Now this may sound fairly obvious, but usability and the creation of an excellent website user experience really is very important. And probably more important than you may realise.
Most marketers will understand the value in ensuring their website is usable, particularly if they are the owner of an ecommerce website; it impacts basket abandonment / completion rates, conversion rates, brand perception, lead generation, etc., in fact, pretty much every aspect of the success of your business online is affected by the quality of user experience your website offers.
However, the impact of your user experience does not end there…
Recent research has revealed that the last 12 months has seen a significant increase in the number of consumers who will share a bad online transactional experience on social media sites (13% - up from 8% in 2008).
But is this really a big issue? The same applies to a poor offline experience – a consumer will tell people about it. Not ideal, but there’s little that can be done to eliminate this, right?
Wrong. It really is a potentially BIG issue and one that won’t go away, particularly not if what is shared has a viral element to it, such as the renowned Virgin / Richard Branson complaint letter. Although much debated as to its authenticity, the letter is undoubtedly a brilliant read and a clear example of how a customer complaint shared online can reach a large number of people in a very small space of time.
The potential for a dissatisfied customer’s online gripe to do damage to your business is far greater in the digital world; and given that, according to the same survey referenced above, 74% of online adults said negative comments read online have an influence on whether they will do business with a company; marketing and brand managers should be investing heavily in their consumers’ online experience.
Now let’s for a minute imagine that your brand has done everything it possibly can to ensure a problem-free, intuitive and satisfying user experience… what next? We can assume that the very unique individual characteristics of humans mean that you cannot please all of the people all of the time, therefore it would not be presumptuous to expect a number of dissatisfied consumers, regardless of the perfection achieved on your website.
The best way to check up on these consumers; because stats also show that they’re as likely to tell others about their complaint as they are to tell you; is to monitor brand buzz. Brand buzz monitoring allows you to tap into all of the online mediums a consumer may use to discuss your brand, giving you visibility of the general public feeling about your brand and providing you with the opportunity to respond to specific comments – potentially negating the impact of the complaint and even publicly gaining trust in your brand in the process – Carphone Warehouse is great at doing this!
So this post is ending on quite a different topic to where it began, but validly so. Your website’s user experience is more than just about the directly attributable numbers. It’s about ensuring the best possible user experience to achieve maximum customer satisfaction. And then engaging your target audience in real conversations.
Jocelyn Kirby
Marketing & Business Development Manager
Twitter @JocelynKirby
Showing posts with label user experience. Show all posts
Showing posts with label user experience. Show all posts
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
Thursday, 8 January 2009
Web Design for Children
One of the brilliant things about the web is that it really is for everyone, and that includes people of all ages.
Most parents at some point experience the feeling of amazement when they see just how easily and well their children are able to interact with technology – this is often also accompanied by (quite valid) feelings of fear and trepidation. What makes children so good with technology is the fantastic ability to learn and that keenness to explore. Many companies want to take steps to service and interact with the youngest sections of the population – but exactly what does that entail?
Ethics
The most important thing to consider at the outset of any project involving children is the ethics of it, especially online. It is key to ensure the project can never have a negative effect on the children using the service – aside from the ethics; it wouldn’t bode well for brand reputation! Consideration has to be given across a whole range of issues, from the type of information available to any communication between the users and owners, or indeed between the users themselves. This can be achieved by ensuring that stringent checks are made at all levels, providing additional tools to administrators, creating additional information content for parents/teachers and utilizing legal teams to ensure compliance with all relevant laws. Security is an important consideration for any web site; when they involve children in some way, even more care should be implemented and certainly no shortcuts can be taken.
For older children, sites can start to include more sophisticated (in comparison to parent supported users) user features such as allowing the users to earn points and compare themselves with other users, or directly interact with each other. Ethical guidelines should of course still be applied at this user level and enhanced security must still be applied here. Older children may have more experience, but they are still vulnerable and it is critical to ensure that children of any age do not have a negative experience or get exposed to potential dangers when using the website.
User Experience (UX) - take nothing for granted
When it comes to the design, a great deal of consideration has to be given to just how children will be interacting with it, for very young children this may be the first website that they use. This means that nothing can be assumed about the user’s knowledge, when areas like navigation are considered this becomes very apparent. It can generally be assumed that with an average user, they will look for a menu system in order to navigate the site, with younger children this cannot be taken for granted, so the design and functionality of the site must ensure that the website takes the user on an easy to follow visual journey.
Engagement - don't forget the parent!
Often websites for very young children will aim not to be used by the child alone, but assisted by a parent. With these sites it is equally important to consider the engagement of adult users, and ensure that the process is interesting, not excessively repetitive, of educational value and of interest to the child, so that the adults feel happy to use the website with their child many times. Features such as repetitive music that a child may be totally happy with for hours on end, may make a parent yearn for ear plugs after just a few minutes!
Education, education, education
Websites for children also have a responsibility to be educational and even at very basic levels, it must be remembered that any information on the website might be the user’s first experience of the subject. This responsibility must always be taken seriously, and wherever there are recommended standards, the appropriate groups and organisations should be contacted for additional information.
Websites such as CEOP and Kidsmart are good places to start research. Documents such as the CEOP Charter are produced so that consistent approach and standards are used. It must also be borne in mind that the website may well become a reference for children that they will use frequently. In which case, it is important to ensure that information is accurate and kept up to date.
Ensure it's useful
Information should also be useful – both to parents and children – either for having fun or achieving practical goals. Parents will be especially keen on sites that encourage the child to be creative, communicate, learn and question. By presenting information that gives a parent a way of re-enforcing and supporting the life lessons they are trying to educate their children with, the parents will be much more receptive to the brand being presented. This information could also take the form of content that parents can download. Some great examples of this are downloadable party invitations, Christmas cards, colouring and drawing exercises. Again this interaction with both the child and the parent helps to encourage frequent use and great brand awareness.
A great many websites interact with younger users very successfully, improving their status within the community and helping to contribute in a positive way to the education and development of children all over the world.
Whilst website projects with children have to be approached with great care, they result in very positive experiences for everyone involved – being involved with a project that makes a real contribution to the happiness, education and development of children is a highly rewarding experience for all involved.
David C
Programmer
Most parents at some point experience the feeling of amazement when they see just how easily and well their children are able to interact with technology – this is often also accompanied by (quite valid) feelings of fear and trepidation. What makes children so good with technology is the fantastic ability to learn and that keenness to explore. Many companies want to take steps to service and interact with the youngest sections of the population – but exactly what does that entail?
Ethics
The most important thing to consider at the outset of any project involving children is the ethics of it, especially online. It is key to ensure the project can never have a negative effect on the children using the service – aside from the ethics; it wouldn’t bode well for brand reputation! Consideration has to be given across a whole range of issues, from the type of information available to any communication between the users and owners, or indeed between the users themselves. This can be achieved by ensuring that stringent checks are made at all levels, providing additional tools to administrators, creating additional information content for parents/teachers and utilizing legal teams to ensure compliance with all relevant laws. Security is an important consideration for any web site; when they involve children in some way, even more care should be implemented and certainly no shortcuts can be taken.
For older children, sites can start to include more sophisticated (in comparison to parent supported users) user features such as allowing the users to earn points and compare themselves with other users, or directly interact with each other. Ethical guidelines should of course still be applied at this user level and enhanced security must still be applied here. Older children may have more experience, but they are still vulnerable and it is critical to ensure that children of any age do not have a negative experience or get exposed to potential dangers when using the website.
User Experience (UX) - take nothing for granted
When it comes to the design, a great deal of consideration has to be given to just how children will be interacting with it, for very young children this may be the first website that they use. This means that nothing can be assumed about the user’s knowledge, when areas like navigation are considered this becomes very apparent. It can generally be assumed that with an average user, they will look for a menu system in order to navigate the site, with younger children this cannot be taken for granted, so the design and functionality of the site must ensure that the website takes the user on an easy to follow visual journey.
Engagement - don't forget the parent!
Often websites for very young children will aim not to be used by the child alone, but assisted by a parent. With these sites it is equally important to consider the engagement of adult users, and ensure that the process is interesting, not excessively repetitive, of educational value and of interest to the child, so that the adults feel happy to use the website with their child many times. Features such as repetitive music that a child may be totally happy with for hours on end, may make a parent yearn for ear plugs after just a few minutes!
Education, education, education
Websites for children also have a responsibility to be educational and even at very basic levels, it must be remembered that any information on the website might be the user’s first experience of the subject. This responsibility must always be taken seriously, and wherever there are recommended standards, the appropriate groups and organisations should be contacted for additional information.
Websites such as CEOP and Kidsmart are good places to start research. Documents such as the CEOP Charter are produced so that consistent approach and standards are used. It must also be borne in mind that the website may well become a reference for children that they will use frequently. In which case, it is important to ensure that information is accurate and kept up to date.
Ensure it's useful
Information should also be useful – both to parents and children – either for having fun or achieving practical goals. Parents will be especially keen on sites that encourage the child to be creative, communicate, learn and question. By presenting information that gives a parent a way of re-enforcing and supporting the life lessons they are trying to educate their children with, the parents will be much more receptive to the brand being presented. This information could also take the form of content that parents can download. Some great examples of this are downloadable party invitations, Christmas cards, colouring and drawing exercises. Again this interaction with both the child and the parent helps to encourage frequent use and great brand awareness.
A great many websites interact with younger users very successfully, improving their status within the community and helping to contribute in a positive way to the education and development of children all over the world.
Whilst website projects with children have to be approached with great care, they result in very positive experiences for everyone involved – being involved with a project that makes a real contribution to the happiness, education and development of children is a highly rewarding experience for all involved.
David C
Programmer
Thursday, 25 September 2008
The Key to Engaging Fans
Bluhalo's Founder and Managing Director, Spencer Gallagher, appeared at Ad:Tech today to share his in depth knowledge of engaging fans digitally.
Through many years' experience working for some of the top sporting brands in the UK that include Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool F.C., NFL UK and Subaru World Rally Team, Spencer and the Bluhalo team have developed an impressive ability to create highly successful web projects. Projects that not only deliver return on investment, but that also are a success with the fans - often the most difficult part of a sports web project.
With sports fans showing a devotion earned by no other types of brands, the approach to change within their team's website has to be a careful one. This approach has been finetuned by Spencer and the Bluhalo team, with Andy Murray's loyal fans truly embracing his new website, launched earlier this year by Bluhalo.
Through many years' experience working for some of the top sporting brands in the UK that include Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool F.C., NFL UK and Subaru World Rally Team, Spencer and the Bluhalo team have developed an impressive ability to create highly successful web projects. Projects that not only deliver return on investment, but that also are a success with the fans - often the most difficult part of a sports web project.
With sports fans showing a devotion earned by no other types of brands, the approach to change within their team's website has to be a careful one. This approach has been finetuned by Spencer and the Bluhalo team, with Andy Murray's loyal fans truly embracing his new website, launched earlier this year by Bluhalo.
Spencer shares his knowledge of engaging fans in the social media and targeting theatre at Ad:Tech.
Thursday, 3 April 2008
The HOT 5 design trends for the year ahead
1. User Generated Content (UGC)
Fuelled by the rapid growth of web 2.0 and social media, UGC is becoming an essential part of website design, with an increasing amount of website real estate being allocated to UGC features. From blogs, videos and podcasts to comments, articles, tag clouds and much more, UGC is becoming as important in web design as calls to action and clear navigation.
2. Functional or Fat Footers
Below the fold is becoming as important as above the fold, a functional footer is often seen as just another way of increasing clicks within your website from the lower parts of your website. But it’s more than that. A functional footer improves usability, is simple to build, is very en vogue and provides a high density of key words to contribute to your SEO.
3. Rich Email Marketing Campaigns
Cited as the new DM, email marketing has grown hugely in popularity in recent years. With increasingly sophisticated broadcast software, detailed tracking and virtually limitless options for the creative, email marketing is a fantastic way to increase your top of mind awareness, encourage repeat purchase and provide a means for you to promote special offers, new products and communicate your latest news.
4. UX – User Experience
With website usability a key factor in the success of a website, clear navigation is essential in ensuring a site is a pleasure rather than a chore to explore. With UGC, web 2.0 and social media all contributing to vast amounts of content within sites, it’s all the more important to make sure you make it simple and easy for your visitors to find what they’re looking for. This might be with the use of ‘speaking’ navigation or icons to add meaning to the traditional ‘one-word’ navigation, both of which have the advantage of looking pretty cool too!
5. Site Personalisation – Back with a vengeance…
Personalisation has been around for years, but as users are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their use of the internet, it’s back with a vengeance. With users now used to and taking enjoyment from creating their own web pages, such as with MySpace and Facebook, the ability to personalise a site is frequently becoming a big selling point of a website. By enabling your users to personalise your website by choosing what items they see, such as topic specific news, blog articles, specific product groups or even simply the colour scheme of your website, you’ll increase the depth of brand engagement, improve repeat visits and ultimately increase conversions.
To continue with our marathon of web tips, click on one of the article titles below:
Make social media work for you
Increase your website traffic
Blog successfully
Must-have website features
Fuelled by the rapid growth of web 2.0 and social media, UGC is becoming an essential part of website design, with an increasing amount of website real estate being allocated to UGC features. From blogs, videos and podcasts to comments, articles, tag clouds and much more, UGC is becoming as important in web design as calls to action and clear navigation.
2. Functional or Fat Footers
Below the fold is becoming as important as above the fold, a functional footer is often seen as just another way of increasing clicks within your website from the lower parts of your website. But it’s more than that. A functional footer improves usability, is simple to build, is very en vogue and provides a high density of key words to contribute to your SEO.
3. Rich Email Marketing Campaigns
Cited as the new DM, email marketing has grown hugely in popularity in recent years. With increasingly sophisticated broadcast software, detailed tracking and virtually limitless options for the creative, email marketing is a fantastic way to increase your top of mind awareness, encourage repeat purchase and provide a means for you to promote special offers, new products and communicate your latest news.
4. UX – User Experience
With website usability a key factor in the success of a website, clear navigation is essential in ensuring a site is a pleasure rather than a chore to explore. With UGC, web 2.0 and social media all contributing to vast amounts of content within sites, it’s all the more important to make sure you make it simple and easy for your visitors to find what they’re looking for. This might be with the use of ‘speaking’ navigation or icons to add meaning to the traditional ‘one-word’ navigation, both of which have the advantage of looking pretty cool too!
5. Site Personalisation – Back with a vengeance…
Personalisation has been around for years, but as users are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their use of the internet, it’s back with a vengeance. With users now used to and taking enjoyment from creating their own web pages, such as with MySpace and Facebook, the ability to personalise a site is frequently becoming a big selling point of a website. By enabling your users to personalise your website by choosing what items they see, such as topic specific news, blog articles, specific product groups or even simply the colour scheme of your website, you’ll increase the depth of brand engagement, improve repeat visits and ultimately increase conversions.
To continue with our marathon of web tips, click on one of the article titles below:
Make social media work for you
Increase your website traffic
Blog successfully
Must-have website features
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