We’ll start this article off with a quick quiz! As a web designer, what’s the purpose of a website? We’ll give you a minute and then share the answer with you. No peeking!
The purpose of any website is to keep current customers engaged while attracting new customers! When creating a website, the customer should be at the top of your list regarding design features. Each business is entirely dependent on its customers. Customers support the company and help it scale.
We’re saying that as a website designer, it’s necessary to use customer-centric design methods. You must put the customer before any other purpose or goal for a site. While that seems pretty straightforward, there are several considerations to bear in mind.
So, what does customer-centric design mean? What are those essential design elements that reach you to site visitors and keep their attention? What design elements keep them coming back over and over again?
We’ve put together a list of tips you can use to create a customer-first design approach. It’s true you may already be doing some of these, but there may be some you’re missing! Even small changes can make a huge difference to your website and your business.
Who Are Your Customers?
Do you know who your customers are? If not, you’re missing out, and your site won’t be a success. Before building a website, it’s necessary to know who your customers are. It can also be said this way, “Know your target audience.”
Your customers/target audience are those people you want to do business with on a regular basis. Your projects and services are created for these people. So, it’s essential to know who your typical clients are and what the demographics are for this group.
If you’re not sure who your target audience is, running a survey can be a huge help. You can learn about their needs and expectations through a survey. What’s more, you learn how to help these people.
You may also use a survey to query your target audience about the company website. Ask them what’s missing on the website. Is there anything that they enjoy or need? What do they hate or not enjoy about the site? Is there anything that keeps them from using the website? The more information you can gain from your target audience, the more you’ll know how to match their expectations and needs with your site design.
Another way to find out what works best on your site is to use A/B split testing. You create two versions of your site and ask users which site they prefer. This is a great method to determine specific adjustments necessary for the website.
Find the Right Colour Palette
Colour and colour usage are both immensely important to a website. What’s more, each industry uses a different colour or colour scheme. For instance, the fashion industry may use brighter colours to reach out to their preferred customers.
On the other hand, financial institutions usually choose shades of blue. Blue is seen as a calming, traditional colour. Brighter colours for a bank might not meet customer expectations, and they may turn to a competitor. Using standard colours or colours that fit the industry is part of gaining trust and credibility with the target audience.
So, it’s important to consider your industry and what your customers expect. Use this information to determine the right colours for your website.
Remember the psychology of colours, too. Each colour can cause a different reaction in people. For instance, red is a strong colour that can mean anger, excitement, and more. On the other hand, green is more pacifying and is a recognised symbol of nature. This might be a great colour for a business selling natural products or plants. You see what we’re getting at!
Embrace Feedback
The next way to improve your website is to ensure it meets the needs and preferences of your target audience. You can ask site visitors for their reviews and feedback about the site’s footer and even ask customers about their feedback on your mailing list. The key is to learn about your customer’s needs and preferences, then include these on the website.
You may also want to consider finding a mentor who has a successful website and business. Ask your mentor to review your site and offer insights and guidance. It can also be helpful to hire a marketing professional to take a look at your site.
Stay with the Familiar
Jakob’s Law says that site users tend to spend more time on websites that feel familiar. That means certain patterns on a site, such as the navigation layout, can improve site visitors’ mood and their memory of the site.
When making changes to your business website, try to keep these changes lowkey. Use minor adjustments over time to enhance the site for your target audience. This way, they have time to get used to the updates and remain comfortable as they use the site.
Cut Clutter
Another way to make your website more customer-centric is to keep things simple and limit their choices. When site visitors have too many options, they may feel overwhelmed and not know where to start or what to do next.
For instance, you may want to choose an objective for a specific webpage. Once you’ve done this, remove anything that doesn’t match the webpage’s goals. Keep it simple and focused on the one goal.
The amount of simplicity depends on where the customer is in the sales funnel and how much information they may need to make a decision to go from being a site visitor to a customer. So, it’s best to keep these issues in mind when designing your site and its pages.
Create a Mobile Friendly Site
About 90% of people online visit websites with mobile devices. Smartphones are extremely popular, and with 5G becoming more prevalent and smart devices becoming even more powerful, more people will use their mobile devices to visit their favourite websites.
So, it’s essential to ensure your website translates well on smaller screens. The look needs to work on everything from desktops & laptops to smartphones, tablets, and more.
Be sure to test everything on your site, click through all the links, and fill in forms to ensure all elements of your site work correctly. And don’t forget to check images and ensure text auto-adjusts to the correct size.
When everything works as it should and looks great on mobile devices, you’ll have a successful website and business.
Keep Important Information Above the Fold
Finally, it’s important to make sure all essential information is kept above the fold. For instance, the most important headlines and other information need to be above the fold. Why? Because customers will see this information first. Ensure the text is readable and organise it with headings and subheadings. Bullet points are also helpful. CTAs are also more effective above the fold in many cases.
Summing It Up
Designing a customer-centric website is imperative for today’s online businesses. Taking a walk in your customer’s shoes means you have a better idea of whether or not the website meets their needs and expectations.
When changes are necessary, keep them small and change a few things at a time. Customers will feel more comfortable on the website and have a great impression of your business at the same time.
