Project Overview

Problem: The Financial Services Cloud Community site at IBM was underperforming in terms of user engagement and satisfaction. The challenge was to simplify navigation, improve user interaction, and create a more cohesive brand experience for its users, while aligning with business goals.

Role: UX Designer (collaborated with developers, product managers, and branding teams)

Duration: 10 months

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Research and Discovery

Goals:

• Identify usability issues and key areas for improvement.
• Understand user behavior and site navigation patterns through data analytics and user interviews.

Actions Taken:

• Conducted a UX audit based on user feedback and design best practices.
• Ran user interviews and surveys to gather qualitative insights on pain points.
• Mapped out the existing user flow to highlight areas of friction.

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Key Insights:

• The navigation was too complex, leading to high bounce rates.
• Users found it difficult to access relevant resources due to poor content organization.

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Strategy and Design Process

Goals:

• Create a simplified, user-friendly design that enhances engagement and reduces bounce rates.
• Ensure the redesign aligns with both user needs and business goals.

Solution:

• Designed an intuitive, simplified navigation system with improved content hierarchy.
• Implemented community features like forums and comment sections for better user interaction.
• Developed brand-consistent UI elements that aligned with IBM's visual identity.

Tools Used: Figma for wireframes and prototypes, Google Analytics for data insights.

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Testing and Iteration

Goals:

• Validate the new design through user testing and feedback.
• Refine the design based on real user behavior and preferences.

Actions Taken:

• Conducted usability testing with 15 participants to assess the improved navigation and user interaction.
• Gathered feedback and made iterative improvements to enhance the user experience.

Results:

• User engagement increased by 18%, and bounce rates dropped by 20% post-launch.
• The introduction of community features led to a 15% increase in user-generated content.
• Positive feedback from users, who noted the site's improved ease of use and clearer navigation.

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Conclusion

This project significantly improved both the user experience and engagement on the Financial Services Cloud Community platform. It demonstrated my ability to lead UX design efforts, conduct thorough user research, and deliver business-aligned solutions.

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