Exploring how we redefined a data-centric digital experience by conducting an in-depth UX audit, gathering user insights, and leveraging behavioral analytics. Through expert evaluation and usability testing, we identified critical issues impacting user experience and iteratively delivered improvements, leading to a more intuitive, user-friendly product.
My Role: Lead UX Strategist
Engagement Time:
6-8 months ~
The Problem
The product before we touched it, had managed to access valuable data from various sources but faced multiple usability challenges that significantly impacted user satisfaction and engagement.
The issues stemmed from:
The issues stemmed from:
- A fragmented user experience that did not cater to different user personas.
- A lack of clear information architecture, making navigation complex and unintuitive.
- A suboptimal decision-making process that did not incorporate user feedback.
- Inefficient feature delivery cycles that slowed down product improvement.
The goal was to identify these challenges, establish a user-first strategy, and implement enhancements that would elevate the overall experience while driving business impact.
Methodology and Approach
Phase 1
Our approach started with a comprehensive UX audit:
1. Gathering existing research & conducting qualitative analysis – We analyzed previous user studies, user feedback, and product data to identify recurring patterns and critical pain points.
2. Applying expert evaluation & heuristic analysis – We performed a heuristic evaluation of the platform to uncover usability violations and key friction points.
3. Synthesizing a usability test report – We validated our findings with usability tests, gathering real-time insights from users.
4. Defining a North Star Design framework – We established a long-term UX vision to guide design improvements.
5. Mapping an Impact-Effort matrix – We prioritized features and fixes based on their potential impact and implementation complexity.
Phase 2
With the initial findings, we embedded a continuous improvement framework into our process:
Incremental delivery: We focused on implementing changes in a phased approach, ensuring every update provided tangible value to users.
Guiding principles: We established five key principles that informed every feature and enhancement, ensuring alignment with the user-centric vision.
Refining information architecture: We restructured the site’s architecture to accommodate multiple user personas, making navigation and task completion more seamless.
Behavior-driven enhancements: We leveraged user behavior data through summative testing and a continuous feedback loop, to fine-tune interactions, optimize workflows, and eliminate friction.
Incremental delivery approach
User Behavior Analytics
By tracking real user behavior through analytics tools, we identified patterns that guided usability improvements. For example, high drop-off rates on certain pages indicated navigation confusion, prompting us to refine the UI flow.
North Star Design Principles
We introduced a design framework to ensure long-term consistency and scalability. These principles served as a benchmark for UX decisions and helped align design, development, and product teams.
Impact-Effort Prioritization
A structured approach to feature prioritization helped us balance quick wins with long-term strategic improvements. By categorizing tasks based on impact and effort, we streamlined decision-making and optimized development resources.
Refining information architecture and behaviour-driven enhancements
Overall Results
The transformation led to measurable improvements:
✅ Enhanced User Satisfaction – The Customer Experience Index (CXI) score improved significantly, reflecting a more intuitive and engaging user journey.
✅ Optimized Information Architecture – The new site structure enabled smoother navigation for different user personas.
✅ Data-Driven Decision Making – Behavioral analytics and usability testing ensured that every enhancement directly addressed real user needs.
✅ Scalable Design Framework – By embedding design principles into the workflow, we established a sustainable framework for future feature development.
Key Takeaways
💡 Simplicity drives engagement – Streamlining workflows and simplifying interactions significantly improves usability and user satisfaction.
💡 User feedback is invaluable – Continual engagement with users through research, usability tests, and analytics helps refine and validate design improvements.
💡 Incremental change leads to lasting impact – Delivering improvements in a phased manner ensures sustainable growth without overwhelming users and benefits technical project planning.
💡 Cross-functional collaboration is essential – Bridging the gap between design, development, and business stakeholders fosters alignment and accelerates innovation.
💡 A clear UX vision enhances consistency – Establishing guiding principles and a scalable design framework ensures long-term cohesion across the product ecosystem.