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Project overview page placed on simplified version of a Customer Journey Map

Project Overview page redesign

StarOfService, 2023

Problem

After the business model switch, the Project Overview page became a part of the primary client funnel. Usability tests and metrics performance highlighted room for growth.

Role

Ideated, researched, designed, and implemented experiments to redesign the user journey and increase page conversion.

Goal and results

The main goal was to increase client engagement with professionals on this page.

Over about 6 months of iterations, the share of Clients starting communication with Professionals increased almost 4 times. On the scale of the entire funnel it can be estimated as x2.2 growth.

Target page conversion

x4 increase

Entire funnel covertion

x2.2 increase

Background

Project overview page placed on simplified version of a Customer Journey Map
Project overview page as a part of clients' journey

StarOfService is a platform connecting clients with skilled professionals for various service needs. The Project Overview page plays a critical role in this journey, as it's where clients encounter potential matches for their requests. It functioned adequately, but usability tests and metrics performance highlighted the optimisation needed to maximise client engagement.

Within the Growth Track, I led the redesign of the Project Overview page to enhance user experience and increase client engagement with professionals.

This case study details key initiatives to illustrate the approach:

  • Professional cards

    Understanding client's needs

  • Architecture transformations

    Finding common ground

  • Open supply

    Design without design

#1

Professional cards

Understanding client’s needs

Problem

The professional card is a crucial element on the page. By that moment, we used to have several views from different models from different ages — it was hard to track why some of those decisions were made and how to make it "sell" professionals to clients.

Initial version of cards: they contained very little information with a lot of promiment elements.
Initial version of professianal cards

Process

While we had some other hypotheses to test, I initiated a series of user interviews to come prepared for iterating on cards. The focus was on:
  • Finding out the previous hiring experience
  • How different profile elements affect the process comparison of professionals

With all that I'd set to cards redesign and launched a series of AB tests to tailor the application of the findings.

Results

We've ended up with several variations tailored per type of professional or stage of interactions (contacted or not, applying or not, 'bookable online', etc).

Mobile and desktop versions of Pro cards
Cards for 2 types of professionals

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It resulted in increased client engagements with professionals and better usability tests feedback.

Target conversion on mobile

~40% increase

Target conversion on desktop

~25% increase

#2

Architecture transformations

Finding common ground

Problem

The initial Project Overview layout presented challenges for clients during the professional selection process. Usability interviews and user recordings revealed difficulties in:

The overall layout felt cluttered and overwhelming, hindering clear decision-making.

Distinguishing contacted professionals

A single list of all professionals with more distinctive cards, clearly divided by the level of interaction.

Information overload

Initial version of the page: The page is a list of all professionals somehow related to the request slightly divided into groups.

Process

To address these issues, the CTO and I developed two contrasting hypotheses for improving the layout:

Maintain the single-page structure but enhance the distinctiveness of professional groups based on interaction level (contacted, applied, etc.)

CTO's

Divide the list of professionals by purpose:

  • The "Project space" screen dedicated to communication, showcasing professionals the client has already messaged.
  • The "Find professionals" screen for, evidently, finding professionals, displaying all other relevant professionals

Mine

Through iterating and analysing results in various scenarios, we arrived at a hybrid solution. This combined the strengths of both hypotheses and addressed user needs more effectively:

Introduction of Tabs:

  • "Inbox": Clearly displays contacted professionals and those who applied to the request.
  • "All professionals": Lists all other relevant professionals corresponding to the client's request.

Introduction of redirection and display conditions to treat different use cases in a more efficient manner.

Page structure scheme: after request creation, if the client has incoming quotes they appears on Inbox tab, otherwise is redirected to All professional tab.
Rough final page structure

Results

This hybrid layout provided a clearer distinction between communication stages and improved information organisation, ultimately optimising the user experience for client decision-making.

A pop-up with a pre-filled message ready to be sent
We started to use a pop-up for initial message instead of redirection to the chat page

It resulted in increased client engagements with professionals and better usability tests feedback.

Conversion to open profile

85% increase

Conversations with pros started

70% increase

#3

"Open supply"

Design without design

Problem

StarOfService encountered a challenge with limited supply. Requests for unpopular services in smaller locations often yielded no results, creating a dead end for clients and hindering the user flow.

Process

Our first attempt involved expanding the search geography. However, this was poorly received by users and created a foundation of mistakes — clients were booking appointments with professionals from other cities without noticing. So, the problem required an other solution.

Not complimentary customer review, who complains on 100km away professionals
Example of customer review

At that moment, interactions with the client required a subscription, and there were enough professionals without one. So, we decided to start displaying them to our clients in case we lack subscribed professionals. The initiative was called "Open supply". Usually, their profiles were less compelling and fulfilled, but this approach appeared more efficient than loosening the search query.

2 "Open Supply" professionals and simplified notification about clients' interest
Clients get access to more professionals, while we can use clients' interest to re-engage more professionals

Also, it allowed us to use the client's interest as leverage to attract more professionals into the subscription by having a real demand instead of promises of thriving.

To decrease the chances of getting no answer, we encouraged clients to contact more professionals. Apart from cheering hints, we introduced a popup with a placeholder message (or repeating the last sent), allowing clients to declare their interest in professional services in just 2 clicks. And it helped by doubling the number of clients contacting more than one professional.

A pop-up with a pre-filled message ready to be sent
We started to use a pop-up for initial message instead of redirection to the chat page

The next step, which is the introduction of bulk messaging, was postponed due to switching to the other mission.

Results

Open Supply successfully "unclogged" a significant portion of client requests and led to a noticeable increase in Project Overview conversion. While not all Open Supply professionals transitioned to subscriptions, this approach opened a valuable opportunity for client-driven conversion.

Conversations with pros started

x2 increase

subscriptions started after messages from clients

~70% increase

Results

For about half a year, I have been working on the Project Overview page as a part of the Client funnel optimisation scope. The redesign included:

Segmentation of clients

Page architecture rebuild

Adjustment of the business model

Optimisation of crucial elements and flows

As a result, the share of Clients starting communication with Professionals increased almost in 4 times. This phenomenal number was partially achieved by sacrificing the next funnel step performance, but still, on the scale of the entire funnel, it can be estimated as x2.2 growth.

Target page conversion

x4 increase

Entire funnel covertion

x2.2 increase

Two graphs showing gradual growth of target metric
The target metric progression: cumulative and devided into segments.

There were still ideas for further Project Overview page enhancements, but it was excluded from the Growth team scope as we the entire Client funnel optimisation.

Thank you.