redesigning make.org’s home page

Who is Make.org?

Make.org is a French civic tech startup dedicated to reconnecting citizens with politics. We facilitate public consultations on pressing societal issues, such as violence against women and inclusivity for people with disabilities. Citizens can submit solutions and vote on others, allowing us to identify and prioritize the most impactful ideas. We then collaborate with our partners to bring these priorities to life.

Why Redesign the Home Page?

The previous home page had been in place for over a year, but it did not effectively serve our users. Approximately 90% of our paid users never visited the home page, limiting its role in their journey. However, the home page is crucial for potential investors, partners, and new users, making a strong first impression essential. Over time, various stakeholders attempted to feature their projects on the home page, leading to a lack of editorial consistency.

Identifying the Challenges

User Insights

We analyzed user feedback collected from various sources, including emails, team insights, and analytics, to understand user behavior on the home page.

Despite a small number of visitors, those who did land on the home page displayed strong engagement:

• Higher sign-up rates
• Increased proposal submissions
• Above-average voting rates

User Pain Points

‍While many users engaged positively, common pain points emerged:

• Confusion about our mission and offerings
• Cognitive overload due to excessive information
• Jargon-filled language that alienated users, such as inconsistent branding for consultations

Finding Solutions

Workshops and Collaboration

‍We organized workshops with cross-departmental teams to align our vision for the new home page. Participants utilized the "How Might We?" framework to identify opportunities for improvement:

• How might we clarify who we are?
• How might we communicate user expectations?
• How might we simplify our branding?

Sketching and Ideation

‍Participants researched industry best practices and sketched potential solutions. This collaborative effort yielded valuable insights:

• We needed clearer messaging about our mission.
• Simplifying consultation branding was essential.
• The news section required better curation for first-time users.
• Consultation status needed to be more transparent.
• We aimed to enhance user reassurance through data.

Wireframing and Storytelling

With clear objectives, we moved to wireframing. Our design aimed to enhance storytelling, progressively revealing information as users scroll. Key changes included:

• Highlighting participation numbers for credibility.
• Using prominent section titles to guide users.
• Displaying consultations without unnecessary branding, focusing on topics that resonate with users.
• Communicating our broader impact beyond consultations.

User Testing and Validation

We created a realistic prototype for user testing to validate our assumptions:

• Testers accurately described our mission after interacting with the new home page.
• Numbers displayed instilled confidence, with users rating our reliability positively.
• Simplified consultation branding improved understanding.
• The copy needed refinement to clarify user expectations and differentiate sections.

Conclusion

The user tests affirmed our redesign approach:

• The hero section effectively communicated our mission.
• Users found reassurance in our participation numbers.
• Simplified branding increased understanding of consultations.
• The BtoB section required clearer messaging for stakeholders.

Post-testing, we refined our brand values and communication strategy to ensure consistency across all channels. The redesign ultimately enhanced user engagement and understanding of Make.org’s mission.

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