We created an analytics tool to be more effective at how we measure and communicate data.
Analytics is a big part of what we do at D2. We utilize a number of tools to evaluate our client's marketing efforts, but none more than Google Analytics. While it's a useful and robust free tool, we found it difficult to get the information we needed in a complete form that's easily understood by our clients.
So we decided to make our own.
Brand
We started building the tool with the intention of creating an application that could be offered both as a separate service as well as an enhancement to our current service offerings. We initiated a comprehensive naming project and brainstormed endless names over the course of several weeks, evaluating them on appropriateness, memorability, and domain availability. We even ran a poll among our friends and family using a ranked choice ballot—our digitial experience lead, Daniel, is something of a voting nerd.
We knew our positioning needed to be technologically savvy, but still accessible with a modern, intuitive interface that would work for an experienced marketing team as well as an individual marketer looking to gain some insights on their ROI. We decided on a nouveau-retro look with dark backgrounds, neon blue and pink accents, and geometric shapes to bring the brand style together.
User Experience
We set out to make the analytics experience as easy for small businesses as it was robust for multi-national enterprises. It was also especially important that clients kept ownership of their analytics data while still maintaining the privacy of personally identifiable information. We went through several rounds of UI design and compared each iteration's relative effectiveness with a subset of clients as potential users.
This resulted in a speedy, drag-and-drop interface for selecting, filtering, and merging charts from multiple data sources.
Technology
We designed the VariaMetrix architecture to be source-agnostic, with the ability to import and analyze data from any provider. We added dashboard publication features and a modular system for third-party developers to add charting, analysis, and data collection functionality.
We designed the web site at variametrix.com to make it easy to sign up for a free trial in the fewest steps possible, requiring the answers to only three questions. Sticking to our belief in constant testing, we set upmultiple simultaneous A/B tests to measure the effect of site changes to conversions.
Trade Shows and Events
As part of our go-to-market push, we set up locations at marketing trade shows in Chicago, Las Vegas, and San Diego. We collected opinions from interactive demonstrations with live data and ran raffles to encourage feedback and get a handle on interest.
3D Creative and Video
We think using VariaMetrix is a pretty unique experience. While it doesn't take a lot of explanation to get the hang of it, it's important that prospective clients are aware of the the features and benefits. We created a series of videos each showcasing a small but important thing that VariaMetrix does well. We continue to post new videos each week at variametrix.com.
For some sizzle, we also created motion-tracked videos showing concepts and benefits in 3D. We're probably a little biased, but we think it looks pretty snazzy.