Transforming a Digital Marketing Startup's Reach from Instagram to a Full-fledged Website
Project Background
Digital Querry Made Easy, referred to as DI.Q.Easy, is a digital marketing startup based in Kolkata, serving various businesses ranging from publishing companies to social media pages.
Problem
The primary mode of contact for potential clients is through the company's social media platforms, as DI.Q.Easy has yet to establish an online presence via a dedicated website. Another issue is the company got the majority of their business through word of mouth. In order to expand, the company needs a new platform to expand their user base.
Business Goal
The website needs to convey the company's unique core values and set it apart from the more established players in the digital marketing arena.
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Role
I was the sole UX/UI designer and also acted as a product manager on this product. I was for responsible with user research, information architechture, low-fi wireframes, usability testing, and high-fidelity mockups.
Key Performance Metrics (KPIs)
Our success criteria included session duration, case study views, how often the website is shared, which were instrumental in measuring the effectiveness of the platform.
Initial client brief
The initial client request involved designing materials for their clientele and enhancing the aesthetics of the digital marketing agency's Instagram page.
Understanding requirements
The first step was understanding the stakeholder and user needs. The stakeholder requirements were.
Research
Due to time constraints and this was an advertising platform where stakeholders market their business and not a product, I did not see the need to conduct generative research. Users do not usually think of digital marketing websites when asked about it. So I conducted an A/B testing comparing social media pages of the client with existing digital marketing websites and secondary research conducting competitive analysis of similar websites in the same domain of digital marketing.
Competitive Analysis
During the competitive analysis phase, I conducted an extensive review of various digital marketing websites, particularly focusing on the Indian market.
During the competitive analysis phase, I conducted an extensive review of various digital marketing websites, particularly focusing on the Indian market.
Key Findings
The digital marketing landscape in Kolkata was characterized by scarcity, with only a handful of true digital marketing agencies.
A significant portion of the market was comprised of hybrid entities, encompassing branding and IT companies that offered a range of services, including website development, mobile app design, and video production, in addition to their digital marketing offerings.
Some well-established players in this space lacked an online presence altogether, further emphasizing the unique opportunity to stand out and deliver dedicated digital marketing services in a market that was underserved and lacking in comprehensive web representation.
Initial wireframe
Assessing the client and user needs helped me evaluate the content and functionality requirements of the website.
User Need
What services are
provided
How much do I pay for services
Content requirement
Functionality requirement
Text providing details about company
List of services
Details of case study
Testimonials
Contact (phone+email)
Social media links
I want to talk to a human being
Next step was structuring the content and functionality requirements into a sitemap.
After the sitemap I sketched initial wireframes and visual mockup.
Usability testing
I conducted usability testing with 5 participants. Participants were mostly in the age range of 21-30, who use social media and technology friendly.
Process
This was an exploration phase to understand how usable is the website. The website needed to have pragmatic qualities to be useful.
Task driven approach
The usability metrics that I used were task success. Task success helps in measuring how effectively users completed a given set of tasks.This helped in understanding how usable the website really is.
As the stakeholders wanted the company to be discovered by potential clients through the website I gave the users the following tasks-
1.Read about the company and their services
2.Read details of one case study
3.Send message to the company about wanting to use their services for marketing their business
Questions were asked afterwards for perceived usability.
Binary success was used to measure task success showing whether each user completed a task or failed to complete it. 100% of the participants completed task 1 and 2 successfully but task 3 was completed by 0% participants.
Think out loud technique
I asked users to explain what they see and think.
Problems identified
'Contact' button on the form to send a message confused the users.
Users did not read all the texts explaining about the services provided by users
Who are our users
The website is designed for users who want to promote their business, services and product which can be marketed widely within a competitive budget.
Mihir Bose
50, Married, Kolkata. Owner of a travel agency.
Lives in his own ancestral house. Likes reading, watching theatre. Uses very limited technology.
"I want to market my business to a larger number of customers."
Wants to market his business to young travellers along with families.
Wants to keep up with current digital trends in promoting his agency.
Feels his limited knowledge of applying technology is preventing his agency to reach a wide customer base.
Being an independent business he has limited budget to promote his business.
Ashwini Chadda
21, Single, Mumbai. Fashion and make-up influencer.
Lives with her parents. Likes watching web series,
spending time on social media. Uses technology for everything. Wants to grow her
business for her target audience..
"I want to make my mark as an renowned name in the influencer business."
Experienced in digital platforms. Uses her phone most of the day for content creation.
Wants to grow her business and number of followers fast.
Wants to be a well-known name in the influencer business.
Her target audience are college students who love fashion and make-up.
Reiterating the designs
I made the changes after testing the initial design and re-designed the main user flow..
Project outcomes
Within two months I was able to deliver a user tested clickable prototype of the website to stakeholders. Working along side a developer the website is soon to go live.
Reflections
In this project I was a design team of one designing the website from scratch without any background in digital marketing. I had to be confident in the decisions I make. It was particularly challenging when the client changed the company logo when the look of website was done based on it. I had to start from the beginning but in the end I could deliver a MVP to the stakeholders.