Before we dive in let’s take a moment to introspect. Now think back and ask yourself “WHAT MAKES YOU TRY SOMETHING NEW ?”. Like a new YouTube video or a new dress in a mall or a new eatery around the corner ask yourself.
For me the reason has often been “THE LOOK” could be the image of the video, could be the text/tagline on a post, or could be some innovative interior. Well, it’s a fact it happens, sight is a very important sense of the human body and we tend to use it to the fullest.
Hence similarly to a website as well the UI plays a very important role. A beautiful website can easily grab the attention for a few seconds. But what if your website is tough to understand or doesn’t communicate clearly? Just good looks but no useful feature can grab your attention but won’t be able to hold your interest for long. Exactly the reason why UI and UX go hand-in-hand. UX is the way the user perceives the information you present, it is the way someone interacts with your website. Placement of information, buttons, icons everything falls under UX.
- Designing is like cooking!!
You don’t wanna rush, it takes it’s own sweet time to be prepared properly and needs a lot of precession. But once it is completed you can never have enough of it and there are praises from all the corners.
It is pretty much the case with designing. Designing takes time because there needs to be a lot of research about the target audience. There needs to be a clear understanding of age, sex, profession, domain, and taste of the group only then the designer would be able to create something which is easy to understand and yet beautiful as hell to look at.
Hence, Designing is like cooking, it will take time but once it is done you will be the most satisfied person.
- Most well-dressed person is considered to be the most successful one!!
Almost all businesses are now coming online in one way or the other. We are so used to the digital world that often the first thing we do is check the company’s website to see the authenticity of the business.
Now imagine you are to do a $100,000 business with a vendor and their website looks like a complete disaster, would you still be equally confident to do the transaction? Obviously not, and this is when you already know about the vendor. Imagine what it would be like if you discovered someone randomly while surfing, you wouldn’t spend a second more and put that company on your never-to-do-business-with list.
On the other side, if there is a very well designed and beautifully built website, wouldn’t you be driven to strike a communication?. Pretty sure it’s a YES. Well designed websites give a perception of success and assurance of quality which significantly improves the chances of striking a deal.
- You perceive what you see !!
Apple is probably the best real-life example you can have. Apple has minimal features, restrictive usage, battery and storage issues. And yet, at the time I write this article, Apple is #1 company by market value leaving behind companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. It also captures 51% of the smartphone market by revenue worldwide.
The main reason why people love Apple products so much is the UX of the product. Everything is super simple, easy to find and very convenient to use. Moreover, it has beautiful UI, Apple design is now the trendsetters and defines the standards.
When people see Apple products they perceive quality, assurance, value for money. So much that, arguably, customers are ready to pay double the money to Apple for the same products offered by the competitors.
- Colours speaks a ton!!
Each color speak and helps in placing the brand appropriately with its target audience. It is important because colors will make your visitors feel like they belong here. If they don’t feel related they will never buy from you.
Kids websites will be in with bright vibrant colors like yellow, red, orange etc. Websites with serious content will generally be on black theme. Girls website will be in pink and designer website will be with multicolor.
Color also exhibits the moto and culture of the company. Hence this psychological phenomena helps your customers relate and understand your company and it’s ideologies. It helps in creating a brand loyalty
- A well presented dish can taste and cost better!!
Yes it is true, scientifically saying. A well-presented dish has an effect on your taste, moreover, the customers are willing to pay higher. This holds true even in the WWW industry. The companies whose websites look better are able to charge a higher price for their services and customers are willing to pay it.
The presentation in question is your UI and the dish here is your content. The words that define what you do, who you are, and why you matter? The tone of the text should also be in synergy with the design and color scheme of the website in whole.
No decoration can cover up for food which tastes absurd, hence the content on your website plays a very crucial role. What will a visitor do if he cannot understand what the website is saying, or if the terminology is too complex to understand? Hence choose your words wisely keeping your target audiences in mind.
- You get second chance only if you are able to impress in the first !!
Your company first impression is your home page. For the same reason designing your homepage needs the most time and costs almost the double in comparison to your other pages
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Even on your homepage, it is your Banner, the first topmost segment of the page that appears on the screen, which holds utmost importance in designing a website. Your Banner should very clearly communicate, in minimum possible words, what the website is about.
The reason to make is bold is the sheer magnitude of importance that this line holds. Make a list of all the things you want your visitors to know about your business now place them in the sequential order of their importance. Design your website around this structure to make sure that you cover all the points and in the same sequence as you have marked them.
- Designs are like stunt man, never visible but very important !!
A good design is one which is not too catchy to the eye and emphasizes more on the content and functions of the website. Too often founders start to love the work and want more an more till the website is filled with beautiful stuff all over it. Times too much, excessive design can distract your visitors and can overshadow some of the features of the website.
Make sure your design is built as a base to support your features and make users easily find the next actions and move easily throughout the website. The more time people spend on your website or the more quickly the visitors reach the payment screen, the much better since it will make a business for you.
Hope this will help you in your startup journey. Feel free to drop in emails I personally read and respond to each one of them. Would be happy to help you make a difference.
