When we started this effort in late 2019 there were only 4 product designers on the team. By mid 2020 we had doubled in size to 8 designers, the doubled again in size to 16 designers by end of 2021. The team consisted of 5 team leads and 11 supporting product designers.
+300% increase in team size
Process
It is a collaborative process that takes place prior to product development. It involves a flexible set of activities designed to ensure we’re building the right product before investing time and resources to build it. Discovery & framing comes from the lean startup practice which encourages the use of iterative Build, Validate, Learn cycles.
Identify your assumptions.
Gather evidence and validate (or invalidate).
Prioritize the key problem to solve.
Explore multiple solutions.
Focus on a high-value starting point.
Run experiments to validate concepts.
MVP is not the end, it is the beginning
Continue evolving the experience
Reach for those tougher to solve goals
Objective
Prior to 2020 the Dell.com experience had remained largely the same, with the same design system and user journey that had existed 5 years prior. It was my team's task to bring the entire shopping experience into the modern age of online shopping.
Our themes included:
A premium look and feel
Product forwardness
Streamlined and intuitive UX and UI
Personalization
AI/ML driven content
Humanized language
Progressive disclosure
Assistive shopping
Business Strategy
Competitive comparison
What do customers think?
"The number one problem that Dell always had is to help me find the system that's right for me and they have always struggled with that.”
"Site does a very, very bad job with any pre‑search journey that isn’t related to actually showing a product… It doesn’t help me understand what’s right for me."
“As a technology consumer, I need an experience that provides enough guidance I feel confident I can meet my current and future needs combined with the flexibility to shop and buy on my own terms.”
Sampling of insights from the session:
Homepage
Establish elevated and unified brand awareness, compelling visitors to browse further and move down the funnel
Objective
Key Result
Provide a visually rich, immersive experience that showcases Dell catalog based on the recent behavior on the site
1. 10% reduction in exit and bounce rates 2. 2% increase in ‘completion of intent’ within CSAT surveys 3. 8% increase in homepage to cart conversion
Build rich, visually engaging experience to showcase for new product launches on Dell homepage for return and targeted users
1. Leverage the new experience for at least 1 Product launch in 1H FY21 2. Homepage conversion for engaged users should increase by 2X 3. 10% of homepage visitors should engage with the module 4. At least 70% favorability rating from the voice of the customer survey
Redesign masthead for mobile to make it easier for customers find the right products and categories
1. Launch new masthead in homepage by 1H FY21 2. Reduce exit/bounce rate for engaged customers by 10% 3. Increase masthead click through rate by 20%
Design Tenets:
Premium - Experience, Look and feel should always be in vogue
Engaging - Evoking enough to have users spend time on the HP so they start their journey to picking the right product aptly
Findability - Allows user to find the right door to the category they are looking for
Flexibility - for Dell team to manage and maintain content
Actual Results:
+10% improvement in bounce rate
10% reduction in exit rate
5% increase in click through rate
Laptop Category
A premium, personalized, mobile-first experience to enable customers’ exploration across the Dell brand assortment; enabling forward movement towards completing their visit intent. Providing a guided journey through content & navigational improvements to offer brand and product differentiation for a diverse CSB and commercial customer audience
Objective
Key Result
Launch a modern, immersive, mobile first, category page design that helps establish Dell as a premium brand
1. Deploy the new page for systems category in the US by Q1 EOQ 2. >10% increase in category to cart conversion 3. >80% favorability rating for the new design in a 1000+ people design survey conducted by the product team 4. > 20% increase in organic search traffic triggered from the generic keywords
Simplify the experience to help customers differentiate between different brands/series in our product offering
1. >10% reduction in bounce and exit rates on the page 2. +10% improvement in clickthrough rate for PD page visits 3. > 20% reduction in the number of search initiations from PD page 4. > 40% reduction in ‘lack of comparison’ related issues reported in CSAT
Provide tools to help customers find the right product per their requirements faster than today
1. +10% increase in browse to cart conversion for engaged users 2. +10% increase in ‘intent of completion’ CSAT scores for engaged users 3. > 30% of customers buying the products recommended by the tool 4. > 70% ‘helpful’ rating on the Voice of customer survey for the module
Design Tenets:
Simplicity – Create a simple experience where users can easily discover their brand options in one place and do so in a visually appealing format with direct calls-to-action. This will help guide users and streamline the buying process.
Digestible Content – Reduce the cognitive load when viewing the page and focus on valuable, purposeful content that is needed to help our customers make educated purchase decisions.
Engaging Imagery – Use product focused photography where users immediately see brand options. Using high-quality imagery catches the attention of our customers and will help gain their interest in learning more about the brands.
Brand Identification - Clearly layout brands where customers can easily identify brand differences and highlights. This will allow customers to feel confident in the brand path they choose as they continue shopping.
Actual Results:
440% increase in engagement
25% increase in conversion
8.5% increase in revenue per visit
36.6% increase in conversion using brand differentiator module
XPS Franchise Page
Convey the unique positioning of product brands and models. Allow customers to confidently learn, research, and continue down their purchasing journey
Design Tenets:
Immersive - Create a simple experience where scrolling the page feels organic and every element of the design exists for the benefit of our customers.
Human-Centered - People can easily access and properly educate themselves on our brands and products with content created for easy consumption.
Premium Experience - Create an experience our customers expect where aesthetics, functionality and performance are equally in excellence.
Purchase Empowerment - Clearly layout information that’s consumable and create an experience appropriate for our brands. This will allow customers to make educated decisions and purchases they feel confident in.
Actual Results:
10% increase in engagement
5% increase in forward movement
10% decrease in exit rate
43% increase in AOV
22% increase in conversion
Product Details Page Content
Launch rich visual experiences that enable customers to learn about products at the right place at the right time.
Objective
Key Result
Launch a new PD page design that enables immersive story telling by leveraging user generated and proprietary product content
1. Launch a premium PD page experience for XPS products in the US by Q2 EOQ 2. > 10% increase in PD to cart conversion 3. > 80% favorability rating for the new design in a 1000+ people design survey conducted by the product team 4. >20% increase in natural search traffic for the new designs
Provide rich, enhanced visual aid that can help customers get the 'touch & feel' experience of Dell products online
1. Launch integration with the industry’s best video/ image rendering platform 2. > 70% ‘helpful’ rating on the Voice of customer survey for the module 3. <80% of products with at least video/hotspot and 5 images 4. +100% improvement in number of converting customers who are engaging with the hero area
Make it easy for customers to understand the difference in specs and configurations across different product models
1. >10% reduction in bounce and exit rates on the page 2. +10% improvement in clickthrough rate for PD page visits 3. > 20% reduction in the number of search initiations from PD page 4. > 40% reduction in ‘lack of comparison’ related issues reported in CSAT
Design Tenets:
Storytelling - Leverage product content and user-generated content to create immersive experience, develop engaging product story and build effective brand awareness.
Comparability - Enable users to easily compare product configurations within and between product variants by providing clear information hierarchy, rich visual presentations and accurate recommendation / personalization.
Simplicity - Simplify users' browsing experience and decision-making process by creating intuitive design, minimizing cognitive overload and contextualizing product information
Inclusivity - Support different styles of learning, regardless users' technical proficiency level, existing knowledge and resource limitation.
Availability - Display information including shipping/delivery options, upgrade capabilities, EOL messaging and out of stock notification at the right time, in the right place and with the right level of transparency.
Product Configurator
Simplify Configuration experience through site presentation and model differentiation while maintaining simplicity and speed
Design Tenets:
Clear and intuitive – Don’t make users think (too much). Helps users choose their options through a minimally aesthetic and easy to use interface.
Focused – Essential and relevant content served at the right time, for all levels of users.
Concierge – Smart and targeted recommendations for auxiliary products that doesn’t interfere with the main purpose of customizing and purchasing.
Value – Help users feel confident that they have chosen the best options for their budget.
Actual Results:
Increase in Conversion by 15%
18% increase in RPV using in-page navigation
Increase engagement by 12% and reduce bounce / exit rates across Configurator pages by 8%
Increase FY23 Ease-of-use score by 8%
Decrease in DSAT while Configuring by 20%
Youniverse Landing Page
Objective: Provide a modern, immersive, authoring-first Landing Page design that allows teams from across Dell to easily publish premium online content
