villie project
Role: Experience Owner - UX Research, Content Design/Writing
Intro: Villie, formerly ‘Gender Reveal Game’, is an interactive platform designed to help expecting parents engage their communities through gender reveal games and fundraising. However, early data indicated challenges with user engagement and participation. This report outlines the research and strategic improvements undertaken to enhance Villie's platform experience.
Challenges:
Low participation from communities: Many users created profiles but did not actively engage in games.
Missed fundraising potential: Parents struggled to maximize contributions due to hidden features like the registry, and their communities not creating games.
Retention issues: The return rate between May and June was 4.43%, indicating a need for better engagement strategies.
Lack of engagement features: Users expressed interest in additional tools like a baby countdown, calendar, and milestone tracking.
Research process
Research began with a site audit of all website content, as well as multiple stakeholder intervews to understand user flows and pinpoint navigation issues. This was followed by: user surveys (52 respondents) to identify engagement barriers, usability studies, competitor analysis for best practices, and social content analysis to assess the effectiveness of blog posts, newsletters, and social media.
survey Insights
Survey insights revealed mixed user engagement and participation, with initial excitement tempered by uncertainty. While most participants created a game, some lost interest or faced challenges with engagement. Fundraising outcomes varied, with some parents succeeding in meeting their goals, while others struggled due to limited network participation
A New experience : Villie
Based on user feedback, as well as our suggestions, Villie implemented several strategic changes to enhance engagement and inclusivity. An online store was launched to offer users more ways to interact beyond the game, while personalized features like a calendar, countdown, and improved blog content were introduced to boost retention
The platform also adopted inclusive language, shifting from gender-specific terms like "moms" to "parents," making it more welcoming to all expecting families. Additionally, a resourceful News & Resources section was developed, offering valuable articles on topics such as sharing baby pages, engaging with milestones, and creative pregnancy announcements.
results:
Due to budget constraints and the limitations of the platform used for the initial project, we were unable to implement all of our suggestions at the time. The website was built on a more rigid system, unlike the flexible CMS platforms commonly used today. However, Villie has since redesigned the site, successfully implementing many of the recommended changes and achieving positive results, including:
Enhanced Features: Introduced a calendar, countdown, and improved blog content to increase retention
Marketing & Outreach: Strengthened content strategy, including weekly newsletters, blog posts, and promotions, leading to increased participation, acquisition of 4000 new users, and 90% month-over-month revenue growth, despite reduced ad spending.
SEO/Content Optimization: Improved blog structure for better discoverability and engagement; strengthened content strategy, including weekly newsletters, blog posts, and promotions.
In terms of features, users expressed moderate to high interest in dashboard personalization and a desire for tools like a calendar, baby countdown, and milestone tracking. Site visits ranged from daily to infrequent, with varying likelihood of recommending Villie. Many users also expressed interest in a mobile app to boost engagement.
