1. Conversion Rates
Small design tweaks that make a difference
Kejun Xu
Information Architect | User Experience Designer
IA Summit 2010 | Phoenix, AZ

2. Background
- Bargain Network, Inc.
- Membership based foreclosure listing service
- Online registration form to convert organic/paid
search traffic
- Usability testing, Surveys, A/B Testing, etc.

3. What do others do out there?
GoToMyPC

4. lynda.com

5. MailChimp

6. What do you think is the most
important in web conversion?

7. The Art of Persuasion
Rhetoric - the art of persuasion.
Ethos - credibility of the source of communication.
Logos - the proof of truth through reasonable argument.
Pathos - the stirring of emotion in the individuals.

8. User Experience Goes Deep

9. Professionalism
Answer users’ questions
Usability
Call to action but push soft
Web real estate above the fold
Social validation
Provide a unique user experience

10. Professionalism
versus

11. Professionalism
Sample: 30 days of conversion rates
Set 1: conversion rates based on the total unique visitors
Set 2: conversion rates based on the 1st page of registration
Set 1: 1A% vs. 1B% (1A>1B)
Set 2: 2A% vs. 2B% (2A>2B)

12. Professionalism
T‐test is a widely used inferential statistical test to look at the significance of the
difference between two independent samples.

13. Professionalism
Set 1 T-Test:
Set 2 T-Test:

14. Usability

15. Answer Users’ Questions

16. Answer Users’ Questions
Three week’s data: The drop
off from reg 2 to
confirmation page
decreased from 1.8%.

17. Call to Action but Push Soft

18. Call to Action but Push Soft

19. Call to Action but Push Soft
Launch date: 7/9/2009
A week before & after:
Bounce rate decreased
10.7%

20. Real Estate above the Fold
Launch date: 7/16/2009
A week before & after:
Bounce rate decreased from 14.2% to 12.1%.
Before
After

21. Social Validation
Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death on the street while 38
witnesses watched and did nothing to help. Social scientists
became fascinated by what they called the "Bystander
Effect" and a whole series of research studies began to
study why it is that people will take action to help when
they are by themselves, but not if they are part of a group.
Queens NY in 1964, Kitty Genovese murder
Susan Weinschenk, 2009

22. Social Validation
“I’ve seen your recruiting ads, so I know you
are legitimate.”
- Usability testing participant

23. Social Validation

24. What makes them stay?

30. What is the unique
user experience
that we can provide to our users
to drive conversion & retention?

31. What is Our Niche?

32. References
Barnes, C. (2006). Packaging for affect [PDF document]. Retrieved from:
http://www.designandemotion.org/society/knowledge_base/?root=47
Puscher, F. (2009). Optimizing Conversion Rates: It’s All About Usability. Retrieved July 27, 2009,
from
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/05/15/optimizing‐conversion‐rates‐its‐all‐about‐u
sability/
Smashing Editorial. 7 More Useful Tips To Help Your Site Convert. Retrieved July 27, 2009, from
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/04/13/7‐more‐useful‐tips‐to‐help‐your‐site‐conve
rt/
Weinschenk, S. M. (2009). Neuro Web Design: What Make Them Click (Voices That Matter).
Upper Saddle River, NJ: New Riders Press.
Xu, K. (2008). Product Communication and Consumer Experience by Emotional Design.
Proceedings of 73rd Association for Business Communication Annual Convention.