After researching the current categories on raise.com, we found that members were having a hard time navigating the marketplace and ultimately discovering brands. In order to help these members, we decided to create a new classification that not only affected categories but enhanced search and tagging functionalities too.
Role: Content Strategist
I lead the effort by first looking at the different ways a member could discover a brand's gift card. By understanding the shopper paths and getting a better sense of how current members hop around the website, I could then start to see where the drop-off was occurring.
Once I understood the different user flows, I focused on the categories. I focused on which categories were shopped the most and what they were associated with, from a category or brand standpoint. This helped stakeholders see that there was unneeded overlap in the current structure.
When it came time to look at our classification, I wanted to take another step back and bucket all the brands we carried. That meant looking at all the retailers, restaurants, gyms, spas, studios and more. After coming up with a large list of possible keywords that could be relevant to the brand or our members, I explored how other companies classified their larger offerings. From food delivery sites to online marketplaces to social media sites, I compared their navigation and noted what was working or what wasn't.
I then took all of my research, findings and assumptions and put them to the test. I created a full taxonomy to classify all brands (and in the future, products) that lived in our marketplace. I started with the most relevant and encompassing keywords and then narrowed in with each level.
But to make sure this was the right system, I shopped the taxonomy around each department and asked a small group of users for feedback. From there, I landed on three levels of categories that would better serve members in finding the right brands to meet their needs.
Unfortunately, this project was put on hold and is still waiting to be implemented.
Raise launched a new version of their app in 2017. As part of this redesign, the shopping portion of the app was altered to inspire browsing and customization. The first iteration in Raise Mobile 3.0 was a bridge between the old state and the future state. However, I joined forces with one of the product designers to create the ideal end-state of the Explore Tab.
Role: Content Strategist
After looking at the user flow for Mobile 3.0 (above) and understanding how a member discovers savings through the app, I began to break down the content. First chunking out the types of content from categories to curated lists (think music playlists), and then looking at how they come to life visually.
Because we wanted the future versions of the Explore tab to be customizable and personalized, we created modules that highlighted the content in unique ways. The goal was to create a kit that could be mixed and matched based on a member’s preferences and purchases (below right).
I worked with the product designer to mock up a seasonal version that we could get feedback on from stakeholders and select brand ambassadors.
The tab started with a large promotional hero and then moved into a series of curated and/or promoted ways to shop and explore. The idea was to leverage data and user preferences to create a more personalized feed, just like a social media account.
We even explored enhancing search functionality and how categories were presented for later phases. It was all about seeing how a member could continue discovering new savings with every tap.
Even though the project was put on hold, the initial response was really positive. Hopefully, our curated feed will be live and shoppable one day soon.
From new product features to routine copy updates, I worked with product designers and engineers to ensure all content on web and mobile was easy to understand and simple to follow. And, that our products sounded like us rather than a bot.
Role: Content Strategist + Writer
These frames highlight a new product feature that went beyond our own app. In fact, this feature was so new and unique to Dell that we even tweaked their website to better align with our messaging.
I helped the company’s merchant partnership team revamp their web page (below) to better align with the company’s new thinking. Starting with wireframes, I was able to walk the team through multiple options to bring the content to life. Ultimately, landing on this final execution.
As the sole writer on the team, I handled any and all copy updates for the app. That included error messages, announcements, button labels and more.
