PODS

PODS

Moving past opinion-based structural changes to behavioral evidence.

Moving past opinion-based structural changes to behavioral evidence.

Scope Research & Strategy

/

Client PODS

/

Duration 4wks

/

Year 2026

Scope

Website Redesign

Research & Strategy

Client

Cirkul

PODS

Duration

12wks

4wks

Year

2024

2026

_ Overview

(00)

Moving past opinion-based structural changes to behavioral evidence. A study on how customers build confidence before starting a quote.

Moving past opinion-based structural changes to behavioral evidence. A study on how customers build confidence before starting a quote.

To inform a navigation and destination page redesign for PODS.com, I paired behavioral pathing from top quote-driving pages with qualitative customer research leveraging both ChatGPT & Claude to accelerate research while tying insights to key metrics for quality assurance.


Together, they showed the pre-quote journey was not a simple funnel. Customers were moving across a small set of pages to build confidence around fit, price, size, and service type before they felt ready to get a quote.

To inform a navigation and destination page redesign for PODS.com, I paired behavioral pathing from top quote-driving pages with qualitative customer research leveraging both ChatGPT & Claude to accelerate research while tying insights to key metrics for quality assurance.


Together, they showed the pre-quote journey was not a simple funnel. Customers were moving across a small set of pages to build confidence around fit, price, size, and service type before they felt ready to get a quote.

_ Background

(01)

PODS lacked a pre-quote strategy, but changes called for stronger evidence.

PODS lacked a pre-quote strategy, but changes called for stronger evidence.

I analyzed how customers navigated high-intent pages to understand whether repeated page movement reflected confusion or a natural part of decision-making.


By pairing behavioral pathing with qualitative research, I found that customers were actively building confidence around fit, price, size, and service type before feeling ready to get a quote.

I analyzed how customers navigated high-intent pages to understand whether repeated page movement reflected confusion or a natural part of decision-making.


By pairing behavioral pathing with qualitative research, I found that customers were actively building confidence around fit, price, size, and service type before feeling ready to get a quote.

_ Key Strategic Questions

_ Key Strategic Questions

Which pages act as decision hubs versus dead ends?

Are customers bouncing because of confusion or validation?

How often do people compare Moving and Storage before narrowing intent?

What information is required before a customer feels comfortable getting a quote?

_ Approach

(02)

Mapping the dominant 4-step pathways

Mapping the dominant 4-step pathways

I first wanted to understand how users were navigating the website to uncover decision making trends leading to our most converting pages.

_ Identify

_ Identify

I ranked the highest-volume quote-driving pages to understand where conversion intent was concentrating.

_ Map

_ Map

I analyzed before-and-after pathing across key quote-driving pages to identify repeated navigation patterns, common next steps, and shared decision hubs.

_ Synthesize

_ Synthesize

I paired those findings with insights from moderated customer research. That synthesis helped distinguish healthy confidence-building movement from true friction and explain not just where users went, but why.

_ Qualitative Synthesis

(03)

Research Explained the Loops.

Research Explained the Loops.

Interviews showed that customers used quotes as exploratory tools, not final decisions. They looked for reassurance around pricing, fit, and flexibility; making the repeated "looping" look less like confusion and more like active confidence-building.

_ Exploratory Intent

_ Exploratory Intent

Users start quotes to orient themselves, expecting the system to help them adapt details later.

_ Pricing

Visible pricing signals increased decision confidence and reduced hesitation in early exploration.

_ Mental Bundling

_ Mental Bundling

Users bundle needs (Moving + Storage) rather than thinking in rigid product buckets early on.

_ Familiar Starts

_ Familiar Starts

Customers often start with whichever service they understand first, expecting customization later.

_ Terminology Friction

_ Terminology Friction

Ambiguous industry terminology created friction and hesitation during pathing transitions.

_ Validation Loops

_ Validation Loops

Repeated page-hopping was often a healthy behavior used to triangulate fit, cost, and logistics.

_ Findings

(04)

Revealing what user's were quietly saying

Revealing what user's were quietly saying

I leveraged AI to synthesize insights across a multitude of quantitative and qualitative findings. After thorough vetting we were able to connect the dots between their feelings and behaviors.

_ Finding

(04.1)

Concentrated intent

Users frequently use service "hub" pages as anchors, exploring outwardly and bouncing to find bits of information before returning and clicking a quote CTA.

_ Finding

(04.2)

Triangulation, not friction

Customers use a bundle of questions to orient themselves. The observed "looping" behavior is often healthy validation.

_ Communication

(05)

Answering questions as the user asks.

Based on the interview data I synthesized common internal conversations, questions, and concerns users were having, as well as their timing.

_ Structure

_ Structure

This information determined the sections we needed and their order.

_ Purpose

_ Purpose

Each section was driven by insights & concerns.

_ Relevance

_ Relevance

Copy & CTA strategy was highly correlated to ensure that it was relevant to the user's internal conversations.

Reframing the Strategy

Reframing the Strategy

EVOLUTION 01

From isolation

From isolation

Standalone Pages

Standalone Pages

to systems

to systems

connected ecosystems

connected ecosystems

Instead of forcing users to "hunt" for sizes and costs, we treat these functional hubs as a single, connected system that anticipates the next question.

Instead of forcing users to "hunt" for sizes and costs, we treat these functional hubs as a single, connected system that anticipates the next question.

EVOLUTION 02

From assumptions

From assumptions

rigid taxonomies

rigid taxonomies

to fluidity

to fluidity

guided comparison

guided comparison

Customers were not always arriving with a clean Moving vs Storage decision already made. Pages need to reflect the way people think in real life: through needs, constraints, timing, and uncertainty.

Customers were not always arriving with a clean Moving vs Storage decision already made. Pages need to reflect the way people think in real life: through needs, constraints, timing, and uncertainty.

EVOLUTION 03

From entry points

From entry points

generic pages

generic pages

to intelligence

to intelligence

intelligent routing

intelligent routing

The homepage evolved from a generic welcome mat to a high-intent router, funneling users directly into the specific confidence-building content they need.

The homepage evolved from a generic welcome mat to a high-intent router, funneling users directly into the specific confidence-building content they need.

EVOLUTION 04

From friction

From friction

accidental bouncing

accidental bouncing

to clarity

to clarity

faster confidence

faster confidence

We preserve the healthy "looping" behavior users need, but make those transitions faster and more intentional, reducing the cognitive load required to start a quote.

We preserve the healthy "looping" behavior users need, but make those transitions faster and more intentional, reducing the cognitive load required to start a quote.

_ Results

(06)

Outcomes & Artifacts

Outcomes & Artifacts

Pre-Quote confidence loop model

Primary Deliverable

A visual framework used to guide navigation and destination page decisions across the WIP redesign.

A visual framework used to guide navigation and destination page decisions across the WIP redesign.

Navigation model

Simplified navigation that put answers at their fingertips and eliminated "hide & seek" content distribution.

Simplified navigation that put answers at their fingertips and eliminated "hide & seek" content distribution.

*early prototype, only core functionality is present for demonstration

*early prototype, only core functionality is present for demonstration

Page & Content Strategy

Pages that leverages qualitative & quantitative data > organizational opinions to drive clarity & simplicity.

Pages that leverages qualitative & quantitative data > organizational opinions to drive clarity & simplicity.

Have a project idea?

Have a project idea?

We'll schedule a call to discuss your idea. After discovery sessions, we'll send a proposal, and upon approval, we'll get started.

We'll schedule a call to discuss your idea. After discovery sessions, we'll send a proposal, and upon approval, we'll get started.

UXbyAndrew

Whether you're building a brand, designing a product, or simply want to explore an idea, I'd love to hear from you.

uxbyandrew@yahoo.com

UXbyAndrew

Whether you're building a brand, designing a product, or simply want to explore an idea, I'd love to hear from you.

uxbyandrew@yahoo.com

UXbyAndrew

Whether you're building a brand, designing a product, or simply want to explore an idea, I'd love to hear from you.

uxbyandrew@yahoo.com