Creating a Home for Users
OppSites Home Dashboard
OppSites is a platform aimed at connecting real estate professionals and local businesses with local governments for real-world development projects. The OppSites Home Dashboard was part of a larger project spanning 6 months, with 2 months devoted to strategy/research and 4 months for design/implementation. I served as the only Product/UX Designer on the project, along with 2 engineers, a UX consultant and researcher, and a project manager (our CEO). I’ll be going over the Home Dashboard portion of the project below.
Project Overview
OppSites was an Economic Development Marketplace, aimed at connecting those in the Economic Development industry (e.g. City Leaders, Real Estate Developers) with one another hoping to promote community building, or creating project opportunities. The OppSites Home feature was designed to be a core User experience for Users, central to the product as a whole.
The Home feature still needed to keep the fundamental goal of OppSites to facilitate connections between our Users. But Users weren't seeing the value and using the product as much as we'd hoped. And as the product grew in scope and features, there grew a need for Users to have a centralized OppSites experience focusing on promoting connections and interactions. I was tasked to promote engagement and increase User value with Home.
Final Deliverables
Setting the Stage
Understanding Project Needs
Understanding Users
In addressing the problems, I needed to understand User values. I conducted User surveys and created User personas, finding a few main ones. I found that although roles and objectives differed, most Users needed a tool to help achieve their goals on a daily and/or weekly basis.
In defining User personas, the team solidified value propositions for our Users and I further defined the project goals. It was crucial to maintain these key points as roadmaps in the ideation and designing process.
User Values and Project Goals
Increasing Content Engagement
Designing Content Feeds
Understanding User Behavior
Previously, Users relied on a Search tool to find content. Oftentimes, Users would go through the same searches day after day in an attempt to stay updated and see if any new project opportunities appeared. We found that many of our Users were utilizing the search tool as if it were a feed for a social platform. Unsurprisingly, this method yielded little value for our Users and resulting in lower User activity and retention.
The OppSites Search tool was designed for precision in finding the "right" project opportunity in a one-time search but did not accommodate returning Users.
Looking at Content Channels
One of the first questions I had was "Could OppSites function as a feed?". Namely, did we have enough relevant content for our Users so that the product was not just spewing everything at every User. Was there a good way, given the current content channels, of giving our Users a rich, feed experience without sacrificing relevance? I began tackling the problem by mapping current User actions to possible content channels.
Mapping User Actions
Feature map drawn on the whiteboard. Each post-it represented a possible action a User could take, grouped by feature.
I then took possible User actions and began to construct possible content channels for engagement and User actions. As it turns out, I felt that there was enough content to push the idea of a content feed forward.
Possible Content Channels
Place Pages
User Profiles
Project Opportunities
Places Pages, User Profiles, and Projects Opportunities had provided enough content to push the idea of a content feed forward.
Ideating on Content Feeds
I started forming and sketching ideas on how content could be displayed. I focused on displaying content in a scrollable grid along with keeping certain functionality, allowing Users to be exposed to much more content than previously before but not feel as if they were limited in their actions.
Sketches
Design Iterations
Sketches and multiple design iterations presented possible directions for a content feed.
High Fidelity Wireframes
The final feed design presented content in a scrollable 3 column grid layout. By arranging content by most recent, our Users are able to return to their feed and see the newest content in an effective manner.
Final Wireframes // Home - Feed
Showing Value in Designs
Filters, Calls to Actions, Analytics
Filtering Relevant Content
It was important for Users to be able to work regionally. Some Users were only interested in a certain area and for only a certain period of time. Others wanted to be shown everything they showed interested in. Therefore, I focused on giving each User a clear understanding of how their feed was being populated. Bringing tangible value to each User action in populating their feed was not only helpful to Users, but helpful to growing the product as well.
The filter component of the Feed allowed to simultaneously control who and where their content was coming from.
Reinforcing Valuable Calls to Actions (CTAs)
It was also important to tie together actions within the product through CTAs. In addition to providing points of entry and signups for both new and returning Users, they helped to reinforce positive network loops. Users would see the value of joining Places and following People themselves, but those actions would also grow the User network.
By joining Places and following Users, Users are able to understand the benefits of CTAs. From a product growth perspective, it gives OppSites additional areas to capture signups.
Final Wireframes // Home - Following, Saved
Both joined Places and followed People are shown in Home. Project Opportunities Users have saved are shown as well.
Analytics & Project Management Tools
Previously, Users had access to a suite of project analytics and project management tools in 'My OppSites', meaning that Users were able to see other Users that viewed their projects in addition to other administrative features. This was a paid feature, and maintaining this functionality was important.
My OppSites
With My OppSites, Users are able to view all their project opportunities, filter them, manage active/inactive projects, and view analytics.
Final Wireframes // Home - Analytics
It was important that the new Home design was able to integrate all functionality of 'My OppSites' in its design.
Wrapping It All Up
Final Deliverables
Final Thoughts & Outcomes
This project taught me to evaluate the aspects of large-scale design changes. Would a systematic change, like implementing a content feed, even make sense in the context of the product? Would no changes be exciting for the shareholders? And how might one evaluate the feasibility and measures for success, when design changes are wholesale? This is where having defined User values and product goals prove vitally important.
Following up with Users, I discovered that they found the Content Feed changes brought more value - resulting in more active User sessions, frequent instances of returning Users, and increased signups. In any case, design is always a work in progress. You can follow the work and next iterations on oppsites.com!