Help Center Redesign
Transforming DocuSign's support experience through research-driven information architecture
Overview
DocuSign's legacy Support Center was failing customers. Poor navigation, difficult-to-consume content, and ineffective search functionality were creating friction at critical moments when users needed help.
Using the System Usability Scale (SUS) methodology and task-based testing with 30 participants, we demonstrated that structured navigation and improved content consumability could dramatically improve the support experience.
The Challenge
Poor Findability
Over 45% of customers couldn't find content through navigation or search on the old Support Center
Difficult Consumption
Content was harder to read and understand than it should be, taking too long for customers to get answers
Impact: These problems led to lower engagement, more support cases, and reduced product adoption
Key Results
My Approach
📚 Table of Contents Design
Created a structured ToC that became the primary navigation method, allowing users to quickly scan and locate relevant content
🗂️ Content Chunking
Reorganized long-form content into consumable sections with clear headings and logical progression
🎯 Task-Based Architecture
Structured content around user tasks and goals rather than product features
🔍 Improved Search Experience
Implemented Zoomin technology stack with enhanced search capabilities and content indexing
Task Performance
Task: Find a guide on how to "preview and send" a document
"Wow this is really dated in terms of looks. I don't like this at all… it's hard to visually scan through this."
System Usability Scale Results
The SUS is the most widely used questionnaire for measuring usability perception. Scores above 68 are considered above average.
participants preferred the new Help Center experience
"It was so user friendly and well organized"
Key Findings
Old Support Center Behavior
- All users who found content relied on the search bar
- Many spent significant time looking for a table of contents
- High uncertainty about whether they found the right guide
New Help Center Behavior
- Majority found content using the ToC—their first instinct
- Users preferred browsing contextual content over searching
- High confidence in finding the correct information
Competitive Comparison
We also tested DocuSign's Help Center against HelloSign's Support Center
participants preferred DocuSign's Help Center
Key Takeaways
Validated Approach
Research confirmed that structured navigation dramatically improves user success rates
ToC as Primary Navigation
Users instinctively looked for and preferred browsing a table of contents
Speed Matters
Halving the time to find content reduced friction and improved experience
Competitive Advantage
Help Center outperformed competitors in user experience quality
Content Chunking Works
Breaking content into sections significantly improved scannability
Reduced Support Burden
Higher self-service success rates meant fewer support cases
Impact
The Help Center redesign demonstrated that thoughtful information architecture can transform a support experience from frustrating to excellent. A SUS score of 90 places the new Help Center in the top 10% of all digital experiences.
This research validated that investing in structured navigation, clear taxonomy, and content organization directly impacts business metrics: reduced support costs, increased product adoption, and improved customer satisfaction.