This case study delves into our journey to enhance the CarFinance 247 application form to achieve a 20% increase in lead generation. By identifying usability issues and collaborating with a multidisciplinary team, we aimed to streamline the form, improve user experience, and ultimately boost conversions.
Challenge
During usability testing sessions, conducted in collaboration with CodeComputerLove in Manchester, we uncovered several issues with the single-page application form on the CarFinance 247 website. Users faced problems such as form data being cleared when using the browser back button, overwhelming upfront information, and unhelpful validation messages. The challenge was to rectify these issues to increase the number of users successfully completing the application process.
Solution
To address these challenges, we followed a systematic approach:
Team Collaboration: The project was led by the UX and web dev team, responsible for optimising website performance and conversion rates. As senior UX Designer, my role was to lead problem-solving efforts, gather customer insights, and prioritise solutions.
Research: We partnered with a data analyst and the product owner to implement Google Tag Manager to collect data at every stage of the form. Additionally, we deployed SessionCam, which employs machine learning to identify user journey pain points. We ran these tools for two weeks without production changes to establish a baseline metric.
Ideation Workshop: Using the baseline findings and qualitative data from usability testing, we conducted a team workshop to brainstorm solutions.
Pain Points
Our analysis revealed that users' main pain points centred around the usability and daunting nature of the application form.
Product Ideas
We formulated hypotheses to experiment with, aiming to increase conversions:
Dividing questions into multiple screens to reduce cognitive load.
Saving input data locally to enable users to resume applications after clicking back or refreshing.
Using conversational questions and providing clear information at key points.
Validation
To validate our solutions, we created a prototype and tested it with five users in a lab setting. Positive feedback from these sessions encouraged us to proceed with more complex developments. For technical solutions, we chose vue.js to create a responsive and controlled experience.
Results
Our iterative changes produced substantial results:
Dividing questions into multiple screens led to an 11% increase in conversions.
Implementing a more conversational approach resulted in a 5% increase.
Improving user-friendliness and accessibility contributed to a 4% increase.
In total, these enhancements achieved a remarkable 20% increase in conversions for users navigating the application form. Furthermore, these improvements significantly enhanced website performance, as evidenced by Google Lighthouse scores of 99 for Performance, 100 for Accessibility, 100 for Best Practice, and 100 for SEO.
This project showcased the power of user-centred design in driving positive outcomes for both the user experience and business goals.
