



Situation: Un-clear Messaging & Positioning and Confusing Site Architecture Led to High-Bounce Rates
When they initially partnered with Windmill, the Lonsberry brothers, Adam and Andy, were determined to develop a turnkey solution to resolve the skilled welder shortage in the manufacturing industry. Their clients, who mainly run high-volume, low-mix production facilities—for example, tier-one automotive companies—were facing recruitment and retention challenges that even the most renowned staffing agencies couldn’t fix.
The team had identified one of the manufacturing industry’s most challenging pain points and developed a smart solution to address it, but they missed the opportunity to connect with their target audiences on their old website. Their messaging and positioning was confusing and led many site visitors to leave and never return. Historical data showed a bounce rate of 90% and an average session duration of 46 seconds.
The Path team knew that their intelligent industrial robots could help resolve the skilled welder shortage, but they didn’t know how to attract, engage, educate, and convert their ideal clients. Their old website, created prior to the engagement with Windmill, was designed by artists and won awards, but it was a poor lead generation tool.
Windmill partnered with the Path team to thoughtfully determine brand messaging and positioning, site architecture, user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design, and HubSpot and Greenhouse Job Board integrations. Later, Path returned to Windmill to evolve the website as the company prepared to seek a new round of funding.
Solution: Modern, Branded Lead-Generation Website With the Right Information in the Right Spot
For the first redesign, Windmill Strategy conducted several interviews with the Path team to thoroughly understand their brand. The conversations identified and clarified their purpose, positioning, and personality. The Path team articulated their vision, mission, and values and identified their target audience and the messages they wanted to convey. This work influenced the website architecture and user experience.
The Path team needed to educate prospective clients about the role their intelligent industrial robots would play in the production process while addressing concerns about their “bleeding-edge” technology. Because of the confusing messaging on Path’s old website, many prospective clients were halfway through the sales process before they even realized that Path robots were invented to support humans, not replace them, and that the pricing model was subscription-based, not CapEx.
The first redesign solved these problems. The new website featured clear, on-brand positioning and messaging, intuitive navigation, and dynamic visuals to attract traffic, engage visitors, and encourage conversions. The homepage was designed to serve different audiences from different origins, and the homepage messaging was clear, concise, and conversion-focused. A “Meet the Robots” page in the mega menu dropdown was a friendly way to introduce the robots to prospective clients. Messaging throughout the site focused on conveying the robots (often misunderstood and seen as intimidating) as non-threatening and here to help humans.
The Path team launched the website with their most critical content, with a plan to fill in additional detail over time, and the website architecture reflected this decision. It was more important to start telling the right story to connect with current and potential clients than it was to launch a site full of content that wasn’t thoughtfully created. The simplified architecture and common UX patterns delivered a meaningful user experience and helped the site visitor take appropriate action in a timely manner. The strategically placed call-to-action (CTA) buttons gave the site visitor an invitation to learn more about Path’s why, request a robot demo, or join the Path team. The forms tied into the HubSpot CRM and trigger automated workflows with personalized follow-up messages based on submitted information. The Careers page integrated with Greenhouse Job Board to make the application process straightforward for all types of candidates.
Overall, the new website was visually stunning, incorporating animated GIFs, robot demo videos, and many branded design elements, as well as professional photography. Path’s modern, industrial vibe came through in every design element, functional component, and word of copy on the site.
Services Utilized
- Messaging & Positioning
- UX Consulting
- Mood boards
- Copywriting
- Web Design & Development
- Client Training
- UX, Visual Design & Branding
Project Information
Client:
Path Robotics
Location:
3950 Business Park Drive Columbus, OH 43204
Date:
February 28, 2020
Website:
https://www.path-robotics.com/