The opportunity
Through an extensive user experience process where we delved into analysing existing website data it was identified that the Careers Australia website wasn’t performing as well as it could. Over the entire existence of Careers Australia, the website has always been developed by various external agencies with varying success. As a result, management determined that the calibre of their internal team (Myself and our developer) made the project being done in-house a viable option. Due to the success of various digital campaigns executed in the past, we were up for the challenge. We worked closely together to deliver the project on time and within budget.
Strategic planning
Working closely with our developer through the initial stages, we worked to establish the goals of the redesign. Establishing the goals of the redesign early on drove the design and development of the website with the KPI’s of stakeholders in mind, and balanced these with the natural tendencies of the audience.
Our research established that there were a number of lead collection opportunities that weren’t being capitalised on. Through this process we included designs that would be favourable for SEO purposes. Specific attention was given to ensuring the right content was above the fold for the right browsing device.
We then worked on creating a design and development schedule, utilising gantt charts and of course the whiteboard to ensure we had all aspects of the project covered.
The design and development
From the initial design planning phase the user interface was an important consideration for the user experience of the site. Creating uniform components and button styles guides the user through the website, giving them a seamless experience from start to finish. This concept should be implemented as early as the initial sketch up wireframes.
Some elements from the previous website were kept, while a lot of new features that spoke more clearly with our audience was implemented. The backend implementation to increase internal process was also a critical feature that was lacking on the previous website. We needed a more transparent way of segmenting leads, assigning correct contact statuses and making sure leas were being handled by the correct department of the business. Here are some important additions to the website that we implemented:
- According to the Crosby and Texter research conducted for our business, we found that 80% of people preferred email as the primary form of contact. Furthermore, 63% of potential students would prefer self-enrolment through an online portal.
- Greater tracking control by channel and medium, thus increasing accountability for the marketing team to produce leads.
- New enquiry system resulting in the business being able to get leads to the correct business unit as efficiently as possible, resulting in higher conversion rates and customer satisfaction.
- Custom Lead capture API created by our developer that integrates with the website and the CRM. This new system allowed us to track if the the enquiries were organic, paid, social etc. That information is tracked from enquiry to customer, giving us a greater insights on our marketing channels.
- Brand recognition by displaying reputable Careers Australia partners.
- According to heat mapping results, we pushed the social media buttons to the top of the page.
- Lead generation strategies via the career pathway options.
- Heatmapping showed that people wanted to search courses as soon as possible so there is now built in course finder at the top of the page.
- The website is primarily a lead generating tool, however we found students were coming to the website to get to blackboard, so there is a ‘student area’ for Blackboard, handbooks and graduation information.
- Better search function tailored to SEO based on location and sector based content
It was important that the new elements of the design were based on solid research via Crosby Texter, google analytics and website heat mapping services. To ensure every element of the site worked with the user in mind, we collected data and utilised previous experience. Every element of the design and layout was constructed to give the user the easiest path to conversion and by extension, increasing ROI to the business.
Here are some samples of pages that were designed for the website or you can visit the website here.
Heatmap comparison
Below is a heat scroll-map of engagement over the 25,000 visitors that went to the old website and the new, improved re-designed CAG website. As you can see by reducing the length of the website more visitors are consuming the content and viewing everything we want to show them. The information density is greatly improved and the results show that below.
Mobile design
The mobile version of the previous website needed very considerable improvements in the UI. It was very difficult to use. Each page was far too long on mobile as you can see by the scroll heat map below showing white and red as heavily viewed areas and blue being not seen at all. The new redesign was made to look like a completely different experience. In the image below, the left is the old website and the right is the new website to get an idea of the length. The new redesign was developed to have an easy to navigate UI with an “app” style experience.
The outcome
This website was development of this website has the user at the heart of each interaction. Each external and internal element of the site is thought out to maximise the efficiency of the user experience. Through solid research, understanding and collaboration with stakeholders we were able to deliver a solution that not only looks great, but is backed by solid data and analytics.