Ro Health Guide Ad Placement

Increasing user engagement for health articles through improved ad placement.
Client: Ro
Year: 2024
Role: Product Designer

My responsibilities:

Using the design thinking process to define and solve the problem

· User Research
· Competitive Analysis
· User Testing
· Wireframe
· Prototype

ToolS used:

Using the design thinking process to define and solve the problem

· Figma
· Contentful
· Airtable
· Mixpanel
· Hotjar

My teammates:

Using the design thinking process to define and solve the problem

· Content Team
· Marketing Team

Background

Background

Ro is a leading digital health company committed to making healthcare more accessible and affordable. It operates as a direct-to-consumer (D2C) telehealth platform, providing services such as telemedicine consultations, prescription fulfillment, and at-home testing kits. They also offer services from personalized treatment plans for conditions like ED and weight loss to various wellness solutions.

Background

The Challenge

The Content Team faced challenges with low ad engagement on their platform due to visibility issues, high ad density, and poor targeting. Ads were often placed in low-traffic areas, leading to user fatigue and missed engagement opportunities.

Our approach

Using the design thinking process to define and solve the problem

· Redesigning the current barebones dashboard for enhanced intuitiveness and effectiveness.
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· Transforming complex metrics into easily digestible information on the dashboard.
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· Facilitating improved communication and collaboration between educators and administrators to boost Kikori web app adoption within organizations.
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solutions

Solutions

Based on all the information collected through research and findings, my main goals were to...

Visibility

Increase ad viewability

Position ads strategically in high-visibility areas.

Visibility

Reduce ad clutter

Limit the number of ads per page to reduce user fatigue.

Interaction

Ad targeting

Tailor ad content to user interests, increasing meaningful interactions.

Empathize

We conducted two different research method to gain a deep understanding of user needs, pain points, and expectations in order to inform the design of an optimized administrative dashboard for Kikori.

The Research Plan

Defining Goals for Research and Mapping Out a Plan

We set out a few research objectives and decided on the optimal research methods to achieve them:

1. Understand user needs and priorities in order to optimize the dashboard

heuristic evaluation

2. Understand current pain points and challenges

user interviews & usability testing

3. Understand administrator dashboard expectations

comparative analysis

3. Understand gaps and opportunities in user’s process

comparative analysis

Heuristic Evaluation

The heuristic evaluation revealed some usability issues

The purpose of the heuristic evaluation was to quickly and easily find usability problems related to coach posting games and inviting other teams. My team and I went through the posting and game inviting process while assessing the site against Jakob Nielsen's 10 general principles for interaction design. Below are the key issues we discovered.

Read the report
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Visibility

Confusing icons and visual indicators

Confusing icons and visual indicators for notification and game status changes.

Mapping

Users unsure if their actions are done

Unclear error messages and lacking in confirmation for irreversible actions.

User control

Navigation is not intuitive

Limited ability to modify scheduled games and unclear navigation prompts during invitation.

Consistency

Ambiguous terminology and phrasing

Ambiguous terminology and phrasing concerning both context and platform function descriptions.

Research

Competitive Analysis

I analyzed Hims & Hers, Noom, and BetterHelp and found that their ads were seamlessly integrated within content, blending without overwhelming the reader. Ads typically appeared mid- and end-page with CTAs, with varied frequency across competitors. Key insights included aligning ad content with articles, balancing ad frequency, and optimizing placement.

Read the report
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Research

Stakeholder Interview

I conducted interviews with Content team and Marketing teams which provided more valuable information on the teams priority and any user behaviour data they have.

solutions

Research

User Session Observations

I did observation session on Hotjar and Mixpanel to better understand the user behaviour and found the points below.  

  • Scroll depth at 50%

    Most user only scroll half way down the article 

  • Lower bounce rate for 2 ads

    The articles that has 2 ads tends to have lower bounce rate

  • High click-through rate articles 

    These articles has ads that are more relevant to the article content

solutions

Key Research Insights

Visibility

Low ad viewability

Article ads are placed in low-visibility areas.

Visibility

High ad frequency

Overwhelming ads density result in high chance of user fatigue.

Interaction

Poor targeting

Ads content failed to connect with user interests.

proto-Persona

Meet Tom Miller

40 yrs old | Marketing Coordinator | Health-conscious but busy lifestyle

Bio

Peter is a 37 year old Administrator for a charter school. His goal this year has been to implement social emotional learning in an effort to reconnect kids post pandemic. He hopes to implement Kikori platform school-wide. The efficacy of the platform is important to the success of the teachers and students. Being able to see teacher engagement and visual measures of student progression are important for decision makers to see.

Goals

  • Learning information about weight-loss
  • Understanding challenges and solutions

Pain Points

  • No visibility of solutions
  • Reading flow disruptions
  • Finding a more efficient way to communicate game details
  • Lacking relevant information

Define

At this stage, it was time to redefine the goal and narrow down its scope based on the insights gained from users.

Problem Statement

Vendors need a form that is easy to navigate, gives clear instructions, uses consistent terminology, and provides flexibility so that they can get their products into the hands of more educators.

Ideate, design, test, repeat

In this phase, we brought our concepts to life by creating five screens, for the admin dashboard, each based on our 'Possible Solutions.' I led the development of the feedback and note screen.
To get innovative solutions into the hands of users, we needed to concentrate on idea generation. My teammates and I brainstormed the Information architecture and user flow to ensure smooth experience for the users.

Voting on sidebar, progress indicator, and accordion features.
Voting on form layout and organization e.g. grouping required questions.
Voting using branches and hidden questions to shorten the form.

onboarding screen

Creating onboarding screens

For the onboarding screens, the goal was to allow users to set up their institution’s goals to help them monitor SEL progress and view activity usage on the dashboard. These onboarding pages would also ease them into the dashboard experience which can be overwhelming at first for new users.

Read the map
north_east
Voting on sidebar, progress indicator, and accordion features.
Voting on form layout and organization e.g. grouping required questions.
Voting using branches and hidden questions to shorten the form.

Onboarding screens

User flow

The user flow provide a visual representation of the steps a user takes to complete our onboarding task.

Read the flow
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Voting on sidebar, progress indicator, and accordion features.
Voting on form layout and organization e.g. grouping required questions.
Voting using branches and hidden questions to shorten the form.

Onboarding screens

Sketches

We created sketches with idea of making goal setting EASY so our sketches contained a limited amount of questions, separated amongst different pages.

Read the map
north_east
Voting on sidebar, progress indicator, and accordion features.
Voting on form layout and organization e.g. grouping required questions.
Voting using branches and hidden questions to shorten the form.

Onboarding screens

Wireframes

For our low-fidelity pages, we refined language and simplified initial questions. The third screen, focused on educator activity completion goals, was consolidated into one page for easier access. After onboarding, users are directed to the settings page for convenient future edits.

Voting on sidebar, progress indicator, and accordion features.
Voting on form layout and organization e.g. grouping required questions.
Voting using branches and hidden questions to shorten the form.

Onboarding screens

Iteration

Based on client feedback and user testing, we simplified analytics by allowing users to set an Overall Activity Completion Goal, making it easier to understand Kikori's basic usage. We also improved goal-setting questions, removing complex ones to avoid overwhelming users.

One of the key differences in the updated designs was that vendors could not move freely around the form or publish/preview their listing until all required questions had been answered.

Voting on sidebar, progress indicator, and accordion features.
Voting on form layout and organization e.g. grouping required questions.
Voting using branches and hidden questions to shorten the form.

Onboarding screens

Prototype Demo

Based on client feedback and user testing, we simplified analytics by allowing users to set an Overall Activity Completion Goal, making it easier to understand Kikori's basic usage. We also improved goal-setting questions, removing complex ones to avoid overwhelming users.

One of the key differences in the updated designs was that vendors could not move freely around the form or publish/preview their listing until all required questions had been answered.

Voting on sidebar, progress indicator, and accordion features.
Voting on form layout and organization e.g. grouping required questions.
Voting using branches and hidden questions to shorten the form.

onboarding screen

Creating home screen

For the homepage portion of the dashboard our vision was to help admin view important data and allow them to customize their experience according to their specific requirements.

Read the map
north_east
Voting on sidebar, progress indicator, and accordion features.
Voting on form layout and organization e.g. grouping required questions.
Voting using branches and hidden questions to shorten the form.

home screen

User flow

The user flow provide a visual representation of the steps a user takes to complete tasks on home screen.

One of the key differences in the updated designs was that vendors could not move freely around the form or publish/preview their listing until all required questions had been answered.

Voting on sidebar, progress indicator, and accordion features.
Voting on form layout and organization e.g. grouping required questions.
Voting using branches and hidden questions to shorten the form.

home screen

Sketches

We explored different options for how to best display certain elements such as a potential overview metric and personal touches, like a welcome message to the user of the dashboard.

One of the key differences in the updated designs was that vendors could not move freely around the form or publish/preview their listing until all required questions had been answered.

Voting on sidebar, progress indicator, and accordion features.
Voting on form layout and organization e.g. grouping required questions.
Voting using branches and hidden questions to shorten the form.

home screen

Wireframes

The analytics, feedback and notes widgets that feed to the Homepage went through different iterations, so the homepage also changed.

One of the key differences in the updated designs was that vendors could not move freely around the form or publish/preview their listing until all required questions had been answered.

Voting on sidebar, progress indicator, and accordion features.
Voting on form layout and organization e.g. grouping required questions.
Voting using branches and hidden questions to shorten the form.

home screen

Iteration

A key user testing takeaway for our home screen was the desire for customization. To meet this demand, we added a 'Customize Home Page' button in the bottom right. We envision expanding this feature to include a drag-and-drop function for widget selection. Additionally, we introduced 'Generate Report' and 'Report Library' buttons for swift report access.

One of the key differences in the updated designs was that vendors could not move freely around the form or publish/preview their listing until all required questions had been answered.

Voting on sidebar, progress indicator, and accordion features.
Voting on form layout and organization e.g. grouping required questions.
Voting using branches and hidden questions to shorten the form.

onboarding screen

Wireframes

Below are the wireframe mock-ups based on my proposed solutions.

Read the map
north_east
Voting on sidebar, progress indicator, and accordion features.
Voting on form layout and organization e.g. grouping required questions.
Voting using branches and hidden questions to shorten the form.

analytic screen

User flow

The user flow provide a visual representation of the steps a user takes to complete task on the analytic screen.

One of the key differences in the updated designs was that vendors could not move freely around the form or publish/preview their listing until all required questions had been answered.

Voting on sidebar, progress indicator, and accordion features.
Voting on form layout and organization e.g. grouping required questions.
Voting using branches and hidden questions to shorten the form.

analytic screen

Ad Placement Optimization

I introduced prominent ad placements above the fold, ensuring that high-visibility ads would be seen immediately upon page load, without disrupting the main content.

One of the key differences in the updated designs was that vendors could not move freely around the form or publish/preview their listing until all required questions had been answered.

Voting on sidebar, progress indicator, and accordion features.
Voting on form layout and organization e.g. grouping required questions.
Voting using branches and hidden questions to shorten the form.

analytic screen

Reducing ad clutter

I reduced clutter for better readability and user engagement.

One of the key differences in the updated designs was that vendors could not move freely around the form or publish/preview their listing until all required questions had been answered.

Voting on sidebar, progress indicator, and accordion features.
Voting on form layout and organization e.g. grouping required questions.
Voting using branches and hidden questions to shorten the form.

analytic screen

Remove intrusive ad formats

Remove the pop-up sticky banner to help improve user experience because these elements will disrupted users’ browsing experience and increased frustration. 

One of the key differences in the updated designs was that vendors could not move freely around the form or publish/preview their listing until all required questions had been answered.

Voting on sidebar, progress indicator, and accordion features.
Voting on form layout and organization e.g. grouping required questions.
Voting using branches and hidden questions to shorten the form.

analytic screen

Ad targeting improvements

By leveraging article topics and target users, ads can be tailored to match specific user needs, such as what is cover under Cigna then the ads is about insurance coverage. This improved ad relevance, creating more meaningful interactions.

One of the key differences in the updated designs was that vendors could not move freely around the form or publish/preview their listing until all required questions had been answered.

Voting on sidebar, progress indicator, and accordion features.
Voting on form layout and organization e.g. grouping required questions.
Voting using branches and hidden questions to shorten the form.

analytic screen

Current Iteration

For our graphs, we had a number of iterations before we landed on their final versions. Initially, we displayed logins per educator, but we later realized it didn't reflect active usage. So, we changed it to show the number of active users. Selecting 'See all' displays an overview graph and educator details. The 'Number of SEL Activities Played' graph initially showed SEL goal completion, but we simplified it to show total completed activities. 'See all' provides a list of educators with activity details. Clicking a name opens a pop-up with individual SEL goal completion rates and activity breakdowns.

One of the key differences in the updated designs was that vendors could not move freely around the form or publish/preview their listing until all required questions had been answered.

Voting on sidebar, progress indicator, and accordion features.
Voting on form layout and organization e.g. grouping required questions.
Voting using branches and hidden questions to shorten the form.

feedback screens

User flow

The user flow helped me gain a deeper understanding of how users interact with the dashboard, allowing me to empathize with user needs, preferences, and behaviours.

One of the key differences in the updated designs was that vendors could not move freely around the form or publish/preview their listing until all required questions had been answered.

Voting on sidebar, progress indicator, and accordion features.
Voting on form layout and organization e.g. grouping required questions.
Voting using branches and hidden questions to shorten the form.

feedback screens

Prototype Demo

We've opted to streamline all activity feedback into a single, organized table in our final design.

One of the key differences in the updated designs was that vendors could not move freely around the form or publish/preview their listing until all required questions had been answered.

Voting on sidebar, progress indicator, and accordion features.
Voting on form layout and organization e.g. grouping required questions.
Voting using branches and hidden questions to shorten the form.

solutions

Impact

The redesigned ad strategy delivered significant improvements on:

30%

increase in engagement

10%

boost in conversion rate

60%

more ad viewability

notes screens

User flow

By mapping out user flows, I can identify pain points, bottlenecks, and potential issues in the user journey early in the design process, enabling more efficient problem-solving.

One of the key differences in the updated designs was that vendors could not move freely around the form or publish/preview their listing until all required questions had been answered.

Voting on sidebar, progress indicator, and accordion features.
Voting on form layout and organization e.g. grouping required questions.
Voting using branches and hidden questions to shorten the form.

Key Learnings

The existing form wasn’t flexible enough for the diversity of products, so I worked with vendors to improve it.

I discovered that reducing ad clutter led to better user engagement and reduced fatigue. Streamlining ad placements created a cleaner interface, which ultimately made the ads more noticeable and appealing. I learned that achieving an optimal balance between ad revenue goals and user satisfaction is crucial. Strategically placing ads in a way that aligns with the user journey helped maintain visibility while minimizing interruptions, enhancing overall usability. Open, ongoing communication was essential for aligning the varied goals across teams. For instance, while the Content team prioritized reader experience, the Marketing team aimed for higher ad visibility. As the product designer, I worked to bridge these priorities, crafting ad placements that boosted engagement without disrupting content flow. 

Wrap-up

Next steps

In order to further improve the coach experience on Schedulete, I suggest a few next steps: