GIFTYA • UX/UI DESIGN
Homepage redesign that turned 18 second bounces into 38 second sessions.
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THE PROBLEM
The homepage didn't communicate what GiftYa is
GiftYa is a digital gifting platform where you can send a personalized gift card via text or email in seconds. Visitors were landing and leaving in 18 seconds. SEO-driven text walls, outdated visuals, and unclear messaging meant most people couldn't figure out what the product was before they left.
Too much SEO
Outdated visuals
Poor hierarchy
Before: SEO text walls buried the value prop. Visitors couldn't scan, couldn't find what GiftYa was, and left.
TIMELINE
ROLE
TOOLS
SKILLS
RESEARCH
Understanding where and why users were dropping off
I used session recordings and heatmaps to identify friction points and engagement patterns.
01
80% of visitors dropped off halfway down the page — they never saw "How It Works" or understood the product
02
"How It Works" was buried near the footer — almost no one reached it
03
Average time on page was 18 seconds — not enough to understand the value prop or take action
04
83% of traffic came from mobile — the old design stacked dense text blocks, impossible to scan
Competitive analysis confirmed it: Giftcards.com and Blackhawk Network both ranked well with clean, minimal copy and modern visuals. Text walls weren't necessary to win SEO. GiftYa needed to communicate value and build trust within the first few seconds or visitors would leave.
DESIGN DECISIONS
Clarity, trust, and mobile-first hierarchy
01
Cut SEO text, lead with clarity
The hero was rewritten to explain the product in one sentence. Partner logos moved immediately below to build trust — previously buried mid-page.
TRADEOFF
Marketing pushed back hard and was nervius about losing SEO rankings by cutting text. I showed them Giftcards.com and Blackhawk Network and how they both ranked well without text walls. They relented but wanted to monitor after launch, and rankings held steady.
Before — SEO text walls buried the value prop
Shipped — shorter hero copy, trust signals above the fold
02
Reject "everything above the fold"
"How It Works" moved higher on the page, replacing a generic feature list heatmaps showed was being ignored anyway.
TRADEOFF
Execs wanted value prop, proof, features, "How It Works," and CTAs all visible without scrolling. Cramming everything above the fold creates information overload and kills comprehension. Users need room and reason to move from section to section.
Before — feature list above the fold, "How It Works" buried below
Shipped — reorganized hierarchy, value prop → proof → features
03
Mobile-first for 83% of traffic
The old design stacked dense text blocks on mobile making it impossible to scan. Shortened copy and more white space made CTAs thumb-friendly, and designed every section mobile-first.
TRADEOFF
Marketing wanted a testimonial carousel in the hero. Session recordings showed visitors weren't staying long enough to engage with carousels and adding one would push "How It Works" even further down. We moved testimonials below "How It Works" instead, where already engaged visitors were more likely to read it.
Shipped — mobile-first layout, scannable sections, thumb-friendly CTAs
OUTCOME
Longer sessions, higher trust, more conversions
GiftYa's redesign turned an 18 second bounce into a 38 second session, with measurable lift in conversions and engagement.
Time on page doubled
Bounce rate dropped 22%
4% lift in conversions
"How It Works" engagement up 5x
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