Website Rebuild for the World’s Largest Testing, Inspection, and Certification Company

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From its humble beginnings as a grain inspection house on the docks of 1870s Rouen, SGS (Société Générale De Surveillance) has grown into the world-leading testing, inspection, and certification company it is today. As a Fortune 500 company with 99,600 employees and 2,600 offices and labs worldwide, SGS needed a website that reflects its ambitious vision for the future.

A comprehensive website rebuild was conducted by a large, multidisciplinary team to enhance performance, functionality, user experience, and visual design while also future-proofing its technical capabilities. The new website consolidates numerous previously scattered SGS-branded sites into a single platform. It features significant technical upgrades, a modern, user-friendly interface, optimized information architecture, and improved navigation. These improvements led to a significant increase in user engagement and satisfaction, evidenced by reduced bounce rates and higher conversion.

My role

Initially employed by SGS as a User Interface Designer, I was promoted to UX Manager at the start of this project. As the company’s lead designer, I was responsible for leading all user-centered design initiatives.

Key Contributions

Technology & Tools

Technology: Sitecore

The Business Impact of a Fragmented User Experience

At the start of the project, there were over 80 SGS-affiliated websites, each serving diverse purposes but lacking consistency. This inconsistency confused both existing and potential customers. Simultaneously, the business was undergoing a major restructuring, resulting in significant changes in business divisions and a shift in services offered.

The global SGS website was outdated, difficult to navigate, and failed to provide an optimal user experience. The absence of a sophisticated and reliable search function, coupled with the need to frequently navigate to affiliated sites, made it challenging for users to locate information quickly. This led to frustration and decreased engagement.

The age and limited functionality of the existing website hindered the business from showcasing its services effectively, and the built-in apps were clunky and needed updating.

The project was initiated in response to user and stakeholder feedback highlighting the shortcomings of the current website. Senior management recognized the necessity for a modern, user-centric website that aligns with the company’s business goals and future ambitions.

The redesign was essential to support SGS’s growth strategy and ensure that the website effectively communicates the value of SGS services to a global audience.

Facing the Challenges

Large projects usually present large challenges. Firstly, we needed a capable team. Design agency Valtech was employed to share the workload and provide additional development capacity. A cross-functional team of experienced developers, testers, product managers, and designers with real-world design system expertise was formed.

Aligning the needs of stakeholders from different departments was a significant challenge due to the diversity of services provided by SGS. We tackled this by involving stakeholders early and finding common ground.

Balancing functionality and visual appeal while ensuring accessibility requirements were met was another major challenge. Iterative testing and adjustments helped us achieve the required flexibility in CMS components.

Researching the problem and shaping the solutions

Understanding the issues faced by users

The UX Research workload was split between myself and Valtech colleagues. During the Discovery phase, we set three clear goals:

Learn about current and potential users:
Who are SGS customers? What are their pain points, needs, and wants? Understand the social and cultural differences given the company’s global reach.
Understand the competitive landscape:
What solutions are competitors using? Are there areas for improvement?
Understand business needs and constraints:
How can we effectively address stakeholder requirements using company resources while considering technical capabilities?

I led several stakeholder workshops and interviewed existing customers, gaining deep insights into user and business needs. Valtech conducted similar work with potential customers and conducted competitor research, producing an insightful report.

Converging the Findings

During the Definition phase, UX exercises like User Personas, “I” Statements, and Affinity Mapping helped us converge our findings. Issues were categorized into three major areas:

Navigation:
Users need a clear, easy way to navigate the site and find information.
Consistency:
UI patterns must be simplified and consistent across the website to reduce cognitive load.
Functionality:
Increase the number and functionality of CMS components to meet expanding service requirements.

Developing Solutions and Delivering on the Promise

Addressing Convoluted Navigation

We tested multiple iterations of task flows and user flows to create a new site map that accurately reflected the new business structure. A new search function was added, allowing users to search for content directly and filter results by detailed criteria.

Building a Design System for SGS

A new design system was essential for consistency, increased component functionality, and compliance with WCAG AA accessibility standards. We used an atomic design system taxonomy, composed of foundations, elements, components, and patterns. Designs for each module are stored in a Figma library, and working examples can be viewed and configured in Storybook.

Introducing Page Templates and User Resources

New page templates ensure consistent look and feel while allowing creative freedom. We created extensive user resources to introduce editors to the new CMS components and their functionality.

Results

The project concluded with the successful launch of the new SGS website. Positive feedback from users and stakeholders was reflected in key performance metrics:

14%

Increase in conversion rate

34%

Increase in user engagement rate

62%

Decrease in website-related customer complaints

Post-Launch Improvements and Lessons Learned

Continuous Improvements

Post-launch, I worked closely with the Data Analytics team to monitor performance metrics and gather feedback. Based on this information, we proposed, tested, and launched further enhancements, including adjustments to page templates and additional website functionalities.

Changes to the layout of selected page templates:

Several page templates were adjusted based on feedback collected from the live website. This resulted in an increased GA4 engagement rate. The engagement rate is a metric that measures the percentage of visitors who interacted with a piece of content, like clicking on the link, filling out a form, or spending a significant amount of time on the site. Engagement rates increase when visitors engage well with the content.

Bug Fixes and Post-Launch Roadmap Items

I worked to implement bug fixes and launch road map items that were assigned post-launch priority. This saw the launching of additional website functionality - a careers portal, options to check registered clients and product databases, and a scrip dividend calculator.

https://www.sgs.com/en/certified-clients-and-products/agriculture-and-food-marks
https://www.sgs.com/en/certified-clients-and-products/certified-client-directory
https://www.sgs.com/en/certified-clients-and-products/sgs-certified-components-and-products
https://www.sgs.com/en/investors/shares-and-bonds/dividend/scrip-dividend

Launch of additional CMS components:

Several additional CMS components were designed, tested, and launched based on stakeholder feedback and growing needs. This included localized search functionality, stacked options for several components, animations, and other additions.

Training and Support

I conducted online training sessions to accelerate the adoption of the new design system and provided extensive written material for the digital publishing team and Sitecore editors.

Lessons Learned

Despite my significant experience, this project taught me invaluable lessons:

Effective Collaboration:
Involve stakeholders early and often, listen actively, and find common ground.
Resource Management:
Use available resources wisely and address high-impact issues first.
Preparation:
Plan as much as possible but be ready to handle setbacks.

Conclusion

This large, complex, and high-budget project honed my skills in user research, testing, collaboration, stakeholder management, and planning. The 14% increase in conversion rate for a company with sales measured at 6,622 million Swiss francs (approx. 5,707 million pounds sterling) demonstrates a significant return on investment.

I thoroughly enjoyed working on this project and look forward to applying the skills I learned to future projects.