CRO and UX Case Study
PictureFrames.com
In November 2020, Circle Graphics acquired Grafik Dimensions, the parent company of PictureFrames.com, an online framing business offering hundreds of frames available in a wide array of customizable configurations.
Early engagement with both the site experience and business objectives provided direction for both short term and long term initiatives. While bug fixes and the removal of defunct features delivered quick wins, a larger replatforming initiative would bring considerable gains in revenue, conversion rate, and customer satisfaction.
As part of the MVP replatforming initiative, I spearheaded fresh branding and UI along with several UX improvements. After releasing this minimum viable product, I worked with my design team, the development team, and key stakeholders to iterate on CRO refinements surrounding the complex product configurator (PDP) and an assortment of catalog search, filter, and faceting projects.
Customization - Product Configurator (PDP)
• My design team began by constructing a product matrix to determine the diverse set of variants and conditions that make up the frame catalog.
• Once we had a clear view of the complexities and conditions of the product, my team proceeded to explore 100s of possible solutions for presenting the customization tools to the user in a less overwhelming manner.
• We settled on what came to be termed a "waterfall" configurator, starting with the user decisions that would most impact the next decision point. It was determined that a user who wanted an empty frame, versus a user who wanted to print and frame a digital image, was an essential first step because printing involved several other decisions not required of a user only seeking a frame.
• The interface was designed to chunk decisions by placing the input fields and buttons for each frame customization decision (image size, mat size and color, handware, etc.) into their own "drawers", creating a hierarchical decision tree or "waterfall". Likewise, we intentionally used varying input fields and UI element in order to visually separate configuration decision points.
• We intentionally removed itemized pricing for each element of the product configuration so as to reduce confusion about pricing and to minimize noise in the interface. Pricing still updated in real time as users selected their product options.
Findability - Categories, SERP, and Search
• A fresh look at product facets, as well as user surveys, revealed necessary cleanup of these product attributes as well as the language used to describe frames styles. Deep dives into the search and browse activity exposed both common keywords and infrequently accessed categories.
• In response to this research, we proceeded to reimagine the taxonomy to simplify navigation and browsing paths around user behavior.
• In addition, we incorporated new and updated facets into the product metadata, then revised and added new filters to SERP and category listings.