Golden Vision Optometry
Introduction
As a optician, I worked directly with the doctors and sales in order to create marketing materials, flyers, e-mail blasts, and advertising campaigns in order to promote designer brands such as IC Berlin, Rayban, and Tiffany & Co.
Role
Web Design / Digital Marketing Associate / Graphic Designer
Challenge
While working at an optometric small business, the website needed content updates and a visual overhaul. I wanted to improve user experience, improve digital marketing, and attract potential new patients.
Research
I casually asked patients about their recent eye appointment, and what could be done to improve the patient experience. The discussions suggested that more often younger patients (around millienial to young families) would like to be more connected digitally to schedule and reminding them of their annual eye appointments for an overall smoother process. I was able to develop user personas for the ideal individual who would be using the Golden Vision Optometry website.
The user needs that I’ve gathered are listed below:
- Text/e-mail reminders for annual recall and upcoming appointments
- Online booking appointments
- Easier navigation to access information and services on website
Site Audit
- The main user flows (online appointment scheduling + contacts reordering) were hard to navigate and not intuitive.
- Information architecture can be improved and navigation items can be put in collapsible menus and subcategories.
- Medical informational content with doctors and staff profiles needed to be updated.
- The website visually needed to be brought up to trends and standards.
- The business website was not SEO optimized with metatags and descriptions.
- Mobile viewing and responsive page viewing was non-existent.
Goals
+ Improve overall usability and information architecture - a website for mobile and desktop will allow users to find information more efficiently.
+ Increase click through rates on call to actions for booking online appointments.
+ Update clean and modern visuals and branding to attract a diverse patient base and make the website more appealing.
+ Add Chinese language translations for the patient base in Irvine, California.
Process
In my first iteration, my design thinking was to create strong visual call to actions with the six block display, allowing the patient to reach necessary information about the practice as they scroll down the page. Each section banner of the front page and individual page uses parallax display in order to emulate a one page flow while scrolling through the page, thus bringing attention to important items and easier readability.
I was able to subscribe to a third party software - Demandforce - in order to implement online scheduling and appointment reminders that integrated with the OfficeMate EMR. This marketing decision was approved and allowed business growth.
I applied heatmapping concepts using Hotjar to find the placement of the main CTA (request an appointment). Through my observations, I found out that many users preferred the left and center of the screen while scanning the screen as opposed to the right side of the screen.
Some difficulties that I encountered during this project was media queries. I had to make the text and images responsive across different screen sizes and mediums, but this was later solved after users informed me.
The blog carousel at the bottom of the webpage had strong activity, and allows the patients to read insightful and fun information about the practice, as well as increase SEO visibility by creating new and informative content.
Analysis + Thoughts
This project was the first opportunity for me to demonstrate my design, digital marketing, and branding skills for a small business as I was starting my transition to ux/ui design. Working directly with patients and doctors, I was able to directly gather research, create marketing materials, and solve problems through design. I created a website with a proper information architecture, allowing patients to increase readability and finding important medical information and increase the accessibility to schedule appointments online. In future redesigns, I would improve on my front end development skills and design different types of layouts for B2C.
Results
- Developed a social media content plan for optometry blogs and eye care health information.
- SEO on Google is ranked consistently on the front page results with an avg. position 20.91.
- Instagram / Facebook media growth in followers and social media events.
- Google Analytics reported growth in almost 29% activity in the past month.
- Online appointment system scheduling improved check in efficiency and increased bookings.
- Impression rate of ~3,400 with over 500 unique visitors and a click rate of 2.09% in the month of Sept.