Earth
Hero.
A research driven redesign of Earth Hero's homepage and actions experience to address user drop off and improve engagement and retention.
I led the redesign of the homepage and Actions experience as part of a cross-functional initiative to improve user retention and clarify how users engage with the platform. As design lead, I hired and managed the design team, defined design direction, and facilitated alignment across research, strategy, writing, and stakeholder partners. We used iterative testing, sprint reviews, and continuous collaboration to develop a research backed design direction.
Where were users dropping off?
Previous research revealed that approximately 50% of users dropped off within six weeks of initial use, indicating challenges with long-term engagement and retention. Research also showed that users struggled to understand:
- What actions they should take
- How to navigate key areas of the product
- How their actions contributed to meaningful climate impact
- Clearly understand what actions to take
- See their personal impact and progress
- Navigate information intuitively
- Reduce early drop-off and improve retention
- Increase engagement with recommended actions
- Facilitate a better product direction for future development
Understanding how users think.
Before exploring design solutions, the research team conducted an open card sort to understand how users naturally grouped and understood the platform's content and actions.
- Collaborated with researchers to assess which content and features to include
- Created the card sort testing pages to begin user testing
- Participated in sessions and helped perform note taking
- Translated findings into information architecture changes
The work behind the findings.
Click any image to expand and read the caption.
Refining based on real feedback.
Based on usability findings, we refined the experience to improve clarity and engagement.
Key Improvements Included:
Click the dots to see what changed.
Each dot highlights a specific pain point or improvement discovered during research.
Bringing everyone along.
I presented weekly progress to the stakeholder, facilitating updates around design direction and tradeoffs. When stakeholder preferences conflicted with research insights, I advocated for our decisions by presenting research evidence and explaining the long-term impact of design decisions.
From pixels to production.
After validating the design direction, I led the creation of final high-fidelity designs and handoff documentation.
What we achieved.
The apprenticeship concluded before development began, so the designs were not implemented. However, the project successfully achieved its primary objective: validating a research-informed design direction.
What I learned.
This project strengthened my ability to lead cross-functional teams and translate research into actionable design direction. I learned the importance of creating alignment across disciplines and advocating for user needs while balancing stakeholder goals.
It also reinforced the value of early research and continuous validation in reducing uncertainty and guiding design decisions. If given more time, I would define measurable success metrics earlier and involve engineering sooner to ensure smoother implementation.