Redesigning a Background Check Website for Faster Task Completion
My Roles
UX/UI designer
Tools
Figma, Procreate
Client Industry
Background check
Duration
Sep 2024 (4wks)
Project Focus
Website redesign
My Responsibility
- User interviews and usability testing
- Developed content and visual hierarchies for home and service pages
Overview
With 95% of employers conducting background checks, the market is set to reach $9 billion by 2030. As CROSS-CHECKS grew globally, it faced navigation issues from industry-wide UX/UI shortcomings and its transition. Through research and optimization, I improved the website. Achieved a 9x faster task completion time and reduced the abandonment rate from 20% to 0%.
Problem
CROSS-CHECKS faces website navigation issues. Cluttered design, unclear information, unclear business identity, broken links, inconsistent design elements, typos, irrelevant content, and distracting animations collectively hinder user experience. Users had difficulty finding the services they needed due to these issues.
Solution
Enhanced content hierarchy, providing intuitive navigation clues, & clear instructions
Prioritized information based on both business goals and user needs
Eliminated distractions and created concise package service cards
Introduced intuitive navigation clues, backed by research on visual hierarchy and cognitive design principles
Scroll down to see my process
⬇️
Client Testimonial
Eliza M. CEO of CROSS-CHECKS
“Her thoughtful approach, asking the right questions, and doing deep research to truly understand my business, resulted in a website design that exceeded my expectations.“
Research
I identified key global background check companies by leveraging research and client insights. My goal was to understand their business structures, service offerings, and information organization strategies to inform CROSS-CHECKS' transition to a global provider.
Competitive analysis
I aim to learn:
Pros and cons of their websites structure?
What kind of services do they offer?
Key findings:
Lack of transparency
Industry-wide issues include lack of transparency and disorganized content, affecting user experience and trust.
Inconsistent array of services
Different companies offer an inconsistent array of services, each structured differently, resulting in significant variations among providers.
Testimonials needed
Global background check websites often use testimonials to build trust in these lesser-known services.
Audit and 1st Usability Test
Hidden services & disorganized content resulted in a 20% user navigation task abandonment rate
Moderated tests confirmed audit findings, revealing that navigation challenges led to user frustration. Lack of prominence on search function also hindered others from discovering it, causing some participants to abandon their tasks when asked to complete “drug test” navigation.
I aim to learn:
Task completion time?
Current site feedback?
Navigation strategies?
2 occasional users
3 naive users
from Canada, UK, and U.S
Key findings:
Users rely on navigation menu for easy access to desired services and understand site functionality.
Users typically give up after 180”, with an average task completion time of 103”.
Users felt overwhelmed by cluttered content, irrelevant information, and excessive animations.
Next Steps:
Introduced navigation dropdowns
Built up visual hierarchy and eliminated distractions
Emphasized service overview and testimonial to establish user trust for unfamiliar services
Added site-wide navigation for different countries
Design
UI Kit Design
I preserved the original brand standards to maintain brand consistency.
I incorporated additional font sizes, weights, and neutral colors to enhance content hierarchy and improve readability.
I highlighted CTA with brand color.
Re-design Updates
Research found that users prefer this method for finding desired items and learn the site functionality. This user-centric layout improves accessibility and efficiency in locating services.
1. Introduced navigation dropdowns
Before
No dropdowns
After
With dropdowns
I redesigned the homepage featuring a service overview, followed by prominent testimonials, to foster user trust and confidence for unfamiliar services. This strategy ensures potential customers can efficiently explore the services and gain confidence through the positive experiences of other users.
2. Eliminated distractions
Loads of texts with carousel animation
Before
Clean product cards design
After
I removed unnecessary distractions, animations, and irrelevant information. I also created concise package service cards that allow users to quickly find and understand the most essential information without going to another page.
3. Redesigned homepage, featuring service overview and establish user trust for unfamiliar services
Clutter design, excessive animation, without information hierarchy
Before
More prominent search bar
After
Use bolder CTA and hero session
Start with process overview
Screening services overview
Package services overview
End with testimonials
4. Added site-wide navigation for different countries
Site-wide navigation for various countries enabling quick access to information based on location-specific needs.
Before
Site-wide navigation
After
2nd Usability Test: Original vs Redesigned Website
I conducted a comparative user evaluation with 5 users. By measuring task completion times and gathering feedback on website design and navigation, I gauged the effectiveness of the implemented changes and identified any remaining areas for improvement.
5/5 of users complete the “finding drug test screening” task within 6 sec, 9 times faster, compared to 20% abandon rate.
5/5 of users think the visual design is improved with comfortable spacing and proper information hierarchy.
5/5 users think it’s easier to navigate with a much more intuitive navigation, clear instructions, and a concise service overview.
1/5 of the users think the new design still lacks enough information and a clear CTA.
Prototype
Final Thoughts
Post-implementation UX metrics recommendations
Criteria I recommended for the client to consider in future iterations after design implementation:
Task completion time and rate: Track task completion rates and times for key actions, such as plan purchases and specific information searches, to identify potential navigation or clarity issues affecting user success.
Bounce rate: Track the percentage of users who leave the site after viewing only one page, which could signal confusion or irrelevant content.
User satisfaction scores: Collect user feedback through surveys or questionnaires to gauge overall satisfaction with the website experience.
Conversion rate: Measure the percentage of users who complete a desired action, such as signing up for a plan or making a purchase.
What I accomplished
Identified critical areas for improvement on the website including cluttered design, unclear information, inconsistent design elements, irrelevant content, and distracting animations to improve user navigation.
Revitalized brand visuals by transitioning from a traditional to a contemporary design, focusing on optimizing information hierarchy, enhancing spatial layout, and curating impactful imagery.
Optimized the website, resulting in a 9x faster task completion time and reducing the abandonment rate from 20% to 0% during the drug test navigation task (based on results from 5 users).
Improvement and Reflection
From this experience, I learned the importance of proactively identifying clients' unspoken needs and leveraging tools like AI and competitor analysis to gain a deeper understanding of their industry standing earlier in the process. Moving forward, I aim to explore the ethical implications of AI in the background check industry, ensuring the responsible and ethical use of technology. Additionally, I recognize the need for clearer primary calls-to-action (CTAs) and a more defined business direction to enhance strategic decision-making. Balancing CROSS-CHECKS' global expansion with a seamless transition remains a priority as I continue refining processes and fostering sustainable growth.
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