Summary

In this minisode, Lucy Collins sits down with Richard Austin, Director at David Austin Roses. The discussion focuses on why the redesign became necessary, the shift toward a mobile-first approach, and the challenge of supporting both long‑standing customers and newer audiences. Richard emphasises the value of user research, evidence-based decision-making, and taking a methodical, user‑centric approach to creating a site that delivers better user experience and improved business performance.

Keywords

website development, user experience, mobile-first, user research, evidence-based decision-making,

Takeaways

1. User research is essential for making confident, evidence-based decisions.
2. Mobile‑first design is increasingly critical as user behaviour shifts toward mobile devices.
3. A successful website balances existing customer needs with emerging audience expectations.
4. Even well-performing websites benefit from periodic review and refresh.
5. Clear discovery, personas, and testing (such as tree testing) keep teams aligned on what users actually need.

Sound Bites

"I absolutely loved the information architecture tree testing"

"Invest whatever you can in user research"

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Overview

00:35 Why the website needed a refresh

01:20 The shift to mobile-first

02:05 Balancing older and newer customer groups

03:10 Why user research mattered

04:10 Hopes for improved experience and brand perception

04:45 Closing Thoughts and Wrap-up