Web design sits at the intersection of art, technology and sales. And that’s a tough cross-roads because art is subjective, technology can be empowering while intimidating, and sales is the lifeblood of every business. Needless to say, good web-design plays a key role in a company’s brand identity and ability to drive more leads.
You met Rodolfo, VP of Product at Method, a few months back when he first joined the team. He’s an ideas guy who’s passionate about design (and Dumplings, if you ever want to grab lunch with him.)
One thing that differentiates Rodolfo from other designers is his approach:
“My job is to align the technology, business goals and the user’s needs into one cohesive product,” Rodolfo says. “I'm the guy who asks the "why" of everything, which sometimes can be a pain in the butt, but it pays off big time in getting results.”
So whether you’re planning a redesign or starting from scratch here are Rodolfo’s:
3 Things to Improve Your Web Design
1. Business owners should be clear on goals. But keep them simple. If you want someone to give you something, facilitate the process. Don’t put barriers in between. So if your website’s main goal is lead generation and collecting email addresses, don’t make a customer click through three dropdowns, just ask - the fewer hoops a users has to jump through, the higher your conversion rate. And don’t put too much information on the homepage. Sometimes a person visiting your site just wants to have a glance. If you keep it simple and capture their attention, they’ll stick around for more.
2. Ask for several ideas and make sure they’re fairly different from each other. They don’t have to be full mockups as long as you can visualize what the finished product will look like. Maybe it’s just different colour palettes or maybe it’s completely different layouts. Then test these within your environment. Remove yourself from the test group and show it to your wife/husband, kids, friends, co-workers, peers and see what they have to say. Moreover, ask trusted customers for their feedback. A free survey tool like SurveyMonkey makes this fast and easy.
3. Listen to your designer’s recommendations. Yes, you have strong opinions and you’re an expert in your business. When it comes to online, your web designer is an expert too. They’ll benefit from your customer knowledge and will use that info when designing. Then they come up with a few concepts that might be simpler than you imagined and have a lot less copy. That’s OK. Creating an awesome user experience is their job. Let them do it. This quote from Albert Einstein applies to so many things, including Web Design: “Make everything as simple as possible. But not simpler.”
What’s been your experience working on your site design? Are you a DIY type of person or do you rely on someone with professional expertise? What tips would you add?
Please share your thoughts. And as the 3 Things series grows we’ll be adding guest bloggers and looking for your stories on what’s worked and what hasn’t, and how you adapted or improved on an idea we shared.
Email: 3things@methodintegration.com
Twitter: @methodCRM
And one more question for Rodolfo - When is Method’s new, redesigned site launching? :-)
Till next time.
Jamil... in conversation with Rodolfo Novak.