Meaningful Connections is an NYC-basedmatchmaking company that has been in the dating service industry for over 20 years. The matchmaking company provides clients with professional and personalized services in the local market. New online dating apps and website caused a sharp decline in clients particularly after 2013.The team reached out to me for help with a significant redesign to improve business prospects in the rapid evolving market.
MY RESPONSIBILITIES
TOOLS I USED
Requirements Gathering
User Journey
Wireframing
Mockups
Prototyping
UI Design
SEO Research
Sketch
Photoshop
Usertesting.com
GOAL
Improve signup rates
PROBLEMS
Design: The team was unsatisfied with the look and feel of the website. They believed the unappealing design was the reason for low conversions. The hypothesis was further confirmed that users did not trust the website because of the design.
Traffic: There were not enough users to maintain the business. The cost of advertising was high but business was slowing.
Competition: The market had become increasingly competitive which had made it difficult for small-scale matching making businesses to keep up.
Original User Interface
METHODS
User Study The team assumed that the outdated website design was the key reason for slowing business. I began the design process with user research to determine if this was the primary cause or if there were other reasons.
Key Findings:
Lack of Trust: Based on my research, the main cause of the slowing business was, in fact, a lack of trust. As the website hadn't been updated for years, it was not attracting new clients. I proposed new design ideas and created wireframes. I also improved visual consistency and added “Press” and “Testimonial” sections to signal authority and provide social proof.
Where to Start?: After conducting research, I also learned that the original design was fairly confusing. Many users were unsure how the services worked or how to start the process. Although the original website had a phone number in the header, most users did not feel inclined to call a company they were not familiar with. To resolve this issue, I added a clear process to the homepage to help users understand how they can utilize the service, how the process works, and how to seamlessly initiate the matchmaking process.
Persona and User Flow
Competitive and SEO Research Google Adwords had been the main traffic source for the website. However, as the competition increased, pay per click costs also increased significantly. As a result, the company started to lose money on the ads while gaining few clients.
Finding 1: Less Competitive Keywords & Build Quality Backlinks
I identified profitable keywords that were not overly competitive and could be integrated into the content of the website. I also created a blog to focus on different keywords to draw in more organic traffic.In addition, in order to increase search rank, the company needed more backlinks to be searchable for those keywords. Once the keywords were identified, the team started to approach authority websites and got links from them.
Competitive Analysis
SEO Keyword Research
Wireframes
RESULTS
Increased Organic Traffics & More Clients: The company stopped purchasing Google Adwords a few months after I optimized the design for the website. The team has been receiving enough organic traffic and clients to maintain the business. They were satisfied with the results.
Improved User Interface
Increased Organic Traffics
KIND WORDS
"Hochien's creativity is impressive, balanced by exceptional organizational skills and a results-oriented approach. During the creation of my new website, Hochien's dedication and visionary thinking were evident. Setting clear deadlines and demonstrating true professionalism, Hochien made the experience a pleasure. I highly recommend Hochien's services to others."