Capture Local Customers Actively Seeking Services
A web‑based platform for search engine advertising (pay-per-click).
In early 2015, platform users were introduced to a new campaign management approach. This change in perspective would improve their daily workload by accelerating updates and delivery for their clients.
Below is an account of my adventure to enhance the platform and end user experience, and make a positive impact on the team.
All views expressed in this case study are my own.
The Background
Search Engine Advertising, commonly referred to as pay-per-click (PPC), enables advertisers to target consumers at the exact moment they actively search for the products and services they provide online. Advertisers only pay for the ads when a potential customer has clicked on their ad, showing interest in their products and services.
My Role
I was responsible for research, interaction design, visual design, and front-end development for the platform. I executed the user experience (UX) work; acted as a subject matter expert (SME), trainer, and project sponsor. I produced all major deliverables and presented them to leadership, development, end users, and the business.
The Challenge
Beginning February 2015 my goal was to enhance the platform’s functionality to streamline pay-per-click campaign delivery. I examined complex usability problems and provided intuitive, easy-to-use solutions that delighted our users. Making their job easier improved time to market, and allowed them to support more clients with less risk.
The Solutions
Over time the platform evolved through three major projects which I’ve categorized as Launch, Extend, and Evolve.
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FEB
Join Team
2015
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APR
Launch
2015
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AUG
Extend
2015
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JAN
Evolve
2017
Launch
I started as part of a small technology team (13 people total) and was responsible for leading the user experience work, design, and front-end development for the platform. I worked closely with the team to get two new features out the door. This project took place between February 2015 and April 2015.
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Extend
The team continued to grow and new developers took on the work of extending the platform’s functionality. I worked closely with a small team to get one new feature released for the platform. During this time I led the user experience work, design and front-end development, created training for our platform and delivered it to the team and users. This project took place between May 2015 and August 2015.
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Evolve
During this time the team grew rapidly to it’s current size of 30+ technology members. I continued to lead the user experience work and collaborate closely with the team to get updates, and multiple new features ready for deployment. This project took place between September 2015 and January 2017.
Learn MoreThe Impact
Overall campaign performance increased.
Feb 2015
Feb 2016
Underperformance steadily decreased.
Feedback was initially positive for the Launch and Extend projects but users uncovered issues that slowed usage over time. Delayed release of updates and enhancements to the platform ultimately affected overall satisfaction. User delight has begun to improve again since the deployment of the Evolve project in January 2017.
Update: The platform is no longer being actively developed as of March 2017.