When a Demo Fails (And Why That’s Valuable)

When a Demo Fails (And Why That’s Valuable)

Jira Software

platform

What I did

Product Design

My role

design lead

Timeline

13 Weeks

The Why

Jira Software struggled to communicate its value to new users before signup. Existing tours were static or buried, leading to low engagement and high drop-offs. A previous experiment adding interactivity to feature pages had shown a ~10% uplift in signups and stronger first-week engagement. Building on that success, the team asked: could we design an interactive, hands-on demo that let users try Jira before creating an account?

Context & Constraints

  • Scroll-depth + click tracking to verify low visibility.

  • Rapid protos for above-the-fold placement and “guided steps” microcopy.

  • Defined success events (start, complete, CTA click) to connect to signups.

What we learned

Analysis revealed our demo underperformed due to audience misalignment and low visibility—next, we’ll refine our targeting and boost demo placement to maximize reach and impact.

What is Platform?

Who uses platform?

What do I do next?

What is Platform?

Who uses platform?

What do I do next?

0%

Reduced Bounce Rate

0%

Response Rate

$0K

Sales Pipeline

The Why

Jira Software struggled to communicate its value to new users before signup. Existing tours were static or buried, leading to low engagement and high drop-offs. A previous experiment adding interactivity to feature pages had shown a ~10% uplift in signups and stronger first-week engagement. Building on that success, the team asked: could we design an interactive, hands-on demo that let users try Jira before creating an account?

Context & Constraints

  • Needed to support multiple products with different stakeholders.
  • Preserve SEO equity across highly trafficked pages.
  • Deliver MVP redesign in just 13 weeks.
  • Stay aligned with design system (while extending where needed).

13 Weeks

Timeline Challenge

Research
3w
Design
5w
Build
5w

Process Highlights

Audit

Reviewed analytics, heatmaps, and competitor benchmarks to identify key pain points.

•Analyzed user behavior, scroll depth, and conversion funnels (80% bounce).
•Benchmarked competitor pages and ran a content audit.
•Identified 3 critical issues: unclear value proposition, poor navigation hierarchy, weak CTA placement.

Wireframes

Partnered with content design to restructure hierarchy and clarify value props.

•Created low → high fidelity wireframes, iterating weekly with async share-outs + design crits.
•Referenced content audit and competitor benchmarks for CTA placement.
•Collaborated closely with Eng to avoid blockers.

Testing

Ran usability sessions to validate navigation clarity, messaging, and CTA hierarchy.

•Conducted 13 sessions across 3 enterprise personas (admins, champions, leaders).
•Asked targeted questions on comprehension + recall of key value props.
•Refined flows and microcopy based on user feedback.

Launch

QA’d with PM and Eng to preserve SEO and accessibility before rollout.

•Validated consistency with Atlassian’s design system.
•Documented specs for engineering QA and SEO compliance.
•Rolled out redesign across multiple platform pages in 13 weeks.

01
02
03

Audit

Ran a workshop with PM to map key personas and research goals. Defined 3 enterprise personas (admins, champions, leaders) to guide design decisions.

Wireframes

Created low–mid–high fidelity wireframes with iterative feedback cycles. Partnered with content design to restructure hierarchy and CTA placement, referencing audit + benchmarks.

Testing

Conducted 13 usability sessions across personas. Validated nav clarity, value comprehension, and CTA recall. Refined messaging and flow based on feedback.

01
02
03

Audit

Ran a workshop with PM to map key personas and research goals. Defined 3 enterprise personas (admins, champions, leaders) to guide design decisions.

Wireframes

Created low–mid–high fidelity wireframes with iterative feedback cycles. Partnered with content design to restructure hierarchy and CTA placement, referencing audit + benchmarks.

Testing

Conducted 13 usability sessions across personas. Validated nav clarity, value comprehension, and CTA recall. Refined messaging and flow based on feedback.

Jira Software struggled to communicate its value to new users before signup. Existing tours were static or buried, leading to low engagement and high drop-offs. A previous experiment adding interactivity to feature pages had shown a ~10% uplift in signups and stronger first-week engagement. Building on that success, the team asked: could we design an interactive, hands-on demo that let users try Jira before creating an account?

Context & Constraints

  • Needed to support multiple products with different stakeholders.
  • Preserve SEO equity across highly trafficked pages.
  • Deliver MVP redesign in just 13 weeks.
  • Stay aligned with design system (while extending where needed).

13 Weeks

Timeline Challenge

Research
3w
Design
5w
Build
5w

Process Highlights

Audit

Reviewed analytics, heatmaps, and competitor benchmarks to identify key pain points.

•Analyzed user behavior, scroll depth, and conversion funnels (80% bounce).
•Benchmarked competitor pages and ran a content audit.
•Identified 3 critical issues: unclear value proposition, poor navigation hierarchy, weak CTA placement.

Wireframes

Partnered with content design to restructure hierarchy and clarify value props.

•Created low → high fidelity wireframes, iterating weekly with async share-outs + design crits.
•Referenced content audit and competitor benchmarks for CTA placement.
•Collaborated closely with Eng to avoid blockers.

Testing

Ran usability sessions to validate navigation clarity, messaging, and CTA hierarchy.

•Conducted 13 sessions across 3 enterprise personas (admins, champions, leaders).
•Asked targeted questions on comprehension + recall of key value props.
•Refined flows and microcopy based on user feedback.

Launch

QA’d with PM and Eng to preserve SEO and accessibility before rollout.

•Validated consistency with Atlassian’s design system.
•Documented specs for engineering QA and SEO compliance.
•Rolled out redesign across multiple platform pages in 13 weeks.

Audit

Ran a workshop with PM to map key personas and research goals. Defined 3 enterprise personas (admins, champions, leaders) to guide design decisions.

Wireframes

Created low–mid–high fidelity wireframes with iterative feedback cycles. Partnered with content design to restructure hierarchy and CTA placement, referencing audit + benchmarks.

Testing

Conducted 13 usability sessions across personas. Validated nav clarity, value comprehension, and CTA recall. Refined messaging and flow based on feedback.

Design Process

Final Design

Lessons Learned

Target Audience:

  • Challenge: The experiment targeted all users visiting the product tour, but 30% were already logged in and not in the target demographic.

  • Lesson: Narrow the target audience to new users (N2N) for future experiments.


  • Visibility:

    • Challenge: The demo was placed below the fold, with only 37% of users scrolling to view it.

    • Lesson: Ensure interactive elements are visible above the fold to maximize exposure.


  • Data Dilution:

    • Challenge: The exposure event fired at page load, including users who never interacted with the demo.

    • Lesson: Redefine exposure criteria to reflect actual interaction.

Final Design

Lessons Learned

Target Audience:

  • Challenge: The experiment targeted all users visiting the product tour, but 30% were already logged in and not in the target demographic.

  • Lesson: Narrow the target audience to new users (N2N) for future experiments.


  • Visibility:

    • Challenge: The demo was placed below the fold, with only 37% of users scrolling to view it.

    • Lesson: Ensure interactive elements are visible above the fold to maximize exposure.


  • Data Dilution:

    • Challenge: The exposure event fired at page load, including users who never interacted with the demo.

    • Lesson: Redefine exposure criteria to reflect actual interaction.

Final Design

The final interactive demo allowed users to explore Jira Software’s board and issue features in a hands-on, guided format, seamlessly merging product functionality with marketing for an authentic experience.

Challenges:

  • Despite strong engagement, the demo did not reach the 5% signup goal.

  • Key obstacles included targeting a broad audience and the demo’s low-visibility placement.


What Changed (and Why It Mattered)

Here’s how research translated into high-impact updates—showing the before/after shift for each area.

Design Improvements

Clearer Conversion Paths

Before image
Click to toggle

CTAs were restructured to guide users toward high-value actions. Placement was informed by heatmaps and conversion goals, ensuring “Contact Sales” and signup options were always visible at the right moments.

Before

  • Only one CTA (newsletter signup)
  • Contact Sales” option missing
  • Text links easy to overlook

After

  • Persistent CTAs at top + bottom
  • Bold, accessible buttons
  • Placement guided by heatmaps

Impact

Redesign Results

Outcome: After 14 days, rates remained flat—but the experiment surfaced critical insights to guide our next optimizations.

Impact

Redesign Results

Outcome: After 14 days, rates remained flat—but the experiment surfaced critical insights to guide our next optimizations.

What Changed (and Why It Mattered)

Here’s how research translated into high-impact updates—showing the before/after shift for each area.

Design Improvements

Clearer Conversion Paths

Before image
Click to toggle

CTAs were restructured to guide users toward high-value actions. Placement was informed by heatmaps and conversion goals, ensuring “Contact Sales” and signup options were always visible at the right moments.

Before

  • Only one CTA (newsletter signup)
  • Contact Sales” option missing
  • Text links easy to overlook

After

  • Persistent CTAs at top + bottom
  • Bold, accessible buttons
  • Placement guided by heatmaps

Final Design

Lessons Learned

Target Audience:

  • Challenge: The experiment targeted all users visiting the product tour, but 30% were already logged in and not in the target demographic.

  • Lesson: Narrow the target audience to new users (N2N) for future experiments.


  • Visibility:

    • Challenge: The demo was placed below the fold, with only 37% of users scrolling to view it.

    • Lesson: Ensure interactive elements are visible above the fold to maximize exposure.


  • Data Dilution:

    • Challenge: The exposure event fired at page load, including users who never interacted with the demo.

    • Lesson: Redefine exposure criteria to reflect actual interaction.

  • More Works More Works

  • More Works More Works

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