Even when you’re working with a professional, getting your Website design just right can be a tricky process. Having something that looks great is always nice, but it’s too easy to get invested in colour palettes and image placement as your whip up your work of art to rival the Sistine Chapel. Never, ever forget that your primary concern is building something that is going to help you make money.
If you’re going to get your Small Business a Website that helps you to bring in those all-important dollars, you need to put the paintbrush and beret away, and focus on what’s called the ‘user experience’. It may sound a bit pretentious, but it’s really just taking an approach to your design which puts the journey of a potential Customer right to the front.
Below we’ll talk you three of the keys to a great user experience.
Simple Is Successful
Think back to the last time you landed on a Site that looked great, but left you completely confused when it came to finding the information you were after. We’ll bet that you got the hell out of there, rather than sticking around for the 7 videos and 19 photo slideshows that were about to hit you. Ultimately, somebody’s overcomplicating of their Site design may have prevented them from turning you into a Customer.
When agreeing on your own Site, keep the actions that you’re wanting your clients to take at the front of your mind. Chances are, you’re wanting them to be able to find certain information, buy certain products, or contact you in a certain way. Try to make it as simple as possible for them to do this. If this means sacrificing a couple of visual elements, or a link to your favourite Blog, then get cutthroat with your decision making.
Allow Your Visitors To Navigate Easily
On a similar note, anybody who lands on your Site needs to be able to easily navigate their way to the info and pages they want to see. The simplest way to do this is to get yourself a really plain and obvious navigation bar. Have a look at the official AFL website (https://www.afl.com.au/) and you’ll see what we mean.
There’s an almost intimidating amount of content that’s presented to you in a number of different ways. To be blunt we find this a little off-putting. However, if I simply want to check who my team has next week, I know that I’m going to find it under the ‘Fixtures’ tab in the menu that runs across the top of the page. Additionally, it’s also prominently displayed on the right side of the home page, meaning I can’t miss it.
Beyond menus, try to take an approach that allows your viewer to feel in control. The internet is a place with a billion different options for them, you don’t want to scare them away.
Be Consistent
Having a consistent design prevents your viewers from experiencing any unwanted surprises, and boosts this feeling of control. Design and arrange your homepage in a way that draws the eye without launching a full on assault of the senses, and then replicate parts of this design throughout your Site.
Every page doesn’t need to be exactly the same, but if I land on a clean, simple homepage with some well-placed photographs, and then get whisked away to a lime green page with walls of text and autoplaying videos, it’s going to be a pretty jarring experience. It’s also going to scream of a lack of organisation on your end, and that’s not the impression you want me to have of your company.
The key to a great Site is a balance between wanting to get something that’s cracking to look at, while also being easy to use. Keep the experience of a first time visitor in mind and you’ll be going down the right track.