Reports

The problem

“I know I should be doing this, but I am not.” 

There’s a desire by SMBs to leverage analytics, but they are intimidated for the  following reasons:

• SMBs not familiar with tools and terminologies and don’t have time to become analytics experts
• SMBs struggle with challenging set-up process 
• SMBs don’t have a clear understanding of how analytics can help them
• SMBs struggle to translate analytic data to action

Project Goal

Empower users to gain insights into their website’s traffic originating from Google Search. This feature enables users to analyze data, understand driving factors behind traffic, and optimize content accordingly

My role

I led the UX and UI design for this project, collaborating extensively with cross-functional partners including Product Management, Engineering, Marketing, User Experience Research (UXR), User Experience Writing (UXW), gTech, and cross-Product Area (PA) teams like Search Console and Google Analytics. My responsibilities included:

My tasks

1. Planning and scope definition
2. Ideation and Research 
3. Documentation and Communication
4. User interface and experience
5. Cross-Team Collaboration
6. Support implementation & Track launch metrics

Design Process

1. Foundational research

Interviews with 8 SMBs to understand user journeys after successful setup of a website.

A. PRIMARY AUDIENCE

Google domains user base has a mix of ‘Web professionals’  (e.g. agency, developers, advanced users) and ‘SMBs’  (e.g. very small businesses, side hustler, etc.). Our primary audiences for this integration are mainly SMBs but we have segregated SMBs based on the usage and awareness of attached services (analytics and Ads) and focused on the SMB users who :

• have a tech savvy level from beginner through expert 
• have an awareness of analytics and SEO and recognize its potential value, but lack expertise 
• have journeys that are aligned with the reporting and Ad services 
• put effort into organic SEO during website creation and monitor analytics during the launch

           Ben Thompson, the small business owner

B. REASEARCH INSIGHTS

The high-level questions addressed are:

• What attached services are useful to users once they have created a website?
• At what point do users start considering these attached services? 
• What value do Search Console, Google Analytics, and AdWords play to users? How might they leverage these services to support their website, if at all?
• What barriers exist towards adoption of analytics and advertising services?

2. Brainstorming session

I facilitated a half-day brainstorming session with 12 cross-functional team members (3 PM, 3 Eng, 1 Marketing, 1 Business Development, 4 UXers). We discussed our ideal vision for Reports and produced ideas and sketches, and explored directions in order to inform future concept design study.

We analyzed Search Console features and how users utilize the information. Since Search Console’s primary use cases and target audience differ from Domains’ target audience, we brainstormed what value we could provide to our users in addition to Search Console and what features would be most useful to them.

The resulting concepts prioritized:

1. Dashboard: A consolidated view of key metrics from DNS, analytics, and Search Console.
2. Solution-Oriented Education: Offer educational content to help users understand and utilize analytics effectively.
3. Push Models: Send email notifications to alert users about new analytics features or relevant updates.

3. User studies

A. CONCEPT STUDY

Building upon our brainstorming and foundational research insights, I collaborated with UXR to conduct a concept study. We facilitated eight 60-minute one-on-one sessions to explore four distinct concepts for integrating analytics into the user experience. Our goals were to:

• Explore various concepts for effectively introducing analytics to users.
• Determine the level of detail users require from analytics reports.
• Investigate potential integrations between Search Console and Google Domains.

Critical user journeys we captured in concepts :

4. Scope out feasibility

Based on the insight from concept study, UX had created lists of features that are critical to users. and I collaborated with PM and Eng to scope top priority feature for our v1 version.

5. Final design

I synthesized researches and user feedback from the concept study to create design principles and deliver a user-centered final design.

A. DESIGN PRINCIPLES

B. DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS

Impact

The launch of Reports in Q2 2020 yielded immediate results:

• User Adoption: Over 11,000 domains created and verified their site in Search Console within a month.
• Engagement: Over 22,000 report views, with users returning to the product multiple times to check data.

This successful launch delivered on key goals:

• Simplified Setup: Eliminated the need for DNS TXT verification, streamlining the integration process.
• Centralized Access: Established a dedicated destination for website traffic reports.
• Service Hub: Seamlessly connect cross-PA products with Domains, surfacing only essential information based on user needs.
• Real-Time Data: Provided up-to-date reports on every product visit, empowering users with timely insights.
• Increased Ad Engagement: Drove increased engagement with Google Ads through keyword-focused recommendations.

Post-Launch : User insight study

In Feb 2021, as an followup of Reports launch, I collaborated with UXR to conduct user insight study to see how it has landed after 9 months. The research addressed the follow high-level questions

1. How are users engaging on the reports page?
2. What information do users find useful on reports?
3. Are there any pain points when using reports?

METHODOLOGIES

• Heuristic evaluation : Walk through the existing user journey to evaluate how it matches with usability principles; identify potential pain points based on heuristics.
• Log analysis : Summarize user action logs related to the reports page by sampling 30k sessions. Highlight general patterns of behavior and potential points of drop-off.
• In-product survey : HaTS survey shown on the reports page asking about reasons for setting up reports, frequency of visits, and general positives/negatives.

Based on the insights, I created the deck for short-term and long-term recommendations for product improvement. and we launched v1.5 version with short-term recommendation incorporated in Q4 2021

RECOMMENDATIONS

Short Term Recommendations

• Stronger Headline for Reports: Improve the headline to highlight the value of reports when users first visit the page.
• Link to Reports Setup on Website Page: Add a call-out for reports setup after website creation to prevent drop-offs.
• Add Search Term Position to Queries Card: Include position details in the “How do people find you?” card for better context.
• Timing of Welcome Email: Ensure the Search Console welcome email aligns with report availability.
• Log Reports Setup in Domain Dashboard: Track reports setup in domain_dash_daily for better insights at the domain/user level.

Long Term Recommendations

• Explore Reports Setup for Forwarded Domains: Investigate the possibility of setting up reports for both original and forwarded domains.
• Help Users Take Action on Reports: Convert learning center content into actionable steps for improving website visits.
• Allow for Data Comparisons: Enable data comparisons to help users identify changes in website traffic.