UX CASE STUDY

Homepage Refresh

Year: Nov 2023 - Feb 2024
My role: UI/UX Lead, Redesign Strategy and Design
Client: Crowe LLP, Professional Services Firm

The Crowe Homepage Refresh focused on modernizing a high-traffic, content-heavy homepage within an existing Sitecore CMS environment. The goal was to improve usability, visual clarity, and engagement without disrupting existing templates or development timelines, while laying the groundwork for a broader site redesign.

The work balanced brand evolution, technical constraints, and business KPIs, with a strong emphasis on modular layout flexibility, responsive behavior, and accessibility. User needs for clarity, scannability, and quick access to services were central to all design decisions.

Process

Research & Highlights

  • Conducted competitive analysis to identify trends, set benchmarks, and find differentiation opportunities.

  • Used UserTesting and Hotjar to understand user needs, behaviors, and pain points.

  • Analyzed homepage performance metrics like bounce rates, time on page, and user flows with GA and Tableau.

Modular Design & Sitecore Constraints

  • Designed within existing Sitecore modules, prioritizing reuse and scalability over bespoke layouts.

  • Built a test homepage layout to explore module flexibility across desktop, tablet, and mobile breakpoints, ensuring components stacked, reordered, and resized predictably.

  • Evaluated how Ceros embed modules could be integrated alongside native Sitecore components without breaking layout consistency or performance.

  • Took a phased approach, focusing first on upper-page modules and key messaging to deliver fast impact with minimal development lift.

  • Improved information hierarchy by tightening scroll depth, refining content grouping, and emphasizing primary calls to action.

Prototyping, Testing & Validation

  • Created high-fidelity layouts and interaction prototypes to review modular behavior with stakeholders before development.

  • Used Ceros to prototype and test service navigation and multimedia concepts prior to Sitecore implementation.

  • Conducted usability testing to validate clarity, discoverability, and interaction patterns.

  • Performed responsive and performance checks to ensure accessibility, load speed, and consistency across devices and browsers.

Outcomes

Results

  • The homepage refresh resulted in improved engagement metrics, including increased user interaction and reduced bounce rates.

  • Key success metrics such as time on page and click-through rates showed positive trends.

  • The project received internal recognition for its contribution to brand enhancement and user satisfaction.

Reflections

  • Designing within Sitecore’s modular architecture reinforced the value of testing component flexibility early, especially across breakpoints.Iterative design processes were key in getting content up quickly.

  • Cross-functional collaboration helped us break out of silos, paving the way for a smoother rollout during our major design refresh that followed.