CROSS-CHECKS Website Redesign
CROSS-CHECKS' transition difficulties and unintuitive design resulted in navigation challenges for users
Irrelevant information
Cluttered design
Uncleared business identity
5 usability tests in total
Redesigned homepage featuring service overview and concluding with testimonials to establish user trust for unfamiliar services
CROSS-CHECKS, a growing global background check provider transitioning from its roots as a Canadian fingerprint screening startup, is seeking a skilled UX/UI designer to enhance user experience on their website by implementing streamlined design elements and intuitive navigation features.
Client Industry
My Roles
Solo UX/UI designer and website optimizing consultant
Tools
Figma
Duration
Problem
Solution
Background checks
Sep 2024 (3 weeks)
Confusing design and unclear business identity complicate site navigation
Enhanced content hierarchy, providing intuitive navigation, and clear instructions
Problem
As CROSS-CHECKS shifts from a Canadian fingerprint service to a global background check provider, it faces obstacles in website navigation. Cluttered design, unclear information, broken links, inconsistent design elements, typos, irrelevant content, ambiguous business identity, and distracting animations collectively hinder user experience and navigation on the website.
1
2
3
4
Prioritized information with business goal and user need
Eliminated distractions and created concise package service cards
Created concise package service cards, eliminating distractions
100% of users complete the “finding drug test screening” task within 3 sec, 600% faster
100% of users think the visual design is improved with comfortable spacing
After
After
Added site-wide navigation for different countries
After
The Result
Built upon existing brand design by adding elements that refine content hierarchy and highlight CTAs
To maintain brand consistency and cater to user preferences, I preserved the original brand design elements, including its distinctive color scheme, typography, and logo. To enhance content hierarchy and improve readability, I incorporated additional font sizes, weights, and neutral colors, ensuring a visually appealing and easily navigable experience.
Comparative User Evaluation: Original vs Redesigned Website
To assess the impact of the redesign, I conducted a comparative user evaluation involving five unique 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.
25% of the users think the new design still lack of enough information and a clear CTA
100% user think it’s easier to navigate with a much more intuitive navigation, clear instructions, and a concise service overview
What I wish I can do it better if I have more time or do it again…
Prototype
Improvement and Reflection
1. I wish I identify clients' unspoken needs in the project and being proactive sooner. For future projects, I aim to further refine my ability to anticipate and address clients' unspoken needs. By fostering open communication and proactively identifying potential areas of concern, I seek to enhance client satisfaction and ensure project deliverables exceed expectations.
2. I wish I utilize AI for competitor analysis to better comprehend the client's industry standing and create adaptable website design proposals sooner. Moving forward, I plan to harness the power of AI to conduct comprehensive competitor analyses during the initial stages of projects. This will enable me to better understand the client's industry and create tailored, adaptable website design proposals that address industry-specific challenges and strengthen their competitive position.
3. I wish I have the budget to find both B2B and B2C real users to gather valuable insights. Going forward, I will focus on involving real users from both B2B and B2C segments to gather more diverse and valuable insights. By incorporating their feedback, I can ensure that my designs cater to the unique needs and preferences of various customer groups.
4. I want to study AI ethics and how to utilize AI technology into background check industry. To better serve clients in the background check industry, I will focus on gaining a deeper understanding of AI ethics and its applications within this sector. By exploring ethical considerations and the potential uses of AI technology, I aim to develop tailored solutions that meet clients' needs while adhering to industry standards and leveraging the power of AI to enhance service quality and efficiency.
5. I wish we can decide a stronger and clearer primary CTA. Balancing CROSS-CHECKS' transition to a global background check provider with limited online information posed challenges in determining the primary CTA. While competitors either offer clear CTAs for booking consultations or focus on single services, CROSS-CHECKS aims to provide comprehensive services without sufficient details, hindering a straightforward CTA selection. But I think it’s normal for company are growing and transitioning.
6. Post-launch UX metrics:
The client expressed overwhelming satisfaction upon reviewing the proposal and delivered work
“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. “
UI Kit Design
Usability Test After Re-design
Client Testimonial
Eliza M. CEO of CROSS-CHECKS
Moderated usability test in progress
Solution
By optimizing content hierarchy on the homepage and service pages, CROSS-CHECKS can provide intuitive navigation and clear instructions. These improvements will lead to a more user-friendly experience, making it easier for visitors to find relevant information and engage with the company's offerings.
Enhanced homepage and service pages' content hierarchy, providing intuitive navigation clues and clear instructions
Introduced intuitive navigation clues backup by researches with color, spacing, typography, and psychology
Q
2 occasional background check users
3 naive background check users
1 from Canada
1 from UK
3 from U.S.
Q
Before
How do users behave and strategize during navigation tasks?
How long does it take to finish assigned tasks?
What’s user feedback for the current site?
After
Key insights:
Users rely on navigation bar for easy access to desired services and a better understanding of site functionality
Users felt overwhelmed by cluttered content, irrelevant information, and excessive animations
Users think current brand logo and color is pleasant and reflect professional background check company well
Usability test
Confusing navigation and disorganized content resulted in a 20% user task abandonment rate
Moderate tests were performed because I want to know user behaviors intuitively during navigation tasks to pinpoint areas for improvement and ensure the website caters to visitors' needs effectively. I tried to find people with diverse country background, half with background check experience and half naive users. I also measured the navigation completion Understanding task completion times will help me identify bottlenecks or areas requiring streamlining. I am interested in user feedback as it provides valuable insights into existing site issues, enabling me to focus on targeted enhancements that create a more enjoyable and seamless user experience. During usability testing, users who couldn't find the desired service became frustrated immediately. While one user attempted to utilize the search function, most overlooked this option due to its lack of prominence, leading to two participants giving up without considering it
Competitive analysis
Conducted competitor analysis to identify effective website organization strategies
Leveraging ChatGPT, pi, and client insights, I conducted a competitive analysis to identify key global background check companies. My goal was to understand their business structures, service offerings, and information organization strategies to inform CROSS-CHECKS' transition to a global provider.
To effectively design for a common service like background checks, it was essential to understand user needs despite CROSS-CHECKS' limited budget. By utilizing ChatGPT, I was able to create detailed personas, simulating potential users, which informed my design decisions and ensured the site's usability without compromising the company's financial constraints.
I optimized the website based on the usability test & competitor analysis
How other competitors organize and structure their websites?
What kind of services do they offer?
Introduced navigation dropdown for screening and package services
After
After
Key insights:
Most of the global background check website offers a whole site filter for country to ensure the accuracy of service
Competitors have testimonial section to increase users’ trust
Most of the competitors can’t provide information transparency either
Almost all the competitors organize their services and provide services quite different from each other
Persona
A mid-career HR & an entrepreneurial small business owner
Design and Prototype
Iteration
Before
Before
Before
