RunTru by Trane
Website Redesign for a Value Brand
Redesigned entire website, including a total rehaul of its information architecture, to better market Trane’s value brand of HVAC systems.
My role
Design lead
My skills
Info architecture, UX design, leadership, communication
Product
A nimble value brand HVAC website: RunTru by Trane
How might we...
Simplify the website to quickly and easily show budget-focused homeowners the value of picking an HVAC from this value brand?
Overview
1
The legacy site was an outdated template. Its generalized content inconsistently targeted 2 users (homeowners and contractors) in a way that failed to build either user’s trust in this HVAC value brand. Users bounced from the site and did not convert into customers.
2
As design lead, I led our strategy to streamline the information architecture. I prioritized ongoing collaboration with design and the larger team to ensure a smooth process and quick handoff. We met to pitch/solidify strategy, inform progress, and request feedback.
3
I redesigned RunTru into a simple website to reflect its simple, quality products. I curated the main experience for homeowners to easily discover value brand benefits, and created a dedicated space for contractors to find everything they need to sell the product.
4
We built brand trust by strengthening RunTru’s connection to Trane, its parent company that’s well-known in the HVAC space and trusted for its quality.
Who are the users?
Primary: Homeowners
Budget-focused homeowners who are young couples or starting their families. Most of the website should provide products and HVAC resources to homeowners.
Secondary: Commercial
Contractors mainly use the small “B2B” part of the website. This part includes resources about RunTru HVAC units for contractors, homebuilders, and property managers.
Problem
We started with the legacy website and found:
2 navigation bars even though this is a small website
Outdated, blocky sections
Vague, fluffy content
Content that inconsistently focused on homeowners or contractors
Process
1
2
3
5
6
Stakeholders: Key considerations
Stakeholders included the client, product team, and developers.
Background
The legacy website generated almost no traffic and the value brand had very few sales. This was a very low priority redesign project for our stakeholders as they softly considered dropping the value brand line altogether. They wanted to spend minimal time to rework this website.
Stakes this low allowed room for creative freedom as long as I didn’t heavily impact our developer resources.
The role of stakeholders
I included stakeholders in discussions early and often. I needed to convince stakeholders that the design team’s plan to drastically change the website structure (vs a simpler solution like only text/UI updates) was worthwhile.
Below I’ve added “Stakeholder” boxes like this one to share highlights from key stakeholder checkpoints.
1
Search for inspiration
My goal was to research how small websites effectively communicate relevant information with their audience to convert them into customers.
I was looking for:
Simple navigation with minimal tabs
Image-driven, modern design
Large, minimal text
Lots of ‘white’ space
2
Design a new site map (IA)
Consolidated the website into a lean information architecture
runtruhvac.com
Home (Logo)
Value of RunTru
Connect explicitly
to Trane
Contact Us
Blurbs about each B2B
Resources
Technical Documents
Product Images
Learning Resources
B2B Lead Form
B2B Resources
Footer
Home
Dealer Locator
Contact Us
B2B Resources
Products
Warranty
Tax Credits
Accessibility
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use
Language Switcher:
EN / SP
Products
Air Conditioners
A4AC3 Air Conditioner
A4AC4 Air Conditioner
A4AC5 Air Conditioner
Warranty
Furnaces
A801X Furnace
A951X Furnace
A952V Furnace
Warranty
New Heat Pump?
Heat Pumps
A4HP4 Heat Pump
A4HP5 Heat Pump
Warranty
New Air Handler?
Air Handlers
A4AH4 Air Handler
A4AH5 Air Handler
TMM4/TMM5 Air Handler
Warranty
Packaged Units
4TCA4 Packaged Air
Conditioner Unit
4WCA4 Packaged Heat
Pump Unit
4YCL4 Ultra-Low NOx
(CA Exclusive)
Warranty
Indoor Air Coils
4MXC Indoor Air Coil
A4MX4 Indoor Air Coil
Warranty
Ductless Systems
23 SEER Single-Zone
System Energy Star
17 SEER Single-Zone
Ductless System
15 SEER Multi-Zone
Ductless System
115 Volt Single-Zone
Ductless System
Warranty
Tax Credits
Info
PDF Links
Find a Local Pro
Warranty
Warranty Types
PDF Links
Register Warranty
Warranty Lookup
Contact Us
Contact Form
About RunTru (concise)
Stakeholders: Information architecture check-in
The information architecture (IA) check-in was the first important checkpoint with all of the stakeholders.
Here I shared my plan to restructure the IA. I explained that the website’s performance can benefit from a website that’s simple to navigate and has quality, focused content. This way the website reflects the same simple, quality nature of the company’s value brand product.
The second purpose of this meeting was to create a space for stakeholders to express any concerns or ideas they have with this direction.
Stakeholders felt included in the decision-making. I was able to address their concerns either by showing how this direction already addresses that concern or by noting edits to include in the next step (wireframe design).
3
Design grayscale wireframes
Home
Products
Contact
Find a local pro
Trust building content
(backed by Trane)
Explore all products
Built to last, priced for everyone.
Second value prop
Stay cozy without the cost. Manufactured with your needs and budget in mind, RunTru offers quality, affordable climate control.
Lorem ipsum lorem ipsum lorem ipsum lorem ipsum lorem ipsum lorem ipsum
Keep it simple to quickly find a great HVAC for your home.
Buying a new HVAC
Third value prop
Find a local pro
Talk to a
dealer
Look at
products
Install cool,
new HVAC!
Trust building content
(backed by Trane)
Explore all products
Built to last, priced
for everyone
Stay cozy without the cost. Manufactured with your needs and budget in mind, RunTru offers quality, affordable climate control.
Second value
prop
Lorem ipsum lorem ipsum lorem ipsum lorem ipsum lorem ipsum lorem ipsum lorem ipsum lorem ipsum.
Buying a new HVAC
Talk to a
dealer
Look at
products
Install cool,
new HVAC!
Footer
Contact Form
About RunTru
Third value prop
Find a local pro
Concise blurb. Lorem ipsum lorem ipsum lorem ipsum lorem ipsum lorem ipsum.
Keep it simple to quickly find a great HVAC for your home.
Dealer Locator
15 dealers servicing near Hendersonville, North Carolina 28206
24/7 Emergency Service
NATE Certified
Financing
1253 Matthews Mint Hill Rd, MATTHEWS
Progressive Heating & Air Service LLC
00 Google Reviews
888-999-0000
Request dealer
24/7 Emergency Service
NATE Certified
1253 Matthews Mint Hill Rd, MATTHEWS
Progressive Heating & Air Service LLC
00 Google Reviews
888-999-0000
Request dealer
24/7 Emergency Service
Financing
1253 Matthews Mint Hill Rd, MATTHEWS
Progressive Heating & Air Service LLC
888-999-0000
Request dealer
Products
Contact
Find a local pro
Filter
Find a dealer you can count on
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Zipcode
28206
Tips to get ready for your dealer visit
1
2
3
Consider your climate, home size, monthly costs, whether you have pets or allergies, and average energy use that keeps your home comfortable.
Research your needs.
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Prepare the questions you want to ask your dealer.
Consider booking visits with several dealers.
Getting different quotes and perspectives from multiple experts can help you find the best HVAC system for your home.
6 dealers servicing near Hendersonville, North Carolina 28206
Progressive Heating & Air Service LLC
Call
24/7 Emergency Service
NATE Certified
Remote Diagnostics
00 Google Reviews
Book
Progressive Heating & Air Service LLC
Call
24/7 Emergency Service
Trane Comfort Specialist
NATE Certified
Charter member
Remote Diagnostics
00 Google Reviews
Book
Filter
Find a dealer you can count on
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Interdum tellus nibh varius ornare duis eleifend facilisis faucibus.
Zipcode
28206
Tips to get ready for your dealer visit
Footer
2
1
Getting different quotes and perspectives from multiple experts can help you find the best HVAC system for your home.
3
Consider booking visits with several dealers.
Consider your climate, home size, monthly costs, pets or allergies, and average energy use that keeps your home comfortable.
Research your needs.
Prepare the questions you want to ask your dealer.
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Warranty
RunTru Warranty
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See Base Limited Warranty details
Base Limited Warranty
Register warranty
Look up warranty
Find my warranty
Registered Limited Warranty
Base Limited Warranty goes into effect for units that aren’t registered or were registered more than 60 days after installation. It covers parts that might fail due to manufacturer defect, but not the labor to repair them. In most cases, this warranty lasts five years, but length of coverage may change depending on the product.
Base Limited Warranty goes into effect for units that aren’t registered or were registered more than 60 days after installation. It covers parts that might fail due to manufacturer defect, but not the labor to repair them. In most cases, this warranty lasts five years, but length of coverage may change depending on the product.
See Registered Limited Warranty details
Products
Contact
Find a local pro
Footer
RunTru Warranty Information
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Tortor scelerisque gravida imperdiet nisi diam nunc. Varius risus nunc id morbi. Tortor nibh tortor nunc enim venenatis.
See Limited Warranty Details
Base Limited Warranty goes into effect for units that aren’t registered or were registered more than 60 days after installation. It covers parts that might fail due to manufacturer defect, but not the labor to repair them. In most cases, this warranty lasts five years, but length of coverage may change depending on the product.
Base Limited Warranty
See Limited Warranty Details
Registered Limited Warranty lengthens the term of your warranty if your product is registered within 60 days of installation. It covers the cost of parts that might fail due to manufacturer defect, but not the labor to repair them. In most cases, this warranty lasts for 10 years, but length of coverage may change depending on the product.
Registered Limited Warranty
Register warranty
Look up warranty
Find my warranty
Contact Form
About RunTru
Concise blurb. Lorem ipsum lorem ipsum lorem ipsum lorem ipsum lorem ipsum.
Stakeholders: Wireframes check-in
To continue our collaboration, I checked in with the stakeholders again to discuss the grayscale wireframes. This was a good place to change this direction from an abstract concept to a product the stakeholders could visualize.
Prior to our meeting, I shared the wireframes along with a pre-recorded Loom video walking through the wireframes. This allowed our shared time to be a discussion of what worked, further ideas explore, and any new concerns.
4
Iterate to high fidelity
Stakeholders: High fidelity check-in
This was our last big checkpoint with all of the stakeholders. At this point, the larger group could see how everything came together.
Prior to the meeting, I again shared the high fidelity designs and a pre-recorded Loom video that walked through the design This allowed the meeting to focus on collaboration.
Our main discourse here was to confirm that the design matches the RunTru brand guidelines and to discuss any minor edits prior to developer handoff.
5
Hand off final design to developers
Impact
We launched the new site July 2023 and traffic increased immediately. This was positive as traffic often decreases after a migration for some amount of time. By September 2023, 2 months after launch, traffic had increased by 110%.
The site’s domain authority score increased by 5 points after launch.
The product pages improved by 12% in search engine results.
We used this same navigation structure in the redesign of Trane’s second value brand website, Ameristar. See “Stakeholders” below.
Stakeholders: The impact of collaboration
With each checkpoint, stakeholders shared more and more of my excitement for this new website structure.
Upon seeing the redesign’s impact, this IA structure got the pass to be used as a template for the client’s other value brand websites. These websites the company also deprioritized due to the legacy versions’ failure to connect with enough people from their already small potential customer base.
Challenges faced
1
How to gain stake- holder support
The legacy website had been a “quick fix”—something to show that the RunTru brand exists when googled. As part of a larger company initiative to modernize all digital assets, stakeholders expected the legacy site to get a UI facelift but wanted to spend the least amount of time and resources as they were discouraged by the legacy site’s low performance.
However, the creative team and I saw the low performance as an opportunity to restructure the site more in-depth (but keep it relatively quick to develop) which we hypothesized would increase performance. My challenge was to convince reluctant stakeholders that this restructure was worthwhile.
My strategy
I chose to communicate with the stakeholders early and often. It was a fine balance between thinking through the design plan enough to defend it and collaborating with stakeholders to make the plan efficient and successful in improving performance.
Personal takeaway
Moving forward, I continue to push for early collaboration and consistent communication as both proved to be good ways to manage expectations. Stakeholders felt heard and that their concerns were addressed early-on, and the new website majorly improved performance nearly immediately after it went live.
What can we do in the future?
1
Run a usability test
We gathered data after the website went live, which showed that performance improved with the new website. Next, I am curious to conduct a usability test on the information architecture.
I want to see how users use the new site to achieve their goals, where they get stuck, and what else they hope to find when on the site.
A qualitative study can help us learn more about the brand’s target users, validate our current design, and show possible ways to further improve the website’s functionality.
K
T
Contact
ktrush.ux@gmail.com