the navigation”

“Where are the calls to action?”

“Content organization doesn’t quite effectively encapsulate what XQ offers”

“there seems to be lack of cohesion between different sections of the site”

User Personas and Journey Mapping

Utilizing insights from stakeholder interviews, I crafted user personas representing our key audiences: educators, policymakers, and students. These personas, like "Educator Nikki” and “Student Carla” highlighted distinct needs and challenges, guiding the development of user journey maps. This process was crucial in identifying critical touchpoints and ensuring the redesigned website catered effectively to each user group.

Educator journey map: Awareness → Discovers XQ educational platform through a colleague's recommendation or our partnership with schools Consideration → Visits the website, explores XQ schools and available resources, and reads testimonials Trial → Tries out one of our Edtech products Adoption → Signs up for our latest insights and product announcements, starts integrating tools into her lessons Retention → Regularly uses the platform, participates in community discussions, and gives feedback Advocacy → Recommends XQ as a resource to other educators

Student journey map: Awareness → Discovers XQ’s educational platform through a school announcement or social media Consideration → Visits the website and browses through different resources and articles Trial → Engages with our content for students (Challenges) Adoption → Signs up for an account to join student challenges or gain full access to resources and project opportunities. Retention → Regularly uses the platform for rethink high school tips and to explore new topics. Advocacy →Shares her positive experiences with peers and on social media

Development of “Get Started” site-wide CTA

Building on the insights gleaned from our comprehensive stakeholder interviews and the detailed user personas, we identified a recurring need for a more intuitive and engaging entry point into our platform. This led to the conception and development of the 'Get Started' Call to Action (CTA), a site-wide feature designed to guide users effectively into their personalized journey with XQ.

From User Research to Actionable Feature - Audience Segmentation: The feedback from stakeholders like educators and students consistently pointed towards a need for clearer navigation and immediate engagement. Educators, for instance, expressed the desire for quick access to teaching resources, while students sought an easy way to explore subjects of interest. These insights were pivotal in shaping the 'Get Started' CTA.

Aligning with User Journeys: The CTA was strategically designed to align with the distinct journey stages of our personas, such as "Educator Nikki" and "Student Carla." For Nikki, the CTA leads her to curated resources and insights for teaching, while for Carla, it opens up a world of student-oriented content such as XQ challenges and Youth Voice Toolkit (our flagship Edtech product for students). This bespoke approach ensures that each user is greeted with an experience tailored to their unique needs and goals, as identified in their respective journey maps.

Visual and Positioning Considerations: Given its significance, the 'Get Started' CTA was given prominent visual emphasis. Positioned centrally on the homepage and repeated strategically across the site, the CTA stands out through its distinctive design, making it both inviting and easily accessible. This design decision was informed by the flow-related feedback from our stakeholder interviews, where the need for clear, actionable steps was highlighted.

In line with our commitment to iterative development based on data-driven insights, we plan to continuously evolve the 'Get Started' CTA to create a more engaging, impactful, and personalized experience for all stakeholders in the educational ecosystem. A key enhancement in the pipeline is the development of a more personalized quiz. This feature is designed to further elevate the user experience by tailoring the platform's interaction to the specific needs and interests of individual users, thereby enhancing their journey with XQ.

Sitemap and Navigation Revamp

We also did an evaluation and overhaul of the sitemap and navigation. Our objective was clear: to surface the most actionable and useful sections of the site to promote product adoption of XQ tools and resources, enhancing the user journey from discovery to engagement.

Existing Sitemap Challenges: Our initial analysis of the existing sitemap revealed several issues:

• Key resources were not immediately apparent or accessible to users as naming of landing pages did not convey function to users
• The navigation system did not effectively guide users to the most sought-after content, such as 'Insights,' which our user research identified as a primary area of interest for educators seeking to transform high school education as it holds all articles written by subject matter experts on project-based learning
• The overall structure lacked a clear, intuitive path to facilitate easy information gathering and decision-making by users.

Developing the New Sitemap: Informed by user feedback, we embarked on developing a new sitemap that prioritized ease of access to our most valuable content. We strategically placed the 'Get Started' CTA within the navigation (similar to “Buy now”), serving as an entry point into a tailored conversion funnel. This approach was designed to lead different constituent groups—educators, policymakers, students—directly to resources specifically curated for them.

The redesigned sitemap was focused on user-centric navigation. We categorized content based on user behavior and preferences, ensuring that the most visited sections were prominently featured and easily accessible. This included:

• Collapsing a microsite “Rethink Together”, which housed all of our article content, into a dedicated landing page called 'Insights,' directly addressing the feedback from educators who expressed confusion as to why viewing articles would transport them to a different microsite
• Optimizing the sitemap by streamlining categories to distinctly define key landing pages, enhancing user navigation efficiency. This approach significantly reduced the redundancy of key pages appearing under multiple categories

Visualization and User Testing: The proposed new sitemap was brought to life through a detailed visual diagram. We then proceeded to user testing with a group of educators, key representatives of our primary user base.

During these testing sessions, we employed several metrics to gauge the effectiveness of the new design:

• Task Completion Rate: We observed a 90% success rate in users completing specific tasks, such as locating 'Insights' or accessing personalized resources through the 'Get Started' CTA. This was a significant improvement from the 65% rate noted with the previous sitemap.
• Time-on-Task: The average time users took to find specific information reduced by 30%, indicating more efficient navigation.d
• Click-Through Rate (CTR) on Key Sections: The CTR on sections like 'Insights' and 'Get Started' increased by 40%, signifying more effective placement and visibility.

These metrics were critical in confirming that the redesigned sitemap significantly improved user navigation and engagement. Based on this data, we confidently moved forward with implementing the new sitemap across the XQ platform.

Success Metrics and KPIs:

Post-launch of the redesigned XQ website, I tracked key performance indicators to assess the effectiveness of our changes against our initial objectives. The focus was on three primary metrics:

1. User Engagement We saw a remarkable increase in user engagement metrics. The average time spent per session nearly doubled, a significant improvement indicating deeper user involvement with our content.
2. Bounce Rate The bounce rate saw a substantial decrease in which
3. Conversion Rates There was a notable increase in conversion rates, particularly regarding user sign-ups and interactions with our key CTAs like 'Get Started'. We observed a 15% boost in conversions to key landing pages, impacting thousands of users, a testament to the effectiveness of our user-focused redesign.

The website redesign proved to be a success, as evidenced by the significant improvements in our key performance indicators. These metrics collectively demonstrate the redesign's effectiveness in enhancing user experience and engagement, making it a noteworthy accomplishment in our digital strategy.

Lessons Learned and Reflection:

Reflecting on the XQ website redesign project, several critical lessons emerged, reinforcing key principles of product management and user-centered design:

Value of User-Centric Approach: This project highlighted the crucial role of user research in guiding design decisions. Incorporating direct feedback from educators and students was pivotal in developing features like the 'Get Started' CTA and the intuitive sitemap. It underscored the importance of understanding and empathizing with the user's journey at every stage of the design process.

Importance of Data-Driven Decisions: Monitoring the post-launch KPIs reaffirmed the significance of data in evaluating the success of design changes. Witnessing the tangible impact of our redesign efforts in the form of reduced bounce rates and increased user engagement times validated our strategies and guided further optimizations.

Effective Stakeholder Collaboration: The redesign process emphasized the need for cohesive collaboration across different teams. Working closely with design, tech, and content teams, and aligning our goals and visions, was essential in executing a unified and effective redesign. This collaborative effort ensured that the final product resonated well with all user groups and met organizational objectives.

Adaptability and Continuous Improvement: The project was a reminder of the dynamic nature of digital platforms. The ability to adapt and iterate based on ongoing user feedback and analytics was crucial. This iterative approach not only enhanced the current redesign but also set a foundation for future improvements and updates.

Integrating Design with Functionality: Balancing aesthetic appeal with functional usability was a key learning. Ensuring that the site was not only visually engaging but also easy to navigate and interact with was a critical aspect of the redesign. This balance was fundamental in achieving a platform that was both appealing and practical for our users.