Palo Alto Networks Case Study

Client: Palo Alto Networks offers first-in-class network security for firewall, enterprise, and cloud-based system needs.

The challenge

Palo Alto Networks needed a branding and website refresh that matched the gravitas and full-service capability that their network security services offer to their high profile clients. The current site architecture needed a complete rehaul, as it was very confusing to navigate, and the current way of showing demos, downloading white-papers, and offering support were also outdated. We retargeted its design and content for customers to easily find and purchase the right solutions for their businesses. 

Research

We began by creating a site map to get an in-depth look into the information architecture of the site. Site mapping helped us understand the existing content and navigational structure, and identify areas of redundancy and improvements.

Key findings:

1. Content is scattered throughout the site preventing users from getting the full story

2. Main navigation tools are not intuitive

3. Page-level navigation tools are functionally inconsistent

4. Suite detail page templates depart from page-level navigation

5. There is a lack of consistency between modules that have the same objective

6. Difficult to begin the shopping experience

7. Equipment page does not allow users to shop the listed items.

We also created a product breakdown as a reference point for our internal team:

Experience Framework & User Flows

In order to better understand the target audience of Palo Alto Networks and the different spectrum of customers visiting the site, we mapped out a user journey and identified two major users —Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and DevOp specialists— for our Northstar scope, which helped us highlight entry points and determine what the user will learn and accomplish at each step.

We learned that overall, DevOps are already aware of their needs and the service types. They are searching for clear navigational elements and customized page content that can immediately drive them to products suitable for their business. They look for detailed documents and product specifications.

The CISO, on the other hand, operates from a more high-level altitude. The site needs to serve the CISO’s short-term and long-term purposes within minutes. The solution they’re looking for shouldn’t add more complexity to the project.

Competitive Analysis & Best practices

We compared other network security sites to see how other successful competitor sites are offering their products and communicating to their users.

Content & Experience Strategy

We decided to approach the redesign of the site with content modules and a bookmarkable system. Each content module can be bookmarked to view in their own dedicated page, which can also help generate relevant content such as tech specs or downloadables to the recognized user. 

Using key content categories defined from site mapping and personalized information from the logged in user profile, we developed a page structure that eliminated redundancies and surfaced only relevant customized content. This content curation can show more engaged messaging for each type of service the user is eligible for. 

Final Designs

Final Animations