Eastern Credit Union Website Redesign

Discover how I redesigned the Eastern Credit Union’s website to boost user engagement, lead generation, and conversion rates.

Overview...

My Process...

UX Audit

Conducted a UX audit to identify areas for improvement in the existing website. This assessment revealed several pages needing improvement, including the Home page, Product and Services pages, About page, and more. These pages violated critical usability heuristics, lacked clear calls to action, and had overall confusing navigation.

Stakeholder Consultation

Conducted initial calls with stakeholders to understand the project's goals and target audience. These discussions helped align our design strategy with the stakeholders' vision and user expectations

User Personas

Based on the information obtained from Eastern Credit Union regarding their target audience, intended goals, needs, and pain points, I crafted personas to help influence my design decisions

Problem Statement

Clearly defined the key issues with the current website and set goals for the redesign.

"Eastern Credit Union's website fails to engage users effectively or generate sufficient leads due to its outdated design. The site's poor user experience, misalignment with brand tone, and lack of responsiveness hinder user engagement and lead generation efforts."

Desired State: Designing a user-centric website that is modern, visually appealing, responsive across all devices, aligns with Eastern Credit Union's brand, engages visitors effectively, and increases the number of leads generated.

Justification: This redesign will enhance user experience, strengthen brand identity, and increase conversions, ultimately driving growth for the credit union in the digital space.

Competitive Analysis

I assessed local competitors' websites to identify their strengths, areas for improvement, and potential product opportunities that could help Eastern Credit Union (ECU) stand out. However, I soon realized that there were limited exemplary local examples, so I expanded my approach to include several international financial institutions as references for identifying effective design practices and product opportunities.

information architecture & Content Strategy Design

Restructured the website’s overall navigation to ensure it was more intuitive and useful for Eastern Credit Union’s target users. Collaborated with colleagues to rewrite the website content, capturing ECU’s brand tone and aligning it with the new project goals and target users.

USABILITY TESTING

Unfortunately, the usability testing conducted on the completed design did not include the credit union’s target users. Instead, very brief tests were conducted among key project stakeholders. Additionally, upon completing the design, a series of checks and balances were put in place to validate the design decisions, ensure usability heuristics were not violated, and confirm that the overall design would help its target users achieve their goals while helping the organization meet its business goals and objectives. These checks included:

  • Heuristic Evaluation - To ensure there were no immediate usability violations.
  • Cognitive Walkthrough - To ensure that the processes and user journeys were intuitive and useful.
  • Accessibility Checks - To ensure there were no color contrast issues, appropriate font sizes were used, and that the design was responsive.
  • Design Reviews - Conducted by key project stakeholders to gather feedback and ensure alignment with project goals.

Handoff to Development

Conducted meetings with the development team to ensure they understood the design, functionality, and project goals.

Results...

Project Outcomes and Design Strategy Decisions

  1. Outcome: Increased User Engagement
    Design Solution: Redesigned the website to feature a more intuitive navigation, making it easier for users to find what they need. Included elements such as interactive icons, high-resolution AI images that depict the credit union’s target users, and ensured the design focused on achieving user goals and needs.
  2. Outcome: Increased Lead Generation
    Design Solution: Included prominent call-to-action buttons throughout the website, prompting users to take action. Incorporated concise forms on pages where the organization wanted users to take specific actions, rather than having separate form pages for users to navigate to. Lastly, I designed landing pages for key products, services and initiatives to capture leads.
  3. Outcome: Higher Conversion Rates
    Design Solution: Streamlined the user journey with clear calls to action and an intuitive layout, making it easier for users to complete desired actions. Also provided details on the credit union's finances aimed at building trust.
  4. Outcome: Optimized Responsive Design
    Design Solution: Ensured the website was fully responsive, providing a seamless experience across all devices.

Reflection and Lessons Learned

  • Iterative Design Process:
    Valued feedback loops and continuous iteration to refine the user experience.
  • Collaboration:
    Highlighted the necessity of close collaboration with stakeholders and development teams to ensure project success
  • User-Centric Design:
    Emphasized the importance of understanding and empathizing with user needs through personas and user flows.

Next Steps

  • User Testing and Feedback:
    Conduct further user testing to gather insights for future iterations.
  • Feature Enhancements:
    Explore additional features to further improve user engagement and lead generation.
  • Continuous Improvement:
    Maintain a feedback loop with users and stakeholders to continuously enhance the website.

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35% increase in online pre-qualification submissions
40% increase in user satisfaction
20% reduction in application processing  Time

Enhancing User Engagement and Satisfaction

Find out how the redesign of a financial institution’s homepage is expected to improve user engagement, lead generation, and overall satisfaction

Increased user satisfaction
Higher user engagement
Greater lead generation
Increased user retention

Let'S cONNECT

Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn or via email. Let's discuss how we can collaborate to create innovative and impactful digital solutions together.