McCarthy & Stone
UX Lead • Project Lead
20% increase with 45% conversion = 7 more sales leads per day • 630 more converted sales leads, 61 more visits to a development • 66% increase in off-plan sales (exceeding 50% target).
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Role
UX lead
Product Owner
Project Manager -
Team
Laura Pinkstone
Support from EUX team
McCarthy & Stone team
Delete agency team -
Key Services
User Profiling
User Journey Mapping
User Research
Usability Testing
Conversation Rate Optimisation (CRO)
A/B Testing
Insight from 50+ hours of observational research & examining 100+ websites
01. Overview
McCarthy & Stone is the UK’s leading developer and manager of retirement communities, offering award-winning, low-maintenance properties for sale or rent. Their focus is on creating vibrant, friendly communities where seniors can enjoy an independent and fulfilling lifestyle.
They develop and manage a variety of retirement properties, including apartments and bungalows, in locations across the UK.
With a commitment to providing security, independence, and social engagement, they offer a range of services and amenities designed to enhance the quality of life for older adults.
02. Problem
McCarthy & Stone’s outdated website was negatively impacting performance. Internally, there was a lack of significant investment to develop a new website that could enhance performance, boost conversions, and drive sales—especially at a critical time following the company’s recent re-float on the Stock Exchange.
The McCarthy & Stone digital team recognized customers’ expectations for a seamless online experience. Their ongoing CRO (Conversion Rate Optimisation) program had already identified that poor user experience was causing customer drop-offs.
However, the business was not fully committed to the digital foundations needed to meet customer needs and drive growth. Budget cuts had halted the CRO program, putting progress on hold.
This coincided with a period of digital channel reviews, creating an opportunity for the digital team to present a compelling business case demonstrating their ability to deliver results within budget across all channels. Board approval for a two-phase project marked an investment in digital capabilities, including CRO, user testing, and analytics. Insights from Phase 1’s user experience research would directly inform Phase 2—the launch of a brand-new website in December 2018.
03. Design Process
When we were instructed by the client, it was decided that I would take the lead UX Consultant role on the project. My responsibilities included overseeing the work, bringing in additional UX Consultants as needed, liaising with the Google Analytics specialist, and serving as the main point of contact for the client.
To begin, I needed to understand the various users who would interact with the website. This was achieved by organising a workshop with key stakeholders from across the organisation to gather insights based on their interactions with users. Through this workshop, I identified what would bring users to the website, the information they would seek, their frustrations and concerns, and the organisation's goals for engaging with this audience. This process revealed the need to shift focus from products to users and highlighted the significant influence third parties, such as family members, had on purchasing decisions.
Once we had identified the different user groups, we needed to understand how they searched for retirement properties and interacted with the McCarthy & Stone website. Working with a third-party recruiter, we recruited participants and conducted in-person usability testing. The testing revealed several issues, most notably that the website’s forms were a barrier to user enquiries.
These insights played a crucial role in securing the necessary funding for Phase 2 of the project—a complete user-centered redesign of the website.
I collaborated closely with McCarthy & Stone’s digital team to map out key user journeys, which informed the development of a clickable prototype across all devices (mobile, tablet, and desktop). We then conducted quarterly testing sessions across the UK to ensure the design met the needs of different user groups.
To further support this work, I partnered with a Google Analytics specialist to develop a series of hypotheses on areas which could have the greatest impact in creating a seamless user experience. By combining user testing of prototypes with A/B testing, we were able to continuously refine and enhance the website.
“We’ve seen a very healthy increase in sales thanks to the comprehensive user experience project undertaken on our website. Customers of all digital abilities can now access all the information they need to start the journey towards purchasing a quality retirement property. Conversions on our development pages have risen substantially, and we look forward to our digital projects delivering even further sales volumes in 2019.”
David Bridges, McCarthy & Stone, National Marketing Director
“Very professional and informative. The site is easy to use and it’s easy for older people like me but they still cater for people who don’t use the Internet by providing brochures, which is useful.”
McCarthy & Stone user of the webiste
04. Solution & Results
Combined results and feedback proved that this digital experience programme made a real impact.
630 more sales leads converted.
61 more visits to development.
8 more legal completions.
All of the above -per annum - thanks to the new development page templates, where a third of customers start their journey.
66% off-plan sales (exceeding target of 50%).
80% off-plan sales achieved by 6 sites.
20% increase in form completion rate with 45% conversion: uplift of 7 sales leads per day, 248 additional visits to a development and 33 more legal completions.
Increased internal visibility, engagement and trust. Previously sceptical regions have clear understanding of ‘what UX is’, and benefits of website changes for customers and the business.
Increased online engagement and enquiries (Zoopla) “The new templates and real-time feed created by McCarthy & Stone have improved the speed properties are brought to market along with the quality of information we have been able to display on Zoopla, thereby increasing online engagement and enquiries.” John Hennessy, Zoopla, Key Accounts Director.
Uplift (9% YOY) in conversion for Ventrica, McCarthy and Stone’s Contact Centre team, attributed to optimised visibility of information on the website.
