From Commerce to Brand Discovery

The Honest Company | Product Management

Context

The Honest Company's homepage was experiencing a high bounce rate, indicating a potential disconnect between the page design and user intent. We needed to understand behavioral patterns to optimize the experience for engagement and conversion, turning the homepage into an effective gateway for the brand.

Process

Implemented Hotjar to gather qualitative behavioral data via heatmaps and session recordings.
Analyzed user attention patterns to identify overlooked areas and friction points.
Identified the root causes of early exits and navigation abandonment.

Outcomes

Revealed that users treat the homepage as a navigation hub and research tool.
Uncovered a 62% scroll-past rate for the main hero banner on desktop.
Validated the need for stronger brand storytelling and streamlined navigation.

Research & Strategy

Behavioral insights revealed a fundamental disconnect: the homepage was designed for conversion, but users were in research mode. This led to a strategy focused on three key areas:

Brand Storytelling

Problem

Users ignored promo content, seeking credibility signals in the footer.

Solution

Elevated "Our Story" and trust-building content to be visible earlier in the journey.

Hero Optimization

Problem

62% of desktop users scrolled past the full-height hero banner.

Solution

Reduced hero height and removed low-engagement modules to prioritize content.

Content Focus

Problem

Shallow content depth; users dropped off before reaching deeper sections.

Solution

Consolidated around category navigation and curated product highlights.

Before & After

Homepage optimization before and after comparison