How might we address the diverse circumstances of parents who choose homeschooling, prioritising content to keep them engaged and provide an informative user experience?
- Client work
- Agency: Electric Studio
- Year: 2021
- Duration: 1 Month
- My Role: Site Audit, User research, Wire Framing, UI / UX Design, Prototyping
Context
Founded in 1894, Wolsey Hall Oxford is a well established and highly respected online homeschooling college.
Their mission is to provide affordable, high-quality education to students wherever they happen to be in the world at a time and pace which suits their individual needs. They deliver courses from Primary and Secondary and through to IGCSE and A level to students in the UK and in over 125 countries around the world via their online learning platform.
Wolsey Hall Oxford approached us to improve its digital presence through a meticulous optimisation project. While it did not entail a complete website redesign, the project aimed to significantly enhance the overall user experience.
Gathering information
First we conducted a full content audit to assess the value and effectiveness of content, as well as determine how up to date the information was. We used the the O.U.C.H method, relaying our findings to the customer to keep them informed of our findings.
We noticed there was a significant bounce rate after the first click interaction, observed with Google Analytics behavioural flows. Despite users initially engaging with the website, a substantial portion exhibited a high bounce rate. Initial assumptions pointed to potential issues with the information architecture and user interface, particularly in relation to accessibility.
A competitor analysis gave us an understanding of market dynamics and gained a competitive edge by evaluating and comparing the strengths and weaknesses of rival businesses in order to inform strategic decision-making. This reassured the customer that positioning themselves as not just another SaaS online educator; but as the personable and approachable organisation they’re known for, was the right decision strategically.
Usability & Accessibility
While conducting the site Audit, we made a number of recommendations to improve the user experience in the first instance, which we implemented and monitored as the rest of the project progressed.
Analysing the problem
To gain deeper insight into user behaviour and thought processes, we conducted a card sorting exercise. This exercise allowed us to create a map of user mental models, revealing pathways to improved clarity.
Armed with newfound insights, we undertook the task of prototyping new website components and features, with a particular focus on addressing issues related to pricing and information gaps. Our objective was to preemptively answer users’ questions, keeping them engaged on their academic journeys.
Our goal then was to refine the content offering to allow users to extract the information they need, maintaining the wealth of information at hand without detracting from Wolsey Hall’s core product offering.
Refining Navigation for Clarity
Our foremost priority was to simplify the website’s navigation structure, ensuring users could seamlessly traverse the digital landscape of Wolsey Hall Oxford.
The updated navigation would show more information at a glance, while the a more legible typeface was selected & a clear visual hierarchy designed to improve accessibility.
Visual & UI Design
While primarily an optimisation project, the notable improvement in user retention after implementing some Usability & Accessibility best practices during the site audit made for a compelling case to approve an exploratory design exercise. After a number of iterations, all stakeholders were pleased with the results and we progressed to expand the initial designs into a full prototype.
Validation Through Testing
We prototyped new components and features where we saw the highest bounce rate (most notably pricing) to better answer questions that perhaps the user did not have access to.
We conducted a clickstream analysis, giving a small number of test users a few common tasks to test our solution.
And the results of our efforts completely transformed the way visitors navigated the website, improving the overall ease of use. When comparing data over a year’s period, the improvements spoke for themselves:
168%
Page view increase
46%
Page session Increase
87%
Average session duration increase
Reflecting on the Impact
Earlier this year Wolsey Hall Oxford was acquired by a prominent U.S. based education organisation. While all credit goes to the passionate educators at Wolsey, our website optimisation project undoubtedly played a part. A user-friendly website can serve as a powerful testament to an institution’s commitment to excellence.
In conclusion, our collaboration with Wolsey Hall Oxford was proof of the transformative power of good UX. It underscored the ability of targeted refinements, guided by an understanding of user needs, to yield exceptional results.
Reflecting on this journey, we take pride in knowing that our efforts have made a lasting impact, providing a more accessible gateway to knowledge for students worldwide.
The last rebuild included a completely new navigation design which completely transformed the way visitors travelled around our website and the ease of finding pages … We would have no hesitation in recommending David as a designer. His modest and professional demeanour have made working with David an absolute pleasure.
Lynne Stacey, Head of Marketing