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Knowledge Market

Designing a growing site for the present and future.

The Challenge
Knowledge Market has great content and many users, but is in need of a revamp
While at DocuSign, I was responsible for redesigning the existing Knowledge Market website.  Knowledge Market (KM) is used by Customer Success Architects as a selling tool to potential clients.  It functions as a database, showing how different companies and industries have adopted DocuSign and the financial benefits they've seen as a result.  This tool is used by many-- from the DocuSign sales team up to the CEO.  Needless to say, it needed a revamp (from IA up to UI) to really show off its potential. 
The Problem
Knowledge Market is rapidly growing and currently has limited content
Knowledge Market is a growing site created by the CSA team in their spare time.  The content is limited, but the potential this information carries is immense.  I needed to find a way to make little content look like a lot while also preparing for the future addition of content.  There were also many research restrictions as hours and data available were limited.
The Solution
Let's design for the present and future by strategically showing off content
I needed to make do with what I had.  This pertained to both site content and data I was presented. The soution was to show off content in a way that made people feel like the website had exactly what they wanted while also preparing for a future influx in content.
The Process
Understanding the scope and current website
Since this site would be heavily influenced by Information Architecture, it was important to gain an in-depth understanding of the current website and its content.  Sitting down with stakeholders and learning how they use the site, what they'd like to see in the redesign, etc. proved to be imperative. 
Focus on what we have, not on what we don't (and can't) have
I was presented with website data from CrazyEgg, and I was damned to make it work.  CrazyEgg allowed me to see where people were interacting with the website and I was able to build assumptions based off of this information.  I was able to use heat maps and confetti diagrams to better understand how people were navigating the website. 
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Connections I was able to make through CrazyEgg diagrams:
  • People aren't often selecting "Submit a Use Case"
  • People don't seem to interact with the Adoption Blog
  • Most people view the top items on the page and scroll down to the Use Case Map Tool
Break it down Excel-style
I know had a lot of information, but I needed a way to break it down and dig in deeper.  I decided to color code an excel sheet to better understand the type of information people were clicking on.​
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What I discovered through my color coding:
  • Most people were interested in viewing White Papers
  • People liked to interact with the Use Case Map Tool
  • Adoption Blogs and Articles were not popular features
  • The main CTA buttons were often used with the exception of "Submit a Use Case"
From sketchbook to SketchApp... and soliciting feedback along the way!
Any good designer knows you don't jump straight to the computer to start designing!  I pulled out my sketchbook and went through many iterations before moving on to the computer.  I ran my iterations by others and used their feedback to help influence my design. 
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The Design
Emulating other DocuSign pages and styles
Since this website is created in peoples' spare time, it was important to create a design that could be easily implemented. Designing a page similar to other DocuSign pages allowed for developers to use current DS pages as a sort of template.  I wanted this page to feel similar to other DocuSign pages so that people still felt like they were using DocuSign.
Getting important content above the fold
Because the Use Case Map Tool was used by many and a favorite of the stakeholders, it was necessary to push it as far to the top of the page as possible while keeping important information and buttons above the fold.
Content: displaying little and lots
Once one of the main buttons on the home page has been selected, it brings you to a second page in which categories are displayed in the same fashion, but content shifts according to that category.  This allows for all items to be displayed and thus giving the illusion of being content-heavy while also allowing for the addition of hundreds of articles and pieces in the future.
Reflections
Sometimes you have to make do with what you've got 

Knowing what I know now, here are my big takeaways:

  • If there's limited time and resources for research, push to see what you can get from others and draw connections.

  • You need to understand your product inside and out before designing.

  • Always solicit feedback from others.  Sometimes you need a fresh set of eyes.

  • Working with stakeholders and keeping them informed is the best way to design something you're both happy with and proud of.

Work

PiikUp

The Treasure Chest

Landscape Architecture

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