An accessible platform built for the leading price reporting agency. It showcases expert opinion and allows users to interrogate, chart and download data on materials used in lithium ion batteries, electric vehicles (EV) and energy storage.
Scope
Benchmark approached me at the company’s outset to explore, then prototype and oversee the build of a beta platform to prove the business concept. The project had to move quickly, with a very limited budget, but with a hands-on founder I was quickly able to explore, execute and launch the initial offering with contract development resource.
After several years, and a few organic adjustments the company had proved to be successful and had grown from a team of one, to an international team comprised of several analysts, consultants and support staff. Their offering had changed too, moving from just consultancy and charting into the events, webinar and online opinion space.
In 2020, Benchmark approached me again to revisit their platform and with a defined vision, a rebrand and bigger budget create the next generation of their platform. Integrating their opinion, magazine and charting tools into one cohesive and streamlined product with automated account management.
Approach
On this project, I was lucky enough to work with a User researcher who had done an initial round of interviews with a select group of customers and staff. We evaluated this feedback and created a list of enhancements over an above the visual rebranding based on actual customer feedback.
Speaking with stakeholders in the business, and a small selection of users we prioritised this list in a series of workshops using a system based on the ‘Sticky Decision’ stage of the SPRINT framework. At this stage we also undertook a review of the site’s information architecture in order to align it with the more diverse offerings.
Following the workshops we were able to prioritise the enhancement list and move to prototype phase. A series of wireframes were created and evaluated internally, before moving onto prototype phase. Two key elements were tested with the group, the core charting functionality and a shop-like account management facility allowing users to upgrade and manage their own subscription.
Following testing, one of the prototypes was eliminated and the approach for charting was finalised. I moved to improve the readability of the magazine and opinion pieces, applying the new branding and a consistant design.
A final prototype was shared with the focus group to validate the suggestions and finally designs were handed off to the internal development resource.
Lessons Learned
Having worked on both Benchmark’s conception and now the latest incarnation of the product, it has become clear again that involving the users early is paramount. Their feedback really drove the designs forward, and ultimately culminated in validating an alternative approach to the core functionality.
Where the previous iteration had been enhanced organically, with and without UX oversight, certain elements had drifted and become divergent. This project, coming at the same time as a rebrand, served to unify all these features and give the users a clear and concise path to the functionality and content they want.