Project Overview
Signature Resolution is an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) firm that helps resolve conflicts through mediation, arbitration, and other resolution services. This website redesign was focused on elevating the Signature Resolution brand and experience.
Role
UX Lead Designer
Product Owner
Team
1 UX Lead Designer
1 Visual Designer
1 Researcher
3 Developers
1 Agile Coach
Timeline
8 months
2021–2022
The Challenge
Signature Resolution sought to differentiate itself from competitors in the alternate dispute resolution (ADR) industry. The existing site was poorly organized and felt impersonal, making navigation challenging. The redesign aimed to enhance the brand and user experience, improving the credibility of existing Signature Resolution Neutrals and attracting new Neutrals to join the panel.
Research
User Interviews
Stakeholder and Subject Matter Expert (SME) interviews lead to 4 key discoveries:
-
Larger ADR agencies often come across as cold and sterile, lacking distinct character.
Attorneys select Neutrals based not only on credibility but also on their interpersonal skills and professionalism.
-
Neutrals prefer partnerships with reputable ADR agencies that offer exceptional support and a collegial, collaborative culture.
-
Signature Resolution expected the primary users of their website to have a basic understanding of ADR terminology and services.
Audience profiles created from user interview findings.
Competitive Research
An analysis of competitor ADR websites revealed the following areas of focus:
-
Reduce cognitive overload and facilitate seamless user interactions through simplified navigation and a streamlined content structure.
-
Highlight the importance of supportive and collaborative alliances by augmenting the visibility of Neutrals.
-
Elevate the brand and create visual appeal of Neutral profiles with bright, modern imagery and updated, dynamic headshots.
Competitors within the ADR industry.
Insights
Signature Resolution could differentiate itself from the competition by streamlining its website experience and promoting a higher standard of mediation along with a premium brand. The firm had the opportunity to promote the expertise and reputation of their Neutrals while also demonstrating genuine partnership and support of Neutrals’ careers.
Ideation
Information Architecture
Drawing from the research, I created a sitemap to organize the information architecture and refine the content strategy.
I organized the menu items within the main navigation based on the Serial Position Effect—since ease of access to the Neutral profiles was at the top of the requirements list, Neutrals would be the first item in the navigation menu. I also included a sitewide Neutral profile search in the utility menu. The homepage would be an overview of the content across the rest of the site and content on each page was prioritized in terms of usability and importance.
Signature Resolution information architecture and site map.
Wireframes
Once the site map had been approved by the client, I built wireframes following the established content strategy, working in 3-week agile sprints to hand off to visual design and development. There were minor adjustments to the site map structure along the way to make sure there was proper interlinking between pages to prevent dead ends.
In-progress wireframes of the Signature Resolution site.
Design
Visual Design
Throughout each sprint, I collaborated with a visual designer to make sure that the final comps adhered to the content strategy and followed UX best practices. We held several working sessions to refine the placement of content on pages and to ensure a fully responsive site.
We presented designs to the client after each sprint. With their signoff, I annotated the final designs to hand off to a team of 3 developers. I also worked with an agile coach to act as a product owner, refining stories and adding cards to the backlog for future sprints.
Final Design homepage and Neutral Bio page mockups.
Outcome
Impact
Overall, the website redesign was successful. After the launch of the new website:
-
Site health jumped from an 84 to a 92.
-
The average session duration increased by 126.83%.
-
The bounce rate decreased by 47.64%.
-
9 additional Neutrals joined the Signature Resolution panel.
Reflection
This project allowed me to exercise my ability to be adaptable when I received new information and feedback while presenting designs to stakeholders. The agile process meant I was working hand-in-hand with the developers and we were able to quickly decide when to pull items into a current sprint and when to add them to the backlog.
However, while the agile process is meant to shorten the website design process, the timeline was extended several weeks due to scheduling difficulties for photography and asset retouching which caused the completion of the project to be delayed. During this project, I was able to flex my skills as a UX lead but also gained experience as a product owner. There was no project manager to manage sprints which was a challenge I overcame. I believe that resource management is an important part of a project and can make a difference when it comes to meeting deadlines.