Vinson Gotingco & Cameron Sagey - Research, strategy, creative direction, UX/UI
Justin Bealieu - Branding
Viet Le - Development lead
Additionally, the problem was that their branding and website did not portray the quality and assurance needed for large container services. Their business mainly came from word of mouth.
In doing a site audit of the Martin Container website, we noticed that it lacked clear visual hierarchy making it disorganized. This made it difficult to see Martin Container’s value propositions—what makes them different.
Also, the website did have a “contact us” call-to-action on the home page, but that was the only place we could find it. Displaying the phone number and link to an email address creates an additional step for visitors to do and takes their attention away from the site. This can significantly lower the conversion rate.
Through these workshops, our client identified three main users that typically reach out to them on a daily basis.
Typically the middleman. With this, effective communication makes their job easier. They also rely heavily on vendor websites to provide executives with reliable options.
The technical specs of the containers are their main concern. They rely on accurate specifications to see if the vendor can provide what they need.
Similar to account managers, they rely on effective communication. However, they also rely on trust. They want to work with vendors who provide efficiency and quality.
We reviewed the websites of Martin Container’s top five competitors. We went over user flows of how one can conduct business with these companies. All of these sites had a contact form, whereas Martin Container did not. We also discussed the types of effective content these sites use to enhance their brand and credibility.
To stay honest with our users, we cross-referenced these features with the personas. After creating a list of features, we conducted a red route exercise with the client. Due to the budgetary constraints, some features had to be cut and saved for the next iteration of the website. Red routing helped us see what features users will use the most and how often.
This gave us a more tailored list of what features are absolutely needed to build the current iteration. Although some features were cut and pushed to phase two, this gave the client features to look forward to for future iterations.
This also addressed a Vincit business goal of keeping Martin Container as an ongoing client.
While we were searching for usable container images, the details on containers really stood out to us. We were inspired by the vertical text and the harsh grid lines. This influenced us to use aspects of Swiss Design.
The use of Swiss Design helped create the foundation of structure and grids seen throughout the site. This allowed our design style to maintain the resemblance of stacked cargo and containers seen at a container terminal.
The Martin Container website had a 0% conversion rate. We looked to remedy that by creating a site that prioritizes trust, quality, and effective communication.
Although a very simple solution, storytelling goes a long way in building trust with users. What makes Martin Container different from other companies? The website is crucial in illustrating this.
Conversion was the goal, so we built the home page to be a funnel. In order to build trust and convey quality, we showcased Martin Container’s capabilities, company values, and client testimonials--all of which are important things a user considers in making a business decision. As we funnel visitors, the page ends with a clear call-to-action leading to a contact form.
Considering that they weren’t getting any business from their website, conversion was of utmost importance. Fixed headers with visible buttons leading to a contact form allow users to be steps closer to becoming a potential client.
When users would reach out to Martin Container via email, having many questions was typical. Instead of converting users to clients, this back and forth communication resulted in less interest and drew clients away. With a detailed contact form, our goal was to minimize inefficient communication and make receiving container quotes quick. We included fields that would provide Martin Container with all the details they needed in order to provide an accurate quote. This allows Martin Container to get much more qualified leads.
We wanted a way for visitors to somehow always visit the contact form. By doing so, puts Martin Container in a better position to convert site traffic to business. So we optimized conversion by combining the product details page and the contact form.
We took an e-commerce type approach so that when visitors click on a product, for more info, they can also immediately customize a container and request a quote.
“Our co-operation with Vincit was very collaborative. Their team communicated extremely well, understood my suggestions, and tweaked the specifications and design based on their understanding of how clients would perceive it. We are very happy with the results of the website and we look forward to working more with Vincit in the future.”
Charlie Martin - Director of Operations
Due to budgetary constraints, we had to work fast. However, I wish we sent out surveys to Martin Container customers. Although they may not have come from the website, it would have been great to see why they continue to work with Martin Container, as well as what they’d like to see on the website.
Although this project wasn’t technically challenging, I enjoyed exploring different directions the visual design could go. The UX changes we made were quite simple, but I think that just goes to show that successful products do not have to be overly complicated.
