Website

Website

Website

SmartStop Self Storage

Driving a 30% increase in website sales by redesigning SmartStop Self Storage into a seamless, mobile-first rental platform.

Driving a 30% increase in website sales by redesigning SmartStop Self Storage into a seamless, mobile-first rental platform.

About SmartStop

SmartStop Self Storage is a leading provider of storage solutions, catering to individuals and businesses across the U.S. and Canada.

Skills / My Role

UI Design, UX Design, Prototyping Dev, User Research, User Testing

About SmartStop

SmartStop Self Storage is a leading provider of storage solutions, catering to individuals and businesses across the U.S. and Canada.

Skills / My Role

UI Design, UX Design, Prototyping Dev, User Research, User Testing

The Challenge

SmartStop Self Storage’s website struggled to meet modern user expectations. Designed primarily for reservations, it lacked mobile-first functionality, making it difficult for users to complete transactions. This led to high drop-off rates and missed revenue opportunities, particularly among mobile users, who accounted for the majority of traffic.

To address this, SmartStop initiated a complete website redesign. As the Lead UX Designer and Strategist, I focused on optimizing the user experience with a mobile-first approach and streamlining the rental process.

The Challenge

SmartStop Self Storage’s website struggled to meet modern user expectations. Designed primarily for reservations, it lacked mobile-first functionality, making it difficult for users to complete transactions. This led to high drop-off rates and missed revenue opportunities, particularly among mobile users, who accounted for the majority of traffic.

To address this, SmartStop initiated a complete website redesign. As the Lead UX Designer and Strategist, I focused on optimizing the user experience with a mobile-first approach and streamlining the rental process.

The Challenge

SmartStop Self Storage’s website struggled to meet modern user expectations. Designed primarily for reservations, it lacked mobile-first functionality, making it difficult for users to complete transactions. This led to high drop-off rates and missed revenue opportunities, particularly among mobile users, who accounted for the majority of traffic.

To address this, SmartStop initiated a complete website redesign. As the Lead UX Designer and Strategist, I focused on optimizing the user experience with a mobile-first approach and streamlining the rental process.

The Opportunity

SmartStop recognized the potential to elevate their digital experience. Their goals were clear: introduce online rentals alongside reservations, improve usability across devices, and deliver a seamless user journey.

The Opportunity

SmartStop recognized the potential to elevate their digital experience. Their goals were clear: introduce online rentals alongside reservations, improve usability across devices, and deliver a seamless user journey.

The Opportunity

SmartStop recognized the potential to elevate their digital experience. Their goals were clear: introduce online rentals alongside reservations, improve usability across devices, and deliver a seamless user journey.

Collaborating with developers, strategists, and stakeholders, I translated these business goals into actionable solutions. By focusing on user pain points and streamlining the experience, I ensured the final design balanced usability with measurable results.

Collaborating with developers, strategists, and stakeholders, I translated these business goals into actionable solutions. By focusing on user pain points and streamlining the experience, I ensured the final design balanced usability with measurable results.

Collaborating with developers, strategists, and stakeholders, I translated these business goals into actionable solutions. By focusing on user pain points and streamlining the experience, I ensured the final design balanced usability with measurable results.

💡 Key Insights

Over 50% of users dropped off during the reservation flow due to unclear steps and lack of mobile optimization.

30% of total sales now come from the redesigned website.

Improved rental conversion rates with a streamlined 5-step flow.

Enhanced mobile experience increased engagement on key pages.

Research & Analysis

Research & Analysis

To uncover key pain points and opportunities for improvement, I:

  • Worked with the SEO team to review Google Analytics and identify where users were dropping off during the reservation process.

  • Conducted heuristic evaluations to pinpoint usability issues.

  • Benchmarked competitor websites to understand best practices in the self-storage industry.

💡 Key Insights

  • Mobile users accounted for 60% of traffic, but their conversion rates were significantly lower than desktop.

  • Usability testing revealed that users struggled to find pricing and availability information quickly.

  • Competitors displayed pricing details upfront, highlighting an opportunity for SmartStop to improve.

The Approach

The Approach

To address user pain points and align with SmartStop’s business goals, I led the design of:

  • Find Storage Page: Redesigned facility cards to prominently display pricing, unit sizes, and features. Added list and map views for easier navigation.

  • Facility Pages: Optimized the layout for mobile, prioritizing essential details like unit availability and contact information. Introduced expandable unit cards for direct reservations and rentals.

  • Rental Flow: Simplified the process into five steps, integrating Apple Pay and Google Pay for seamless checkout experiences.

I worked closely with developers to address technical constraints and collaborated with creative/marketing teams to ensure the designs aligned with SmartStop’s brand and messaging.

💡 Key Insights

Consolidating the rental process into five clear steps reduced confusion and saved users time.

The Solution

The Solution

The redesigned website offered:

  • A fully mobile-optimized experience that enabled users to reserve or rent units online.

  • Transparent pricing and unit availability displayed prominently on facility pages.

  • A simplified five-step rental flow that allowed users to complete the process entirely online, saving time and reducing frustration.

⭐️ Key Features

The expandable unit cards allowed users to see detailed pricing and availability without navigating away, enhancing the browsing experience.

30% of total sales now come from the redesigned website.

Improved rental conversion rates with a streamlined 5-step flow.

Enhanced mobile experience increased engagement on key pages.

The success of this project inspired SmartStop to further invest in their digital strategy. The work done laid the foundation for the development of a dedicated mobile app, set to launch in 2025.

The success of this project inspired SmartStop to further invest in their digital strategy. The work done laid the foundation for the development of a dedicated mobile app, set to launch in 2025.

The success of this project inspired SmartStop to further invest in their digital strategy. The work done laid the foundation for the development of a dedicated mobile app, set to launch in 2025.

The Future

💡 Key Insight

The scalable design and modular components from the website became the foundation for the SmartStop mobile app.

Reflection

This project highlights the importance of collaboration, user-centric design, and data-driven decision-making. By focusing on mobile-first optimization and addressing user pain points, we not only achieved SmartStop’s goals but also positioned them as a leader in digital innovation within the self-storage industry.