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All Hands In

DNA Communities

Develop new content to engage users

THE PROBLEM

How to prioritize content development to maximize ROI

Ancestry wanted to provide additional layers of content to help DNA users feel more connected to modern people groups they share DNA connections with.

 

Contracting experts to write this content costs money. To save costs and ensure the highest ROI, the team wanted to know what categories of content to prioritize first for development.

HIGH LEVEL TIMELINE

I conducted the study over 4 weeks, including planning and execution. I spent 1 week compiling the data into a final report.

MAKE OF THE TEAM

The team consisted of myself, another UX Researcher, and two members of the UX Content team.

KEY GOAL

Prioritize content categories for development.

MY ROLE

I was one of two UX Researchers on the team who conducted the study. We collaborated with two members of the UX Content team.

As one of two UX Researchers on the project, I was responsible for building and running the research study. I also analyzed the data and compiled a final report to present to the rest of the project team.

Business Plan

Research
Process

After meeting with the UX content team, the other UX Researcher and I determined that a card sort with a forced ranking exercise would be the best method to meet the research goals.

We worked with the UX content team to identify 11 content categories and 8 topics within each category and to develop one-sentence descriptions of each category and topic for the study participants to review. 

 

I designed a card sort study on UserZoom with a forced ranking exercise where users chose their top 3 from a list of randomized options. 

 

In order not to overwhelm participants with all of the categories and topics and to ensure high completion rates, I split the study into two groups of 50 participants. Each group saw all 11 categories and chose their top 3, but they were only shown topics from 6 of the 11 categories. This kept the length of the study reasonable for participants.

Typing on a Laptop

Clear direction to move forward

This quick tactical study provided clear direction on the top 3 categories and top 3 topics within those 3 categories to focus on developing first. 

Ensured a high ROI for the company

This project resulted in approximately $2,000 in cost savings by ensuring Ancestry was investing that money in the right place and will result in future savings because we could clearly see how users ranked all of the topics and categories.

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LESSONS LEARNED

Even a quick quantitative study can provide huge value and ensure the company is maximizing ROI.

Not every UX research study needs to be foundational or strategic to have impact. Sometimes, all that's needed is to help provide clear direction for stakeholders and insights that enable confident decision making.

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