Danielle Vernelson
eBooks + Reports
Case Study Highspot Redacted Screenshots
Goal of the project: Simplify screenshots of the product so that the eye looks at only the important parts of the screen, and doesn’t get distracted by unnecessary details. These screens were also used online and in social graphics.
Created while working at: Highspot
Role: Graphic Designer & Illustrator
Project Details Improving Screenshots of the Highspot Product
Introduction
Illustrating doesn’t always mean you’re drawing a pretty picture, sometimes it means you’re using graphic design to simplify a complex idea, such as a screenshot of a piece of software.
Previously, when you looked at a screenshot of Highspot, it’s wasn’t always clear where you should be looking. You may become distracted by the nav bar, or think “What are they trying to show me?”
We Needed to Switch to Using Redacted Screens
Redacted screens reduce the amount of unnecessary text, so your eye isn’t trying to read every single thing. Often, we would also remove the nav bar to further simplify, and draw the eye to the important parts of the screen. Our whole team got involved creating screens in the new style. What follows are a few that I made.
Screenshot that Illustrates the Concept ‘Manage Sales Content’
Before:
Since managing sales content is one of Highspot’s main functions, we had a few different screenshots to represent the concept. However, in both of the screens below, you end up scratching your head and wondering what exactly you’re supposed to be looking at.
After:
This screen shows off a couple of Highspot’s most important content management features: The ability to surface pieces of content for your sellers, and the ability to link to “Spots,” which are pages of curated content. The screen I designed shows both capabilities, whereas the previous screens had only one or the other.
Screenshot of Lesson Status
Before:
This view of lesson status is very busy, with the nav bar taking up too much space, and various other markings that are difficult to understand if you’re not familiar with the product.
After:
I designed the screenshot to have more consistent thumbnails in on the left, redacted the text, and enlarged the content I wanted people to be able to read to get a feel for how this view works.
Screenshot of Sales Plays
Before:
This sales play needed a little more hierarchy to the content, and could use tweaks to make it more attractive.
After:
The eye is now drawn to the most important titles, and unnecessary text is redacted. Overall, the screen has a cleaner feel.
Results
Potential customers who ran across our redacted screenshots in our eBooks had a much easier time understanding what it was that we were trying to show them. We also started using these online, and saw improvements in bounce rate. Here is an example of redacted screenshots being used in a recent Highspot eBook:
