JBugs
Content & Graphic Design 2016 - 2020
JBugs is the largest distributor of parts for pre-1990 vintage Volkswagen models in the United States. In addition to JBugs.com, the company is parent to a number of subsidiary websites.
The JBugs Family:
• JBugs
• Seatbelts Plus
• Racing Safety Warehouse
• Side by Side UTV Parts
• Classic Car Stereo
The JBugs Family:
• JBugs
• Seatbelts Plus
• Racing Safety Warehouse
• Side by Side UTV Parts
• Classic Car Stereo
Role: Content & Graphic Designer
Team: Project Manager, Marketing Manager, 2 Marketing Associate, Web Developer
Timeframe: June 2017-Oct 2020
Tools: Adobe XD, Photoshop, Illustrator
Team: Project Manager, Marketing Manager, 2 Marketing Associate, Web Developer
Timeframe: June 2017-Oct 2020
Tools: Adobe XD, Photoshop, Illustrator
Project: SeatBeltsPlus.com Redesign
Original Site
SeatbeltsPlus.com is a subsidiary under the JBugs comapny umbrella. As of 2017, while sales were actively growing, the site’s SEO ranking was not. Competitor sites were often ranked higher and site analytics showed an overall low time on site rate for users and low organic conversions.
I was tasked with determining the root causes and redesigning the site to resolve them.
I started by creating an optional user survey to be sent out post-purchase and to members of the company mailing list.
I was tasked with determining the root causes and redesigning the site to resolve them.
I started by creating an optional user survey to be sent out post-purchase and to members of the company mailing list.
SeatBeltsPlus.com User Pain Points:
• Site layout is visually cluttered and specific items can be hard to find
• Site looks dated (or as one user stated, an “eyesore”)
• Customers don’t always know what belts they need and “shop by model” is difficult to find
• Customers want more product images
• Site layout is visually cluttered and specific items can be hard to find
• Site looks dated (or as one user stated, an “eyesore”)
• Customers don’t always know what belts they need and “shop by model” is difficult to find
• Customers want more product images
The Redesign
I addressed each of these paint points individually for the redesign. Time and budget were limited to only a few weeks, so I focused on the most efficent means of resolving each pain point.
Visual Clutter:
I removed the redundant navigation elements from the left side of the page, along with many of the oversized graphics. I created critical paths for the users and ensured that everything above the fold was in service of that path.
Dated UI:
I redesigned the top navigation to use a hierarchical structure and updated the elements to use more current stylings.
Shop by Model Feature:
We designed a search feature to use existing tags on the site products and moved this to a prime position near the top of the landing page.
Visual Clutter:
I removed the redundant navigation elements from the left side of the page, along with many of the oversized graphics. I created critical paths for the users and ensured that everything above the fold was in service of that path.
Dated UI:
I redesigned the top navigation to use a hierarchical structure and updated the elements to use more current stylings.
Shop by Model Feature:
We designed a search feature to use existing tags on the site products and moved this to a prime position near the top of the landing page.
Product Images:
Users stated that they wanted larger and more detailed images, and that they wanted to see the products in each of the 30 available colors, instead of just seeing material swatches. In addition to the site redesign, I created a Photoshop script that allowed us to rapidly generate product images for the thousands of permutations of seatbelt layouts available. We updated the product screen to modern design standards and featured these images much more prominently.
Users stated that they wanted larger and more detailed images, and that they wanted to see the products in each of the 30 available colors, instead of just seeing material swatches. In addition to the site redesign, I created a Photoshop script that allowed us to rapidly generate product images for the thousands of permutations of seatbelt layouts available. We updated the product screen to modern design standards and featured these images much more prominently.
(old)
(new)
1 Year after the redesign, the site was consistently ranked higher than select competitors, and organic traffic had increased by 25%. In addition, the average time on site had almost doubled.
Project: JBugs Marketing Emails
Existing Campaigns
The Problem:
Email click-through rates (CTR) were hovering around .5%, significantly lower than the industry average of around 1.8%.
I hypothesized that this was the result of a few key factors:
• No attention paid to accessibility standards or marketing email best practices
• Simple, unattractive stock images
• Lack of visual hierarchy creating confusionRelatively low brand cohesion between campaigns
• Many emails missing CTAs
Email click-through rates (CTR) were hovering around .5%, significantly lower than the industry average of around 1.8%.
I hypothesized that this was the result of a few key factors:
• No attention paid to accessibility standards or marketing email best practices
• Simple, unattractive stock images
• Lack of visual hierarchy creating confusionRelatively low brand cohesion between campaigns
• Many emails missing CTAs
The Redesign
The Solution:
I modernized the visual language of the emails, pulling existing stylistic elements from the JBugs logo and website.I ensured that each email met basic accessibility standards, and created custom graphics for each campaign to ensure visual variety and interest.
We validated these changes through A B testing; I created test campaigns to be sent alongside campaigns that had already been scheduled.
The new campaign guidelines saw an increase of 130%, bringing the CTR to 1.15% by the end of 3 months of testing.
I modernized the visual language of the emails, pulling existing stylistic elements from the JBugs logo and website.I ensured that each email met basic accessibility standards, and created custom graphics for each campaign to ensure visual variety and interest.
We validated these changes through A B testing; I created test campaigns to be sent alongside campaigns that had already been scheduled.
The new campaign guidelines saw an increase of 130%, bringing the CTR to 1.15% by the end of 3 months of testing.
(old)
(new)
Project: Various Marketing Materials
Over my 4 years with JBUGS and it’s subsidiaries, I assisted with dozens of marketing initiatives. I wrote ad copy and created visuals for various mediums, including email, social media, web, and print.
