Interactive Seven 2009 Supplement - Marketing Week

MWIB_260209_p039 19/2/09 17:48 Page 39
INTERACTIVE USER-CENTRED DESIGN
Who wants
your
website?
When it comes to designing a
new website, some companies
will still try to put aesthetic
tastes or commercial drivers
at the forefront of their
online proposition. While
this may give you a site that
looks great graphically and
makes the stakeholders
happy, the real question you
should be asking yourself is:
“Will this make our users
happy?” If the answer is no,
then making your website a
commercial success could be
an uphill struggle.
The old adage that “the customer is always right” still applies
in the online world, and it is crucial that your website is designed
based on what your users want, rather than purely what you
want. Many organisations have realised this and have employed
user-centered design (UCD) to create new or updated websites.
UCD is the process of designing websites primarily around
the needs of your target users, rather than commercial goals. The
design process involves the user at every stage, with the first step
involving research to establish user needs. Initial site designs are
then created accordingly and tested by users, with adjustments
made based on the feedback.
Think about when you’re launching a new product. You will
generally either carry out, commission or consult some market
research to give you a better chance of success. The process
should be very similar when launching a new website. Researching
your target user base can give you a very specific viewpoint
which will allow you to ensure that your proposition is grounded
in genuine user needs. This will give you confidence that there is
demand for your proposition before taking it to market.
In today’s highly competitive online environment, there is an
overwhelming pressure on marketers to ensure their content and
websites are easy to use. With the proliferation of broadband connections
and the continuing online shopping boom (in spite of
the economic climate), online consumers have a lot of choice. If a
user finds a website difficult to use, they will just give up and
choose a rival’s site instead.
If you fail to put user needs at the centre of your website
design, then you may find that all the online marketing in the
world could be in vain, as your sales gradually decline in the
face of a competitor that has built its site around the needs of
its users.
Trenton Moss, Director, Webcredible
T: 0870 242 6095, E: info@webcredible.co.uk
W: www.webcredible.co.uk
Simplicity
sells
As competition grows in the everexpanding
online shopping market,
brands must ensure their site is quick
and easy to navigate for users.
By David Benady
Websites for packaged grocery brands, financial services products
and top fashion marques are among the most cluttered,
off-putting and hard to use on the internet. This is the verdict
of usability consultants who believe many brands are
failing to create easy-to-use websites and could be losing sales and brand
loyalty as a result.
The consultants have identified brands, including Norwich Union,
Dior and Ralph Lauren, as missing a trick when it comes to website
usability. They either trip users up when asking for contact details or
employ hi-tec introduction pages, videos and interactivity that take an
age to load.
By contrast, sites for brands such as WH Smith, Hamleys, Apple and
the BBC are scoring highly in the usability stakes. They make
it easy for users to find the information they need and are structured in
a logical and easy-to-navigate fashion.
Web 2.0 has opened up the internet to a new array of tools which
enhance social interaction, but have added an extra layer of complexity
that may detract from the flow of communication. The urge to turn
sites into over-crowded emporia of video, games and other interactive
add-ons has made the user experience
on many sites busy, confusing
and unclear.
The best sites put the needs of
the end user at the heart of their
designs. Easy-to-use websites offer
brands huge benefits, such as keeping
enquiries to call centres to a
minimum, building loyalty among
customers and ensuring shopping
carts are not abandoned before the
check-out.
But given that the internet era
is more than ten years old, it is surprising
how many sites fail to see
the world from the customer’s point
of view. “Too many brands are still
forcing their messages on the consumer
and designing sites that represent
the company’s view and
Pretty but difficult: Ralph
Lauren’s site is an example of how what they think the user might
bad usability can trip users up want,” says Mo Rogers, direc-
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