Helen Doron English Microsite Users Guide
research, copy, presentation
Helen Doron English Germany is comprised of around 80 Learning Centres, each owned by a franchisee. As such, they need a microsite, separate from, yet connected to, the main Helen Doron Germany site.
After the microsite backend was set up, I was responsible for educating users about their new online tools. As one can imagine, the owners of the Learning Centres were a diverse bunch. Some were very tech savvy and others were less so. I led a webinar for the Master Franchisors, taking them step-by-step through the microsite backend. This allowed them to be able to train their franchisees and answer any questions they had.
To supplement this, I created a thorough guide that users could reference at any time. Because I had often fielded questions about the previous microsite system, I understood the digital abilities of some of the users. With that in mind, I wrote this user guide to be very thorough and well-organized.
Elements that added to its success:
- An organizational structure that made it easier to find specific areas
- Images with corresponding numbers to clearly show where to find components
- Tips that appeared at the appropriate time
- Bolding of specific language to show what was most important
Challenges:
There was more hopping back and forth between guide sections necessary than ideal, however I tried to address these failings as much as possible. For example, when talking about image formatting, which had to have its own separate explanation, I always told the reader how to proceed and where to find the relevant information.
There were also a few inconsistencies on the website backend that neither I nor the programmer had control over. These were also addressed to avoid user frustration and to give the user information about how to navigate around them.
Results:
The number of calls that were fielded about the backend was greatly reduced. This may be because the overall UX of the backend was clearer, but having a thorough guide helped create a sense of self-sufficiency and security for those who maybe need a little extra help.