Specifications

Volusion is an e-commerce software solution for large and small businesses, selling a wide range of products and inventory.

Process

I began with extensive competitor research. Interviewed sales team and customer service reps to find the most requested and common reported issues. We did a light audit on the existing admin. The conclusion was to use card style sections that could easily collapse for pages with longer page searches. After many white boarding and sketching, we started the workflows, UI styleguide and prototypes.

Objective

Update the user interface and remove unnecessary items, including restructure of main navigation, information architecture, buttons, dropdowns and userflows. Includes updated logo and style guide.

Goal

Decrease the number of customer support phone calls, increase activity within the admin, and continue the effort to keep existing and free trial clients long term.

Challenges / Constraints

The largest constraints were due to outdated code. Many of the new features and interactions had to be carefully thought out. The biggest challenge was to come up with a solution that was not too overwhelming.

Accomplishments

Updated colors, fonts and style guide, easy to use bulk editing, sticky navigation with core action items, condensed information using tab navigations where necessary.

Personas

Struck out on their own (freedom seekers)

People who started their business and are having some degree of success because they know their industry; relatively new to business but not to their niche. They might also be people who know business in general, and started one to start one, having assessed a number of business types as options

Family business owners (legacy builders)

Have a family business with one or more members of the family; have more staying power than some other groups due to mutual support and commitment, but are less reliant on and capable with digital tools and online selling

Considering starting or recently started a business

People who want to start a business but don’t know where to start; motivated and may have an entrepreneurial mindset, but have limited business experience

Gathered Data

Phase 2: Begin larger workflow issues to improve customer satisfaction after launch of new user interface and light workflow.

Discovery

Valuable: Problems are we solving with a new Information Architecture?

Usable: Is our solution to usable?

Feasable: Is it possible with our existing resources?

Solutions

Improve: IA so that it serves as a guide

Group: make pages easier to find Promote: Present pages merchants should use

Demote: Bury pages that should not be used

User research: Determine the best Grouping, Promotion, and Demotion.

Problems

Sub Navigation Menus have any where from 4 to 13 items. We have 55 total sub navigation items readily exposed. New merchants and trial merchants can become overwhelmed.

Our navigation doesn’t mirror our welcome and getting started guides.