Malicki-Sanchez Law
Optimized the law firm's website by enhancing its information architecture and integrating the blog to improve lead generation and user engagement. This academic project focused on strategic design improvements aimed at increasing conversion potential.
Website Redesign & UX Research Project
2022
Overview
Malicki-Sanchez Law is established in 1959 in Mississauga, Ontario. They offer a variety of services including family, real estate and corporate law. They pride themselves in their top notch customer service that will have clients feeling at home and at ease.
Current
Challenges
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Content Scannability: Users face challenges with content scannability, which diminishes their motivation to engage and explore further.
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Navigation and Interactivity: The absence of interactive elements hampers user navigation, leading to a less intuitive experience on the website.
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Service Differentiation: The competitive advantage of providing services in English, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Polish is not adequately highlighted, impacting user awareness and accessibility.
Goal
Interactive Elements
Strategically placing interactive elements to encourage engagement intuitively.
Optimizing Information Architecture
Restructuring the information architecture (IA) to support content discovery and ensure that interactions flow naturally.
Blog Integration
Integrate blog sections into various pages and link lawyer profiles within the blogs to enhance content discovery.
Discovery: Current State Analysis, Usability Tests, User Persona
Current State Analysis
Above: Screen recording of the current Malick Sancez website.
After conducting a thorough current state analysis, which included usability tests on the current website to understand user perspectives, several opportunities for improvement have been identified:
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Enhance the information architecture to improve scannability.
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Refresh the user interface to enhance user experience and brand perception.
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Integrate interactive elements that enable users to explore more pages intuitively.
User Requirements
Based on the initial usability test conducted on the current website and user interviews, we have identified core user requirements that will guide the website redesign prototype. These requirements reflect insights gathered directly from user interactions and feedback, ensuring that the redesign addresses real user needs effectively.
User Persona
The user personas reflect the firm's clients. Many of them choose Malicki Sanchez Law because their fathers and grandfathers have been going to Malicki Sanchez, and some discover the firm through their highly informative and helpful blogs.
Susan
Retired Equestrian
65 Years Old
Ottawa
Background
Susan learned about Malicki Sanchez Law (MSL) through her cousins.
Technology Comfort Level
Preferences
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Information Accessibility: Values having all relevant details consolidated on one page, rather than navigating through multiple links.
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Communication Style: Appreciates clear, simple language and direct answers to her questions.
Goals
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To find a trustworthy law firm for will drafting.
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To feel confident about her choice before traveling.
Robert
Business Owner
42 Years Old
Kitchener
Background
Robert discovered Malicki Sanchez Law (MSL) through an informative blog post about dividing assets after a divorce. He is currently separated from his wife and navigating the divorce process.
Technology Comfort Level
Preferences
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Information Presentation: Prefers content that is highly scannable, allowing him to quickly find relevant details.
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Accessibility: Wants the contact form readily available on every page for easy outreach.
Goals
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To identify the right lawyer for his divorce case.
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To understand the services offered by MSL related to divorce proceedings.
The Redesign: Design, Testing, Iteration
Paper Prototype
In the redesign phase of the case study, the focus was on the three major improvements: enhancing information architecture, increasing interactive elements, and blog integration. To validate the new structure, a paper prototype was created to visualize and test the layout before digital implementation.
Above: Paper prototype of the 5 key pages.
Low Fidelity Prototype
The client and initial testing indicated that the paper prototype was intuitive, effectively showcasing MSL's competitive advantage. In the next phase, a low-fidelity prototype was developed, introducing UX writing to enhance clarity and user engagement.
Accompanying the prototype are plans of the Interactive Elements and Strategic Flow. The Strategic Flow section breaks down the information architecture, outlining how content is structured for optimal navigation. The Interactive Elements section highlights where these features will be positioned to enhance user experience, ensuring that key interactions are easily accessible and intuitive.
Above: Strategic Flow & Interactive Strategy For Key Pages
The Final Results
Updated Design System
One of the main obstacles users face when exploring the website is the outdated UI, which lacks interactive components that facilitate easier navigation. The current design system demonstrates a clear hierarchy, breaking up large blocks of text to encourage users to engage with the content.
The current font used across the website is Lora. To minimize confusion for existing clients while maintaining visual branding, we opted to introduce a secondary font specifically for body and secondary paragraphs called Work Sans. This enhances visual hierarchy without significantly altering the overall design.
Website Transformation
Below are before-and-after comparisons of the key screens. These screens were designed using Adobe XD and feature stock images that align with visual language recommendations, creating a more professional and cohesive look.
Above: Screen recordings of the redesigned homepage, followed by the current version.
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Prominent CTA Button: A highly visible button for contacting the firm.
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Strategic Placement of Testimonials: Awards and client testimonials positioned directly under the hero image.
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Direct Access Links: Quick links to practice areas and the blog.
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Homepage Accessibility: Contact form and subscription sign-up available on the homepage.
Above: Screen recordings of the redesigned practice area, followed by the current version.
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Increased Visual Cues: Utilizing icons for immediate recognition.
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Related Practice Areas: Grouping similar areas together to reduce choice fatigue.
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Enhanced Search Functionality: Implementing a search bar to facilitate browsing.
Above: Screen recordings of the redesigned family law practice area, followed by the current version.
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Emotion-Evoking Images: Using images that resonate with users.
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Scannable Content: Ensuring content is easy to scan for quick information.
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Specialist Profiles: Direct links to lawyers' profiles specializing in relevant areas.
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Related Resources: Quick links to blogs and FAQs to help users better understand their cases.
Above: Screen recordings of the redesigned lawyer profile page, followed by the current version.
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Lawyer Introduction: A brief introduction by the lawyer to help users assess their fit.
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Language Proficiency: Displaying languages spoken using flags for quick recognition.
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Education and Experience: A dedicated section highlighting the lawyer’s qualifications and awards.
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Direct Contact Form: Easy access to contact the specific lawyer.
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Areas of Expertise: Clear listing of practice areas where the lawyer specializes.
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Related Blog Links: Direct links to blog posts relevant to those practice areas.
Above: Screen recordings of the redesigned blog page, followed by the current version.
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Filter Function: A sorting feature to easily navigate content.
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Blog Post Labels: Each blog post clearly labeled by practice area and estimated reading time.
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Direct Links to Experts: Quick access to lawyers’ pages who specialize in the blog topic.
Conclusion & Reflection
This was my first website redesign project, and the most challenging aspect was understanding user behavior. Given that this is a law firm website, users come with a clear purpose rather than browsing casually. As a UI/UX designer, it was crucial to make the content highly scannable and easy to digest to ensure a great user experience. Alongside mastering usability principles, I conducted research on cognitive science and thinking biases. Collaborating closely with the client helped us gain insights into the challenges they face.
Overall, this project deepened my understanding of user-centered design and highlighted the importance of tailored solutions in creating effective digital experiences.