GSA - Website | User First

BRAND

THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA

PROJECT

IMPROVING GSA'S USER RETENTION

SUMMARY

The Geological Society of America (GSA) engaged my company to assess the usability and overall effectiveness of their website, with a focus on improving their membership experience.

RESPONSIBILITIES

UX Design

UX Consulting

UI Design

THE PROBLEM

GSA's existing membership flow was outdated and difficult to navigate, leading to:

High drop-off rates during the join and rejoin processes
Low conversion from new visitors to members
A noticeable number of lapsed memberships with few returning users

There was also a lack of clear communication around the benefits of membership, which contributed to both low acquisition and retention.

PROCESS

1. Heuristic Evaluation
I conducted a detailed heuristic evaluation of the site to assess usability against best practices. This helped identify friction points, confusing interactions, and design inconsistencies.

2. Data & Metrics Review
Using analytics, I pinpointed where users were exiting the membership flow and which steps had the highest abandonment rates.

3. Stakeholder Collaboration
I worked closely with GSA stakeholders to prioritize issues and align on the need for a full redesign of the membership experience.

4. UX/UI Redesign
I created streamlined user flows, improved content hierarchy, and redesigned interfaces to make the membership process more intuitive and engaging. I also introduced stronger value propositions to better communicate the benefits of joining or renewing.

SOLUTION

A fully redesigned join/rejoin/membership experience
Clear and concise messaging around membership benefits
Simplified and visually cohesive UI for smoother navigation
Improved error messaging and feedback loops

THE OUTCOME

📈 47% increase in new member conversions within three months post-launch
🔁 28% increase in returning/lapsed member renewals
⏱️ 35% decrease in time-to-completion for the membership sign-up process
🧭 Significant reduction in user confusion and support tickets related to membership
💬 Positive feedback from both users and internal stakeholders

By addressing both usability and messaging, we turned a challenging user experience into a streamlined and value-driven flow that supported GSA's mission and membership growth goals.