Online marketing tool

Graduation Internship 2018

Assignment:
For my graduation internship, I got the chance to work for design agency RB-Media in Breda to make a dashboard for their clients regarding their online marketing. Clients currently use Google Analytics, but they find this too difficult to use. During this project I had to use all the knowledge and methods I learned from my previous work and school experience to create a meaningful product. The final results include an essay and a prototype.

*Note:
I cannot show the final designs due to company secrets.

Problem:
The problem I had to solve was: How to come up with a way to present complex data from analytics in a comprehensive way.

Process:
The dashboard will be used in the company’s Content Management System (CMS) where clients can make changes to their website and look up data.

First, I looked at the user base and the type of people I should design the dashboard for. The online marketeers came up with all types of problems clients had to deal with and I also did desk research to find common problems in the user base regarding analytics and dashboards. I found that two problems occur very often regarding the use of analytics. Those are the lack of knowledge (especially the use of KPI’s, terminology and interpretation of results) (1) – and the lack of awareness (clients don’t know how to use analytics and/or don’t see the point of using it) (2).

Through the use of desk research, a pattern emerged of a process loop for using analytics – in which the user (client) interprets the data, tries to find insights, makes decisions and actions based on those insights after which a new set of data comes up and the process begins all over again.

A found pattern which I used to create a core loop for the user to go through.

I used a multitude of different design methods throughout my design process of research, concepting, visualising and realising. I went through five design sprints going through the same design process. I did desk research and user interviews to determine problems. In another design sprint, I used multiple diverging and converging concepting methods to come up with 6 concepts, including mindmaps, longest/shortlist, post-it method, sketching and prototyping. I chose a final concept to iterate and test. Other methods were used to reshape and reframe the concept to solve the problems that were feasible and worth solving, like scenarios, storyboards, sitemaps, persona’s and empathy/user journey maps.

Post-it Method – I made multiple post-its with littles ideas and tried to shuffle them to make interesting combination. A lot of concepts are derived from this method.

The concept consists of a dashboard that involves data collected by Google Analytics presented in widgets in a dashboard. The user can set their own goals on their KPI’s to make the data measurable and to motivate the user to actively use the online marketing tool. This solves the awareness issue (2). The dashboard also consists of a library of information of all the different KPI’s in order to solve the knowledge issue (1). Designs and mock-ups were first sketched out and later made in Sketch. It took me 4 iterations of designs, multiple tests and a kill your darling to come up with a final design.

Early Wireframe

Problem-solving:
I found two major problems after reviewing the tests of the first iteration. First of all, I used Gamification in order to motivate the user to actively use analytics, but this would defeat the purpose of intrinsic motivation. Therefore I got rid of all the Gamification elements (except for the progress bars). Secondly, goals could be set by the user only, but after talks with RB-Media and my colleagues I found out that this was not feasible because goals could only be set by online marketeers in the form of conversion goals. I shifted this aspect of the concept to the “pre experience” in client meetings.

Results:
The end result is a final working prototype made in Sketch and Flinto which was tested by users (clients). A 180 page design rationale on why product solved the stated problems concluded my internship program at RB-Media. Although this was an individual project, I worked together with other designers and developers whom I counted on to help and advice me throughout this journey. I also created and facilitated multiple user tests to test out ideas, iterations and concepts with other clients, users and fellow students.