Rods & Cones

Rods & Cones is a Belgium-based MedTech company that enables surgical teams to connect with remote experts in real time through smart glasses and secure video devices. As the company grew across Europe and the US, its website needed to clearly communicate this complex technology, improve accessibility, and drive more qualified demo requests from healthcare professionals.

year:

2024

project:

Website redesign
CRO optimisation

role:

UX / UI designer

project duration:

8 weeks

Challenge

Rods & Cones develops remote-assistance technology that connects medical experts inside and outside the operating room. Despite strong technology and brand reputation, the website underperformed as a communication and lead-generation tool.

Analytics revealed:

Contact-form conversions below 0.3%
90% drop-off on the homepage, 97% on product pages
Users confused by redundant pages (“Customer Experience Center” vs. “Contact”)
Inconsistent visual hierarchy, low contrast, and weak CTA placement
Mobile experience underperforming (34% of sessions, but lower engagement)

Objective:

Rebuild the digital experience to clearly communicate the product ecosystem, strengthen brand trust, and increase demo and contact conversions.

Research

A full UX and CRO audit revealed key barriers in the user journey and conversion flow.

Key findings:

Drop-offs on top-funnel pages - unclear value proposition
Heavy copy blocks and weak visual hierarchy
Fragmented CTAs (“Book a Demo”, “Contact”, “Let’s Talk”)
Overly complex navigation structure
Low accessibility and overuse of stock imagery
65% desktop vs. 34% mobile - no adaptive prioritisation
Limited visibility of social proof
Inconsistent form behaviour
Content focused on products rather than complete solutions

Data confirmed users struggled to understand what Rods & Cones offers and rarely converted, highlighting the need for clearer messaging, simplified navigation, consistent CTAs, and improved accessibility.

To benchmark best practices, I analysed key competitors:

Vuzix - strong navigation structure (“Solutions by Industry”) and an effective “Find Your Match” flow
Iristick - minimal visual hierarchy and interactive 3D product presentation that aids understanding
Proximie – strong positioning as “the operating system for the operating room,” clear product segmentation, and trust-building through data and partner credibility.

Competitors focused on functionality but lacked warmth and emotional connection - an opportunity for Rods & Cones to lead with clarity, trust, and a more human narrative.

Define

From these insights, I translated findings into actionable UX objectives focused on clarity, accessibility, and conversion:

Simplified site navigation grouped by user intent
Consistent and visible CTAs
Clear messaging hierarchy and above-the-fold storytelling
Improved accessibility and visual contrast
Integrated lead-generation modules and consistent form logic
Stronger social proof through testimonials and case studies
Shifted content focus from hardware products to complete solutions

Problem statement:

“Healthcare professionals cannot quickly understand what Rods & Cones does or how to get in touch. We must reduce cognitive load and present a clear, trustworthy product story that converts.”

Ideation

Mapped a simplified sitemap, redesigned flow from “tech brochure” to “problem–solution–proof–action”, and built wireframes focusing on:

Homepage as narrative with clear CTAs
Unified “Book a Demo” / “Contact Us” actions
Clear above-the-fold value
Improved case study layout with proof elements
Accessible colour and spacing system
Authentic, trust-building visuals

Validation

To validate early concepts, we conducted stakeholder and team testing using interactive Figma prototypes.

Goal: verify message clarity and conversion flow.
Participants included marketing, founders, and CRO experts.
Feedback confirmed faster comprehension and smoother flow between homepage, kits, and contact.

Key learnings:

The simplified menu helped users instantly locate “Products” and “Book a Demo”.
Users understood what Rods & Cones offers within 5 seconds (on average > 10 before).
Direct form placement on case-study pages improved intent to contact.

This validation step shaped final design decisions before full rollout.

Implementation

The design phase combined UX documentation with high-fidelity UI execution.

Design system creation - built a unified Figma library with typography, spacing, and CTA components
Responsive grid setup - optimised for 1440 px desktop and 375 px mobile breakpoints
Accessibility alignment - improved contrast ratio (AA+), focus order, and keyboard navigation support
Visual refinement - introduced softer gradients, higher readability, and cohesive visual style
Development collaboration - provided hand-off specs and components for integration with the existing CMS (WordPress/Sanity)

The final UI reinforced Rods & Cones’ brand values - calm, precision, and expertise, while ensuring every user understood the product within a few seconds.

Outcome

The redesign success metrics:

Demo click conversion: +12 % increase within the first quarter after launch (1.33 % → 1.49 %)
Contact engagement: users interacting with contact or demo CTAs increased by +18 %
Improved readability & accessibility: contrast compliance and mobile performance significantly improved
Content clarity: user feedback described the new website as “easier to navigate” and “more credible”
Stronger brand coherence: a unified look across all kits, solutions, and case-study pages