Overview

This project focused on restructuring the information architecture (IA) and auditing content for the VW and Audi websites to enhance navigation, improve task completion rates (applying for leasing/financing), and align with evolving user needs and business goals.

Problem

Customers struggled to find important information throughout key phases of their leasing and financing terms, leading to decreased engagement and increased calls.

Goals

The goals were to create a more intuitive IA for improved navigation, update the content, and align user needs with business objectives to boost engagement.

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Step 1: Refining Navigation Through Testing

I began with a baseline assessment of the live site’s existing structure, looking at analytics to identify pain points and areas for improvement. Through iterative testing and analysis (card sorting, tree testing, and interviews), we evaluated and adjusted different versions of the IA.

Each round of testing provided valuable insights, allowing us to make adjustments until we arrived at a final proposed navigation structure optimized for user needs and business goals.

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Steps 2 & 3: Design & Content Optimization

Following the baseline testing, I collaborated with design and content teams to optimize component usage and A/B test new content.

For design, I audited existing UI components across the VW and Audi sites and mapped out reusable elements. While the component library was already established, our collaboration focused on determining the best ways to utilize these components to support the evolving changes. This helped maintain consistency across the entire sites.

Simultaneously, I worked with content teams to refine the copy through A/B testing. We explored different content tones, labels, and navigational elements, measuring key metrics such as findability, task success, task directness, and the time taken to complete tasks. This data-driven approach helped identify what resonated best with users.

The outcome of this work was a set of wireframes that reflected the new information architecture and content strategy. These wireframes, aligned with all internal stakeholders, served as the proposed solution and underwent one final round of customer testing to validate the updates.

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Step 4: Launch, Impact, and Results

Concept validation went well, and users responded positively to the changes. Confident in our updates, we proceeded with the launch, and results from the first 30 days were promising.

• Increased Engagement: Unique visitors to the homepage grew by 6.67%, and bounce rate decreased by 3.6%.
• Enhanced CTAs: The "Lease or Finance" CTA saw a significant click rate increase (+3.8%), leading to a 65% share of traffic to the online finance app.
• Improved "Apply Now" CTA: While the "Apply Now" CTA on the AFS homepage remained steady post-redesign, the new "Lease or Finance" pages saw much higher click rates, driving a stronger flow of users to the online finance app with a 16.8% click rate.

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