Screenshot of Alex Johnson's user page on the Covesion website.
Screenshot of Emily Carter's user page on the Covesion website.
Screenshot of Dr. Andrew Chen's user page on the Covesion website.
UX

Covesion

User Experience & Persona Development

Project Overview

We worked with Covesion to research, define and map user journeys for three distinct audience groups, creating a website structure that guides academic researchers, procurement managers and product engineers to the right content quickly and intuitively.

Screenshot of various user pages on the Covesion website.

Project Brief

Covesion is a UK-based leader in nonlinear optical crystals, serving industries requiring precision photonics solutions with a growing focus on quantum technology. Their products range from high-performance chips to fully integrated optical systems, tailored to meet specific wavelength requirements for clients across a variety of sectors.

Covesion’s existing website wasn’t working hard enough for the diversity of people using it. Academic researchers, procurement managers and product engineers all visited the site for very different reasons, but the structure treated them as a single audience. Information was difficult to find, navigation didn’t reflect how users actually thought about the products, and there was no clear pathway from landing on the site to making an enquiry.

The team needed a user experience that understood these different groups and guided each one to the content that mattered most to them.

Our Approach

User Persona Development

We ran in-depth scoping sessions with the Covesion team to define three core personas: PhD researchers looking for technical resources and publications, procurement managers needing clear product categorisation and a streamlined purchasing journey, and product engineers requiring quick access to datasheets and technical specifications. Each persona informed how content was organised, where calls to action were placed, and how navigation was structured.

User Journey Mapping

With personas defined, we mapped the journeys each audience group would take through the site. This shaped the sitemap, page hierarchy and wireframes, ensuring users could reach relevant content within as few clicks as possible. Downloadable resources, the Knowledge Hub and contact pages were all positioned based on where they naturally sat in each journey.

UX Testing & Iteration

Wireframes were tested against the persona journeys to identify friction points before moving into design. Navigation labels, content groupings and call-to-action placement were all refined based on how each user group would realistically interact with the site.

Multiple screenshots of different User Journey pages on the Covesion website.

The Result

The persona work gave Covesion a framework that extended well beyond the website. The research now informs their wider sales and marketing activity, providing a shared understanding of their audience that the team uses day-to-day across their international customer base.

  • Persona-led UX research gave Covesion a framework now used across their international sales effort
  • User journey mapping structured the site around three distinct audience groups, reducing friction and improving navigation
  • 142.6% increase in average engagement time demonstrates users are finding the content that matters to them

increase in average engagement time

142.6

%

uplift in page views per user

110.1

%

I would recommend Atelier, whether you want to get a brand new website from scratch, or want to upgrade your existing website. They’re fantastic and they really helped us.

Mike Day

CEO of Covesion

Part of Atelier Digital