User Driven Experience for Website Success

Travel South Dakota uses insights from heat mapping, user studies, and in-depth interviews to guide decisions for the core website updates.

Client

Travel South Dakota

Service

Website Usability

Website

https://www.travelsouthdakota.com/

Introduction

Travel South Dakota had not updated the core functionality of their website in roughly five years and asked Future Partners to help them align their digital presence, cater to increases in mobile use, and provide comprehensive information about the state’s natural wonders and vibrant western and indigenous cultures. Their website, TravelSouthDakota.com, is an essential tool intended to inspire potential visitors and provide them with the information they need to plan an unforgettable trip. With increased mobile traffic and a wealth of information available, Travel South Dakota realized a website redesign was crucial to ensuring their digital presence matched the state’s adventurous spirit.

Working with Miles Partnership, Travel South Dakota approached Future Partners for a custom study to guide their website decisions using Future Partners’ evidence-based approach. This supported the Travel South Dakota team’s goal to avoid making decisions based on “gut feelings”, resulting in insights based on solid data reflecting user experiences and preferences, particularly focusing on the site’s usability and overall user impression.

In our client’s own words:

“Using the detailed feedback from the usability study, we’ve identified critical areas for improvement, especially around mobile user experience. This data-driven approach ensures that we’re making informed decisions that genuinely enhance our website’s effectiveness. It was surprising to see some of the content engagements, and it’s clear we need to prioritize usability enhancements. Knowing these insights allows us to confidently address the right issues and enhance the visitor experience.”

Kirk Hulstein

Senior Director of Industry Outreach, Development, & Research

Approach

Future Partners collaborated with Travel South Dakota on a three-part comprehensive usability study to guide the website’s makeover.

Heatmapping Analysis: Tracking where users’ eyes were drawn to and where they clicked on webpages, helping identify what content is most engaging.

Website User Survey: Direct user feedback on the ease of use of the information they most sought and the impact of website content on their desire to visit South Dakota. Data from the site’s Google Analytics was also integrated.

In-Depth Interviews with Leisure Travelers: Individual experiences revealed qualitatively what inspires travelers, first impressions and ongoing impressions of the site, and aspects of the site that could be improved upon.

Impact

Findings provided a detailed analysis of how visitors interacted with the website, identified key user frustrations, and generated focused recommendations to address areas for improvement. One key discovery for Travel South Dakota was the urgent need for a mobile-first strategy. The research highlighted that the mobile experience was inferior to the desktop and users experienced issues like lengthy loading times, frozen pages, and cut-off graphics. Another major discovery related to site organization, which often overwhelmed and confused site visitors rather than helping them navigate the diverse offerings effectively.

Specific findings included:

Parks and Trails Take Center Stage. The study confirmed that stunning scenery and outdoor adventures are top-of-mind for potential South Dakota visitors, guiding prioritization efforts.
Mobile-First Focus. Insights into mobile users’ behavior will shape a more intuitive mobile interface, crucial for on-the-go planning.
Reimagined Content Creates Opportunity. Uncovering content overload creates an opportunity to streamline navigation and let South Dakota’s incredible imagery shine.
Driving Inspiration to Visit. Overall, the website successfully enriches travelers’ perceptions of South Dakota. Improvements will translate to even greater inspiration to experience the state in person.

Action and Change

From the study, several action points were determined:

Improve mobile site responsiveness and user-friendliness.
Restructure the content layout to enhance engagement and prevent users from becoming overwhelmed.
Adjust content placement based on heat maps and engagement metrics to prioritize user engagement.

The study’s insights are pivotal in guiding the redesign of the website, ensuring that changes will address the actual needs and pain points of users.

Learn more about Future Partners’ unique strategy for Website Usability testing for actionable results.