Design for Your Users
I am not a web designer, and I don’t pretend to be. However, I have been on the internet since I was a little kid and I spend most of my day on the internet either for work or personal reasons.
Here are a few simple things to that you need to think about when designing your website.
Are the bells and whistles necessary?
Almost every company in the world has a web site. Some are fancier, more comprehensive or have lots of bells and whistles. It does not matter how much money you spend or how pretty it looks, all that matters is that it is designed for your users. The first thing you must ask yourself is: What is the purpose of your website? If you are targeting the MySpace generation, then a cool video or flash piece makes sense. But if your target is engineers or contractors, then you must build your site for them. You must make it as easy as possible for your users to navigation through your website to find the content or product that they are looking for. And you must give them that information. Remember, your website is your 24/7 sales person.
Where’s the info?
To me content is the most important part of your website. There are way too many websites on the internet today with little to no information. How do people find out anything about your product or services if you provide them with no information? Why would anyone visit your website if you provide them with no value? The value people seek is content. This content can come in many forms like information, pictures, articles, forums, blogs, webinars and more. You must give your users the information they want at the time that they want that information. People do not want to be bombarded with promotional material about the product or your company; they came to your website for a reason. They want specific information, so why not give them what they want?
What should they do?
Once the user finds the information that they were looking for or needs more information, then what? This is one area that a lot of websites definitely need to improve. Companies are selling these terrific products/services that look great on the website, but especially with business-to-business purchases people want to talk to the manufacturer or seller. They need more detailed information or feel comfortable with who they are buying from. Your website needs to interact with the user or prompt them to do something. This can be as simple as submit a request for more information, download a product brochure or sign up for a newsletter. Otherwise they may just go somewhere else because they do not want to search for your contact information.
In the end it is all about your users. Without them you do not have a business. So give them what they want. Do not make it hard for them to do business with you.
I hope I applied my own medicine: I kept my post simple, provided relevant information, and would love to hear what you have to say. You can either leave feedback, use our contact us form or use our social media widgets (that’s for another day).
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