A home page or landing page is the main entry point of a website, serving as a central hub that introduces users to the site's content, navigation, and key features. This page creates the first impression and should help users quickly find information or navigate to other pages. This topic should enhance usability, reinforce branding, and encourage users to explore further, making it crucial for engaging and retaining visitors.

The following is a capture of the Db2 11.5 landing page that I redesigned with a team of Db2 content designers and UX writers. When selecting the topics to include on the landing page titles, I consulted Google Analytics for the most visited Db2 documentation pages. To view this landing page, see Db2 11.5 - IBM Documentation and read this IBM Data Management Community blog that was written on the landing page.

Design Thinking Process

To view the initial topic and content architecture, see the Db2 11.1 landing page.

  1. Empathize: Research your users’ needs

    • Pros of the previous page: Trending documentation section (now renamed Recommended topics), Getting Started section

    • Cons of the previous page: Illogical order of sections which confuses users; Too many repetitive and uninformative icons; Potential accessibility concern (lack of color contrast); Not interesting to look at

    • Visiting personas: New users who do not know where to go; Users who are still discovering the docs; Returning users who need to reset after an unsuccessful search

  2. Define: State your users’ needs and problems

    • 3 main problem areas:

      • Inaccurate or outdated content

      • Confusing, illogical navigation

      • Uninteresting visual design

    • Problem statement: As a new Db2 user, I want to access the landing page to find a quick link to a topic about X (analyzing/collecting/organizing/upgrading data), but I cannot navigate the current landing page due to the confusing architecture.

  3. Ideate: Generate ideas and elements to include

    • Possible topics to include:

      • More focus on What’s new and Highlights

      • Direct link to installation/upgrade topics

      • Direct link to most visited and popular topics

      • Direct link to relevant licenses

    • Possible elements to include:

      • Banner image

      • Redirection arrow for external links

  4. Prototype: Create solutions
    Inspiration used

  5. Test: Try out solutions

    • Usability: Presented and tested by championed learners

    • Quality assessment: Presented to Db2 product and technical managers