PROJECT TYPE
Website redesign, Rebranding
MY ROLE
UX/UI Design, UX Research, Product Ownership
CONTRIBUTION
Branding
User Research & Testing
Stakeholder management
Iterating & Prototyping
Background
CORPORATE WEBSITE REDESIGN
OVERVIEW
EN HR Solutions, a prominent player in the human resources industry, sought a transformative overhaul of their online presence. As a trusted partner for businesses seeking workforce solutions, EN HR Solutions recognized the need to align their digital image with the current standards. Their existing website, both in terms of content and design, had grown outdated, failing to reflect the company's evolving mission and vision.
My role
Within this project, I undertook a multifaceted role, primarily focusing on UX/UI design. My responsibilities encompassed user research to inform the redesign, as well as comprehensive efforts in rebranding to ensure alignment with EN HR Solutions' evolving identity. In addition to design, I played a pivotal role in stakeholder management, ensuring effective communication, insights and collaboration among key stakeholders.
Obstacles
DEFINING THE ISSUES
OLD WEBSITE
The website's outdated appearance and functionality were a significant stumbling block. Its design felt cumbersome and unstructured, resembling more of a cluttered PDF document than a modern website. Users struggled to gain a sense of orientation, with a lack of clear structure and navigation making it difficult to find what they needed. This frustration extended to the limited functionalities and interaction options available, leaving users with a less-than-optimal experience. The absence of design space for introducing additional services compounded the problem, making it challenging to convey the full scope of EN HR Solutions' offerings.
Old Homepage
Old Service Overview Page
Old Blog
ISSUES FOR POTENTIAL CLIENTS
The website failed to resonate with the target audience. It lacked a professional look and feel, appearing out of touch with the expectations of potential clients. Contact options were limited, hindering user engagement. Vital information about services like RPO, Employer Branding, and Diversity & Inclusion was inadequately presented, leaving visitors in the dark about crucial offerings. Furthermore, the absence of a platform to showcase evidence in the form of testimonials and client cases hindered efforts to build trust with potential clients and visitors.
ISSUES FOR EN HR SOLUTIONS
EN HR Solutions faced its own set of challenges, including an outdated branding that extended to the website. The existing brand identity failed to resonate with contemporary sensibilities, compounding the website's issues. The limitations of the website prevented the full showcase of their comprehensive service portfolio, hindering their ability to effectively convey their expertise. Their notable successes couldn't be adequately highlighted, impacting their credibility. Moreover, the existing website hindered efforts for new lead generation, a critical aspect of their business growth. Integrating new features like webinars and lead-generation quizzes (barometers) was difficult due to design constraints and limited space, preventing them from leveraging emerging online marketing opportunities.
goals
In light of these challenges, the goals of this project were clear: To revamp the website, addressing its outdated appearance, functionality, and branding while aligning it with the expectations of the target audience. It aimed to enhance user experience, offer clearer navigation, and introduce valuable functionalities. The project also sought to overhaul EN HR Solutions' brand identity, ensuring it resonated with contemporary sensibilities.
Requirements
INSIGHTS AND HIGHLIGHTS
GATHERING INSIGHTS
During the research phase, we delved deep into understanding the needs and expectations of both our target audience and internal stakeholders. To achieve this, we conducted insightful interviews and surveys with representatives from our target audience, gathering valuable feedback on their previous experiences with EN HR Solutions, competitors and their expectations for the new website. This process enabled us to compile a comprehensive requirement list, a roadmap guiding our project's development.
INTERVIEWS AND SURVEYS
To build a website that truly resonated with our audience and met the needs of our organization, we engaged in a collaborative dialogue with both our internal stakeholders and the target audience. Through a series of in-depth interviews and surveys, we embarked on a journey of discovery, seeking to uncover valuable insights, preferences, and pain points. The perspectives gathered from these interactions would prove invaluable in shaping our design and development decisions.
Redesign
EXPERIMENTING & CORE VALUES
Balancing visual and core values
In this pivotal phase of the project, our focus was on reshaping the website while maintaining the essence of EN HR Solutions' core values in our branding. We embarked on a journey of sketching and experimentation, exploring design elements that would bring a fresh, modern look to the website without resorting to a massive overhaul of the established brand identity. Our commitment was to ensure that the revamped website would continue to reflect the values and principles that have been at the heart of EN HR Solutions, thereby ensuring continuity and resonance with both existing and prospective clients. This section will delve into the thoughtful process of transformation, striking a harmonious balance between evolution and the preservation of core brand values.
WORK IN PROGRESS
It's important to acknowledge that rebranding isn't a one-time event but rather a dynamic process that unfolds over time. As we progressed through the project, we understood that rebranding was a "work in progress" that would continue to evolve.
Simultaneously, we recognized that alongside our rebranding efforts, optimizing the user experience was paramount. Thus, as our work on branding evolved, we ventured into the next phase of our project: restructuring the user flow. This crucial step involved a comprehensive evaluation of how users navigate the website, aiming to create a more intuitive and efficient journey that aligns seamlessly with our refreshed brand identity.
Iterating
SITEMAPS, FLOWS & DESIGN
OUR GOAL
In our website redesign, accommodating EN HR Solutions' growing range of services was paramount. We aimed to make these services easily accessible while maintaining a clear overview. To optimize user flows, we iterated on flowcharts and sitemaps. Guided by core considerations, we ensured the user experience remained central to our design choices.
1. Accessibility: We prioritized accessibility, creating flows that catered to all users and providing easy navigation.
2. Minimizing Clicks: Streamlining the user journey was vital; we reduced unnecessary clicks, making information more accessible.
3. SEO Optimization: To boost search engine visibility, we optimized flow hierarchy and layout in line with SEO best practices.
4. Navigation Layout: We designed intuitive and user-friendly navigation structures for clear pathways.
5. Service Categorization: Services were logically grouped for easy exploration, aligning with users' needs.
6. Scalability: Our flow designs were flexible, allowing seamless integration of new services and content to support EN HR Solutions' growth.
These considerations shaped draft iterations, creating a user-centric, future-proof digital experience.
FIRST ITERATION
In our initial iteration, we sought to simplify the user experience by placing a strong emphasis on summarizing everything under "Our Services." Our goal was to offer visitors a straightforward and intuitive journey. The flow was designed as follows: Homepage > Our Services > Service Category > Specific Service.
However, as the design progressed, we encountered challenges that led to an excess of clicks and confusion for users. Here's why:
Complexity in Flow: The layered structure with multiple clicks to reach a specific service introduced complexity. Users had to navigate through multiple levels, which could be confusing and time-consuming.
Information Overload: Summarizing all services under a single "Our Services" section might have resulted in information overload. Users could find it overwhelming to locate a specific service amidst a long list.
CTA Redirection: While we aimed for a straightforward CTA (Call to Action) redirect, the multilayered structure sometimes made it unintuitive to use the main CTA that led users to the list of services, causing users to feel uncertain about their choices.
Below is an example of how this flow and design looked.
SECOND ITERATION
In our second iteration, we focused on solving the issues of the first iteration and streamlining the user flow. Key changes included:
Categorization of Services: We split "Our Services" into multiple categories, aiming to make navigation more intuitive. This allowed us to create dedicated spaces for different service offerings, reducing the complexity of the initial approach.
Service Categories: The primary categories became "RPO Recruitment" and "Arbeidsmarkt Communicatie" (Labor Marketing), each with its distinct set of services. We did this to make sure users could differentiate the servies we offered.
Dropdown Navigations: We introduced multiple dropdown navigations that could either redirect with a single click or provide an overview of services. This feature allowed users to swiftly find their desired service or explore different service categories effortlessly.
Despite these improvements, several challenges persisted and new one arose, including:.
Maintaining Clarity: While the categorization improved clarity, ensuring that users easily distinguished between related but distinct services like "RPO Recruitment" and "Diversity & Inclusion" remained a challenge.
Homepage CTA Refinement: The homepage Call to Action was still redirecting to our main service "RPO Recruitment". As this was a pain point for users and it diverted attention from other services, we had to come up with a solution for this issue.
Below is an example of how this flow and design looked.
Final Iteration
OUR SOLUTIONS
THE REMAINING ISSUES
In our pursuit of an optimal user experience, we took decisive steps to tackle the remaining issues from the previous iteration:
Categorization Refinement: Recognizing the challenge of distinguishing between related but distinct services, we refined our categorization. We decided to split "RPO Recruitment" into its dedicated category and introduced "Consultancy" as a new category. This reorganization aimed to make our services more distinct and accessible, reducing potential confusion and aiding users in locating the specific services they sought.
Enhanced Navigation: Building on the previous iteration, we further expanded the navigation options. By introducing multiple categories and refining the dropdown menus, we aimed to offer users a range of pathways, each leading to a specific service category. This expansion added depth and flexibility to our navigation system, improving user exploration and engagement.
Header Design Experimentation: To ensure that all our services received equal attention and provide a solution to the previous issue of the homepage CTA, we embarked on experiments with alternative header designs. These designs not only improved the visual appeal but also introduced multiple CTA's that redirected to our core businesses. This change aimed to provide a more informative header on the homepage, guiding users effectively to explore various service categories, thereby resolving the issue regarding the CTA.
Below, you'll find several design examples we crafted to explore header design possibilities. Our key objective was to make sure that every service we offered was prominently displayed and accompanied by a clear Call to Action (CTA) that seamlessly redirected users to the respective service pages. The concept was to enable users, next to the clickable elements, to seamlessly scroll through the page, which would reveal the next section of the header. This approach aimed to provide a smooth and engaging user experience while ensuring easy navigation and an overview of our services.
Option 1
Option 2
Option 3
Option 4
In light of certain development challenges and budget considerations, we made a deliberate choice to pursue an alternative design approach. This decision was rooted in our commitment to delivering a functional and cost-effective solution that could be smoothly integrated into the website, ensuring a positive user experience without exceeding budgetary constraints.
Results
FINAL DESIGNS
FINAL DESIGNS
APPROACHING LAUNCH
As we inched closer to the highly anticipated website launch, we encountered unexpected challenges on our journey. Specifically, the development results from our trusted third-party partner didn't fully align with our initial expectations.
Despite these unforeseen hiccups in our development journey, we forged ahead with unwavering determination. It was a resolute decision, driven by our strong commitment to delivering our services to our audience. I am pleased to invite you to experience the outcome of our collective efforts at enhrsolutions.com.
DESIGN SCREENS
The final screens and designs, representing the culmination of our creative and technical endeavors, are visible below. These screens encapsulate the essence of our redesigned website and the rebranding efforts.
