Recipe blogs often drive me crazy. They're always some of the worst user experience offenders, and it's always such a challenge to get to the recipes.

I was on this blog recently, and FINALLY, someone was willing to put a huge "Jump to Recipe" button on the page above the fold. It's the first time I'd seen that on a recipe blog. All of them should do this. It probably doesn't help some of their other performance metrics, but from a user perspective, it's a huge win.

CRO Governance Puzzles

CRO program governance is often overlooked. Not necessarily on purpose but just because many teams don't know about it.

Without it, it's like putting together a puzzle with a quarter of the pieces missing or looking at a map with giant blank spot.

There are five common governance models (hybrids exist, too): individual, centralized, decentralized, a Center of Excellence, and a Testing Council.

Usually, teams have a current state and a future, aspirational state to work toward. (Even if you're a one-person team, hopefully you can scale your program over time.)

Once a governance model is chosen and mapped out specifically for your org, it should be rolled into a RASCI chart for all aspects of the CRO workflow. (Miro is a great tool for these activities.) Ultimately, both can be added to your CRO playbook.

To learn about governance, check out a recent blog post I wrote in collaboration with my colleague, Kait Willis, and SiteSpect.

Consider Voting Today by 11:59 PM PT!

Being a woman in a male-dominated industry has been tough. Being an entrepreneur has been tough.

I got an email recently saying that I've been shortlisted for Kameleeon’s Experimentation Thought Leadership awards in the Rising Star category. I am stoked! Even if I don't win the category overall, being listed at all is a win to me.

This is something that will inspire me on the harder days. Validation like this, especially still being in year one of Chirpy, means a lot.

Please consider voting here! It only takes a minute.

Opinion: eCommerce Editorial Photos Aren’t the Move

Recently my friend called out an online clothing retailer, Zara, for using editorial photography on their PDPs.

She said it was difficult to imagine what the clothes would actually look like on herself in real life.

Then I checked out the website and completed agreed.

I think it's because there are too many other elements in the photos that distract from the clothing. It's a lot to cognitively process.

It would be a fascinating test to try editorial photography only vs. product-focused photography only vs. a mix of both.

A Personal Anecdote

Me being in CRO has changed the way my spouse interacts with websites.

Not only do I talk through websites aloud as I use them sometimes in my personal life but now he does, too.

Not only do I get outwardly frustrated when an experience sucks, now he does, too.

Sometimes I give up on purchases because of principle, now he does, too.

This backfired last week on our vacation.

He booked a worse hotel room over the one we wanted because the website experience was so terrible.

I was like, really?! You had to give up on that one?

The look on his face back to me was priceless, and it was a face I would have given someone in any other situation, too. 🤣

Scratch and Sniffs

I love seeing the creativity of others.

Inspiration can come from anywhere.

I usually hate ads, but I respect and sometimes admire effective ones.

Here's my take on this ad and how it resonated with me. It came from a Bon Appetit magazine.

Two strategies used: Novelty and tapping into emotions.

I've never seen this before, at least for a state or city ad. (Novelty)

I love scratch and sniffs. It reminds me of my childhood. (Emotions)

I have special associations with Maine and the woods. The visual paired with the smell is $. (Emotions)

This idea has stuck in my brain all weekend. Now Maine is top-of-mind. #effective

A Quick Word: Naming Matters

It's difficult to do anything effectively if no one uses the same names for things.

If Suzie says "plant," Jim says "flower," and Margie says "leafy thing," how is anyone supposed to know what's being talked about?

Extrapolate that to business scenarios, and yikes, what a frustrating disaster.

Naming, nomenclature, vocabulary -- whatever you want to call it -- matters.

Want to chat more? Email me at [email protected].