Pella Doors & Windows Redesign
Opportunity
Pella Doors and Windows is one of the leading manufacturers and distributors of residential doors and windows in the United States. Pella had historically viewed their web site as a lead-generator and this remained an important goal for the site, but we also worked with the client to push them to invest in a digital experience that would help capture potential customers at the consideration stage in their journey as a way to help differentiate the Pella brand and offering in a new way.
Some of the challenges with helping customers shop for windows online include: The quality of the product is difficult to get across online, given that windows are hard to distinguish one from the other from a distance and without benefit of touching and interacting with the tactile product. It's also an expensive and disruptive experience to replace windows in your home, so one that many people try to avoid as long as they can. Add to that a sales model that hinged on an in-home consultation, which is a huge barrier for users to get past, and I soon shifted my focus from the best online portrayal of of the product and product specs (traditional ecommerce approach) to how best to contextualize and neutralize the barrier to purchase that was the in-home consultation, as well as how to move users most painlessly from consideration to action.
Process
I led user experience and strategic planning to re-design Pella's digital experience. As part of the redesign and relaunch of both the consumer and professional Pella web sites, I worked with a user researcher to plan and conduct two card sorts, interviews with contractors and architects, and multiple iterative usability studies testing site prototypes and collaborated with an art director and designer on the final visual design. I also worked closely with another agency who produced the copy, to direct and provide ux input into their work.
We also looked at both direct competitors in the industry and parallel competitors: companies that were facing similar experiential challenges. The objective were: Benchmarking Pella against direct industry competitors, exploring opportunities in the online information space, and gainingfurther insight into design & user experience solutions.
An important audience, served by a separate web site also in need of a re-design, was commercial architects and contractors who choose and spec windows into commercial buildings. Pella had a well-informed internal team that included ex-industry professionals, but had very little insight into how this audience was (or was not) incorporating digital research and emerging technology and tools into their work. To understand and inform opportunities to better connect with this audience, I proposed and executed user interviews with architects and contractors.
Working with a user researcher, we did two rounds of in-lab usability tests, one a low-fidelity paper prototype and the other using a higher fidelity, interactive prototype.
Work
An early, conceptual approach to a site map helps define the customers' objectives and information needs before diving into the site structure. It’s also a good way to help shift a client to a more user-focused view of their business.
A sample slide from a client presentation exploring best practices in the online space for parallel brands facing similar issues, as well as benchmarking Pella against direct competitors.
Customer journey diagrams mapped to key information needs.
A page from a site map document — the new site structure was informed by an open and closed card sort validation as well as user interviews using modified contextual inquiry methodology.
Pella Redesign
Client
Pella Doors and Windows
My Roles:
User Experience Lead
Strategy
Business & User Goal Reconciliation and Prioritization
User Interviews
Card Sort
Usability Testing
Competitive Analysis
Information Architecture
Wireframing
Prototyping
Design Collaboration
Wireframes showing early prototype of a window configuration tool.