Why Most Website Redesign Projects Fail (and What You Can Do Instead)

Have you ever experienced the frustration of a website redesign that not only failed to meet expectations but actually led to a decline in conversion rates? Or maybe your business finds itself caught in a cycle of expensive redesigns every few years, without ever seeing significant improvements in customer experience or sales?

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many businesses undergo full redesign projects that ultimately harm their performance, and often, they’re unable to pinpoint why. The common misconception is that a new, flashy design will automatically solve all user experience issues. However, this approach overlooks a more effective method: evolutionary redesign.

I will explain why traditional redesigns can hurt your business and how an evolutionary redesign strategy can be the solution you’re looking for.

The Problem with Traditional Website Redesigns

A traditional website redesign involves overhauling the entire site in one big project. This process can take months, cost a lot of money, and implement several design changes at once. On paper, it seems like the perfect way to modernize your website, improve user experience, and boost conversions. But here’s the problem:

• Difficult to Isolate Problems: When multiple changes are made simultaneously, it becomes incredibly hard to identify which elements are causing problems. If conversion rates drop, is it due to the new layout? The new color scheme? The revised navigation? In a traditional redesign, everything is bundled together, making diagnosis nearly impossible.

• Risk of Neglecting Positive Changes: Similarly, even when a redesign improves your overall conversion rate, some changes may be inadvertently dragging it down. Imagine launching a new website where one small design tweak is driving incredible results, but other changes mask its success. In this case, even a "successful" redesign might hide opportunities for further improvement.

An example that highlights this issue is Dominos. Their design team wanted to switch from a vertical to horizontal scrolling menu. Based on initial research, this seemed like a great idea. However, when the change was tested, it resulted in a 3.13% drop in revenue—a loss of over $100 million. Had this been part of a large-scale redesign, the detrimental impact would have been even harder to detect and correct.

What is Evolutionary Design?

Instead of launching a full redesign all at once, evolutionary design focuses on incremental, data-driven changes. In this approach, small tweaks are made one by one, and each change is tested rigorously to see if it improves user experience or conversion rates. Here’s why it works:

1. Data-Driven: Each change is tested, measured, and evaluated based on data. This ensures that only successful changes are implemented.
2. Lower Risk: Since changes are made incrementally, the risk is spread out over time. If one change performs poorly, it can be rolled back without affecting the entire site.
3. Faster Adaptation: Evolutionary redesign allows businesses to pivot quickly, improving aspects of their site based on real-time user feedback and behavior.

Marks & Spencer vs. Amazon: A Tale of Two Approaches

Two companies, Marks & Spencer (M&S) and Amazon, offer a clear contrast in redesign strategies.

Marks & Spencer: The Redesign That Backfired

In 2014, M&S invested ￡150 million in a website overhaul. The redesign aimed to move away from Amazon’s backend infrastructure and introduce a visually engaging, magazine-style layout. Despite the massive investment, the redesign caused technical issues, and M&S saw a sharp drop in sales and stock prices.

The problem? The redesign bundled numerous changes into a single launch, leaving the company without the ability to identify specific problem areas. Had M&S taken an evolutionary approach, they could have introduced these changes one at a time, tested their effectiveness, and avoided a dramatic drop in performance.

Amazon: Continuous Improvement

Amazon’s approach to redesign is famously described by its founder Jeff Bezos, who said, "Our success is a function of how many experiments we do per year, per month, per week, per day." Amazon has never fully "redesigned" its website. Instead, they’re constantly tweaking, testing, and improving various aspects like the Buy Now button or 1-Click ordering.

This evolutionary design model has kept Amazon at the forefront of e-commerce, allowing them to test changes without disrupting the overall user experience or risking large-scale failures.

The Evolutionary Design Advantage

While traditional redesigns often feel like a clean slate, they come with considerable risks. An evolutionary redesign, on the other hand, is safer, data-driven, and increases the chances of long-term success.

Key Benefits of Evolutionary Design:

• Isolated Testing: Changes are tested in isolation, making it easy to identify what works and what doesn’t.
• Faster Iteration: Small changes can be rolled out and adapted quickly.
• Reduced Risk: If a change negatively affects conversions, it can be easily undone without affecting the rest of the site.

When to Choose Evolutionary Design

• If your website is critical to your business’s sales and customer engagement.
• If you’ve experienced failed redesigns in the past.
• If you’re looking for consistent, long-term improvements rather than a one-time boost.

Conclusion: Think Evolution, Not Revolution

The next time your team considers a redesign, remember that an evolutionary approach is often the smarter option. Incremental changes allow businesses to learn from their users, minimize risk, and continuously improve the user experience.

Rather than being caught in a frustrating cycle of redesigns, adopt the mindset of continual improvement. It’s a strategy that has worked for companies like Amazon, and it can work for your business too.

So before you dive into another costly redesign, consider the power of evolutionary design to take your website and your conversion rates to the next level.