Headless vs. Traditional CMS and Where Prismic Fits In

Everything you ever wanted to know about headless CMS but were afraid to ask. 

While both a traditional CMS and a headless CMS allow you to create and manage content and assets, they do so in very different ways.

“Traditional” content management systems like WordPress, Jahia, or Optimizely come packaged with a content delivery layer, or “head”. This front-end layer determines how the content is presented to the end user. Generally, the front end is tightly integrated with the back end where you manage your content. 

The downside is you lose flexibility if you want to deliver your content across multiple platforms or you want to use multiple technologies for the front end.

“Headless” solutions like Prismic, do not have the front-end layer, or the “head”. In recent years, the headless option has become so favored, that even the most popular traditional CMS systems like Jahia and Optimizely have begun offering headless options for their content. Even WordPress has a robust API that can be used as a headless alternative.

So, if there’s no front end, how is the content accessed and displayed? The content created and stored on a headless CMS is delivered via APIs - usually via REST or GraphQL calls. The retrieved data can then be read and displayed using any frontend technology such as React, Angular, Vue, Svelte, etc - on any device or platform. This essentially means you can use the same back-end content to power an unlimited number of frontends! This offers an amazing amount of flexibility and scalability and an enormous amount of marketing potential.

It should be noted that using multiple display technologies means each front end will have to be maintained separately.

There are several scenarios where it makes sense to consider using a headless CMS over a traditional CMS:

If your goal is to deliver the same content across multiple platforms such as a website, a mobile application, a VR/AR experience, etc., then a headless CMS is a good option because it separates content from presentation. This allows you to send the same content to different platforms without needing to format it specifically for each one.

If your team prefers to use a specific front-end technology, a headless CMS can give you this flexibility. Oftentimes, traditional CMS systems will require a specific templating or theming language or system. You can also build a custom site with custom branding.

If your business is microservice architecture-oriented, a headless CMS fits well into this structure. A headless CMS can act as another independent service component in an application.

If you are anticipating high traffic or otherwise need your content to load very quickly, headless solutions are often far more performant because they deliver the content without needing to render a front end. This quick load time can lead to better SEO performance and thereby, more site traffic. 

If you’re concerned about future-proofing and want to be prepared to adopt new platforms or technologies, a headless CMS can offer far more flexibility and longevity as it separates content management from content presentation, meaning you can overhaul your presentation layer without having to rework your content management and perform costly migrations.

There’s a lot of chatter about headless CMS and with that comes common misconceptions. We bust three of the biggest myths below:

Myth #1: Headless CMS doesn’t support SEO.

Au contraire! With Prismic, you can pre-render all of your pages so they appear as static HTML - which is perfection for SEO! Each page can have custom meta tags, title tags, keywords - you name it! Prismic provides the content and code that can generate anything else we may need for SEO - even sitemaps.

Myth #2: Headless CMS doesn’t support WYSIWYG.

While this is technically true, I would argue this is better in many ways because it separates the noise from what content editors are there to do - edit content. But for those who want to see the content as it appears, Prismic offers a page preview to see content in place.

And even more exciting Prismic has just launched a new beta feature called Page Builder - allowing users to see in real-time a WYSIWYG mini-preview of their content rendered as it is entered or updated. How cool is that?

Myth #3: Headless CMSs are more expensive.

While I can’t speak for every headless system, I can confidently say that Prismic’s price point is unbeatable and it’s one reason we are recommending it to so many of our clients who come to us looking to re-platform or select a platform.

Because a headless CMS provides only the backend content management and does not include the presentation layer, it requires a development team skilled in a frontend technology such as React, Vue, Angular, etc. If your goal is to maintain your CMS presentation layer and your team doesn’t have that skill set, you’ll likely need to consider hiring, training, or establishing a long-term partnership with a skilled provider.

What is Prismic? What Makes Prismic Unique?

Prismic is a headless CMS with a super easy-to-use interface making it a snap for anyone to use. Prismic’s standout feature that takes the cake is Slices. Slices are customizable website sections that let users drag, drop, and rearrange entire sections of a webpage without worrying about fonts or styles - everything stays perfectly formatted, perfectly on brand. It gives end users complete freedom to build and design on their own without needing to involve developers.

You get the benefits of headless meaning developers can build a custom site for you with quick load times, and your custom brand. They also enable marketers to launch new pages faster, from an intuitive, Page Builder UI. That's why Prismic calls itself a Headless Page Builder.

The great thing about Prismic is it’s super easy to get started and they have a SDK for all the major Jamstack frameworks. Prismic offers webhooks and scheduled content publishing, which when working together, gives you full control over when your content is published via CI/CD. 

They also offer fully functional content previews so editors can see what their content will look like before it’s published, allowing them to make changes and feel absolutely confident prior to publishing. Editors can even send preview links to collaborators to get feedback on a page before publishing.

Lokion is no stranger to the magic of Prismic. Here’s what the Prismic team had to say about our work together, “From their early adoption of Prismic in 2021 to their proactive approach in embracing our latest features, Lokion has exemplified the spirit of growth and adaptability. With a stellar team, they’ve consistently showcased a profound grasp of our platform’s capabilities. Their recent endeavors, especially in assisting our clients to optimize their setups with Slice Machine, highlight the transformative power of Prismic. We’re delighted to play a role in their ongoing success and eagerly anticipate our future collaborations.”

Lokion's Director of Development, Ashley Summers shares a comprehensive breakdown on headless vs. traditional CMS, the pros and cons of each, and which is the best fit for your next project.

Ask the Expert: Headless vs. Traditional CMS and Where Prismic Fits In

How Teams Can Use AI to Work Smarter: A Practical Action Plan

You’ve probably seen a million headlines about how AI is transforming the way teams and individuals work every day. But with so many tools and so much hype, it's hard to know where your organization or team should start. 

When working with our clients, we often take a team-level approach to AI adoption, starting with a simple question: “What do you do every day, and how could AI help?”

This approach enables teams to identify the most effective and impactful ways to incorporate AI into their daily work. Want a step-by-step guide to implement this approach with your team? Let’s dive in! 

Schedule a working session and ask each team member bring their job description, task list, and their to-do list. These lists keep the session focused on what team members actually do on a daily basis, which is often where you will find the most opportunities for efficiency. 

Break down their workflow into repeatable tasks

Recognize where AI tools for employee productivity could help


This approach leads to personal, practical insights rather than vague AI aspirations.

Once tasks are mapped, assess what AI can do:

Automate: Can a task be completely handed off to AI?

Augment: Can AI make the task faster, easier, or more accurate?

Assist: Can AI support better decision-making or insight?

This clarity helps people feel less overwhelmed and more empowered. It turns AI from a scary black box into a helpful assistant.


Now it’s time to put strategy into action. Here’s what we include in each team’s custom AI plan:

Tool Selection: Identify relevant AI productivity tools—from writing assistants to task automation apps—tailored to the team’s needs.

Training & Confidence Building: Guide teams through the use of each tool, with an emphasis on experimentation and ease of use. 

Create Space for Learning & Sharing:  Many of our clients launch their own AI lunch and learns or “Lean Coffee” sessions after the workshop. These gatherings give teams space to share what’s working, ask questions, and keep learning together. One client even launched an ongoing series called "AI Grub & Grow", dedicating time for collaborative experimentation.

Collaboration & Culture Building: AI works best when it’s integrated into team culture. Set up workflows to share templates, prompts, and quick wins so success spreads across the team.

KPIs & Progress Tracking: Define what success looks like. This can vary significantly based on your organization and its goals. Some teams want to complete tasks faster, while others want more output or improved customer engagement. Once you know what matters, you must determine how to track it and how often you will review it.

Timeline & Budget Guidance: Your AI rollout doesn’t need to be expensive or massive. Budget for quick wins, start small, and scale thoughtfully.

Real-World Use Case: Marketing Without Compromise

One team we worked with—a marketing department known for its longform thought leadership—was hesitant to use AI for fear it would lower their content quality. Together, we developed an alternative plan that allowed their team to leverage AI without compromising quality. Strategies included:

Using AI to summarize whitepapers and studies into tailored versions for different audiences (e.g., execs vs. analysts)

Generating social media posts to promote content across channels

Building email campaigns automatically from newly released research

If you’re trying to figure out how to start using AI at work, the team-level approach is one of the fastest ways to build momentum. It’s low-risk, hands-on, and people-first.

You can follow the steps above internally, or if you’d rather speed things up and benefit from expert guidance, engage with Lokion to create your custom AI Acition Plan. 

Want to see how AI could fit your team’s day-to-day?  Let’s Connect. We offer free 30-minute AI readiness calls to help teams find their best starting point.

 “Lokion's AI Action Plan helped us wrap our heads around how to best use AI in our business. With all the rapid change in the AI world, we needed to figure things out, but wanted to do it efficiently. They facilitated a discussion that not only taught us things we didn’t know, but offered a structured way to prioritize what we were interested in pursuing.”

Q: How can teams start using AI at work?
A: Begin by mapping out day-to-day tasks, then assess which can be automated or improved using AI tools. Build a small action plan focused on one or two wins and expand from there.

Q: What are the best AI tools for team productivity?
A: It depends on the workflow, but popular tools include ChatGPT, Jasper, Grammarly, Notion AI, and tools like Zapier for task automation.

Q: How do I get my team comfortable using AI?
A: Normalize experimentation. Create learning sessions like lunch & learns. Share wins. Offer low-pressure ways to try new tools together.

That’s why Lokion developed a hands-on, team-level approach to building a practical AI action plan for workplace efficiency.

Learn how optimizing product data boosts e-commerce growth, improves visibility, and enhances customer experience.

Optimizing Product Data for E-Commerce Growth

Visual Design for Optimizing Landing Pages that Convert

A well-designed landing page ensures visitors stay engaged and take action. Visual elements like layout, imagery, and hierarchy guide users naturally through the page. Here’s how to optimize your landing page’s design for maximum impact.

A clear visual hierarchy ensures visitors process information in the right order. Prioritize key elements to drive conversions.

Hero section: The first thing users see. Should include:
✓ A compelling headline
✓ A short, supportive subhead
✓ A clear Call to Action (CTA)

Logical flow: Arrange sections in an intuitive order, leading visitors toward conversion.

Whitespace: Use ample spacing to improve readability and avoid overwhelming visitors.

The right imagery enhances credibility and engagement.

Product images: Showcase products in use for authenticity.

Explainer videos: Short, engaging videos boost retention.

Infographics: Simplify complex ideas with visual representations.

Customer testimonials with images: Build trust by featuring real customers.

Your Call to Action (CTA) should be clear and compelling.

Placement: Ensure the CTA is prominent and appears multiple times.

Color & contrast: Use a contrasting color for CTA buttons to make them stand out.

Action-oriented text: Use phrases like “Get Started Now” or “Claim Your Free Trial.”

Visitors are more likely to convert when they see that others trust your brand.

Customer testimonials: Include real customer feedback.

Trust badges: Feature security seals, certifications, or money-back guarantees.

Case studies: Showcase success stories that validate your offering.

With a majority of users browsing on mobile, your landing page must be mobile-friendly.

Responsive design: Ensure content scales smoothly on all screen sizes.

Easy-to-tap buttons: Make CTAs large enough for effortless tapping.

Short, scannable text: Keep copy concise and avoid long paragraphs.

A successful landing page isn’t just about content—it’s about an intuitive design that directs attention where it matters. Need help optimizing your landing pages for better conversions? Let’s talk.

Learn how to optimize landing page visual design to increase conversions and enhance user engagement.

Optimizing Landing Page Visual Design for Conversions

The Basics of UX Strategy for Business Success

“Good design is good business.” — Thomas Watson Jr., former IBM CEO

The team behind a leading online instructional resource recently came to Lokion with concerns about their product. The public-facing site didn’t convey the value of the members-only instructional site, which in turn didn’t provide users with a clear picture of their learning progress or the next steps in their journey. Meanwhile, their competitors were offering experiences that were more intuitive, persuasive, and well-designed.

To help our client build a better product quickly and efficiently, we led them through the process of developing an effective User Experience (UX) strategy. When companies like our client invest in UX, they’re not just creating pretty sites, apps, and other products. A well-executed UX strategy leads to:

But what does UX strategy entail, and how can your organization integrate it effectively into the development process?

Listen to your users: The role of user research

When Lokion starts working with new clients, we often sit in on meetings where Person A is absolutely certain that users need X, while Person B is equally adamant that users need Y. We’ve found that user research breaks deadlocks by providing hard data and “voice of customer” input. Techniques like interviews, surveys, and contextual inquiries reveal genuine user needs and behaviors. This research informs a smart UX strategy and minimizes assumptions.

User research isn’t a one-time task—it’s ongoing. If you continuously engage with your users, then your UX strategy will evolve alongside changing user needs and expectations.

Understand your users: The power of personas

Once our clients have a research-driven understanding of users and their needs, they often need help to more clearly define and remember all the details and nuances of different user segments. Instead of saying, “This feature would resonate with women ages 25-35 who want quick answers to travel questions,” the team can use personas as shorthand: “This feature would resonate with Teresa Traveler.” That’s because a persona is a “summary” person developed by the team to represent key user segments. Personas help to:

Keep us user-centered by serving as a reminder and empathy aid throughout our projects.

Help us frame journey maps to build an even better understanding of users’ actions and needs.

Each persona includes key demographics, behaviors, pain points, and goals. Once you create personas, you can prioritize and update them as often as needed.

Armed with fresh research insights and well-defined personas, we partner with our clients to map out every step of the user journey. Through a journey mapping exercise, we detail those steps for key personas from initial interaction to final conversion.

By uncovering potential pain points and identifying areas for improvement, the journey mapping process aligns your team’s efforts and ensures a seamless and satisfying experience for users.

Evaluate and improve: Heuristic audits and benchmarking

How do our clients’ current experiences measure up to UX best practices? What are peers and competitors up to and how do they address UX challenges? To answer these questions, we often conduct:

Heuristic audits to evaluate a product’s usability based on established principles, identifying friction points and areas for improvement.

Benchmarking to measure the product’s UX against peers and competitors, providing insights into industry standards and opportunities to differentiate.

With all these UX activities and deliverables in hand, Lokion and our clients have a clear picture of the best possible new conversion path and user interface -- we think! But we need to test our hypotheses and designs with stakeholders and users before devoting big chunks of time and money to a full development effort. That’s where prototyping comes in to visualize and test our understanding. From a simple low-fidelity mockup to a high-fidelity pixel-perfect design, interactive prototypes help identify flaws early and allow for rapid iteration.

Refine your product with usability testing

When Lokion and our clients want to know more about the viability of a product or overall strategy, we conduct usability testing to observe real users as they interact with a current product, or an interactive prototype of a future product. This helps determine if the design is intuitive and effective. Insights from usability tests guide refinements, ensuring the final product meets user expectations.

Consistent usability testing—before, during, and after development—keeps your UX strategy on track by validating that your product meets real user needs at every stage of the process.

Lokion worked with our instructional client to develop a thoughtful UX strategy based on user research, personas, journey mapping, heuristic audits, benchmarking, prototyping, and testing. Using this strategy as our guide, Lokion was able to quickly build and deploy a new product for our client that will achieve their business goals while meeting the needs of their users. In the end, the best UX strategy is one that keeps the user at the heart of every decision.

Ready to transform your UX strategy? Learn more about Lokion’s UX services, then connect with us to get started.

Discover key UX strategy principles to enhance user experience and drive business success.

How to Use Interactive Prototypes to Achieve Quality Without Sacrificing Velocity

Use interactive prototypes to validate ideas and assumptions, get full stakeholder buy-in, and minimize rework.

With any new product design and development project, organizations often face the impulse to rush something -- anything -- into production with working code. You might hear variations on these themes:

We need to demonstrate progress to the executives.

It’ll be easier to get feedback and buy-in from everyone with a fully functional site or app.

Lokion has worked with many organizations who pushed out a partially baked site or app in response to arguments like these. But once in production, inertia sets in. Business owners are told it’s too expensive and time-consuming to incorporate critical new end-user feedback into the product. Internal stakeholders sour on the product because their buy-in wasn’t sought. Developers muddle through without clear guidance on business goals or customer needs. In some cases, “revising it later” means limping along for years with a suboptimal experience -- all while competitors rush past them with a superior product.

Fortunately, there’s a way to demonstrate progress, get feedback and buy-in, and revise quickly -- all without the time and expense of coding. Interactive prototypes offer these advantages and more in going to market with a fully functional and highly usable product.

A prototype is an interactive model of a site or app that simulates the final product's functionality. It allows users to navigate through the product as if they were using the actual software, but with just enough interactivity to provide a lifelike experience and elicit useful feedback. These prototypes help stakeholders understand the product's flow and give them a good sense of what the final product will feel like.

Prototyping allows your organization to validate ideas and assumptions early in the product design and development process, gather well-informed feedback, get full stakeholder buy-in, and minimize the need for later rework -- all with manageable commitments of time, money, and resources. The end result is a product that better meets user needs and business goals.

Interactive prototypes are incredibly useful in addressing needs like these:

User testing: This is arguably the most important use case for prototypes. It allows UX designers to test how users interact with a product before any real development begins. These tests can identify potential design flaws, improve the overall user experience, and validate design choices.

Stakeholder engagement: Prototypes help stakeholders visualize and understand a proposed product in a way that is more engaging and informative than static images or a written proposal. Prototypes are a powerful tool to communicate vision and gather feedback, eliminating potential misunderstandings and increasing buy-in.

Developer handoff:  An interactive prototype can serve as a guide for developers to understand exactly how the product should look and function. This means less back-and-forth between the design and development teams. 
Some prototyping tools like Figma can make the developer handoff process smoother and reduce front-end development time by allowing users to:
-Inspect design elements in order to easily gather specs and export assets
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Not every prototype has to be pixel-perfect and production-ready. You can increase velocity even more by choosing between low- and high-fidelity prototypes based on the project's stage, your objectives, and available resources. Here's how to choose:

Low-fidelity prototypes are ideal for early stages of the design process. They help outline the structure and flow of a product while minimizing any distractions caused by aesthetic details. They generally lack detailed colors and content, focusing instead on functionality, behavior, and priority of screen elements. When you’re ideating and refining core functionalities and flows, low-fidelity prototypes help facilitate quick iterations based on initial feedback.

High-fidelity prototypes are more polished and include detailed design elements, interactions, and transitions that mimic the final product's look and feel. Use these later in the design process, once the basic structure and flow have been established and tested. High-fidelity prototypes are excellent for conducting more detailed user tests, demonstrating the product to stakeholders, and guiding developers. Since they’re more time-consuming and costly to create, it's best to employ them only when you're confident about the product’s design and direction.

Since prototyping is an iterative process, you’ll generally use both low- and high-fidelity prototypes in a project lifecycle: Start with low-fidelity prototypes, collect feedback, refine the design, and then move to high-fidelity prototypes as your design matures. And of course, these iterations at the prototype stage are cheaper and quicker to implement than changes made after development has begun. 

The marketplace for prototyping tools is crowded, but here are a few notes to get you started in selecting the right tool for your organization's needs:

Figma is useful for both low- and high-fidelity prototypes. A large and active user community provides many templates, plugins, and training resources. The learning curve is steep, so Figma is best for organizations with dedicated UX/UI team members.

Balsamiq and UXPin offer more approachable prototyping tools with less of a learning curve, making them a good choice for for business users to create useful low-fidelity prototypes without dedicated UX/UI resources.

When shopping for prototyping tools, look for the right mix of per-seat price, learning curve, level of fidelity, robust support for collaboration, how much complexity you can build in modeling interactions, user testing capabilities, developer handoff features, and support for a library of prototype elements and templates to give you a head start on new projects.

David Mabury, Vice President of User Experience at Lokion, discusses how to use interactive prototypes to create better products more efficiently.

Ask the Expert: Use Interactive Prototypes to Achieve Quality Without Sacrificing Velocity

SEO in the Age of AI: Navigating Opportunities and Pitfalls

AI is changing everything – including how we find and consume content online.  For businesses, it's a double-edged sword: opportunities to improve and pitfalls to avoid. As AI continues to evolve and shape the digital landscape, it brings both exciting possibilities and challenges for companies and marketers. Let's explore how AI is impacting SEO and how businesses can adapt to stay ahead in this rapidly changing field.

AI-powered tools can help businesses generate ideas, optimize headlines, and even draft articles. Tools like Jasper, Copy.ai, and Writesonic analyze data to identify trending topics and keywords, enabling teams to create more relevant content. While AI won't replace human creativity, it can significantly boost productivity and content quality.

AI algorithms can uncover valuable keyword opportunities that humans might miss. Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz use AI to analyze search patterns, user intent, and competitive landscapes, providing more accurate keyword suggestions to help businesses target the right audience.

AI enables websites to deliver highly personalized experiences based on user behavior and preferences. Tools like Dynamic Yield and Segment help businesses create personalized content and product recommendations, leading to improved engagement and higher conversion rates – all factors that positively influence search engine rankings.

With the rise of virtual assistants and smart speakers, voice search optimization has become crucial. AI-driven tools like AnswerThePublic and Frase help businesses understand natural language patterns and conversational queries, allowing them to optimize content for voice search and featured snippets.

AI-powered predictive analytics can forecast future trends and potential algorithm changes. Tools like MarketMuse and BrightEdge provide foresight that allows businesses to proactively adjust their strategies, staying ahead of competitors.

While AI tools are powerful, they shouldn't replace human intuition and creativity. Over-reliance on AI can lead to generic content and strategies that fail to connect with your audience.  AI-generated content may lack the nuance or unique perspective that resonates on an emotional level, resulting in a bland user experience. It's crucial to strike a balance between AI-driven insights and human expertise.

As AI becomes more sophisticated, so do unethical SEO tactics. Some may use AI to generate large volumes of low-quality content or create deceptive link schemes. Search engines are continually improving their ability to detect such practices, and getting caught can result in severe penalties, such as significant ranking drops, loss of organic traffic, or even complete removal from search engine indexes. It's vital to focus on using white hat SEO tactics and generating high-quality, human-readable content that serves the needs of your audience.

In the pursuit of AI-driven optimization, it's easy to forget about the end-user. While AI can provide valuable insights, it's essential to prioritize user experience. A website that's optimized for search engines but difficult for humans to navigate will ultimately fail to achieve its goals.

AI requires vast amounts of data to function effectively. However, with increasing concerns about data privacy and regulations like GDPR, businesses must be cautious about how they collect, use, and store user data for SEO purposes.

The AI landscape is evolving at a breakneck pace. What works today might become obsolete tomorrow. For example, keyword stuffing was once a common SEO practice but quickly became obsolete as search engines improved their algorithms to prioritize quality content. Businesses must commit to continuous learning and adaptation to keep up with the latest AI advancements and their implications for search.

To thrive in the age of AI-driven SEO, businesses should:

Embrace AI tools while maintaining a human touch in strategy and content creation.

Stay informed about the latest AI developments and their potential impact on SEO.

Focus on creating high-quality, valuable content that serves user intent.

Prioritize ethical SEO practices and transparency in AI usage.

Continuously test and refine AI-driven strategies to ensure optimal results.

AI is reshaping the world of SEO, bringing both opportunities and challenges. By staying informed, ethical, and user-focused, businesses can harness the power of AI to drive sustainable success in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

How are you using AI in your digital strategy? Are you seeing the benefits or struggling with the challenges? 

Discover how SEO is evolving with AI, and learn to navigate the opportunities and challenges it brings.

How to Design Systems that Actually Solve Problems

Have you ever noticed that systems designed to provide solutions sometimes end up creating more problems? This unfortunate side effect is often caused by a lack of understanding of what users need and expect. Let’s take a look at how you can avoid creating more problems and instead, design a system that delivers the solutions your users need. 

This is where you make hypotheses based on what you know about your customers and their needs so far. Lead with your customers to make sure your perceived business needs and goals are in alignment with what your customers really want.

Gather analytics, conduct user tests, talk to focus groups, create personas and journey maps -- whatever you need to do to test your hypotheses. For instance, the Lokion team frequently leads client teams through the creation of personas (“summary” users who represent key audience segments) and journey maps to walk those personas through their interactions with the client. Our team has also created dozens of unmoderated online tests allowing users around the world to navigate a proposed solution and give feedback.

3. Design features according to customer needs

Populate your backlog with features and success criteria, solicit user feedback early and often, evaluate features and success criteria based on feedback, update the backlog accordingly, and repeat.

Feature slices are small, testable, freestanding pieces of functionality within a larger project -- using the same kind of feedback loop. The feature slices don’t have to be released publicly; they can be tested by small groups first.

When you release a set of features for user acceptance testing, keep evaluating features and either revise right away or add revisions to the backlog depending on priority and schedule.

After you launch, keep measuring actual performance against your success criteria and follow up with customers. Track the analytics, track customer feedback, and keep an eye on what’s working and what needs improvement. Seed your backlog with potential improvements and formulate new hypotheses for research. Then return to step 1!

Designing a new system to solve user problems? Experts share the 5 key steps to designing a system actually solves those problems- instead of creating new ones.

What Are the Five Steps to a Successful Platform Selection Process?

Need a new platform for ecommerce, digital experience, or other need? Our team shares insights on selecting and implementing the right platform. 

It’s usually very clear when your organization needs to retire an existing platform and select a whole new one:

Your ecommerce platform is outdated and doesn’t support integrations with your great new PIM or ERP.

Your content management system is a usability nightmare for your internal team, so your site content is increasingly out of date.

Selecting and migrating to a new platform isn’t easy, but with the right selection process and a clear plan, the pains will be more than outweighed by the gains for your organization.

Your first step is to build a clear understanding of what you need in a platform. Remember to consider not just current needs, but also potential future needs. In working with clients on platform selection projects, Lokion has found these exercises to be invaluable in defining needs and requirements:

High-level vision setting: Define goals and objectives, current pain points, and how the new platform should help address them.

Personas: Define all personas (user types) involved in the project, such as key customer segments, business stakeholders, and other critical user types, both internal and external.

Journey mapping: Create journey maps for key personas in an ideal future state, to uncover desired interactions and define success with a new platform.

Platform requirements: Based on the discovery exercises above, create a list of all platform requirements with each requirement weighted according to priority. This list of requirements will be circulated to selected platform vendors after the research step below. 

Start researching potential platforms, identify the platforms that best fit your list of requirements. This step may involve reviewing Gartner and Forrester reports, attending webinars, and reading user reviews and case studies. You can also talk to vendors, consultants, and peers in your network for real-world insights.

Integration and compatibility: How well will the platform integrate with your existing systems and technology stack?

Scalability: How well will the platform scale as your business or user base grows? Consider the platform's ability to handle increased data volume, transaction volume, or user load.

Performance: Can the platform perform efficiently under your current and anticipated volume of interactions or transactions? Slow response times can lead to a poor user experience.

Security: Does the platform provide sufficient encryption, access control, secure protocols, and compliance with industry standards and government regulations?

Flexibility: Can you modify or customize the platform sufficiently to meet your unique needs? Does it support your preferred deployment model (on-premises, cloud, or hybrid)?

Support and maintenance: Does the platform vendor provide regular updates and patches? Are these updates rolled out seamlessly or do they require action on the part of your team? Does the vendor provide 24/7 support and sufficient training?

Cost: What are the upfront costs? What is the total cost of ownership including maintenance, license renewal, support, and add-ons? Also, consider the potential return on investment (ROI) each platform might offer.  Be aware that most vendors will share only very general cost estimates at this tentative research stage.

Vendor reputation: Research the vendor’s track record, financial stability, and commitment to their platform's future development.

Community and resources: Does the platform include a large user community of consultants and developers, and abundant resources like tutorials, forums, and a marketplace for plug-ins and add-ons?

Future-proofing: Does the platform align with technology trends and your anticipated future needs? For instance, if you anticipate needing AI capabilities, look for platforms that either currently support these technologies or have a roadmap to do so.

Ease of use: How easy is it for developers and business users to learn the platform? How well does the platform front end perform for end users / customers?

After your initial research, prepare a shortlist of platforms that you believe could meet your requirements and evaluate each shortlisted platform in more detail. This could involve requesting demonstrations, starting trial periods, or seeking third-party audits.

Live platform demos and trial periods are especially useful in weeding out platforms that look good on paper but may not provide the features and usability you need.

This is also the time to conduct a deeper evaluation of platform costs. At this stage in the process, vendors will provide more detailed pricing information and will often be willing to negotiate.

Make a final selection based on your research and evaluation. It is important to remember that no platform will likely meet all your requirements perfectly. The goal is to find the best fit for your specific needs.

Migrating from an existing platform to a new one requires careful planning to avoid data loss, downtime, or a suboptimal user experience. Here are some key considerations, with additional insights from Ashley Summers, Director of Development at Lokion:

Migration strategy: Before initiating the migration process, have a clear strategy in place. This strategy should include defining what data will be migrated, when, and how. It should also outline the tools and resources needed for the migration. If your own technical staff will be conducting the migration, be sure to provide them with best-practice training to ensure a successful migration.

Looking for a new platform for ecommerce, digital experience, or other need? David Mabury, VP of User Experience at Lokion and Ashley Summers, Director of Development share their top platform selection tips.

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