I had the opportunity to create all of the illustrations on the OneDrive.com landing page. The new and improved site displays delightful and educational graphics combined with an intuitive, actionable layout. Since the launch of the redesign, there has been a tremendous increase in activity in views and OneDrive account creations.
I worked closely with other designers and copy writers to land on the most appropriate concepts and features to highlight on the homepage. I focused primarily on three hero images which break up the page into sections of interest/prominence. The illustrations convey the purpose and importance of OneDrive features.
Finding the Right Metaphor
First, I tackled the hero image because this it was going to be the first impression of the page and I wanted it to set the tone. In the lab, we found that images & files appearing on multiple devices resonated with users, so I went with that metaphor for conceptualizing OneDrive’s file sync system.I decided to go with a lighter color palate and used ambiguous looking devices for simplicity. The goal of this composition was to give the viewer a positive feeling paired with an understanding of what OneDrive is offering.
Sharing & Collaborating
The most complicated concept to visually represent was the idea of sharing files, collaboration, and anywhere access in one illustration. I came up with a 3D map metaphor to convey the concept of sharing and collaborating from anytime or anywhere. A document floats in the clouds above to represent the files in OneDrive, while dotted lines show different people, from all over, collaborating on that file.
Office apps
The challenge here was how to imply the benefit of the Office apps without using their logos. The basic value prop of this section was to show the benefit of an Office 365 subscription—getting full versions of the Office apps to use in your everyday life.
Solution
The updated landing page has seen a major increase in views, sign ins and sign ups because of the updated appearance and improved user experience.
“Your illustration work and ability to influence other designers...is one of your greatest contributions to our product. The OD.com redesigns shows how bringing personality and finely crafted illustrations into the product can be extremely powerful. I think leadership is starting to understand the importance of this, creating a shift in how design is viewed overall. Overall, I can’t say enough good things about your work here!”
-OneDrive Manager
See the real deal at Onedrive.live.com