The document outlines a series of small changes made over two weeks to improve the user experience and performance of the Victoria and Albert Museum's website. Step one involved user research showing difficulties with navigation and finding information. Step two tested removing a rotating banner and increased conversions by over 10%. Subsequent steps simplified content, improved legibility, made ticketing and shopping more prominent, and increased newsletter signups. Monitoring showed page weight and speed decreased while Google rankings increased. The changes had an overall positive impact.

1. Thinking small:
How small changes
can get big results
4 November 2015
@katiprice

2. Our mission:
to deliver
maximum
impact in a
two week
sprint
Lunar rocket, furnishing fabric,
Eddie Squires for Warner and Sons, 1969
Museum no. CIRC.45-1970, © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

3. How did we
decide what
to do?
Grows revenue
and reputation
Fits
with V&A
capabilities
Users
love it
YES

4. Step one:
Ask ‘do users
love it’?

5. These people
were unable
to find visitor
information
and opening
times on the
homepage

6. These people
had difficulty
using the
navigation
and finding
their way
around the
site

7. Basically, they
didn’t love it.
Despair: A Seated Man Surrounded by Demons,
artist unknown, 19th century
Museum no. DYCE.55 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

8. Original

9. Update

10. What we did:
- Used analytics and
user research to
change navigation
- Used active verbs
such as learn, visit
and shop
- Made opening times,
‘admission free’
message and
strapline more visible
- Tidied the visual
clutter over banner
Update

11. Step two:
A/B and see…
Print, H Beard Print Collection,1809
Cruikshank, George Cruikshank, published by Thomas Tegg
Museum no. S.4776-2009, © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

12. Update
(static banner)
Original
(rotating carousel)

13. What we did:
- A/B test run over 6
days with 46K
unique visitors
- Removed the
carousel and moved
previously hidden
content to beneath
the banner
Results:
- More than 11% more
page views for
exhibition pages,
shop and
membership
- 15% increase in
overall conversion
rate

14. Step three:
Make it easier
to plan a visit
Untitled (Subterranea)
Stephen Walter, 2008
Museum no. E.562-2008, © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

15. These people
found the
amount of
content on key
pages
confusing

16. UpdateOriginal

17. What we did:
- Refined the content,
retaining only
essential information
- More prominent
opening times and
better imagery
- Usability
improvements such
as anchor links to
key content

18. Step four:
Improve the
legibility and
flow of content
Manuscript,1625-50
Museum no. T313-1960, © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Given by the National Library of Wales, from the Frank Ward Bequest

19. UpdateOriginal

20. UpdateOriginal

21. What we did:
- Text is more legible
across the site
(increased line
heights, increased
font size and
consistent padding)
- All text now uses the
V&A house font
- Better balance of
text and imagery
Result:
- Improved legibility
(and therefore
accessibility)
- Now easier for
content team to
layout pages

22. Step five:
Identify ways
to grow
revenue
Money box, Turkey, about 1750
Museum no. 1592-1888, © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

23. These people
found the
offsite
ticketing
confusing and
had difficulty
navigating
back to
vam.ac.uk

24. UpdateOriginal

25. What we did:
- Cost is visible up
front
- Ticketing link
opened in a new
window
- Improved button look
and feel and more
obvious call to action
- More info about
concessions and link
to membership
Result:
- 48.3% clickthrough
to 3rd party ticket
website

26. What we did:
- Included a shop
module on all
exhibition pages
- Replaced generic
‘visit shop’ icon with
compelling call to
action (CTA)

27. Step six:
Make it easy
for people to
sign up (and
know what
they’re
getting)
Airmail; Out of Line, photograph, Jowhara AlSaud, 2008
Museum no. E.948-2010, © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Art Fund Collection of Middle Eastern Photography at the V&A and the British Museum

28. UpdateOriginal

29. What we did:
- Moved newsletter
signup higher up the
homepage and
sidebar
- Changed the
language with a
more compelling
CTA
Result:
- Signups increased
27.3% compared to
the previous week
and up 225% at one
point

30. Step seven:
Monitor,
measure and
respond
School report, London County Council, December 1910
Museum no. B.284-1999, © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

31. Home page weight (lower is better)Homepage download size
(lower is better)

32. GPSI score vs competitors (higher is better)
Google Page Speed Insights (GSPI)
(higher is better)
V&A vs everyone else

33. GPSI score vs competitors (higher is bett
What we did:
- Site wide
performance
improvements
Results:
- Page weight
decreased by over
1MB
- GPSI raised to 86%
(now higher than
most competitors)
- Site loads 3 seconds
faster (reduction by
half)

34. Professional
Development
Courses from the
V&A
More information: vam.ac.uk/cpd
© Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Handling Objects:
11 February 2016
The Enterprising Museum:
29 February – 4 March 2016
Innovative Learning:
7 – 11 March 2016
Photographing Museum
Objects:
18 March 2016

35. Thank you
@katiprice