Case Study

ITM Rentals – UX Redesign

Redesigning a ‘site-within-a-site’ to modernize layout, improve navigation, and boost clarity for equipment rentals

Overview

ITM Instruments is a Canadian supplier of professional test and measurement equipment. One of their core services — equipment rentals — was buried in an outdated layout and overwhelmed users with a cluttered experience.

The Rentals section is treated as a “site within a site”: it shares the main ITM navigation but has its own content, purpose, and flow. I was tasked with redesigning the Rentals homepage to better serve users and align with ITM’s business goals.

The Problem

Visually outdated and not aligned with modern UX expectations.
Difficult to understand what ITM Rentals offers at a glance.
Poor visual hierarchy and content overload
No clear path to take action (e.g. browse, order, contact).
Confusing structure with overlapping navigation elements.

Goals

Modernize the design while preserving the ITM Rentals brand
Improve content clarity through better structure, icons, and microcopy
Introduce a dedicated Rentals navigation without disrupting the parent site
Create an experience that feels trustworthy, scannable, and actionable
Use UX methodologies (competitive research, user flow analysis) to guide the redesign

UX Process

Competitive Research

I audited rental platforms across the industry to identify patterns in navigation, layout, and trust-building strategies. This helped define how categories, value propositions, and actions should be structured.

Content & Layout Strategy

To improve clarity and flow, I restructured the page into a storytelling layout:

Welcome
Why Rent With Us
How It Works
Product Categories
Best Price Guarantee
Featured Products

Each section is concise, visually supported, and designed to guide users from awareness to action.

The previous design was constrained to a narrow-width layout. I introduced a full-width hero section and widened other key content areas, creating more visual breathing room and improving scannability.

Navigation Redesign

The original Rentals page had limited navigation options. I introduced a mega menu under the ‘Products’ dropdown, allowing users to view up to three levels of subcategories at a glance. This improved access to deep product types and streamlined the browsing experience.

Additionally, I implemented a distinct Rentals sub-navigation (Products, Why Rent, FAQ, Terms), reinforcing the “site-within-a-site” architecture while maintaining consistency with the main ITM website.

Visual & Interactive Enhancements

Designed a clear, modern hero with a bold value statement and CTA
Introduced icon-based product categories for better scan-ability
Built an interactive “How It Works” section: each step becomes visible as the user scrolls, adding a sense of progression and motion
Maintained brand consistency using ITM’s color scheme (red, black, grey) and typography

Final Outcome

The redesigned ITM Rentals page successfully transforms a once outdated and cluttered interface into a modern, user-focused experience that aligns with both business objectives and user expectations.

From a visual and structural standpoint, the shift to a full-width layout allowed the design to breathe, making space for large visuals, clear calls to action, and a hierarchy that guides users naturally through the content. Each section was purposefully crafted to reflect a narrative experience — beginning with a bold value proposition, then moving through trust-building content, and finally leading users toward specific actions such as browsing categories or placing an order.

A major structural improvement was the addition of a mega menu under the “Products” dropdown, which introduced a much-needed third level of categorization. This addressed a real usability issue in the original layout, where navigating to niche product types was confusing and time-consuming. The new menu makes it easy for users to scan, discover, and reach their destination with fewer clicks.

Another highlight is the scroll-activated “How It Works” section, which adds a layer of interactivity and rhythm to the browsing experience. Instead of overwhelming the user with static instructions, the page now reveals each step progressively — creating a feeling of motion and clarity. This subtle dynamic element not only enhances the UX but also helps communicate a fairly complex process in a digestible, engaging way.

Throughout the project, I balanced business branding requirements with modern UX principles — ensuring that all visual and interactive improvements felt on-brand, familiar, and trustworthy. The use of color, typography, and iconography was carefully managed to align with ITM’s identity while improving usability.

Overall, this project was a deep dive into designing within constraints — updating legacy infrastructure, honoring existing brand elements, and working with a dense product catalog — all while delivering a clean, usable, and professional interface tailored to industrial users.