A web based survey resulted in 500 responses, and 30 telephone interviews were conducted to provide more detailed user requirements.
A user experience based on distinctive personas
Both user and business requirements were formalised and personas were produced to demonstrate the journey a user might take through the website. A set of wireframes were then produced and a prototype was built to demonstrate the flow of the website.
A fresh, new look for GT
The new GT website was launched at the end of August 2015, providing a fresh, new look and an appealing user experience. Very soon after it was announced as a finalist in the Digital Magazine Awards for best magazine website.
Strong results, especially with mobile traffic
With around 70% of users accessing the site from mobile devices, the new site is optimised for mobile, fully responsive and easily navigated by users on the move. The results from the new website have been outstanding, with user sessions growing from just a few hundred thousand in early 2015, to over 1.5m in January 2016.
The level of user engagement has grown extensively, with Facebook followers are up from 800k to more than 1.1m and dwell time on the website up by 35%.
A huge leap in sessions and page views
Mobile statistics have increased staggeringly, with sessions up 281% (550k to over 2 million), a 293% increase in page views (645k to 2.5m) and a 21% increase in duration (the length of time spent on website).
When comparing Q1 of 2015 Q1 of 2016, we discovered that sessions are up 238% (900k to over 3m), the number of users is up 158% (600k to 1.55m) and page views are up 245% (1.1m to 4m)
In regards to Search Engine Traffic, the site has now seen a 363% increase visits in the last year (113k to 370k) – this is the biggest growth from any channel.
