OVERVIEW

Trijicon is a leader in the arms industry for its development of superior any-light aiming systems. They are known for several products especially their ACOG system used by the United States Marine Corps. Trijicon acquired another company and their line of electro optic products that they planned to reveal during the upcoming Shot Show convention. The objective of the project was to aid Trijicon with the transition and equip the brand and its ambassadors with the means necessary to excite customers and to obtain partnerships with arms dealers. All this was to happen before the show that was soon approaching around the corner

CHALLENGES

Effectively transition an acquired brands product under Trijicon's portfolio while informing the old customer base of the acquisition
Create a place to obtain in-depth details on new products and categories

Provide end users a place to be informed about the products and updates
Equip sales teams with the means to communicate with dealers
Establish a confident brand voice towards its customers.

Before - Old IR Defense acquired website

After - Trijicon Electro Optics Website

Getting to know the Users

User Type:
Customer
Name:
Brian Wilson
Age:
25+
About the user:

Whether it's hunting or going to the shooting range, Brian is an avid gun enthusiast who frequently participates in industry related activities. Having the right gun and calibrated optic keeps Brian fully equipped and ready for his hunting and recreational ventures. He is brand loyal to his favorite products and advocates for the brand to his friends and family. Being kept up-to-date on the industry and new products is a must.

Needs:

• Be kept up-to-date on brand changes and new product updates and events.
• Have full confidence in a brand to purchase and support it.

User Type:
Dealer
Name:
Mark Samuels
Age:
40+
About the user:

Mark has been a dealer of several arms industry products for many years. Having all the materials necessary to effectively sell products makes his job easier. It is frustrating when brands are unorganized and don't provide him with the means to facilitate the buying process by informing the customer about the product, its specs or special offerings. Having to search for product information that should be provided, hinders efficiency in the business and sometimes enthusiasm as a whole.

Needs:

• Easily accessible product information in a central location for reference.
• Supporting brand materials to help excite the potential customer.

User Type:
Sales Representative
Name:
Alex Morgan
Age:
30+
About the user:

As a sale rep, Alex represents the Trijicon brand in every possible way when in the field. His objectives are to establish relationships with dealers and customers providing them with information about his product, the available offerings and competitive advantages received when purchasing a Trijicon product. Alex does all he can to gain more advocacy and ultimately the business.

Needs:

• Brand support to help him in the field when approaching potential new business.
• Access to Trijicon sales materials and brand leave behinds to help peak brand interest.

Checking Out The Competitors

The arms and optics industry is highly competitive. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of other brands helped give insight for the direction we were going to take on the site, messaging and sales tool. To no surprise, price was one of the key differentiators that spoke to the buyer. Other important criteria were product features and quality of the brand. We knew that delivering a persuasive campaign informing the public that this new product lineup was of the same caliber as the other Trijicon products was going to be a challenge. We reviewed and narrowed down companies like Armasight, Flir, ATN, DRS, EOTech, and Pulsar with similar products for the initial competitive analysis. A few made the cut as direct competitors.

Organizing the Site Structure.

Finding all of the missing pieces and holes from the previous site was the first task when reconstructing the new website architecture. I started with a card sorting exercise to organize the pieces available. This allowed me to create buckets to place relevant content into and identify the missing pieces we needed to obtain. I wanted to keep the website portion of the project simple but still very informative for the end users. That meant centralizing the main offerings of the website on the product pages where users had access to catalogs and spec sheets. This helped when creating the sales tool further into the process.

Creating a Mood Board

Part of successfully launching the new product lineup was understanding the industry and tailoring this new acquisition experience to the right audience. I knew that the Trijicon name was admired and respected within the industry. After all, the US military uses their product at a large scale. Compiling a mood board that embodied cutting edge technology, first-class quality, reliability, a militaristic and recreational feel was going to help drive the visuals and messaging for this new release. Things were moving quickly at this point. The Shot Show was soon approaching. Using the mood board and an extensive media shoot conducted out in the mountains and deserts, I crafted a visual direction for the site. Bold, edgy and ready to kick butt.

Sketching My Initial Thoughts

Having an appreciation for the industry myself, I found it fairly enjoyable and enlightening as I discovered more about the product and the decision behind the acquisition to add another line of products to an already prestigious brand. It was all about expanding the brand portfolio and being the most respected optics company. Whether it was day or night time optics, Trijicon had a clear objective to reach all audiences considering an optics purchase for their weapon system. With this in mind, I proceeded to sketch the vision.

Wireframes and Shortcuts

Because of the tight deadline, I created reasonable shortcuts within the UX process that would not only help us reach our deadline but retain the value of our product. For example, I decided to create high-fidelity wireframes of key pages such as the product page. The product page contained the most essential pieces of the website such as providing images of the products, it's spec and even catalog downloads which answered the needs of the users. These high-fidelity wires allowed me to gain buy off on both layout structure and minor design aesthetics from the client early on.

All by Responsive Design

The entire design started with a mobile first mentality. The product was going to be debut at a tradeshow. After potential customers came and ventured into the Trijicon booth, they're attention would be directed to the site for early sign up. Whether at a kiosk or their own device, providing a seamless experience was essential.

Keeping In Touch With The Fans

Several eblasts were created to follow-up with the user base who signed up to the during and after the show. The eblasts included product updates and future event information.

The Prelaunch

Before launching the website, IRDEFENSE customers needed to be informed of the acquisition. Knowing this, I created a temporary redirect landing page. This way current IRDEFENSE customers weren't left in the dark and were able to find their products on the new site once it was launched.

Creating a Sales Tool

One of the challenges Trijicon sales reps were going to encounter was communicating the features of their new product lineup to dealers. Sales reps are the soldiers in the field and without brand support, it makes their task much more difficult. To equip the Sales rep with their interactions, I created a sales tool with my design team. The sales tool mimicked the site structure with the addition of an optics Thermal Selector.

The Thermal Selector

Placing myself in the sale reps shoes, it was important that the sales tool followed the natural flow of conversation. The sales rep narrows down the dealer or customer need by getting to know them through a series of questions. I took that idea and integrated it within the userflow of what was to be known as the Thermal Selector. A series of questions to help the user find the right optic for their primary application.

Finishing Touches

As a finishing touch, I created a sales poster helping explain optic categories and product nested within them.

The Payoff

This was a challenging but enjoyable project overall. It’s always satisfying when you can make what seems like an impossible circumstance into a successful outcome. The website was a great success to both the client and its users. All pieces were accounted for and created in time for the product lineup debut at the Shot Show convention. Old and new customers now had an organized central location with access to the product lineup, features, specs, and downloads. This site also allowed users to signup for the Trijicon newsletter from which they gained updates on Trijicon products, promotions, and future sweepstakes. Likewise the interactive sales tools and print materials were a very welcomed success.

ELECTRO OPTICS

DIGITAL PRODUCT LAUNCH