PartnerStack: Announcements

PartnerStack, a platform designed to empower companies in building, managing, and scaling channel partner programs, faced a challenge with the unusually high drop-off rate (over 60%) and frustration sessions (over 50%) associated with the Announcements Feature. The project focused on improving the adoption rate of the Announcements Feature within the PartnerStack platform

Role

Product Designer

Timeline

3 months

Responsibilities

UX Design | UI Design | UX Research | Strategy

Approach

To address the low adoption rate and high frustration sessions, our approach involved a comprehensive analysis using FullStory to understand user behaviour. We focused on identifying pain points, examining user sessions, and pinpointing areas of friction. Quality assurance was paramount, and we implemented iterative testing and feedback loops within a cross-functional team.

Findings and Insights

FullStory analysis provided a comprehensive understanding of user behaviour, uncovering pain points and areas of friction.

  1. User-Centric Redesign:

    • Collaborating with customer success as well as interviews with users allowed us to reimagine the Announcements Feature with a user-centric approach.

    • The iterative design process incorporated feedback loops, ensuring that user preferences and needs were central to the redesign.

  2. Phased Approach:

    • The phased approach mitigated risks associated with disruptive changes.

    • Transparent communication within the cross-functional team facilitated a cohesive development process.

  3. Multi-Channel Consideration:

    • Mapping the entire customer experience across web and mobile channels enabled the creation of a versatile Announcements Feature.

    • The multi-channel design accommodates the diverse needs of both companies and partners.

  4. Usability Testing:

    • Conducting usability testing at each development stage ensured the real-world effectiveness of the redesigned Announcements Feature.

    • Continuous refinement based on user feedback was pivotal in achieving a user-friendly and efficient solution.

Skills, Tools, and Technology

  • FullStory: Utilised for in-depth analysis of user sessions and behaviour.

  • UX/UI Design: Engaged experts in user experience and interface design for redesigning the Announcements Feature.

  • Qualitative and quantitative research.

  • Iterative Development: Applied an agile methodology to accommodate continuous improvements.

  • Communication Tools: Leveraging collaborative platforms for effective communication within the cross-functional team.

  • Usability Testing: Employed testing tools to gather feedback on the redesigned Announcements Feature.

  • Data Visualisation: Used tools for presenting key metrics and user engagement data.

  • User flows

Key Benefits of Announcements

  • More customization and branding within the partner portal, allowing companies to provide a tailored partner experience.

  • A way to easily communicate en masse to partners, outside of emails and 1:1 conversations.

  • Communication of highlights and important updates with partners in the partner portal allows the partner portal to be a more robust “one-stop-shop” for partners.

Key Updates

After extensive research and ideation, the following key updates were made to the announcement feature

Creating Announcements

Organisations are now able to create and publish multiple announcements. In the previous version, one announcement had to be deleted for another to be published.

Draft Announcements

When announcements are not ready to be published, they may be saved as drafts and edited while in the draft state until they are eventually published

Editing announcements

We added the ability to edit announcements. Previously, announcements with errors had to be deleted

Deactivating + deleting announcements

Announcement, you can be deactivated so that it no longer shows as an announcement on the Partner side. Deactivated announcements can be republished at any time

Challenges

  1. Initial Adoption Barrier:

    • Overcoming the initial resistance to change posed a challenge, requiring strategic communication and training to encourage users to embrace the new Announcements Feature.

  2. Technical Implementation:

    • The technical implementation of new features demanded meticulous attention to detail to prevent disruptions and ensure a seamless transition for existing users.

  3. Balancing Customization and Simplicity:

    • Striking a balance between offering customization options and maintaining a simple, intuitive interface was a continuous challenge throughout the redesign process.

  4. Integration with Existing Workflows:

    • Integrating the updated Announcements Feature seamlessly into existing workflows for both companies and partners required careful consideration of compatibility and interoperability.

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