Overview

Taste of The Wild’s website had a very dated nav experience. A usability study presented some opportunities to overhaul the site’s main nav to better align with user’s goals and values, and to make the site easier to engage with.

See the new nav in action.

More Info

My Role/Team Breakdown

UX, Research, UI Design

The team also included: a developer, an art director, a copywriter, and input from the client

Research

Over the course of three months, I conducted a usability study of the website’s main nav. A tree test style study presented the participants with several scenarios and asked them to select the page of the site where they were likely to find that information. The study also collected some basic demographics information.

Findings

The study yielded several key insights:

  1. Participants tended to sort by species first. When presented with a scenario, the first “move” tended to be to go down either the “dogs” or “cats” menu, regardless of what they were looking for.
  2. Participants did not understand how “brands” factored in to the product experience.
  3. There was a lack of understanding around a key social component. The site had a page called the “Virtual Pet Park” where users were encouraged to upload pictures of their pets. Virtually no participants knew what this section was.
  4. There was a strong desire for educational content and brand values. Some demographics questions revealed that the largest single group of participants were in their 20’s and 30’s, wanted thought leadership, and wanted to see the brand’s values and stances on topics they cared about.