Bradford Licensing

Website rebrand for a global licensing agency

Role

Lead UX Researcher & Designer

Timeline

May 2021 - Aug 2022

Team

Project Manager, Creative Director, Content Strategist, Marketing Associate

Skills

Surveys, Interviews, Usability Testing, Prototyping, Website Design

Website overhaul: research, information architecture, and design

CONTEXT

Bradford Licensing LLC, established in 1986, is a global licensing company that has grown to become one of the top agencies worldwide. In January 2022, they decided to rebrand their company in order to broaden their appeal and emphasize their international scale. While rebranding, they wanted to take the opportunity to prioritize UX and enhance usability.

As the UX Researcher & Web Designer, I was given a significant amount of autonomy for the website redesign project. I led the project under the Creative Director and the Content Strategist, who oversaw my entire process from research to design. At the end of the project, I was given the go-ahead to launch my final redesign.

The existing website was harming potential growth

PROBLEM

The current experience had usability problems that caused lost business opportunities. The digital identity was not reflecting their growing audience, and there was a lack of discovery for the call-to-action. These errors were the direct cause of high bounce rate, low user engagement, decline in traffic, lower search engine ranking, and lost business opportunities.

Original Bradford Licensing Website

Improve user experience and support rebranding efforts

MISSION

My mission was to reveal the needs of the website’s target audience. This involved a combination of strategy, research, and design.

DEFINING THE AUDIENCE

Understand the users, their goals, and pain points they experience.

REORGANIZING STRUCTURE

Improve website organization and information architecture.

CREATING NEW STYLE

Redefine Bradford’s style to modernize their image and support their rebranding.

In a meeting with my team, we collaboratively selected our research methods: a survey, interviews, tree testing, usability testing, and reviewing Google Analytics.

Exploring the target audience and evaluating usability

RESEARCH OVERVIEW

  • Licensors want to learn about Bradford Licensing and evaluate revenue potential.

  • Licensees want to use a popular brand represented by Bradford on their product.

Licensors and licensees have different needs

RESEARCH FINDINGS

  • Poor information architecture. Polyhierarchical navigation with overlapping content.

  • UX is not optimized for mobile devices. 90% of mobile users found it hard to navigate.

  • Inefficient use of whitespace. Information overload with the text-heavy content.

  • Lack of company message. Users did not understand the brand’s mission.

Users are restricted from learning about Bradford

  • Who they are. Users should immediately understand who Bradford is and their mission.

  • Who they represent. Users need to immediately see what companies Bradford has.

  • What they’ve done. Past work acts as a legitimization factor (both licensors and licensees).

  • Why they would benefit from Bradford. Users should see value in Bradford.

  • Call to action. Inquire about a brand Bradford has or join the agency.

Revealed what should the website achieve

I used my research findings to inform the UX requirements for the redesign. This ensured that I would be creating solutions for the specific problems revealed through research.

Outlining research-informed goals

GOALS

1. Centralize information architecture and content

2. Convey mission & encourage users to contact

3. Implement responsive design (mobile optimization)

My immediate focus was gaining an in-depth understanding of the current website. I made a sitemap to visualize the current information architecture and applied it in Optimal Workshop for a tree test on 120 users.

Findings included significant repetition of content and lack of clarity of the navigation elements. Within the tree test, 90% tasks completed were indirect paths; this revealed that users are not able to quickly and confidently locate information.

‍#1: Centralize information architecture and content

INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE

Key Changes

Based on the tree test results and information architecture standards, the following changes were made:

  • Removing “Home” from the navigation: In modern web design, it's a common practice to make the website's logo a clickable link that takes users back to the homepage. This saves space in the navigation menu and simplifies the design. Users have come to expect this functionality, and removing "Home" from the navigation can reduce clutter and streamline the user experience.

  • Removing the external links that draw users away from the Bradford website: Keeping users engaged on the Bradford website is crucial for achieving the site's goals, whether those are to inform, convert, or retain visitors. External links can distract users and lead them away from the site.

  • Including new clients that were recently acquired: Showcasing new clients signals to potential customers that the agency is active and growing. It provides social proof and credibility, which can build trust with visitors.

  • Removing the “Industry” navigation item: Overly segmented navigation can confuse users and make it difficult for them to find what they’re looking for. The "Industry" page was underused and redundant with other navigation items.

Simplified Sitemap: Could I be removing too much content?

My suggestion was for the Bradford website architecture to consist of the homepage and three core pages. However, stakeholder feedback suggested that having only three navigation pages seemed “too little”.

To address this, I relied on research and the site's purpose. I wanted to make sure the final decision would be user-first. Our findings indicated that the previous design's numerous pages overwhelmed users, preventing access to the most valuable content. Many pages were unnecessary, diluting the user journey and detracting from Bradford's key messages.

Realization: The Bradford site should be a launching point, not a source of all information.

After communicating with stakeholders and listening to user feedback, I realized that the Bradford site’s purpose is to draw people in. It should aim to answer common questions and attract potential licensees and licensors to contact Bradford. By reducing the number of pages, we focused on showcasing what Bradford wants their audience to see.

40% higher success rate with new sitemap

The image above shows the final navigation. However, it is important to note that before moving on to the visual design I confirmed that my new sitemap was effective. The tree test had an approximate 40% higher success rate than the original information architecture (53% to 91%).

Bradford's original website lacked clarity in conveying its offerings, felt outdated, and failed to engage users effectively. This was a significant problem that resulted in a low bounce rate.

Advocating for a video

To address the lack of immediate interest from users, I requested that we include a video as the main visual on the homepage. The team agreed, and I produced a comprehensive video showcasing examples of Bradford's licensing engagements and products. This video, prominently featured on the main page in a continuous loop, serves as an immediate visual representation of Bradford's capabilities.

This ensures that viewers are instantly engaged and can quickly understand what Bradford offers. The approach enhances the user experience by providing a clear and compelling narrative, aligning with the goal of drawing potential licensees and licensors to engage with Bradford.

‍#2: Conveying Bradford’s Mission

FOCUS ON THE PURPOSE

As outlined earlier, we conducted extensive user interviews and usability testing. These sessions revealed the critical importance of providing a clear and easy mobile experience, as approximately 30% of our unique users access the site via their phones.

The feedback highlighted that mobile users struggled with navigation and readability on the original site, which detracted from their overall experience.

To address this, I prioritized responsive design principles and optimized the site for mobile devices. By enhancing the mobile user experience, we ensured that our key messages and engaging content were accessible and impactful, regardless of the device used. This approach not only improved usability but also contributed to lower bounce rates and higher user satisfaction.

‍#3: Solving the frustrating experience for mobile users

MOBILE EXPERIENCE

This is the first project where I was able to lead the entire process: research, design, and launch. I am so proud of my dedication to this project and I am thankful for the supportive supervision that my team provided. 

View the live website: https://www.bradfordlicensing.com/

Introducing the new Bradford Licensing website!

FINAL WEBSITE

So far, the website redesign has already resulted in a significant increase in website traffic. I am so happy that my user-centered approach to design, backed by research, created an effective website that appeals to users.

20% increase in website traffic in 3 months

IMPACT

I had the opportunity to take ownership of a project and make a positive impact. This was somewhat scary at first due to this being the first project I led, but I learned important lessons:

1. Leadership is more than delegating roles and requirements.
‍
Leadership requires making crucial decisions that impact the direction of a project, and being adaptable to changing circumstances and making adjustments as needed.

2. Always prioritize teamwork.

‍Even though I had control over this project, I relied heavily on my team. I leveraged their diversity of skill sets and perspectives through constantly asking their opinions and implementing their recommendations.

3. Project management is essential.

‍I had to prioritize, delegate, and communicate effectively throughout this project. Communication was especially crucial for articulating my vision, ideas, and expectations for our team and our stakeholders.

Leading a project is challenging but rewarding

WHAT I'VE LEARNED