Conducted
User Research
User Testing
Wireframing
UI Design
Prototyping
Polaris, a brand know nationwide for providing some of the best ATV, motorcycle, and snowmobile products, has made a strong impact on several industries since 1954.
The brand needed a digital redesign that would help to incorporate an overall better user experience for their online presence.
* To comply with my non-disclosure agreement, I have omitted and obfuscated confidential information in this case study. All information in this case study is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of Polaris Inc. All design system assets do not reflect Polaris.
*DISCLAIMER: All mobile Hero header designs completed by a fellow UX Designer on the team.
My Role
I was a part of the Digital Experience team whose goal was to redesign the digital presence of Polaris and overall create an improved experience for the user. In addition, I worked alongside several team stakeholders to assist with the digital redesign of different Polaris product areas.
I was a part of an ambition digital redesign project that would help to streamline the brand and create a less complex experience for the user.
Team & Timeframe
Shawn Kardell — UX Digital Director
Thom Olson — Project Manager
Gil Adalpe — Sr. UX Designer
Brittany Metzer — Sr. UX Designer
Me — Sr. UX Designer
Stage 1:
Gaining deeper insight
Understanding the brand and it's users
With a large influx of the creation of new products and services, the digital platform needed to better accommodate the growing userbase and ensure that they thoroughly understood what each product offered.
I wanted to begin by researching what the general Polaris user wanted in a digital platform and how to educate a beginner user while also keeping our intermediate and expert users in mind.
Stage 2:
User Research
What are our users looking for in a digital redesign? Who are we designing for?
Before diving into the redesign initiative, it was imperative to gain a bit more perspective about the brand’s dedicated users and their feedback of how satisfied they were with learning about new vehicles in the Polaris lineup.
I knew that users of the vehicles ranged from beginner to expert, and we wanted to make sure all users knew what type of vehicle they wanted by being as informed as possible about product offerings. This took a bit of knowledge about how most users like to learn.
User research question
"...how can we help users learn more about what each product offers?"
Early Insights from the Field
How was testing performed? In order to gain more insight from users, testing was performed to see what responsive example users preferred. We wanted to learn how users responded to a hero header vs a normal sized header. I used UserZoom to formulate questions to ask and learn about the user’s overall experience.
Below is a presentation showcasing the research strategy I performed for user testing.
Research Findings
What did I learn from my research?
After having the test candidates view the prototypes, I learned the following about which header the user preferred and why:
"I didn't know whether to focus on the vehicle or the product details. A bit of information overload when viewing the design."
Kayla Frasier
Gender: Female, Age: 30, Location: Denver, Co
"A strong lack of focus on the vehicle model." It didn't draw me in..."
Joe Rollins
Gender: Male, Age: 54, Location: Decorah, Iowa
"There was competing attention for the vehicle information below the image and the image itself."
ASPD *fictional police dept.
Mobile headers
What do users say about the current and hero headers?
Below is the current mobile header for the digital platform, and three hero headers to test with users.
Hero header version 2 was a good balance between version 1 and 3. Users felt like this version catered to beginner, intermediate, and expert users with the information provided.
Stage 3:
Analyzing the research
A deeper insight into the users needs
After conducting the previous research on the hero headers, I learned that the majority of the users wanted a learning experience when it came to product pages and the site in general.
As many of our new users were beginner to intermediate, with lots of loyal and expert customers in between, we wanted to make sure our entire base received a comprehensive understanding of the brands expansive product lineup.
With the digital revamp, we wanted to bring the product sites, especially the mobile versions, to a more up to date and contemporary feel for the user. Hero headers, a feature used in many automotive company lines like Tesla’s model 3 vehicle, gives users a full screen view of the product they may purchase, and leaves a good impression on the user with what the product is capable of.
User's expectations remained consistent over time
I wasn’t surprised at the findings as most users wanted some form of education and know-how of the product before beginning their journey to purchasing a product Users had seen Polaris products in several tv-show, movies, and several other places, so they were familiar with the brand. However, many users wanted to see what the products could do in their everyday lives.
"..users were intrigued by the new header, but before building a product or even learning about their local price, novice users wanted to continue to scroll and learn more about each product before making a decision. "
Stage 3:
Ideation
What should a good learning process look like without losing the users focus?
Based on my conclusions, users wanted dynamic images that showed vehicles in action, but wanted the information to back that up. A well-rounded and comprehensive experience.
During earlier research, many questions arose consistently while showcasing the hero header designs. One of our main goals was not to overwhelm the user with too much product information, as most people tend to lose focus if there is not a good balance of interesting images and product info.
I wanted to create a series of “How might we..” questions to help formulate ideas on how the user can learn about different brand products.
"..how might we help the user learn the most about the RZR product line and other lines?
"..what is the best way users learn, while holding their attention, and providing them with pertinent information?"
Interactivity and hands-on experience is key
How users learn the best Interactive examples and hands-on experience are two of the best ways to not only keep users’ attention and focus but educate them about a specific product. Most if not all users enjoy having a high level of interaction while viewing a product they may considering buying in the future. Overall, Interactivity helps to increase engagement, interest, and knowledge in the product.
Large action images and shorter product videos that have the right amount of time to hold user’s focus, are also ways that can be implemented on the site to keep the user’s focus. Since in person product tours and test drives were already offered, the focus was on giving an optimal and enjoyable experience for the digital redesign.
Stage 4:
Design
Kicking off the design
After considering the pros and cons of the preliminary ideas, the decision was to focus on utilizing interactive models and videos to educate users on several products.
We wanted to focus on ensuring the user was incredibly confident when considering purchasing a product. One of our main goals was to showcase what the vehicles can do, and how users can apply that to their everyday lives. As mentioned, the Polaris userbase spans a variety of users. However, most users were categorized into three main areas:
— Expert users who have a well-rounded knowledge of the Polaris products, and who have purchased products before.
— Third party and occasional users who have used the vehicles via others, different activities, etc.
— New users who are familiar with the brand and would like to purchase in the future.
Presenting content first
One of my earliest design challenges was understanding what content to present first after the hero header. A lot of users would come to a specific model site to just peruse after seeing a RZR or other model that piqued their interest.
I wanted to more clearly understand what content should be displayed on a hierarchical scale, and how users thought about this scale. I performed an online survey with eight participants to gain more information about this topic.
The results showed that the majority of users wanted the model intro to include the hero header and or a shorter length video, then focusing on the interactive content, testimonials, and large HD images. Also, events and special programs were ranked lower than the aformentioned. This content hierarchy needed to also consider the standard layout structure or business needs.
Interchangeable content structure
The content structure was already established by stakeholders to be in a specific order. Stake holders wanted to continue with the tested hierarchy of information as users had gravitated towards this structure.
The sections were, however, made interchangeable to be placed in different sections depending on future testing needs. We wanted to ensure that users were focusing on the most important aspects of a specific vehicle model and any other pertinent incentives.
— New users who are familiar with the brand and would like to purchase in the future.
The preliminary first designs focused on showcasing a low to mid fidelity wireframe where users can explore the model by utilizing videos and 3D models to learn about a specific vehicle.
The goal was to offer users information without overwhelming them. The mobile version shows partner images that were brought up stakeholders after the desktop version was completed.
Key stakeholder feedback
After presenting the above designs, I wanted to gain insight from stakeholders on the flow and design layout. Our main focus was to concentrate on the home pages of each model page instead of the information architecture at the moment. Some of the areas I wanted to focus on were:
Questions were grouped into three categories:
— Identifying any potential concerns or design obstacles.
— Continue to understand competitor sites and any market challenges.
— Accessing any design limitations that may be an issue later on
A bit of design feedback
Most of the stakeholder feedback focused on the overall design flow and layout. Some of the feedback is shown to the right.
Stage 7:
Design Handoff
Adapting to a more inclusive design
Considering the new hero header concept, the new design includes this header while still adhering to a structure that meets business goals and is understandable to the user.
This design was created to include all users, from beginner to expert, to gain a deeper knowledge of different models across the Polaris brand. Also, to further introduce other vehicles, including boats and motorcycles, under the Polaris umbrella.
Incorporating both user and stakeholder feedback
Gaining both user and stakeholder feedback, that included business goals, helped to give a more comprehensive view of how I should move forward with the desktop design. One of the main concept changes mentioned by stakeholders was combining the hero header and large HD videos section into one, moreover, being able to scroll from a hero image to a brief and interesting video that would draw the user in. My process included translating the feedback into hi-fidelity design comps.
Interactive model for users
Users can scroll through a 3D model of a vehicle to see all sides and learn some information about the specific vehicle like engine specs, accessories, safety features, etc.
An immersive and educational update
Overall, the focus was on giving users a more immersive and educational experience with the new update. Utilizing the hero header images and videos gave users a great first impression of the site with a visually appealing and intriguing introduction. This new concept also let users get a glimpse of what the rest of the site will look like. With the 3D model, users were able to gain educational exposure to a vehicle, without overwhelming them.
Stage 8:
Analyze (again)
Final results & takeaways
An ever-evolving experience
A user centered standard and principle that I continued to cultivate and learn from Polaris was to have a simple, yet effective educational side to products where users are left feeling informed about every aspect of a product. This can, and usually does involve ensuring that the user experience is not only up to date but can be changed at any time to go along with user testing results.
A dedication to user understanding
Demonstrating care for the user and ensuring that they understood how to use products was a top priority for the digital redesign. Having multiple rounds of user testing throughout each phase shows users that we are dedicated to giving them a great experience.
Along with the redesign, Polaris also offered several ways to get to know a product from great first impressions, interactive 3D models, dedicated customer service, and in person tours and use, having multiple learning channels also shows users a strong drive to always keep users informed and having a clear mind.