NRG’s First Benchmark Study
Context
After a major company reorganization, NRG embarked on a digital transformation, with one of our primary objectives being the revamp of the corporate website.
Goal
Integrate research and testing into the new site launch by conducting a benchmark study, for which we partnered with UserZoom to guide the research process.
benchmarking the site
Our digital team had been using Adobe Analytics, collecting large-scale quant marketing data, but we lacked insights from actual user interactions. No usability testing or assessments had been planned for the new site, which presented the perfect opportunity to introduce a benchmark study. My goal was to combine the familiar, quantitative KPIs (e.g., time on task) with the observational data that comes from usability testing—data that might seem more ambiguous but is absolutely essential for a successful user experience.
For years, I had advocated for bringing in a dedicated research team to perform usability testing. This site redesign finally gave us the chance to start shifting the culture toward more user-centered design.
testing & research
I partnered with the UZ research team and together we developed the research plan and the series of tests. By running a series of task-based tests on the UserZoom platform both before and after launch, our goal was to gather baseline data about users’ general ability to complete key tasks on our site.
Designing and running the tests
We conducted two different studies: one quantitative and one qualitative (a think-out-loud session), post-launch. Our participant pool consisted of 138 users, recruited by UserZoom, representing a range of ages, genders, and electricity-purchasing behaviors.
Each test phase lasted 2–3 weeks, from launch to results collection. Thanks to the unmoderated format, we had flexibility, and the responses came in quickly and efficiently.
Benchmark results summary
Post-redesign, most participants were able to complete key tasks more successfully and rated the site as easier to use. Several tasks showed a 50% or greater improvement in success rates, which we attributed to clearer terminology and a reduction in deeply nested pages.
Needfinding & next steps
With the MVP version of our website successfully launched, we were already setting the stage for a major personalization project—essentially, a "Website Launch 2.0." The benchmark study was instrumental in identifying areas for improvement and guiding us into an exploration phase that birthed several smaller spin-off projects.
Early insights from this study helped us focus on which areas of the site needed the most attention.
Personas and journey mapping
Several months after launch, I collaborated with Credera, an external vendor, to create six personas and their corresponding customer journey maps based on our research findings. These personas became a key focus of our work, helping us prioritize issues and ensure that our efforts aligned with user needs.
For example, the persona “Amanda” represented our business customers and became central in helping us understand how to better serve this audience.
The persona and corresponding customer journey map for “Amanda”, our business customer
KEY FINDINGS
1) Insights blog
Task: “Imagine you are interested in reading articles and essays on energy-related topics. Where would you go to find this information?”
Results: Slight improvement post-redesign but still some lingering confusion
Action: We recommended layout changes and more intuitive navigation to address usability issues
2) Case Studies
Task: “Imagine you are interested in learning more about what NRG has done for other clients—specifically the City of Houston—where would you go to find this information?”
Results: Clear first-click, opportunities around actual study descriptions
3) Contact us/Get a quote
Task: “Imagine you are ready to contact NRG to request a quote. Where would you go to do this?”
Results: Higher task-time and lingering confusion finding get a quote via contact us
Insights blog: detailed findings
Participants struggled to find the blog content, often assuming it was located under "Newsroom." Internally, we referred to it as "the blog," but externally it was labeled "Insights," causing confusion. I continued to press the matter, asking questions like “if the internal teams were referring to it as the blog, why don’t we rename it that from the start?” Videos of users completing this task showed a clear disconnect between our terminology and user expectations.
Additionally, the page's layout was visually engaging but made browsing articles inefficient. A double navigation bar and an oddly placed social banner disrupted the flow. Addressing these issues eventually became its own project.
Videos of participants show they are confused as to where the blog is and what they’ll find when they click into “Insights"
Recommendation to explore other layouts so our audience could browse more easily
changes & implementation
NRG implemented several proposed changes, including a grid layout for easier browsing and filtering functionality. These adjustments led to a more intuitive user experience and resolved many of the initial pain points.
Case Studies: detailed findings
This section, which highlights our energy solutions for clients, initially presented users with overly large imagery better suited to product showcases. We restructured the navigation, allowing users to browse by industry or goal, offering more flexibility and faster navigation.
CHANGES & IMPLEMENTATION
In the original design, the nav showcased 6 case studies that were important to the business. The large imagery could potentially work for showcasing a beautiful product or jewelry but when you’re selling electricity, it struck me as an odd choice. Changing the navigation to browsing more effectively by industry or goal now offers more flexibility to the user and a quicker way to get to where they want to go.
Contact Us: detailed findings
The redesign of this page led to increased confusion. While task completion improved, longer task times indicated that users were struggling with the new button label. We addressed this through multiple A/B tests and eventually added a sidebar directing residential customers to the appropriate service, reducing form submission errors.
Results
Post-redesigN
Most participants were more successful and rated site easier to use around key tasks
NPS score improved 10x from 3 to 33, with still room to improve
& after implementing personalizatioN
5x higher engagement by personalizing content for different B2B personas
3% lift in lead conversions by testing and optimizing content, text, colors and layouts on the website
10x increase in leads per visit by improving the user experience and visibility into ad performance to refocus campaigns
Driving culture change: moving up the ladder
Culturally, in the 5 years I was at NRG, their UX maturity level went from very limited to emergent.
Obstacles to overcome:
Originally very siloed, getting UX buy in was limited
Building trust with stakeholders was crucial
Challenges related to internal processes
UX wins:
Acquired UX research budget ✅
New launch of website success ✅
Introducing qualitative behavioral data ✅
Changes on site implemented due to data and exploration, all stemming from the research ✅
Reflection
The NRG corporate website now uses detailed personas to deliver relevant, interesting, and personalized website experiences. This project was a great example of how usability testing can greatly aid in the improvement of a user’s experience. Adobe has even featured NRG as a customer success story on their webpage.
✨If I had a magic wand…
Decision-making based on the experiences of our customers
Facilitating workshops internally to understand our employees POV
Teaming up with customer experience team, pushing for more multidisciplinary collaborations