Saga
Designing a new help section of the website
The brief
Saga wanted to create a new help section of the website that would offer a succinct and consistent journey for their customers needing help and support on the website, across their various sub-businesses including holidays, cruises, insurance and money products.
Saga wanted to create a new help section of the website that would offer a succinct and consistent journey for their customers needing help and support on the website, across their various sub-businesses including holidays, cruises, insurance and money products.
Discovery
In order to first understand the current experience on the website for Saga customers, I reviewed and outlined the different user flows to access both contact details and FAQs across their different product offerings (holidays, cruises, insurance and money). I also studied the existing content in their help sections, to understand all of the different requirements across the business areas. This helped identify where I could design efficiencies and create a more streamlined experience for customers, designing a solution that would work effectively for holidays, cruises, insurance and money products.
I also conducted competitor and comparator analysis of other help sections to gather inspiration and ideas on how Saga might handle help and support for customers on their site.
In order to first understand the current experience on the website for Saga customers, I reviewed and outlined the different user flows to access both contact details and FAQs across their different product offerings (holidays, cruises, insurance and money). I also studied the existing content in their help sections, to understand all of the different requirements across the business areas. This helped identify where I could design efficiencies and create a more streamlined experience for customers, designing a solution that would work effectively for holidays, cruises, insurance and money products.
I also conducted competitor and comparator analysis of other help sections to gather inspiration and ideas on how Saga might handle help and support for customers on their site.
Mapping the existing user flows to get help and support on the Saga website, across the different business areas
Define
Synthesising the findings from the discovery phase, I then began plotting out the main pain points with the existing experience, and began working up potential solutions through ideation, focussing on how I was going to organise and structure a solution in a logical way, to create a succinct and consistent help journey across the website.
Synthesising the findings from the discovery phase, I then began plotting out the main pain points with the existing experience, and began working up potential solutions through ideation, focussing on how I was going to organise and structure a solution in a logical way, to create a succinct and consistent help journey across the website.
Design
I worked up x2 solutions as mid-fidelity wireframes, which were explored as options to test with users. As one of the main aims of the project was to reduce the customer wait times in the call centre, the preferred solution was the second idea here - empowering users to find answers online before speaking with the Saga team. I then spent time developing this solution further, considering how this would work across the x4 products on their website. The hypothesis was that customers would prefer to find the answer online first, before needing to contact one of Saga's customer service team.
Solution 1: Reach an expert quickly, get to the contact details.
This solution works on getting the customer to the right contact details for their question or query as soon as possible
Solution 2: Empowering users to find their own answers.
The hierarchy has been ordered to encourage a user to seek their own answers. Using a search module at the top of the layout encourages users to search.
Develop
Creating a prototype to test with users: I mapped the user flow for the prototype which focussed on the key aspects of the solution we wanted to test with users, and then worked collaboratively with a UI designer to work up a high fidelity prototype for the solution to take into the user testing phase of the project.
Creating a prototype to test with users: I mapped the user flow for the prototype which focussed on the key aspects of the solution we wanted to test with users, and then worked collaboratively with a UI designer to work up a high fidelity prototype for the solution to take into the user testing phase of the project.
Prototype for the proposed new solution on the website
User Testing
The first stage of the user testing phase of the project was to understand the testing objectives - why were we testing this prototype with customers? What were the key things we wanted to understand from users? With the support of the UX lead on the project, we identified three key objectives based around usability, desirability and behaviour change which then informed the test script and participant tasks.
Create a testing script: I created a testing script to be used as a guide during the moderated testing with participants, including an introduction to the test, warm up questions and tasks based around the objectives identified, as well as some closing questions which helped summerise the participant experience.
Practice run: Prior to carrying out the testing with Saga customers, I conducted a practice run of the script with colleagues to ensure we were running the session in a timely manner, and that the tasks and questions would make sense to participants.
Conduct moderated user testing: I conducted x6 1hr moderated remote user testing sessions with Saga customers, alongside a notetaker using the LookBack platform in order to record insights for playback later. The user testing proved successful in terms of gaining feedback on our prototype for further development.
Create a test report: Using the insights from the user sessions, I then created a test report which summerised the key findings, and made recommendations on how we could modify the designs to reflect some of the main painpoints found during the testing. I presented this full report to the clients and this was then used to inform the next phase of design and development.
User Testing
The first stage of the user testing phase of the project was to understand the testing objectives - why were we testing this prototype with customers? What were the key things we wanted to understand from users? With the support of the UX lead on the project, we identified three key objectives based around usability, desirability and behaviour change which then informed the test script and participant tasks.
Create a testing script: I created a testing script to be used as a guide during the moderated testing with participants, including an introduction to the test, warm up questions and tasks based around the objectives identified, as well as some closing questions which helped summerise the participant experience.
Practice run: Prior to carrying out the testing with Saga customers, I conducted a practice run of the script with colleagues to ensure we were running the session in a timely manner, and that the tasks and questions would make sense to participants.
Conduct moderated user testing: I conducted x6 1hr moderated remote user testing sessions with Saga customers, alongside a notetaker using the LookBack platform in order to record insights for playback later. The user testing proved successful in terms of gaining feedback on our prototype for further development.
Create a test report: Using the insights from the user sessions, I then created a test report which summerised the key findings, and made recommendations on how we could modify the designs to reflect some of the main painpoints found during the testing. I presented this full report to the clients and this was then used to inform the next phase of design and development.
Result
The user testing was useful for the next phase of UX and design for the project, as we were able to use the insights to improve the design, and ultimately create a section of the site that had the Saga customer at the heart of the design process.
The newly designed help section is now live on saga.com, and has reduced call wait times by 20% since going live.
The user testing was useful for the next phase of UX and design for the project, as we were able to use the insights to improve the design, and ultimately create a section of the site that had the Saga customer at the heart of the design process.
The newly designed help section is now live on saga.com, and has reduced call wait times by 20% since going live.