Optimization Testing

In 2022, I transitioned to the Directories product team at AAC, taking ownership of two of our highest-trafficked sites: DrugAbuse.com and Recovery.org. With over 100,000 combined daily visitors, these addiction treatment directories were crucial touchpoints for users seeking help – and for our team’s KPIs around leads, rescues, and conversions.

As part of this work, I led and contributed to several optimization and behavioral design projects aimed at increasing performance, strengthening our user understanding, and improving the overall experience. Below are four projects that pushed me to grow as a data and research driven designer.

I had previously worked on optimization-focused initiatives at AAC, so I was already comfortable running A/B and multivariate tests with conversion in mind. With my product owner, I identified high-impact test opportunities across the sites – one of the most significant being our sticky footer CTA.

The existing sticky footer was effective but bulky, taking up valuable real estate on mobile and offering static messaging that didn’t feel personal. I wanted to test whether a collapsible design and new copy styles could improve engagement without harming usability.

I designed two new variations:

• Collapsible CTA with emotional (“pathos”) messaging
• Collapsible CTA with expert-backed (“ethos”) messaging
• Static CTA with brand trust (“logos”) appeal

These variants were tested across both sites, evenly split by traffic. The clear winner was the collapsible footer with pathos-driven language – it significantly outperformed the control in both click-throughs and conversion rates. This result shaped future design patterns across both DrugAbuse.com and Recovery.org and became a template for further CTA improvements.

We noticed a large portion of organic traffic was landing on outdated long-tail keyword pages – ones targeting very specific search phrases. These pages had low engagement and weren’t converting well, despite being high in volume.

I led a redesign effort, starting with several layout and copy changes:

• Visual cleanup – I removed awkward logo placements and clarified that H3 headings were clickable, giving them proper interactive styling.
• Content clarity – While body copy was off-limits due to SEO, I adjusted spacing and hierarchy to improve readability.
• Call-to-action refresh – I revamped CTAs using insights from prior tests. Inline CTAs were strengthened with brand visuals, and new lower-intent text-based CTAs were added as an alternative to verifying insurance.
• Sidebar revision – I restructured the sidebar content to act as a funnel toward deeper content and tools.

This variation won in our A/B test by a significant margin – boosting lead conversion rates by over 38% compared to the original layout. These improvements were rolled out across more long-tail pages over time.

When our team began integrating a new text support feature powered by Aktify, I saw an opportunity to study how user role (seeking help for self vs. a loved one) affected behavior.

I set up a study via UserZoom, targeting this new lead form. The survey gathered input on past experiences with text support, followed by a forced-ranking exercise on what users valued most.

Key takeaways:

• Users seeking treatment for themselves prioritized speed and empathy – they wanted fast replies from people who understood recovery.
• Users looking for loved ones valued authority – they wanted to speak with specialists, not peers.
• Both groups valued a judgment-free experience and deprioritized concerns about cost or privacy.

I presented these findings in a workshop, where we brainstormed ways to tailor content to each group.

Following the workshop, I implemented an A/B test on our Aktify landing page:

• Upon arrival, users were asked: “Are you looking for addiction support for yourself or a loved one?”
• Based on their response, they received tailored messaging and imagery that reflected their motivations.

The personalized variant increased form submissions by 43% compared to the control, confirming the importance of targeted content and emotional resonance.

In this final initiative, I explored how users navigated our content ecosystem, aiming to identify gaps and boost internal linking between high-intent pages.

I collaborated with another designer and dug into Heap and PowerBI to chart how users traveled through pages by segment (e.g., detox, insurance, hotline). I discovered several high-performing content funnels lacked links to conversion pages and had too many CTA redundancies.

My recommendations included:

• Improving interlinking between lead nurture and conversion content
• Reducing friction by streamlining CTAs on nurture pages
• Strengthening thematic pathways, like insurance → admissions or hotline → detox

While lighter in lift than other projects, these changes laid groundwork for broader improvements to site architecture and behavioral flow.

These projects made me more confident in my ability to design not just for aesthetics – but for real outcomes. Looking back at my time working on these different projects, I fell into the role as an expert of the Directories product, and was often challenged to find creative strategies that brought immediate business value and impact. To really create impact, I found that I often needed time to perform research to really understand problems the sites faced, and the different courses of action we could take. I am thankful for all of the different lessons and experiences that these projects each taught me, and I still incorporate them to this day.