Academic Research Site
Reimagining how millions access physics research through usability data and stakeholder feedback.
Overview
I led the redesign of a company landing page used by millions to research materials in the field of physics.
I played a critical role in identifying user needs, scoping the project, and pitching design solutions to stakeholders in technology.
My Role
UX Designer
Team
Product Managers
Marketing Director
Timeline
Aug - Dec 2021, 4 months
Technology
Figma
Balsamiq
1. Project Kickoff
The Context:
This website provides millions of students, scientists, and researchers worldwide with access to reputable articles, journals, and research in physics.
However, the landing page was severely outdated and failed to meet modern research needs for users.
Numbers for context
1.3 million
Users every month worldwide
1 million+
Articles and journals in the database
20+
Publishing Partners with specialized topics
The Problem:
First, I used a web optimization tool to track interactions and understand how users are currently using the site. I identified two major issues from this data.
Reliance on Search
70%
of users only click on the search bar, resulting in other resources not being utilized.
High Abandonment
90%
of users only click on the search bar, resulting in other resources not being utilized.
Design Goal:
How might we create a more engaging landing page that encourages resource discovery, decreases drop-off rates, and retains search efficiency?
1. Kickoff
The Context
The Problem
2. Research
User Personas
Industry Research
3. Ideation
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
A/B Testing
4. Visual Design
Design Rebrand
High-Fidelity Prototype
2. The Research
User Definition
One of my objectives was to understand our users. I was given a role chart from technology, but it was technical and lacked essential context.
I transformed this into two user personas, which helped document key user goals and behaviors when searching for physics resources.
Anika
"As a physics professor, I want to quickly discover the latest textbooks and articles in physics to enhance my curriculum and support my students' learning."
Motivations
Needs a trusted academic platform with up-to-date, high-quality resources.
Wants to be shown suggested resources without having to always search for keywords.
Pain Points
Overwhelmed by sheer volume of content, making it difficult to find what’s most relevant.
The site's outdated design makes navigation frustrating and unintuitive.
Josh
"As a master’s student in Applied Physics, I need to find peer-reviewed articles, literature reviews, and research data to support my thesis."
Motivations
Needs robust filtering and search tools to narrow down results.
Wants to save time by finding accurate, relevant peer-reviewed information.
Pain Points
Clunky search experience – filtering and refining results is difficult.
The site is hard to navigate, making it easy to get lost.
Industry Analysis
Next, I looked at leading academic research sites to gauge best practices and how they were structuring search functionality, research materials, and relevant content.
Quick & Accessible
Modern research sites leverage clear search filters and categorization to help users quickly find relevant materials.
Easily Digestible
Resources were presented in a structured and scannable format, clearly showing what was available for users.
3. Ideation
Low-Fidelity Design
From my findings, I created low-fidelity iterations that propose two different solutions to search functionality, resource discovery, and content on the page.
Design A
Search bar remains front and center, coupled with a navigation bar to go to other resources.
Publishing partners leverage a modular layout to optimize information density and enhance scannability.
Design B
Search bar is repositioned to the top, optimizing real estate to highlight high-priority content.
With additional space, content cycles through various offerings, providing users with immediate access to resources.
A/B Testing
With a lack of direct user access and a tight 3-month internship timeline, I adapted my testing approach for my design iterations.
Instead, I met with teammates from product and marketing teams to conduct a blend of A/B testing and role-based feedback.
This allowed SMEs to step into the role of end users and provide insights based on their needs.
The Results
Design A maintained predicability but closely resembled the current landing page, leaving key resources hidden on load.
Design B felt more innovative and expanded resource visibility, but required a shift for users who relied on search.
Both designs had their strengths, but Design B had greater potential to enhance resource discovery, increase user engagement, and improve market positioning.
4. Visual Design
Refreshed Design
Building on my low-fidelity explorations, I translated Design B into a high-fidelity design in Figma.
Content Optimization
Researching best practices for information-heavy content, I adopted card UI design. This improved organization and made information easier to access.
All-in-One Search
Search features such as 'Advanced Search' and 'Citation Search' were spread across multiple pages, so I consolidated them into an all-in-one search bar. This allowed users to fine-tune their search, improving efficiency and precision.
5. The Results
Wrapping Up
At the end, I presented my research and high-fidelity prototype to stakeholders in technology.
This project reinforced the importance of collaboration with internal teams when direct user access was limited, which provided validation and insights in my design direction.
100%
Stakeholder Satisfaction
"My colleagues on the technology team were impressed with Hunter’s ideas and will move them to live production."
– Lead Developer
70%
Decreased Length
