The Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS)

RAPS Non-Profit Website – Cut Bounce Rate by 38% and Doubled Engagement with One Strategic Question

Project: Website strategy and homepage redesign
Outcome: Bounce rate dropped by 38%, time on site nearly tripled, lead capture increased
Client: RAPS (Regional Animal Protection Society, Canada)
Role: UX Consultant & Product Strategist
Team: 1 UX Designer (me), 1 Developer, 1 Director, multiple internal stakeholders
Duration: 12 months

TL;DR

I redesigned the homepage of a non-profit site plagued by stakeholder chaos and poor performance. We replaced noise with a simple intent-based entry point—dropping bounce rates, increasing engagement, and building alignment around one user-focused question:
“What brings you here today?”

Outcome / Problem Statement

RAPS had just invested over $100K in a redesign—but the site still underperformed:

• Homepage was crowded with competing content blocks

• Users left before engaging with core actions

• Stakeholders pushed for visibility instead of clarity

Goal: Turn a fractured homepage into a strategic user gateway—one that serves adoption, donation, and support goals without trying to serve everyone at once.

Users and Needs

We identified three core visitor types:

• Members

• Browsing professionals

• Agencies

None of these groups knew where to start. There was no hierarchy, no guidance—just a polished but paralyzing homepage.

My Role and the Team

I led UX research, prototyping, and alignment strategy.

• Conducted usability testing and analytics review

• Designed new homepage strategy and interaction model

• Built and tested prototypes

• Facilitated workshops to build stakeholder consensus around user needs

Constraints and Process

Challenges:

• Multiple internal agendas competing for homepage space

• Previous redesign had created visual polish without functional clarity

• No shared understanding of success metrics

Approach:

1. Ran usability tests on the legacy homepage

2. Mapped real user goals and drop-off behavior

3. Reframed the homepage around a simple prompt: “What are you looking for today?”

4. Prototyped intent-based navigation with simplified content paths

5. Aligned stakeholders using real testing data—not opinions

Design and Iteration Highlights

Initial Design:
Stakeholder-driven content blocks with multiple competing CTAs.
User feedback:
“I just want to purchase the course, but I fee lost.”

Redesigned Approach:

• Intent Selector: Users choose from 3–5 common goals at the top of the homepage

• Clean Layout: Stripped down non-essential content until after intent was selected

• Data-Informed Governance: Used bounce data and task success to realign internal conversations

• Responsive First: Optimized layouts across desktop and mobile with consistent flows

Results (Before vs After)

The homepage became a usable entry point, not just a holding space. Internal teams now use it as a model for future section redesigns.

What Worked

• One Question: “What brings you here today?” replaced chaos with clarity

• Fewer Decisions, Faster Paths: Intent-based pathways reduced decision fatigue

• Real Data Over Opinions: Usability testing became the shared language across internal teams

• Scalable Framework: The new structure allows future expansion without overwhelming users

Reflection

This project proved that clarity is more valuable than complexity—and that strategic questions can cut through politics.

The original homepage didn’t fail because of bad design—it failed because it didn’t prioritize the user.
Designing around user intent created alignment that even a six-figure redesign couldn’t buy.

Next Steps

• Expand intent-based navigation to services, donations, and educational content

• Add personalization based on returning user behavior

• Create stakeholder training to align content creation with user goals