There are millions of websites on the innertubes and with all the traffic and browsing being done every second, many people don’t take the time to ask themselves or their company one simple question: What does my website say about me?
I don’t necessarily mean the literal text and words on your website. I mean, what is the feeling, the impression, the gut reaction people have when they get to your site?
More importantly, do you even know what you want them to think?
First, it’s best to know what you want it to say.
It’s not what it says, but how it says it. What is the first reaction you have about Apple.com? The site is clean, almost stark. It has a sense of elegance and sophistication. It seems friendly and inviting. Apple rarely uses images of people to convey a sense of emotion. Instead they rely on crisp, simple product shots and limited amounts of copy.
But, that’s too easy. Apple already has brand recognition. I suspect I might have known what it would look like even before I arrived, and that’s perfect; my notion was correct. The brand they have created is carried through perfectly. When I visit an Apple store, the same clean aesthetic will greet me there too.
Apple is an easy example. They are a leader in their industry and enjoy worldwide recognition. But what if they didn’t have this? What if they were a small company looking for a larger audience? Would you feel any differently about their site? Would you think they were less professional? Would you think their products were inferior? The truth is, you’d likely believe they were a world class company, and you might look further into their products. Why?
Some sites have a plan for how they want you to feel.
There is a fair amount of speculation that Godaddy.com intentionally built a level of confusion and incongruence into their interface design, making the user click through multiple areas of the site to find what they want. This strategy, which is pure speculation, is similar to the approach taken by large grocery stores. Have you ever noticed milk, eggs, and butter are near the back of the store and many times not near each other? By doing this you are forced to see many other products on your trip.
Whether GoDaddy built in unnecessary clicks is debatable. What is certain, however, is that planning what type of experience you want a user to have can affect the site’s success.
People feel first, read after.
What many sites overlook is the inherent value of a great first impression. Years ago, many companies believed a fancy Flash intro was the key to capturing the interest of web surfers. Thankfully, the Flash trend has subsided.
It is very important to let a user know very quickly what you’re about. Are you professional, fun spirited, quirky, moody, beautiful? The list of adjectives can go on forever, but your user needs to know immediately what it is you want them to feel.
Imagine for a moment if you had to design your website with no words. Could you do it? The fact is people judge your site and your product before they have likely read any of it yet. They immediately respond to colors, images, proportions, typefaces, etc. This process can be very quick, but it can be very valuable. If they like what they feel immediately, you’ve won half the battle.
Find your feel.
Take two companies in the same industry: 3 Blind Moose and Toasted Head.
Both make wine and both use similar colors, yet they have completely different look and feel to them. 3 Blind Moose incorporates a playful, illustrative tone to their site, where Toasted Head has a more sophisticated, professional approach. The best part: neither is wrong. If they both were expecting users to “feel” that way about their wines, they both succeed. The trick is in knowing what you want your users to think and how to make that happen instantly.
Take a look at the NewYorker.com. If you’re familiar with the magazine, the website has the same overall feeling. They stick with the same fonts and minimal use of color, exactly like the printed publication. It would have been very easy to use larger, color images, but it wouldn’t have given users the same feeling they are already familiar with in the printed magazine.
The consistency of a brand is important in many aspects. It maintains the image and memory of your product and your brand. Imagine if your online presence and your brand lacked congruity. If a user visited, they might not fully understand they were at your site. Just like companies spend money to create a brand, don’t forget your brand when it goes digital.
This is a perfect example of a web development team understanding the ideas and impressions they wanted the user to feel when they see the site.
Colors mean a lot.
It’s not black and white. Countless studies have been done over the years attempting to explain and clarify color usage. Truthfully, there is no right answer. I suspect Pepto Bismol or multiple sites aimed at young girls could easily choose to go with a pink color palette and be successful. An easy rule of thumb is to choose colors that compliment your branding and products. This may sound obvious, but it’s astonishing how often the obvious is not the obvious.
Hey, me too.
Picasso said, “Good artists copy, great artists steal.” True to this axiom, many sites take their design cues from other sites they like. We see copycat sites spring up every time a new trend is successful. This may seem like a logical approach, but there is an inherent problem. If the site you’re taking your design hints from has a completely differing conceptual approach than your site, it’s likely your needs won’t be met by your design.
It’s not that it looks bad, it just might not look like you to your customers.
Last year Nike developed an amazing site to detail their humanitarian and philanthropic efforts. The beautifully and cleverly designed site took advantage of parallax scrolling to achieve a 3D feel lending action and interest. Within weeks, parallax was the next big thing in the design community, and sites popped up quickly mirroring the concept, some with questionable success. The tendency is to see something cool and say, “Me too.” Remember to ask yourself if it makes sense for you and your brand. After all, everybody loves Nike’s logo, but it wouldn’t work for a mortuary.
So how do you find your look?
The best advice I can give is in three key concepts:
- Remember who you are designing your site for. It is not for you, it is for your audience. Don’t try to unnecessarily impress with cliché or overwrought notions. Give users what you believe they expect from you and your company.
- Find your style and make sure it is consistent and well thought out throughout your entire site. Don’t forget the details. Even some of the smallest attributes can have considerable effect on a user’s experience.
- And, above all, great user satisfaction is not about great design, it is about great experience. If a customer can quickly and easily find what they need, they will be happy and satisfied; they don’t even think how simple it was. Don’t make people think and they will love you.
Wanna Find Out More?
Check out Aaron Walter’s Designing for Emotion.