Who do you focus on when designing your website? Your company or the customer?
Many companies are under the impression that web design is either all about them or only about making the site visually stimulating for users. That’s part of it, but in the long run you have to boil down web design to one question: How does the user benefit? Many visually stimulating websites don’t benefit the user at all, and they often become harder to read and understand. Users will benefit from the layout, design, and content of your site.
Layout
Is the layout easy to navigate? Think about it from the user’s perspective. Where would you expect to find certain information? Is your information in that spot?
One of the best ways to find out if your layout makes sense is to ask. You can hire a professional consultant to give you feedback and run virtual focus groups, or you can simply ask family, friends, and customers how they feel about your site. People won’t buy if they can’t easily find what they need.
Design
Does the background make the text easy or hard to read? What about older users – will they be able to read and access information as well? Are there flash plug-ins that require users to download extra products to read the descriptions?
Recently I was surfing the web researching computers (my poor baby’s about to die), and I came upon what seemed to be the perfect computer. The problem? Once I actually accessed the company’s main page for the computer, I couldn’t read the content! The black background and small, bold white text made it almost impossible to read. Did I buy their computer? No, I couldn’t learn everything I needed to know without extra effort on my part. As a user, I want the design to work for me, even if it doesn’t look as cool.
Content
What type of content will you use on your website? Will you give high-quality information or basic facts that can be found elsewhere? Will your content be well-written, or will the users have to decipher it on their own?
Short blurbs on a topic often don’t provide the user with enough information. Longer reports, explanations, and how-to articles give users quality information that they were either looking for or simply didn’t know. Using a professional copywriter or, at minimum, a professional proofreader or editor will go a long way toward making the information accessible for consumers.
Focus on the User
As you begin planning your website, focus on the needs of the user. What do they need to have a great experience on your site? Often allowing a few select users evaluate your site before going live will save you a lot of time and money. They can let you know where you can improve and what they love.
When you care about the user, they will care about you. Your interest in their needs will increase sales and create many happy, loyal customers. So, remember, your most important question when designing a website is this: How does the user benefit?
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This article was written for Animal 57 Productions, a Boston web design company, by Amber Smith, President of Polished Papers, LLC.
