Whoosh
Mail
providing an easy-to-use email marketing system for small business owners
For this case study, I was tasked with designing two flows for an email marketing web app called WhooshMail. The two flows were intended to walk through the same screens, but with two different user roles. The first role was called “Admin” and had the highest level of access while the second role, “Basic” only had access to a few features. WhooshMail was looking to improve the experience for both of these roles with their audience of small business owners and entrepreneurs.
-Melissa Liang, Product Manager at WhooshMail
"The process can be clunky and confusing"
"What features are accessible to each user role can be confusing"
"There are a lot of competitors so we need to stay competitive and have similar features"
Small business owners need an easy way to create engaging email campaigns, but face confusion about the tools needed to do so.
Target Audience
Nutrition Ned
Nutritionist
24 years old
Bio
Ned is a 24-year-old college graduate. He loves his job as a nutritionist at a local gym. He shares an apartment in downtown Cleveland with his dog, Bernie. In his free time, Ned likes to make info graphs for his Instagram page.
problem
Ned loves his job, but he feels like gym members don’t take advantage of his service after their first meeting. He feels like keeping in contact via email would help remind members of his service, and help keep them informed and engaged.
needs/goals
-
Ned needs an app that's quick and easy
to use. -
He needs to be able to see how his campaigns are performing.
-
He needs to be able to send emails to certain groups that might have dietary restrictions.
Bio
Seamstress Sara
Self Employed
42 years old
Sara is the owner/creator of an Etsy-based clothing brand called Follow Your Seams. Sara
and her husband live in Santa Fe along with her two kids and their dog. Sara’s business degree helped her turn her sewing hobby into a full-time business.
problem
Sara’s sales have plateaued. She is looking for a way to expand her business and feels like email
is the way to go.
needs/goals
-
Sara wants to expand her business beyond
-
her Etsy site.
-
She’s looking to acquire new customers.
-
She needs a way to communicate with and keep loyal customers engaged.
-
Sara needs an email campaign app that is affordable and user-friendly.
Admin
-
Mostly ages 40-60
-
Primarily based in the
United States -
Small business owners
-
High School/GED or
Bachelor’s Degree -
Ready to be their own boss
-
Pursuing their passions
-
Used their personal funds to get started
Basic
-
Mostly ages 20-40
-
Primarily based in the
United States -
Work for a small business
-
High School/GED
Storyboard
Storyboard
where to start?
Not being very familiar with email marketing systems, it was difficult for me to decide where to start. I spent a while creating accounts with the competitors, and studying their user flows. I played around with the idea of top navigation versus side navigation. I tried to keep all the required functions above the fold, to make them more usable. Working through the sketches helped me to better understand how this app needs to look and function to create the best experience and flow for both the admin and the
basic user.
competitor analysis
-
Monkey mascot has its charm
-
24/7 email support and chat help (during business hours)
-
Free plan includes up to 10000 emails to up to 2000 contacts
-
Pay As You Go Plan is a flexible alternative
-
Reports and analysis are extremely detailed
-
Great for newbies to email marketing
-
Founded more than 20 years ago
-
Extremely simple dashboard
-
Wide variety of email templates, but some feel outdated
-
1-on-1 consultation with marketing professional
-
500 subscribers for $20/mo
-
Interesting niche feature (event payment, social media scheduling, and logo maker)
-
Iecommended for event runners
-
Simple, clean and modern look
-
24/7 email and chat support
-
Guides, video tutorials and demos to get you started
-
14-day free trial
-
Up to 1000 Subscribers for $10/mo
-
The ability to create professional-looking Landing Pages with just drag and drop editor
-
No spam and design testing to preview how emails will look through different email providers
-
Ideal for small businesses or freelancers
Double click for a closer look.
Let's see what the users think
I gathered 10 users and decided to have 5 test the basic flow and the other 5 test the admin flow. My thought was because the flows are so similar, I wanted to make sure the users would take the time to use the prototype, and not just clicking through it. Although users were able to complete the task, there were some reoccurring sticking points and suggestions. The most important was, the user needed more navigation context. Users want to know what step of the process they are on.
Ch-ch-ch-changes
I made some changes to solve to pain points discovered by the user testing. Then I used the updated mock-ups to make a presentation of my design and process to show to the Whooshmail stakeholders. Hit the link below to check it out.
Reflection
This case study helped me better understand the nuances of B2B products, and the relationship they have with their users. I learned how to study different user roles and determine how they can result in a
need for different task flows. I learned about the five dimensions of Interaction Design, and how they influence user interactions. I learned about Dynamic UI and the importance of different UI states. I learned how to use WCAG to make sure my design is accessible. And most importantly, I learned that with the power of technology comes the responsibility of ethical design.