Case study

CircleCI

CircleCI is the top CI/CD tool for teams, ensuring fast and reliable product delivery in the cloud or on private infrastructure.

In 2019, my role at CircleCI UX researcher for Marketing and creator of the official Brand Guidelines still used today

Research study overview

The Content Team at CircleCI wanted to create a new landing page titled “What makes CircleCI different?” that catered towards champion users personas. The idea behind the new page was to help the champion persona sway their manager (buyer persona) to consider CircleCI as their CI/CD tool. The initial design was created by a colleague and I was tasked with interviewing a selection of current and non-users.

The approach

I started by understanding the goals of the Content Team and identifying the interviewees; those who have used CircleCI in the past and are either currently or previously using the tool at their current role.

Key things the team wanted to find out:

  • How effective is the content to help persuade those to use CircleCI

  • What do participants think is the purpose of this content

  • Where do participants react negatively or indifferently to the content

  • What gaps do participants identify in the content

The prototype presented

target audience (qualifiers)

  • Current CircleCI user (likely a developer or DevEx)

  • Have advocated for using or expanding use of CircleCI within their company in the last 6 months, even if just to another person

  • Company type

    • 10+ devs

    • 10%+ employee growth last year

    • Primarily uses SaaS cloud products

research method

Semi-structured interview (45-min) using the page prototype as a prompt for discussion

Key findings

During the interviews, a common theme emerged: "I do not think I am a fit for this content."

Although it wasn't what the team wanted to hear, it provided valuable insights. The content was too marketing/sales-focused and failed to engage users. Many interviewees mentioned they preferred to spend their limited time on the homepage, product page, and pricing page. They also noted that their managers, with even less time, would likely feel the same way.

Next steps

As part of the scope, I gathered feedback from participants on what they wanted to see, ensuring it aligned with the Content Team's goals. I also analyzed the user journey, suggesting that the landing page be part of a targeted campaign that guides users along a specific path, rather than relying on them to find it on their own.

Overall outcomes

The Content Team still wanted to build the landing page, but after a few months of revisions, the project was de-prioritized in favor of revenue-generating content.

This project marked the first research conducted for the pre-customer journey, paving the way for similar studies. The resulting report remains a valuable reference for understanding initial reactions from this specific target audience.