THATBlog

The continuous improvement phase is the third phase in the growth driven design process. This is what really differentiates the growth driven design process from the traditional web design process.

Your buyer personas and your data will drive your actions in this phase. Your website analytics data will let you know how your site is performing. Look at your data in comparison to a specific goal that you outlined in the strategy phase. Think about how this goal may be able to be improved upon and create a hypothesis.

Start Planning

The first part of the continuous improvement phase is the planning step. You will start by comparing the performance of your current launch pad website to the goals that you laid out during the strategy phase.

Next, you will determine if there is any additional data that you might need to collect in order to decide what website changes you should focus on in this phase. Also, you will want to check in with your marketing and sales teams to see if they have gleaned any new data or observations about your users.

Once you have completed these steps, it’s time to brainstorm and to prioritize your website wishlist.

Create a Wishlist

In the continuous improvement phase, your action items and tasks to be done will fit into four main categories.

• Boosting Conversions - This would include wishlist activities that relate to conversion optimization such as user paths, split testing, and testing value propositions.
• UX Improvements - In this category, we could find wishlist items such as enhancing the mobile experience, improving a blog layout, or modifying the navigation.
• Personalization to the User - Activities in this category would involve adapting parts of the site to specific categories of users based on the website analytics data as well as personas. This may involve specific content offers to calls to action.
• Building Marketing Assets - This could include resource sections, gated content, or specific website tools to provide value to the visitor. For example, on a real estate website, perhaps a mortgage or home buying calculator would be beneficial.

Now that you have a prioritized wishlist, it’s time to plan which items you can implement during this continuous improvement cycle. How many items you pick will depend on the length of your cycle. It’s best to start small and be sure that you can accomplish everything that you plan to – if you complete your items early, you can always add more.

Assess & Repeat

Once you have completed the development of your action items, it’s time to assess their performance. Take a look at your website analytics data. Did the hypothesis that you set out in the beginning hold up? Why or why not? What would you try differently next time?

Be sure to share your learning with your team, so that you can improve on those aspects in the next cycle. After this, it’s time to go back to the beginning and start planning your next continuous improvement cycle.

Speaking of planning, take advantage of our free guide to proving the value of your marketing efforts as you start planning for next year.