Improving perceived user value
June has the opportunity to improve the perceived user value of potential new customers by redesigning the hero section of the landing page.
June smart oven
Objective
Increase website visitors’ perceived value and purchase conversion
June is a physical smart oven that is only sold online. My research suggested there is a disconnect between user-perceived value and June's actual value. My objective was to address this gap by improving June's perceived value and improving the purchase conversion rate of website visitors.
Role
UX / UI
Time frame
2 weeks
Identifying areas for improvement
Conducted product research to uncover potential user pain points by studying existing customer reviews and conducting user surveys. I focused on the following questions:
How product research lead me to focus on improving the users’ lack of product understanding
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What are the user pain points?
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Which pain points manifest on the website?
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Can the pain point be addressed through design improvements on the landing page and hero section?
Ranked the top 5 user pain points in order of priority, factoring in time, cost and impact. The pain point I chose to address was “Users don’t understand what June is”. The remaining pain points do need to be addressed later on.
Did a deep-dive into why users were experiencing the lack of product understanding, and how I might be able to address it through design improvements on the landing page and hero section.
Process flow for identifying a pain point that can be addressed on June’s website
Insights from user research
There is a gap between users’ perceived value and June’s actual value which could lead to low conversion
Baseline interview and survey results
“I think this is for a food delivery service?”
5-Second usability tests revealed that 70% of users were confused by the hero section of the landing page
The image below (the baseline version of June's homepage used for this study) has is a lot of stimulation and short video clips that do not give the user a clear understanding of what June is about.
Why the lack of product understanding might negatively affect conversion rate
Many potential buyers did not understand how June would add value to their lives, which resulted in their disapproval of the list price ($499). The lack of perceived value could deter users from buying June.
5-second usability test in which all 22 participants could not correctly identify what June is
Key takeaways
Users noticed the CTAs and price
Users thought this website was for a meal kit, food delivery service, or recipe blog
Users relied on the images to inform them on what the website was for
0%
Users identified the website as an e-commerce site for smart ovens
80%
Suggested this website to be for recipes or restaurant reviews
20%
Thought the website was for a meal-kit service or a platform for food services
What users perceive vs. what June’s value is
“I don’t think I need a second oven. I can do all of those things in my standard oven.”
Users perceptions of June
Users expressed the lack of value June has to offer by comparing it to other kitchen appliances. Many suggested simply being okay with using a standard oven to perform the same tasks June can.
June’s value proposition
“The June Oven will replace your convection oven, toaster, air fryer, dehydrator, slow cooker, broiler and warming drawer. This do-it-all oven will save you valuable money and precious counter space.”
Better representing June’s value
I designed iterations of the landing page hero section to address the shortcomings of the current (baseline) design to improve users' first impressions.
First iteration
The first iteration of the hero section using an image with reduced opacity to highlight the copy.
Key takeaways
Users were more drawn to the CTAs in this hero section
Users started recognizing that the purpose of this website was to sell smart kitchen appliances
Users were less drawn to the imagery used compared to the original (baseline) images
Users could not read all of the content
Updates for the next design
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Reduce the amount of text used
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Highlight unique features of the oven
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Explain June in a quicker, more engaging way
Second iteration
Second iteration with a short video and copy highlighting June’s unique features.
Key takeaways
3 out of every 5 users would consider buying June because of the information provided in this YouTube video
Users still felt overwhelmed with the amount of information displayed
Users thought June was only intended for cooking bacon
Updates for the next design
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Ditch the bacon theme
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Reduce the amount of text even more
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Put the video in the Learn More action button
Third iteration
Third iteration with a short tag-line and image of the oven
Key takeaways
Users understood that June was a smart appliance
Users appreciated the short description and felt that it was more personable
4 out of every 5 users identified this website as an e-commerce site to buy a smart oven
Users thought the oven was too expensive
Updates for the next design
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Use a better image of the oven
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Describe June in a way that evokes intelligence, affluence, and value
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Make users want to click the Learn More CTA
Testing and feedback
Each new iteration lead me closer to the results I was looking for. Users began to recognize this site as a place to buy a smart oven and started showing more interest in June’s capabilities. Some even suggested needing one in their kitchen.
Iterations that did not make the cut
Exploring scale, layout and copy were the main objectives in these frames. These screens are intended to show the iteration process of the hero section. They were not used in any of the user tests.
Impact
The final round of testing revealed that there was no longer ambiguity around the first impressions of the landing page. Users also showed more engagement in discovering what June can do rather than feeling overwhelmed with the copy.
100%
Users identified the website as an e-commerce site for smart ovens
90%
Would consider purchasing June after viewing a short video describing its abilities
20%
Of users felt the new design was more digestible and felt comfortable exploring the landing page
Project learnings
Working through ambiguity and prioritization
Unlike my other projects, the problem was not clearly defined for me. I had to navigate through ambiguity to identify and define the problem.
I started out by conducting exploratory research, which uncovered user pain points. Then I had to critically analyze every pain point and assess how I could address it. This was also an exercise in prioritization where I performed a cost-benefit analysis of the effort required to address a pain point and the potential impact of addressing it.
Going forward, I will continue to build on the problem-solving skills (problem identification, critical analysis, prioritization) that I developed through the course of this project.
Understanding the role of marketing
The effort I put into understanding marketing and e-commerce techniques had its challenges and rewards. The feedback from users dictated which marketing techniques (copy and imagery) I could leverage on to improve the perceived value of potential users.
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