Redesigning a Background Check Site for 9x Faster Task Completion
CROSS-CHECKS, a global background check company, had major usability issues: abandonment rates were high, task completion was slow, and left users unable to find the services they needed, despite a booming $9B industry projected by 2030. Through research and optimization, I redesigned the site—cutting task time by 9x and reducing abandonment from 20% to 0%.
My Role
UX/UI designer
Tools
Figma, Procreate
Duration
Sep 2024 (4wks)
Project focus
Website redesign
"A background check isn’t just due diligence—it’s how we protect our people and our culture."
— Maria Chen, Senior HR Manager
Background
Problem
Users couldn’t find the services they wanted and often left before exploring further.
Solution
Cross-Checks expanded from local fingerprinting into global background checks but lost existing customers and struggled to convert new visitors into customers.
Homepage redesigned:
Adding top dropdown menus
Adding a clear search bar
Implementing progressive information disclosure
Eliminating visual distractions
Impact
The redesign enabled users to complete tasks 9× faster.
Estimated 15% Conversion Rate improvement.
Users’ Pain Points
Both business and individual users need more efficient navigation
Based on the initial discussions, I narrowed down to 3 types of users: small business owners, corporate HR teams, and individual employees. I conducted user interviews, service reviews, and online research and found that all groups view intuitive and efficient navigation as key to their experience.
Small business owners
A quick, clear process to understand what background checks to request.
Individual employees
Need to complete the required background check quickly to proceed.
Human Resource teams
Efficiency, scalability, and integration with existing hiring platforms.
Hidden services and disorganized content led to a 20% drop-off
Current Site Usability Analysis
Since this is for a global background check company, I recruited a diverse range of 5 participants from Canada, the UK, and the U.S. Moderated usability tests were conducted to learn:
Task completion time:
Avg. 1 minute and 43 seconds completion; one drop-off at 5 minutes and 24 seconds.
Current site feedback:
No dropdown to guide users to find desired services quickly
Search bar hard to notice
Tasks completion time
Homepage scanning was hindered by animations and excessive copy in service information session on the homepage
Service finding strategies observation:
5/5 used top navigation and dropdowns to find services and explore site structure
2/5 then used the search bar when navigation wasn’t enough
2/5 then skimmed the homepage to locate services
1/5 drop-off at 5 minutes and 24 seconds
How users felt about the site
Services finding strategies
Key insights
⚠️
20%
Drop-off in service finding task
⚠️
100%
need top navigation dropdown menu
⚠️
40%
Improve search/skimmability
Redesign Highlights
1. Adding dropdown menus
The benchmark usability testing shows users use dropdown menus for finding services they want and learning site features. If they can’t find dropdown menus they became annoyed immediately. I introduced structured dropdown menus featuring service grouping and alphabetical ordering to significantly improve service discoverability.
BEFORE (autoplay carousel)
AFTER (user-controlled carousel)
2. Improved search bar discoverability
Users rely on the search bar when navigation or dropdowns fail; if it’s not easily visible, they become frustrated.
3. Easier service discovery and site skimming through progressive disclosure on homepage
I removed unnecessary animations and implemented progressive disclosure by redesigning service cards to only highlight essential information upfront, allowing users to find what they need without leaving the page more quickly.
BEFORE （no dropdown menus)
AFTER (with dropdown menus)
AFTER (more prominent search bar)
BEFORE (inconspicuous search bar)
Second Usability Test
Test Result
100% users found services wanted seamlessly.
But when less overwhelmed, users noticed some important issues….
I conducted a comparative user evaluation with another 5 participants, from the U.S. and Canada. I presented the original and redesigned versions side by side. I also tested the same service finding task completion time. Users responded positively to the visual improvements but expressed a need for more information on services, after they no longer struggle to find the services they want, such as country switcher, pricing and process, details the client was still working to finalize.
Navigation ease
Content clarity
The following key findings were identified during the interviews:
All 5 users completed the “finding drug test screening” task within 11 seconds, compared to 20% abandonment rate.
All 5 users found it’s easier to navigate with a much more intuitive navigation, progressive disclosure, improved visual and content hierarchy.
2/5 users found the new design still lacks enough information.
9x faster
task was completed faster after the redesign
✅
100%
found it easier to navigate the site
✅
40%
said important details were unclear
⚠️
More Iterations
2. Creating process overview and templates with limited information
After the second usability test, I found that users wanted clearer details on pricing and turnaround time before booking. Since these elements were still being defined, I collaborated with the CEO to design a service template based on competitor analysis, adding key information, clear instructions, and a prominent “Contact Us” option for user inquiries.
Process overview
Template with process details and “Contact Us”
1. Adding whole site country switcher
After the second usability test, I learned that 2 out of 5 users noticed that some services were country-specific but not clearly labeled, some in titles, others in subheaders, making them feel confused and less confident in the site.
BEFORE (inconsistent country labeling)
AFTER (site-wide country switcher)
Technical Constraints & Adaptation Strategies
1. Filters as the current solution vs. site-wide country switcher for future adaptation
After meeting with the stakeholder, I learned that a site-wide region switcher wasn’t feasible on the WordPress platform due to technical constraints, so the developer and I implemented service page filters as a temporary solution.
Site-wide country switcher
Service page filters
Current Prototype
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.”
Final Thoughts
Post-implementation UX metrics recommendations
I recommended the following metrics to guide 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 1 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
The unspoken client needs, often the root of deeper challenges:
From this experience, I learned the importance of proactively identifying clients' unspoken needs—often the root of deeper challenges. What initially seemed like a visual design issue turned out to reflect a lack of clarity in the client’s business identity. When clients struggle to define content hierarchy and priorities, in this case, it signals unresolved questions about their core services, pricing, and positioning. I realized that gaining deeper industry knowledge early on is essential to understanding the barriers preventing them from reaching their goals. Addressing these issues requires going beyond UI fixes—leveraging tools like AI and competitor analysis earlier in the process could have clarified their direction and strengthened strategic decisions.
Explore more the ethical implications of AI in the background check industry:
Moving forward, I aim to explore the ethical implications of AI in the background check industry to ensure its responsible use. I also recognize the importance of a more clearly defined business direction to support strategic decision-making. Balancing CROSS-CHECKS’ global expansion with a smooth transitional process remains a priority as I continue to refine workflows and support sustainable growth.
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