Redesign: KBB.com
Complete redesign of KBB.com including new monetization strategies and branding, driven by research and analytics.
Kelley Blue Book relied more than ever on the outdated kbb.com website for revenue and needed an entire site overhaul. I was part of a small core team to bring new life to the brand and website.
Our initial core team of eight comprised of product managers, visual designers, interaction designers and software developers. We worked together to research user behavior, conduct competitive analysis, and discover new opportunities beyond what the competition provided.
During our 9-month discovery, we conducted numerous in-lab usability tests to help validate our design decisions. The results led to a live alpha test aimed at validating the design with live data. Then we entered into the beta version to test new monetization strategies.
The new website was officially launched in May 2011 and was a marked improvement in the areas of home page display advertising, overall user engagement, and a smarter SEO strategy.
Home Page & Ad Performance
My Role
Lead Designer
Team + Stakeholders
CTO, SVP of Technology, VP of Product, 3 Product Managers, Project Manager, 2 UI Designers, UX
Researcher, 6-8 Developers, Data Architect, Content Writer, Analytics team, Advertising team, Car buyers and sellers
Process
Brainstorms, workflow diagrams, wireframes/prototypes, usability studies, multivariant testing
Results
While the amount of information seems to be nearly the same at first glance, the content for the new kbb.com is better organized and puts primary focus on capturing the consumer’s intent from the start.
By better understanding the consumer’s intent, we surfaced relevant ads and content throughout their experience, increasing ad performance and page views.
- Advertising conversion increased over 20%
- Overall engagement into other areas of the site increased by 18%
- We introduced new ad products, creating more inventory for the business, while building an in-house creative team to support custom built ad solutions.
Find a Used Car’s Value: The Page View Game
Challenge
Create a shorter path to view the value of a used car while maintaining revenue goals
Old Used Car Value Path
New Used Car Value Path
My Role
Lead Designer
Process
Brainstorms, workflow diagrams, wireframes/prototypes, usability studies, multivariant testing
Research & Discovery
- Many, many brainstorms
- In-lab and guerrilla usability testing
- Analytics team forecasting revenue based off workflow diagrams
- Post-launch multi-variate testing
Solution
- New, shorter path with approximate valuation
- Main path educates consumers
- Added a style comparison page
- Streamlined design to a “1-page” experience
- Pre-selected standard options
- Improved condition quiz
Results
Consistently met revenue and page view goals while exploring opportunities for growth.