Why has the average time spent on Morningstar.com's fund screener tool decreased by 30% since the latest UI update two weeks ago?

Introduction

The recent 30% decrease in average time spent on Morningstar.com's fund screener tool following a UI update is a critical issue that demands immediate attention. This analysis will systematically identify, validate, and address the root cause while considering both short-term fixes and long-term strategic implications.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Looking at the timing, I'm thinking the UI update might be directly related. Has there been any change in the tool's functionality alongside the visual changes?

Why it matters: This helps distinguish between UI-specific issues and potential underlying functionality problems. Expected answer: No significant functionality changes were made. Impact on approach: If functionality changed, we'd need to investigate both UI and feature-level issues.

• Considering user segments, I'm curious about the impact across different user types. Are we seeing this decrease uniformly across all user segments, or is it more pronounced in certain groups?

Why it matters: This helps identify if the issue is universal or specific to certain user types. Expected answer: The decrease is more significant among casual users compared to professional investors. Impact on approach: We'd focus on casual user experience and potentially consider a segmented UI approach.

• Given the metric focus, I'm wondering about the definition of "time spent." Has there been any change in how we measure or calculate this metric recently?

Why it matters: Ensures we're comparing apples to apples and not dealing with a measurement issue. Expected answer: No changes in metric definition or measurement. Impact on approach: If changed, we'd need to recalibrate our analysis based on the new measurement method.

• Thinking about user feedback, have we seen any increase in support tickets or direct feedback related to the fund screener since the update?

Why it matters: Direct user feedback can provide qualitative insights into the quantitative data we're seeing. Expected answer: Yes, there's been an uptick in users reporting difficulty finding specific features. Impact on approach: We'd prioritize investigating the reported issues and potentially consider a partial rollback.