An experienced CRO/UX designer is the indispensable factor for a successful experimentation program. Despite the visible work one produces, the UX'er is often overlooked. This is a shame and I would like to change this. That's why I'd like to introduce you to Marcel Stommel, one of the most experienced UX'ers at OD.

Marcel has worked at Online Dialogue for over 4 years and spends his time with clients such as Van der Valk, Stella, Beter Bed and more. But, he hasn't always worked in CRO. After studying Communication and Multimedia Design, he worked at a marketing agency as a visual interface designer. Here he was involved in designing websites and digital products for marketing campaigns. Quite a change when he joined OD.

Marcel: ‘A designer within a CRO process must be able to design user centered and thus put the user's experience above the design. So there is a huge difference between the “ordinary UX'er” and a CRO/UX'er. I now work based on psychological hypotheses and data analysis rather than my own feelings. I create a design based on all the knowledge amassed by the psychologists and analysts that determines the success of the project. UX within CRO is incredibly valuable and fun work because I'm involved every step of the way.’

‘UX is so much more than making pictures’

Together is better

Marcel is a true team player. Fortunately, because according to him, everything is teamwork. ‘The psychologist maps out the behaviors, the analyst looks over the data and then I get to turn it into a beating experience. I get incredibly happy with winning experiments, but also with optimizing the process behind them. I want to deliver an optimization for the customer. Even if it is only a fraction better, as long as it succeeds for the customer.’

Digital maturity in CRO

In his time at Online Dialogue, he has seen the inside of many different organizations. The cultures within the organizations differ enormously, as does the level at which the teams operate. ‘Some clients are very far along in their digital maturity and have a real culture of experimentation developed. Beter Bed is a good example of this. They won another conversion award At the DDMA Dutch CRO Awards. Here you really notice that experimentation is the norm and in the team everything revolves around validation and experimentation. Not all clients are this far yet, but we are happy to help them. I also worked for a client where the entire experimentation process ran smoothly as long as we stayed involved. As soon as we phased out the cooperation, we saw in Airtable that it was going nowhere. We always keep our finger on the pulse and jump in quickly when necessary. Changing the organizational culture is a huge process; it doesn't happen in a few months. But I am also involved in this as a UX'er. It is so much more than making pictures.’

Being a top scorer in the Champions League
In the past four years, Marcel has experienced a lot. And yet his first week is the most memorable. ‘Then I went from the Keuken Kampioen Divisie to the Champions League as a UX'er. I learned that it's not just about the goals, but that selection, formation, strategy and coach have a huge impact on success. So much more goes into making the best shot. I think if there is more structure in the preliminary stage, your success rate increases tremendously.’

OD's BOOM! model

That's why we use the BOOM model. Online Dialogue's Behavioral Online Optimization Method (OD's BOOM!) consists of two main pillars, namely a structured way of working, and the application of sound psychological and behavioral knowledge about consumer behavior. (Should you want to know more about BOOM, we also offer a five-day training on)

Based on numerous scientific articles, psychological theories and insights from more than 7,000 A/B tests, we have created five successful optimization directions. We use all these substantive insights when we start an optimization process on your website, delivering exceptionally good results. With this, we quickly gain insights into how your customers work, and why they behave the way they do. We then quickly turn these insights into test ideas, practical handles for a redesign, and much more.

>> Want to know more about BOOM?

‘As a picture maker, you want to shoot 10x on target and then you hit 5x with luck. I learned in those first few weeks that if you focus more on the team and the strategy, you are more likely to hit and achieve that conversion uplift. When I joined OD, I had a team behind me and I was no longer the lonely striker hoping to hit with his designs. And with this team of specialists, I know I'm hitting.

I hope that with my story I can contribute to a different view of CRO-UX. And that I can teach people that CRO-UX is an important discipline in our field. Now I sometimes feel that this specialty is not fully appreciated. Therefore, I actually want more attention to CRO-UX in the various courses. This will help to further spread the usefulness and necessity of CRO-UX.’

Future plans and vision for OD

As befits a true OD'er, Marcel is never done learning. ‘If you were to ask me what life will be like in five years, I'd say I'm here working on service design models that make our work better. And you'll find me in the UX Lab, optimizing touchpoints with the customer. Oh, and I would still like to work for GSTAR or SuitSupply, those seem like fun customers and I see several optimization opportunities that we can solve with our team. So Fokke de Jong and Rob Schilder, you know where to find me.

Tips for the new batch?
‘When I was little, I made a laptop out of a piece of A4 paper. I folded it in half, drew a keyboard and a screen and made my own creations on the so-called dashboard. I've always liked designing, but that much more is possible when you apply it in CRO I didn't know at all. I want to say to people who want to become UX'er or are thinking of a career in CRO: DO IT! Come and enjoy the CRO world. This one is small, distinct and totally different from what I experienced before. Yes, you do sacrifice some artistic freedom because your designs are substantiated instead of gut feeling, but you get a much deeper layer in return. Because we work with different conversion strategies, I now know why I do things and how to make the design better. Having worked here for so long I sometimes feel like half a psychologist, haha!

Would you also like to learn more about UX and CRO?

Then contact Marcel or one of our other colleagues. Want to know more about working at OD? Click here for our job openings. UX is one of the important pillars in the Conversion Specialist training, where Marcel is also a teacher. A new batch starts every month. Rather get started in the summer? Check here for the next date to participate in the summer crash course.

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