Good design has always been the result of the designer factoring in some kind of user experience end result. I’m talking about everything from frying pans to widgets. If a product has an end user, then user experience matters.
Although the phrase is now used with digital applications in mind, User Experience, affectionately known as UX, has always been a common sense type of approach to producing a product that over-delivers at end result. But with 97% of websites failing at UX, (courtesy vitamintalent.com), something tells me this may actually not be so common sense after all.
[tweetthis twitter_handles=”@walkerparmedia”]User Experience should guide every small business website design decision[/tweetthis]
When your in the business of small, thinking like an end user may not come naturally. In fact, the term User Experience might actually seem bigger than your business. How do you figure out this whole idea of UX and actually embrace it during your design project?
1) You detach from your marketing
Marketing is not about you, it’s about your customer. Small business owners that scream “me” instead of “you” are not going to be able to put themselves in their customer’s shoes. Remember, your product solves a problem, and the only thing that belongs to you is your product. The marketing is all about the customer’s problem. Let go of your own ideas and work backwards, starting with the customer.
2) You get to know your target market
Target market and target audience are marketing catchphrases that also may seem to big for the little guy. For small business, it’s still important to know who that user is, because that user is going to have ideas/beliefs/behaviors that will affect how they interact with your website. 20 somethings might be mobile-only, 50+ likely will be using the desktop. Two totally different approaches to using your website.
3) You ask for design help
Pros understand the fundamentals what makes good design. Composition, colour, positioning, consistency, tone, voice are all the science of marketing design and the fundamentals of UX. Unless you are in or were in the design business, then your expertise is not going to be design and *gasp, your ideas may actually not be user-friendly. Don’t let the design of your website cause you to become one 97% of UX fails online.
Need more help embracing User Experience? Go to our details page to contact us about your web design project.