How one optimisation led to a conversion increase of 88%

Vivantus' user studies are typically broken down according to two different audiences: that of the home seeker and that of the seller. 

For this study, Vivantus was curious about how people who are looking to purchase a home experience the website. We wanted to find out whether the information displayed on the website was clear, whether people understood what the search service entailed, the added value it provided and how they experienced the registration process.

This resulted in the following main question:

How do home seekers experience Hendriks Makelaardij's website?

To determine how testers experience Hendriks Makelaardij's website, unmoderated user testing was used. For this study, ten testers were selected from User Sense's testing database. 

How did we find the target audience? When creating an unmoderated test, it is possible to define the target audience using predetermined criteria. One of those criteria is 'Homeowner'. It was therefore used for this study. 

To ensure that testers provide feedback from the prespective of a home seeker, a scenario was created where testers are asked to imagine that they are looking for a new owner-occupied home. 

The unmoderated user tests were analyzed by User Sense's UX Research Team and then shared in a UX research report.

The key usability insight from this study was that mobile users have difficulty completing the login process associated with the search service. The login process consists of several steps, but because the save button did not stand out, mobile testers failed to complete the process.

One tester said:

"Very handy that it automatically saves it, although I would have expected to be able to specify my housing preferences further. It feels a bit too concise."

Testers thought the sign-up process consisted of only one step and assumed that the information they entered was automatically populated. However, this was not the case.

The insighst were immediately picked up by Vivantus' marketing and technical team. Within no time, a new design was on the table and the solution was implemented. 

The difference? In the new design, the ''save'' button was made sticky, keeping it always in view. This way it was clear to the end user that they had to save their preferences and that there were follow-up steps in the registration process. 

The result? 88% more completed signups on mobile devices compared to the same period last year.