Buckle up, speed racer. The world of software moves so fast that your head spins.
Accustomed to this rapid pace, territory comes with constant change. But change is scary. It challenges your thinking and forces you to challenge uncertainty. Change is also a fundamental ingredient of consistent growth and presents tremendous opportunities.
Much of what we do at G2 is driven by maintaining an active marketplace for software buyers and vendors, so reviews are critical to our success. Improving the user review experience also yields better results for software vendors.
The G2 review form is how real users submit reviews, and we’ve made some great improvements. In this article, we’ll explain what’s changed in this experience and why it’s leading to bigger wins in G2.
User experience is a big issue
If you remember what it was like to browse the web in the early 2000s, it’s interesting to think about what we tolerated back then. Everything from web pages that load at a snail’s pace to frustrating design choices is so new that we were much more forgiving.
Today, the story is very different as technology has become an integral part of everyday life. Users now expect more, and their experience greatly influences their likelihood to continue using a product.
User Experience (UX) Design is the practice by which organizations seek to evaluate how users and customers interact with products and services. These organizations rely on research and testing methods to find opportunities aimed at optimizing the experience for as many customers as possible.
88%
of online customers say they won’t return to your website because of a poor user experience.
Source: Amazon Web Services
One third
Consumers say they have a bad experience when they ditch their favorite brands.
Source: PwC
Simply put, if you don’t give your customers an experience they love, they will go elsewhere.
One of the reasons G2 is the world’s largest B2B software marketplace is that we are never satisfied with the status quo. We are always trying to make G2 better for connecting buyers and software vendors.
All users submit reviews through the G2 review form, so we know this is an important experience worth getting right.
Why these changes matter to software vendors
Take a moment to be transparent. Optimizing the review form experience means more reviews for vendors. Removing roadblocks and friction ultimately increases the likelihood that more users will complete the review submission process.
The purpose of the new G2 review form is to: increase conversion rate When Lower abandonment rate.
A delicate balance for best results
Growth and acceptance of change go hand in hand. This isn’t the first time the review form has been updated.
Part of G2’s success comes from our commitment to collecting genuine, unbiased reviews from real people. This means a deep understanding of what buyers need to know when researching and choosing the software that best fits their needs.
The process of purchasing software is not easy. Needless to say, our research suggests that the software sales cycle will become more complex. Buyers need as much information as possible to help them make decisions.
Unlike leaving reviews on sites like Yelp or Google, G2 reviews are intentionally comprehensive. Customers want to say a lot about the products and services they use. There are also many nuances that someone is trying to capture when submitting a review.
we heard your voice clearly
In this latest version of the G2 review form, the research, data, and user feedback all say the same thing. Streamlining your experience is our number one priority.
The most common feedback we received from buyers and sellers was that the review form had many questions and took a long time to complete. We had to consider many factors in our change, but this was one area we had to get right.
Use our new G2 review form
Our team had to find a way to strike a delicate balance between creating a smoother, faster experience without compromising our obligation to encourage users to submit detailed reviews. The new G2 review form has many meaningful and noteworthy updates. I am happy to share them.
Key Design Changes You Should Know About
After careful consideration and much experimentation, the new review form is now complete and ready to be published worldwide. Check out the following notable changes for the most important:
- New progress bar: To encourage more submissions, a new progress bar visually indicates overall progress before users submit. This goes a long way in setting expectations for time to completion and reducing the total number of abandoned reviews.
- Improved question flow: Reordering the questions creates a more logical flow and makes the intent of the review form clearer to users. The number of clicks on the “Next” button 20 just Four.
- Streamlined question grouping: The form now groups questions into 5 separate tabs. Each tab defines what the questions will focus on in that particular tab. Doing so eliminates the need for users to mentally switch gears. This was a much needed change. It’s much easier to answer questions that follow similar contextual themes.
- Two-column layout: The new two-column format prevents ‘gotchas’ and surprises users with more questions based on how they answer dependent questions. This overall improvement to her experience will make her questions feel instantly clearer.
Those that do not change
We’ve covered all the exciting changes coming to the new review form, but many of them will remain in place.
- Review moderation flow: We are confident that these changes will improve completion rates. This means more reviews have to be vetted and can only be approved under strict guidelines. All reviews will continue to follow our current moderation flow.
- Historical data: Reviews and data previously collected on the old form will be retained and will continue to be used.
- How to view reviews on G2.com: The review form may have a different look and feel, but the review will appear similar to the G2 profile.
Step on the gas for more reviews
The newly designed G2 review form is versatile and a win-win. By optimizing this experience, we will be able to satisfy more users than ever before, and G2 vendors will greatly benefit from improved completion rates.
Key points about the new review form
We covered a lot in this article, but there were countless quality improvements we didn’t mention. The most important learnings for G2 vendors are:
- A streamlined and modernized review form experience. The new review form supports a more logical workflow for reviewers with a fresh design, question groupings, and a new progress bar.
- We maintain high standards of comprehensive reviews. Despite the review form’s look and feel overhaul, G2 continues to prioritize and encourage users to leave reliable and detailed feedback about the software they use.
- More reviews mean more success for the vendor. Ultimately, these changes are aimed at improving conversion rates and increasing reviews. Additionally, G2 continuously evaluates user drop-off data to find new opportunities for optimization.
Get hands-on experience with the all-new G2 review form. Submit your review now to see these changes in action.
