User Experience for Content Management Systems

Most teams pick metrics that sound smart… But under the hood, they’re just noisy, slow, misleading, or biased. But today, I'm giving you a framework to avoid that trap. It’s called STEDII and it’s how to choose metrics you can actually trust: — ONE: S — Sensitivity Your metric should be able to detect small but meaningful changes Most good features don’t move numbers by 50%. They move them by 2–5%. If your metric can’t pick up those subtle shifts , you’ll miss real wins. Rule of thumb: - Basic metrics detect 10% changes - Good ones detect 5% - Great ones? 2% The better your metric, the smaller the lift it can detect. But that also means needing more users and better experimental design. — TWO: T — Trustworthiness Ever launch a clearly better feature… but the metric goes down? Happens all the time. Users find what they need faster → Time on site drops Checkout becomes smoother → Session length declines A good metric should reflect actual product value, not just surface-level activity. If metrics move in the opposite direction of user experience, they’re not trustworthy. — THREE: E — Efficiency In experimentation, speed of learning = speed of shipping. Some metrics take months to show signal (LTV, retention curves). Others like Day 2 retention or funnel completion give you insight within days. If your team is waiting weeks to know whether something worked, you're already behind. Use CUPED or proxy metrics to speed up testing windows without sacrificing signal. — FOUR: D — Debuggability A number that moves is nice. A number you can explain why something worked? That’s gold. Break down conversion into funnel steps. Segment by user type, device, geography. A 5% drop means nothing if you don’t know whether it’s: → A mobile bug → A pricing issue → Or just one country behaving differently Debuggability turns your metrics into actual insight. — FIVE: I — Interpretability Your whole team should know what your metric means... And what to do when it changes. If your metric looks like this: Engagement Score = (0.3×PageViews + 0.2×Clicks - 0.1×Bounces + 0.25×ReturnRate)^0.5 You’re not driving action. You’re driving confusion. Keep it simple: Conversion drops → Check checkout flow Bounce rate spikes → Review messaging or speed Retention dips → Fix the week-one experience — SIX: I — Inclusivity Averages lie. Segments tell the truth. A metric that’s “up 5%” could still be hiding this: → Power users: +30% → New users (60% of base): -5% → Mobile users: -10% Look for Simpson’s Paradox. Make sure your “win” isn’t actually a loss for the majority. — To learn all the details, check out my deep dive with Ronny Kohavi, the legend himself: https://lnkd.in/eDWT5bDN

I increased conversion rates by 71% for a wellness brand in 2 weeks by optimizing ‘the 3 C’s’ of a landing page. At the end of the day, even if you have really strong data and a high performing creative… If you’re not optimizing the web experience (especially on mobile) your conversion rates aren’t going to look very impressive. We’ve helped guide 100’s of our clients from a CRO perspective on what to do as far as their mobile web experience. These are the 3 most important things to think about when it comes to optimizing this component of the user journey: 1️⃣ Continuity Think about the landing page as an extension of the ad content. You absolutely have to make it a priority that there is continuity between the two. They clicked on your ad because they were interested in the exact content of the ad. So if everything looks, feels, and sounds different when they get to the landing page, they’re going to get confused and click off as fast as they can reach their cursor to the X button. Capitalize on their interest by keeping every variable consistent. 2️⃣ Content Like I mentioned previously, the user clicked on the ad because they were interested in hearing more. That’s why making sure your landing page has every single piece of information there is to know about the service is crucial. You don’t want to give them any reason to NOT convert. So: - Handle every objection - Highlight every benefit/feature - Make sure they understand everything about the process. 3️⃣ Call to action Make it easy for the consumer to progress on the page. You’d be surprised by how many people screw this up. They have a bunch of interested people visit the landing page, ready to buy… Just for them to click off because the CTA wasn’t clear enough. Tell them exactly what to do, and where to go if they want to proceed with the purchase. If you can really nail these 3 when it comes to this step in the customer journey, you’re going to convert a lot more of that traffic that you worked so hard to get with your ads. Again, the three C’s of landing pages: 1️⃣ Continuity 2️⃣ Content 3️⃣ Call to action Remember them and watch your conversion rate skyrocket.

How well does your product actually work for users? That’s not a rhetorical question, it’s a measurement challenge. No matter the interface, users interact with it to achieve something. Maybe it’s booking a flight, formatting a document, or just heating up dinner. These interactions aren’t random. They’re purposeful. And every purposeful action gives you a chance to measure how well the product supports the user’s goal. This is the heart of performance metrics in UX. Performance metrics give structure to usability research. They show what works, what doesn’t, and how painful the gaps really are. Here are five you should be using: - Task Success This one’s foundational. Can users complete their intended tasks? It sounds simple, but defining success upfront is essential. You can track it in binary form (yes or no), or include gradations like partial success or help-needed. That nuance matters when making design decisions. - Time-on-Task Time is a powerful, ratio-level metric - but only if measured and interpreted correctly. Use consistent methods (screen recording, auto-logging, etc.) and always report medians and ranges. A task that looks fast on average may hide serious usability issues if some users take much longer. - Errors Errors tell you where users stumble, misread, or misunderstand. But not all errors are equal. Classify them by type and severity. This helps identify whether they’re minor annoyances or critical failures. Be intentional about what counts as an error and how it’s tracked. - Efficiency Usability isn’t just about outcomes - it’s also about effort. Combine success with time and steps taken to calculate task efficiency. This reveals friction points that raw success metrics might miss and helps you compare across designs or user segments. - Learnability Some tasks become easier with repetition. If your product is complex or used repeatedly, measure how performance improves over time. Do users get faster, make fewer errors, or retain how to use features after a break? Learnability is often overlooked - but it’s key for onboarding and retention. The value of performance metrics is not just in the data itself, but in how it informs your decisions. These metrics help you prioritize fixes, forecast impact, and communicate usability clearly to stakeholders. But don’t stop at the numbers. Performance data tells you what happened. Pair it with observational and qualitative insights to understand why - and what to do about it. That’s how you move from assumptions to evidence. From usability intuition to usability impact. Adapted from Measuring the User Experience: Collecting, Analyzing, and Presenting UX Metrics by Bill Albert and Tom Tullis (2022).

Strong signals bring user needs into focus. Over the years, I’ve worked with many teams that create user personas, giving them names like “Cindy” and saying things like “She needs to find this feature” to guide their design decisions. That’s a good start. But user needs are more complex than a few traits or surface-level goals. They include emotions, behaviors, and deeper motivations that aren’t always visible. That’s why we’re building Glare, our open framework for data-informed design. We've learned a lot using Helio. It helps teams create clear, measurable signals around user needs. UX metrics help turn user needs into real data: → What users think → What users do → What users feel → What users say When you define the right audience traits and pick the helpful research methods, you can turn vague assumptions into specific, actionable signals. Let’s take a common persona example: Your team says, “Cindy can’t find the new dashboard feature.” Instead of stopping there, create signals using UX metrics to define usefulness better: → Attitudinal Metrics (how Cindy feels) Usefulness ↳ 42% of users say the dashboard doesn’t help them complete their tasks Sentiment ↳ Users overwhelmingly selected: Confused, Frustrated, Overwhelmed Only 12% chose Clear or Confident Post-Task Satisfaction ↳ 52% of people are satisfied after completing key actions → Behavioral Metrics (what Cindy does) Frequency ↳ Only 18% of users revisit the dashboard weekly, down from 35% last quarter → Performance Metrics (how the product supports Cindy) Helpfulness ↳ 60% of users say they needed help materials to complete a task, suggesting the experience is unclear With UX data like this, your team can stop guessing and start aligning around the real needs of users. UX metrics turn assumptions into signals… leading to better product decisions. Reach out to me if you want to learn how to incorporate UX metrics into your team workflows. #productdesign #productdiscovery #userresearch #uxresearch

In the vast ocean of digital marketing, your landing page is the lighthouse guiding potential customers to your shores. We recently embarked on a journey with a client to revamp their landing page, and the results were nothing short of spectacular. We witnessed a whopping 143% increase in their conversion rate, soaring to 4.18%. So, how did we achieve this transformation? 1) Crystal Clear Headline: The first thing visitors see should instantly convey your value proposition. We crafted a headline that was not only compelling but also easy to read and understand. It's the digital equivalent of a firm, confident handshake. 2) Review Count Front and Center: Social proof is a powerful tool. By placing the review count high up, visible immediately on both mobile and PC, we leveraged the power of community validation. When potential customers see that others have benefited, they're more likely to trust your offering. 3) Above the Fold Magic: The "fold" is the point where users need to scroll to see more. Everything above this point should be your prime real estate. We ensured that the most crucial information, call-to-action buttons, and engaging visuals were positioned here for immediate impact. 4) Consistent and Intuitive Design: A cohesive color scheme, clear fonts, and intuitive navigation can make the difference between a bounce and a conversion. We streamlined the design to ensure a seamless and pleasant user experience. 5) Engaging Visuals with Context: While high-quality images and videos are essential, they need to be more than just eye candy. We selected visuals that not only resonated with the brand but also told a story, adding depth to the user's journey. 6) Trust Indicators: Beyond reviews, we incorporated trust badges, testimonials, and certifications. These elements further cemented the brand's credibility and made users feel secure in their decision to engage. A landing page is more than just a digital storefront; it's a narrative, a promise, and an invitation. By focusing on the user's experience and journey, we were able to transform clicks into conversions. If your landing page isn't delivering the results you desire, perhaps it's time for a makeover.

90% of ad conversions fail because of poor landing page alignment—not your ad copy. It's a surprising stat, right? We all tweak our ad copy to perfection and obsess over bids, but often, the true bottleneck is elsewhere: our landing pages don’t align with our ads. Here’s how we tackled this for a SaaS client, focusing on project management tools: 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟭: 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁 & 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗶𝘀  We started by auditing their Google Ads. The ads were well-crafted, sure, but the conversion rates? Not so much. We quickly noticed a pattern—the landing pages were generic, not reflecting the specific promises made in the ads. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟮: 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗲𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 We sorted their ads into different product features such as "real-time collaboration," "budget management," and "software integration." Each feature targeted a different user group—project managers, CFOs, and IT managers. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟯: 𝗧𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝘀: We created a landing page that included a video demonstration of the feature, user feedback on how this feature enhanced their workflow, and a direct CTA for a free trial. 𝗕𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝘀: This page showcased visual reports on budget tracking, testimonials from finance professionals, and a CTA to download an in-depth guide on reducing costs. 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝘀: We designed a page listing software integrations, provided a downloadable technical guide, and set up a CTA for a live demo with product engineers. Each of these 30+ landing pages per month was carefully crafted to match its ad, improving relevance and user satisfaction. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀? A 60% increase in lead conversions and a 35% reduction in bounce rates followed. Visitors were immediately met with what the ad promised, greatly enhancing their experience. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟰: 𝗢𝗻𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁  Through continuous A/B testing and feedback analysis, we made sure every element was optimized to keep improving results. Feeling like your ads could perform better? Drop “Landing Pages” in the comments to schedule a free landing page audit with me! #googleads #digitalmarketing #conversionoptimization 

"Don’t teach so your customers can understand. Teach so they 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥." Early in my career, both in support and in Customer Success, I thought I was doing a great job teaching customers. My instructions were “clear.” My walkthroughs made “sense.” And yet… things still broke down. Tickets got reopened. Tasks didn’t get done. Important steps were skipped. That’s when I learned this simple principle: Clarity isn’t about what you think you said. It’s about what can’t be misheard, misread, or misinterpreted. Here’s how I changed my approach, and how you can too: 𝟭. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝘆 Before you teach anything, explain what it’s for. Why does this step matter? What does it unlock? Purpose gives context — and context prevents confusion. 𝟮. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱-𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗽 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱 Say what you’re going to do. Show the customer how to do it. Then summarize what you just did. This tight loop reinforces understanding and makes room for correction in real time. 𝟯. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱 Whether it’s a written action item, a how-to guide, or a help center link to give your customer something to reference after the call. Don’t rely on memory. Rely on clarity. Great CSMs aren’t just helpful, they’re unmistakable. Because clarity isn’t just kind, it’s a growth lever. What do you do help improve your teaching with customers? #customersuccess

Rapid testing is your secret weapon for making data-driven decisions fast. Unlike A/B testing, which can take weeks, rapid tests can deliver actionable insights in hours. This lean approach helps teams validate ideas, designs, and features quickly and iteratively. It's not about replacing A/B testing. It's about understanding if you're moving in the right direction before committing resources. Rapid testing speeds up results, limits politics in decision-making, and helps narrow down ideas efficiently. It's also budget-friendly and great for identifying potential issues early. But how do you choose the right rapid testing method? Task completion analysis measures success rates and time-on-task for specific user actions. First-click tests evaluate the intuitiveness of primary actions or information on a page. Tree testing focuses on how well users can navigate your site's structure. Sentiment analysis gauges user emotions and opinions about a product or experience. 5-second tests assess immediate impressions of designs or messages. Design surveys collect qualitative feedback on wireframes or mockups. The key is selecting the method that best aligns with your specific goals and questions. By leveraging rapid testing, you can de-risk decisions and innovate faster. It's not about replacing thorough research. It's about getting quick, directional data to inform your next steps. So before you invest heavily in that new feature or redesign, consider running a rapid test. It might just save you from a costly misstep and point you towards a more successful solution.

Workday Training: Embrace a Team Approach Often, organizations tackle training in isolation, leaving the “change management” team to handle all training documentation. However, I believe that your functional users are the best resources for creating content for training guides. Given Workday’s configurable nature—especially its user interface—your functional users have valuable insights into the tasks and their specific configurations. Here’s an effective approach I recommend: 1) Build an Intuitive User Experience: Avoid having users navigate tasks by searching, unless they are power users. Searching is too advanced to start out learning Workday and requires users memorize tasks. I recommend build custom dashboards. 2) Involve Functional Users: Have your functional users create much of the content for your guides. They should proxy as someone in your target audience for the job aid and create a recording (securely especially if you’re using data of an actual user). During the recording, they should walk through the entire task and potential questions users might have. 3) Documentation Creation: Share the recording with someone on the training team who excels at creating documentation. This person can compile cohesive guides filled with screenshots, either using the video for visuals or by simulating the task with another user in the tenant. 4) Review Process: The documentation creator should send the guide back to the functional user for final approval. Trying to find one person to do all of this is difficult. There are people good at both (including several of us on the Legato team), but it’s not that common. Also, I like to really prioritize the time of the functional user who definitely has a lot more testing they need to do and not the time to do job aid design. For more advice like this, make sure to join our newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gZ-smcGc Training and User Interface design is a passion of our team at Legato Strategic. To learn how we can help empower your team, message me or fill out our inquiry form: https://lnkd.in/gcfv3Uxw #WorkdayStudent #LegatoStrategicConsulting

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝘄𝗶𝗰𝗲. Once in lost time. Again in lost customers. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘅? 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗽. Here’s how to get started: 🔹 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿-𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗠𝗘𝘀. Your experts aren’t trainers — and they’re already stretched. Record them doing their work with a customer. Put that video / transcript into an AI tool (LLM) like ChatGPT / Grok / Claude.ai / Gemini to capture their expertise once, and repurpose it into workshops, guides, and walk-throughs. 🔹 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁. Ask: “𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 / 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲?” Then build backward. Slides and videos don’t teach behavior — activities do. 🔹 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁. Version it. Test it. Improve it. Make your training agile, just like your software. 🔹 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁. Pilot one module. Coach one SME to facilitate, not lecture. It’s not all-or-nothing. ✋🏼 Want help building scalable training programs that combine your expertise into onboarding growth engines? Let’s talk. #CustomerSuccess #Facilitation #Onboarding #Training #Enablement #L&D #ChangeManagement #UserAdoption Picture by ChatGPT