The Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS)

Case Study: Streamlining Competing Priorities on a Non-Profit Website

Overview

Role: UX Consultant / Product Strategist
Project Type: Website Strategy and Redesign Optimization
Client: RAPS (Non-Profit Organization, )
Duration: 1 year
Team: 1 UX Designer (me), 1 Developer, 1 Director, multiple internal stakeholders

Problem Statement

RAPS, a prominent non-profit organization, faced a classic design and governance challenge: too many stakeholders were vying for visibility on their website. The result was an overcrowded homepage where competing agendas created confusion and diluted the user experience.

Despite investing over $100,000 in a prior redesign, the site’s performance remained poor. Although visually polished, it failed functionally—users were abandoning the site early, and key actions (such as lead capture) remained low. Stakeholders could not agree on a clear path forward.

Goal

Redefine the homepage strategy and user flow to:

• Decrease early drop-off rates

• Unify internal stakeholder goals around user needs

• Improve clarity and engagement on the site’s primary entry point

• Increase lead capture and overall site effectiveness

Research

Methods:

• Usability testing on the existing homepage (task-based analysis)

• Heuristic evaluation and analytics review (drop-off points, bounce rate)

• Stakeholder interviews to surface internal goals and friction

• User intent mapping based on real visitor motivations

Key Findings:

• Users were overwhelmed from the start—presented with too many competing calls-to-action

• Stakeholder content was not prioritized based on user needs or behavior

• No personalization or guidance helped visitors understand where to go

• Visual design was strong, but user experience lacked hierarchy or direction

Design Process

1. Diagnosing the Experience
Identified the drop-off pattern via usability testing—most users exited within the first scroll. Visitors were unsure where to begin and felt that “everything was speaking at once.”

2. Reframing the Homepage Strategy
Proposed a radical simplification: instead of trying to show everything, the homepage would start by asking users a simple question—“What brings you here today?” This created a branching logic based on user intent.

3. Prototype and Validation
Built a lightweight interactive prototype that introduced the intent-question on the homepage. Options reflected the most common user goals (e.g., “I’m here to adopt,” “I want to donate,” “I need help with a pet”).

4. Stakeholder Alignment
Presented testing data and prototype results to internal teams. Used real user behavior to guide conversations, aligning stakeholders around a unified goal: serve the user first, then surface content.

Key Metrics (Before vs. After Intervention)

*Based on internal feedback and engagement post-launch.

Design Highlights

• User Intent Selector: Simple multiple-choice prompt at the top of the homepage redirected users to relevant content pathways

• Reduced Homepage Clutter: Restructured layout based on the most selected user goals

• Data-Driven Conversations: Used test metrics to refocus internal debates on outcomes rather than preferences

• Responsive Flow: Mobile-first testing ensured consistent performance across all device types

Iteration Example

Initial Design:
Stakeholder-driven content blocks with no clear entry point for users. Calls-to-action competed for attention.

User Feedback:
“I’m not sure where to click—I just wanted to adopt a dog, and I’m already lost.”

Revised Design:
Replaced cluttered content with a user prompt: “What are you looking for today?” Redirected each response to a simplified, goal-specific experience.

Outcome

• Provided a scalable homepage framework centered on user purpose

• Built consensus within a fractured stakeholder environment through user-backed insights

• Turned a previously directionless homepage into a functional lead-generating gateway

• Demonstrated that even after a costly redesign, usability and simplicity can unlock value

Tools Used

• Figma (prototyping and UI design)

• Hotjar and Google Analytics (user behavior tracking)

• Lookback (usability testing sessions)

• Miro (stakeholder mapping and alignment sessions)

Reflection

This project reinforced the importance of serving user intent before internal agendas. Despite a visually polished website, poor usability can drive even the best designs to fail. The key breakthrough wasn’t visual—it was behavioral. Asking users a single, strategic question on the homepage reshaped the experience and united the organization around a user-first mindset.

The biggest lesson: Clarity beats complexity—and asking the right question can create the alignment that even a six-figure redesign couldn't.

Next Steps

• Expand the intent-based model to other core site sections (services, education, donations)

• Introduce personalization based on user behavior over time

• Develop internal training materials to help stakeholders write content aligned with user journeys