The time frame for this project was one week to create a mockup of a potential solution. The process below prioritized finding a usable, effective solution in that time frame. Further testing, development, and analyses are tentatively planned for after the client approves the project moving ahead.
A meeting with the stakeholders gave us these important insights:
The customer has a website (that we do not manage) that is currently used as their used equipment listings. It is formatted in a typical e-commerce format with filters and a grid of products, each including a preview of the image, the equipment name, price, and contact information. Customers will land on these pages through email and social media ads or an organic search, but people only check them occasionally, and pushing out more ads would annoy customers.
The customer also has a magazine featuring a used equipment page. They create the pages themselves and can be seen here:
These are sent out four times a year and are placed at the back of the magazine, making it so most people do not reach or look over the page, based on analytics.
We created an online interactive magazine to host the final product. The first page includes links to the website if the viewer is looking for something outside the used equipment listings. It is formatted to resemble a magazine someone can flip through but uses UX design elements to create buttons and encourage interaction. This decision seeks to strike a balance between making the issue and the used equipment seem significant yet easy to digest. Additionally, this format encourages viewers to continue onto the website to see more information while serving as a quick reference for the sales team.
The product was formatted to be distinct from a print magazine, as during the testing process, it became clear that the mental models people have of standard magazine components do not lend themselves to interaction. Details resembling a magazine made usability testers see the page as an ad and something they would ignore. When the shapes were changed to resemble buttons, website selections, and options, users were much more likely to engage and enjoy the experience of clicking through. A more website-like appearance also made users describe the product as a reference or tool instead of an ad or sales tactic.
Brands and locations are listed inside the cover, and links to the company’s social media and website are included on every spread. These components are formatted as interactive boxes or page footers resembling website footers. This format provides the information that people may seek out from the issue without taking up extra space or presenting it as magazine-like.
