A website redesign involves decisions about audiences, content, navigation, and functionality. User research gives those decisions a foundation in how people actually think, what they need, and where they encounter difficulties.
Black Antelope helps organizations understand the people using their websites and translate that understanding into practical recommendations. Research can establish priorities before a redesign, test a proposed direction, or investigate problems with an existing experience.
Starting with the questions that matter
We begin by identifying what your team needs to learn and which decisions the research will inform. Who are the site’s primary audiences? What are they trying to accomplish? Which information is difficult to find? Where do expectations differ from the way the organization presents its services?
We review existing research, analytics, and stakeholder knowledge to establish what is already understood and where direct input from users would be most useful. That focus helps us choose an appropriate research approach for the project’s scope and budget.
Understanding audience needs
Interviews and surveys help us explore people’s goals, expectations, and experiences. We look at how they describe their needs, what influences their decisions, and the obstacles they encounter.
For organizations serving several audiences, research can clarify where those needs overlap and where the website needs to provide distinct paths. It can also reveal differences between an organization’s internal terminology and the language its audiences use.
Testing the experience
Usability testing lets us observe people completing tasks on an existing website or a proposed design. Watching where participants hesitate, take an unexpected path, or misunderstand information helps identify issues that a stakeholder review may miss.
Testing can happen before a redesign to establish the problems, during design to evaluate prototypes, or after launch to guide further improvements.
Turning findings into decisions
We synthesize the research into findings and recommendations your team can use. We connect observed problems and audience needs to decisions about navigation, content, page structure, and functionality, while making the limits of the evidence clear.
The goal is to help your team decide what to change, what to prioritize, and what needs further investigation.
