Designing an optimised, lead-generating website is a scientific art form that we at Strafe Creative know a little something about.
It’s not just about being visually appealing, there is also a science behind the design choices we make so that our clients can convert as many customers as possible.
Gousto was analysed and reimagined by:
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Ross Davies
CEO
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Tom Hussey
Designer
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Alex Whelbourne
Project Manager
One of the cool tools we make the most of is EyeQuant, a unique eye-tracking business born out of a decade of academic research. Their visual attention analysis and design metrics help you create a website that consistently converts, by ensuring the most important information is right where your customer’s eyes are.
In this series of blogs, we’ll be reviewing sites by brands that we love, using the EyeQuant tools to spot design areas that they could improve, plus discussing ideas and elements we would update or add based on our design experience over the years.
First up is Gousto! I’m actually a huge fan of Gousto and I fully recommend using their recipe delivery service. However, there are a few updates that could be implemented, to get more people like me signed up.
Let’s explore the opening fold…
A great website shows visitors enough information and a clear call to action (CTA), above the fold, i.e. without the user needing to scroll down at all.
On our site you can see a description of our services, with two CTA options that clearly tell the visitor what they will get if they click. Even on mobile, this content still appears right in the user’s eyeline.
Moving onto Gousto’s colourful site. The contrasting colours at the top draw your attention to the discount button, and the circular design elements are consistent across the front page.
As the web page is very image heavy, most of the content doesn't easily fit within a mobile fold. We'd also recommend having a sticky CTA which provides the users the option to buy as they continue to scroll.
The content Gousto consistently delivers through its blogs are excellent and we imagine they attract a lot of traffic from these, which is why it is paramount the website converts at a high percentage.
The current Gousto homepage and the inspiration for our reimagined design.
However, the description on the site doesn’t really tell you exactly what Gousto is, and knowing what the boxes actually look like upon arrival, the photo is quite misleading and busy. One of EyeQuant’s technology features looks at design, and whether or not it is too cluttered, their theory is:
‘Areas highlighted in RED are causing a higher cognitive load than regions in GREEN. If you’d like to make your design clearer and simpler to navigate, target the red areas’.
By simplifying the image and reviving the description, Gousto could draw more people to look and then click that purple “Get started” button.
Capture the audience’s attention
In addition to this, adding some layers of credibility to this first section of the site would also improve the initial trust a potential customer has of a company. Gousto clearly recognises the importance of this as there are testimonials and logos at the end of the homepage, but how many customers are scrolling all the way to the end to see this?
The answer is, not that many.
This next screengrab shows us a heatmap of attention, the redder the area, the more attention that part of the site has. Here we can see that the call to action button receives no attention whatsoever – is that because customers are not sure about Gousto, so they don’t click?
Let’s scroll down below the fold…
Maximise the opportunities for customers to take action
The ‘3 simple reasons’ listed by Gousto are well designed and clear however, they could benefit from additional CTA buttons. Here you can see the attention of the visitors is drawn to the right area, yet Gousto are missing a chance to convert potential customers as there is a clear absence of a ‘Get Started’ button (or three). You have to scroll all the way back up to the top of the page to find it.
Showcase the best bits
The next section of the site provides a breakdown as to how Gousto works. What’s really missing for me here is a feature or demonstration of the app. It’s so straightforward to use and makes ordering the recipe boxes each week really simple; this is a key highlight of using Gousto that they are missing out on promoting.
Throughout the rest of the homepage, there’s a missed opportunity to promote a FAQs page or section. Prior to using the service myself I had a bunch of questions like, ‘Can I pause when I go on holiday?’, ‘Will my ingredients stay fresh?’ – giving a potential customer easy access to the answers will also help conversion.
Read more: Customer Objection Hunting: Everything you need to know to improve conversions!
Give more context about the product
This section really could do with some additional context, rather than just a basic header of ‘Mmmmm’. Highlighting that these are the kind of meals you can choose from and that the recipes change weekly, would give a potential customer a bit more insight, and could even answer some of those FAQs they might have, in the copy itself.
Highlighting that the Charlie Bigham’s options are ready meals, would also be a good addition so that it’s clear how they are different is compared to the other, cook yourself recipes.
Use attention-grabbing visuals
Finally, this newsletter banner really sticks out to me as being pretty dull. A visual of what the newsletter looks like, or some of the recipes you will receive would be a more attractive way to design this section. Plus, I find that the CTA could be improved, perhaps ‘Get recipes now’ or something more exciting would make this button stand out much more.
If we were to design this site here at Strafe Creative, we would use a hierarchy for the buttons and their colours. The main, ‘Get started’ button would stay in the bright, branded purple, then for the newsletter CTA, we would change this, so that it’s clear that by clicking here you’re not taking the same action as earlier on the page.
Moving on to the pricing page
A cluttered design
EyeQuant shows exactly what I think when I first see this page, it’s too cluttered. This demonstration of ingredients laid out here takes up quite a lot of space on the page, and takes my attention away from the call to action underneath, which of course is the main goal of the page.
In figure 10, the EyeQuant analysis shows what users are seeing when they first open this page – not the call to action. The image doesn’t really help this potential customer in any way, it’s not even linked or clickable. In the heatmap you can see that there is plenty of attention on that image, we can assume as customers check out the ingredients photographed, however, this does not lead to conversions. Eyes are not landing on that all important CTA button.
On the pricing page, you'll see from the heatmap that the choice of imagery distracts the user away from the main CTA on the page, with little to no attention being given to it action required.
Like the heatmap the above the lightzone shows just how little attention the main CTA of "build my box is getting." The main image for each box needs to be simplified to bring the attention back to the CTA.
Do not forget mobile design
When designing a website, it is now imperative that you consider how the site looks on mobile. This page in particular I don’t find that user friendly, as you have to scroll so far to see all the different price points, and some may never reach the section about a ‘Family Box’. A tabbed option here would suit much better, giving the different pricing plans the visibility they require.
Redesigning to help convert and improve their online experience
Inspiration, Motivation and Influence
We as a design team are always looking to push ourselves, especially when it comes to applying our sector expertise to existing well-known brands. Many of us, here at Strafe Creative, are regular users of Gousto and were keen to boost the growth of their business.
It is always great to see if well-established products like Gousto can benefit from the Strafe approach to UX and conversion rates.
“Creating a strong user experience will make the website convert higher and optimise what the user can interact with, generating more leads.
Strafe Graphic Designer
Shining a Light on the Homepage
For the redesign the Homepage was the priority, not only because it is the most visited page for most websites but considering Gousto have made substantial efforts to direct their users to this page through ads and marketing, it makes sense to focus on how this can be improved.
Gousto the experience rather than Gousto the product
The key difference in ‘Our Version of Gousto’ is that we have shifted the user's attention towards the end results of the Gousto experience rather than simply showcasing the box. Throughout the designs, you can see we are pulling together everything Gousto has to offer to portray the simplicity and credibility of the business. We have highlighted these traits by tidying up the menu, introducing ‘logo porn’ and emphasising the CTAs in a more obvious manner.
- Promoting the Easy-To-Use Process
- Simple Navigation using the App
- Outline the Starter Box Features
Simply put, people believe other people
Gousto is fortunate to have some extremely credible users with the likes of Joe Wicks, so why not capitalise on this to ensure potential customers understand the quality, the authenticity and the reliability of the products. We used the designs to create personal connections by visually displaying 5-star reviews, identifying top supporters and drawing on the key features of the business.
We also added some finer details to the key sections to connect with the user and finally tidied up some of the existing elements to maximise their impact.
In conclusion
Overall, Gousto has some really great elements on the site, and having reviewed it regularly over the past week or so I’ve seen them make updates. Some of which actually addressed a few of our ideas. From a Strafe Creative point of view, what Gousto could definitely improve is the context and information available up front. The Marketing Rule of 7 suggests that a consumer has to be exposed to a brand’s message seven times before they’ll take action. By combining targeted marketing with a fantastic landing page, which answers all potential questions and gives customers multiple opportunities to purchase the box, is a recipe for success.
Read more: Reimagined Series: Alton Towers