Objectives for the project
- identify the needs of users
- simplify highly complex search operations
- and to structure the selection process so clearly that users on the JUMO site have their concerns "sorted out".
Better together
Right from the start of the project, JUMO trod unusual paths. Instead of secretly working out a strategy and then laboriously coordinating it with stakeholders, the project management set up an interdisciplinary team of JUMO employees and our UX specialists. This way, the team always had a holistic view of the customer – from sales and support, but also from product development and marketing. At the same time, different disciplines contributed their expertise. With everyone sitting at one table, the development process accelerated and results improved.
What customers think
For us it was at first unusual to work in such an interdisciplinary way. But our initial reservations soon evaporated when we saw the added value. The joint perspective on the project helped all those involved gain a better basic understanding of the task at hand.
Christina Scheer
Head of Media Communication - JUMO GmbH & Co KG
Added empathy through user council
The core UX team gathered and evaluated all information available about the users. Plant designers, maintenance engineers and young technicals represented the greatest potential. Insights from web analytics and personal interviews were first condensed into personas: a helpful method for putting yourself in users’ shoes, developing empathy for them and understanding their needs.
The JUMO User Council
Here, too, JUMO took the decisive extra step and literally brought the personas to life – with a user council made up of real customers representing the various user types. The user council was involved in the entire process, directing the focus on the customer as early as the development stage and providing valuable feedback in all implementation steps.
Understanding the target group’s core problem
During the research phase, the users’ pain points soon surfaced. Plant designers and maintenance engineers are under great time pressure because plants standing still or not functioning efficiently cost money. Plant designers must stay up to date in order to implement innovative and fitting applications. Maintenance engineers are responsible for smooth operation and will sometimes travel all across Germany to quickly obtain a spare part.
An opportunity for JUMO
A partner who offers state-of-the-art solutions and provides components quickly in simple ordering processes is valuable support for users. However, on the existing JUMO website, the necessary information and products were hard to find – or not at all.
When a customer needed a product or wanted to download a specific document, they would instead pick up the phone and have support guide them through the online process.
Expensive for JUMO, awkward for the customer.
And most certainly not an option for new customers.
Setting a clear focus
Therefore, all user relevant areas were given initial priority: applications, products and service. All other content was placed at the bottom of the list.
In “Applications”, plant designers find system solutions with innovative sensor, control and automation technology.
In the product area, maintenance engineers can access an online catalogue for configurable standard products. A product configurator that had previously only been available to sales was put online for this purpose.
In the service area, all target groups find background information about products and support, such as manuals and data sheets in the download center.
What customers think
"At JUMO we have been dealing with the buzzword \"Customer Centricity\" for quite some time. But what it means in practical terms, and how one can actually put the customer’s needs in the focus of one’s activities today, only became fully clear to us late in the project."
Michael Diegelmann
Head of Marketing - JUMO GmbH & Co KG
Validation in the user council
The page structure was built as a prototype to check whether it would be comprehensible to the user council. A test ran as follows: a user tested different features of the prototype and articulated thoughts while talking to an expert on the phone, who could support with specific questions. Mouse activity was recorded and provided valuable insights into the user experience.
Even in this first test step, we gathered valuable insights. The development team could concentrate on implementing the relevant content and saved a lot of time.
Valuable insights
- Users searched for specific articles rather than comparing products – a crucial insight because a product comparison would have required significant additional technological effort.
- Product costs played a smaller role than quality and reliable delivery.
If you fail, fail fast!
After the page structure had been validated by the user test, the team went on to deepen the user journey step by step, all the way to download or product ordering. User flows based on user needs mapped a user’s path on the page and were repeatedly tested and optimised in iterative processes to correct errors or inaccuracies as early as possible.
Key Feature
JUMO offers a large number of standard components that can be configured for the required application. A dedicated selection guide was therefore developed for the convenient search within the extensive product catalogue.
The biggest challenge for the team was choosing the filter criteria important to the user, and their arrangement. Here, once again, the value of teamwork became evident: sales and product development were familiar with the most important units and terms from daily interaction with customers and were able to provide valuable input when creating the filter groups. These were then reviewed and refined again with the user council. Customers can now find the right product quickly and easily by filtering in the selection guide.
About searching and finding solutions
The result: a website geared towards the user, where JUMO customers can easily find the product they are looking for – a consistently positive user experience. For JUMO, this means:
- Saving support time, as customers can manage tasks themselves.
- More turnover through online orders from new customers and retention of existing customers.
- Positioning as a partner who supports customers in creating suitable solutions.
- A positive overall impression because JUMO offers customer-friendly service.
A great start
The creation of the website is only the beginning. JUMO is planning to expand shop functionalities such as improving the payment process or saving data for recurring orders. In addition, JUMO wants to integrate online sales with production in order to automatically re-order and deliver components.
Our conclusion: As a forward-looking partner, JUMO is steering its customers towards Industry 4.0.
Instruments and services utilised
- Development of a UX strategy based on a clear focus on corporate goals and central user needs.
- Putting together a UX team within the company for a holistic understanding of the user.
- Monitoring of the entire development process by a user council consisting of real users.
- Development of hypotheses about the result’s appearance and intended use.
- Division of the project into manageable phases in order to re-direct or re-prioritise during development.
- Continuous testing and learning to gradually improve the outcome, hypotheses or decisions.
