How important is allowing users to provide crucial information in the design process of your website? Should User Centered Design (UCD) be required if you expect online success?
The philosophy of having users weigh in on the decision making process with respect to designing successful websites is coming to the forefront of many development conversations. In the past, the success or failure of a business’ online presence usually fell upon the artists designing the pages look and feel as well as the engineers who developed and integrated the web applications for use at the website.
Unfortunately, success in these scenarios tended to be hit or miss. Professional Developer’s personal aesthetics might have overwhelming presence in the client’s final design. With nothing more substantial than “it worked the last time we included it,” much of what is sold to business owners is backed by very little science.
When a business decides to employ User Center Design, or UCD, however, there is much more concrete, factual information and data supporting the design decision making process.
If you are planning to provide any type of products or service to online visitors, it may well be crucial that you understand exactly how those potential customers are using your website. The best way to ensure you are making the correct design decisions is to use UCD regularly and effectively as you develop your business website.
When you begin the design of a website or product and include user interactions from the very beginning, you are assured that the choices you make will favor how users interact with what you’re building. UCD can provide your designers with audiovisual feedback from test users. This sort of real world data enables them to make choices in the design process they would never get if they work solely on past experience or gut instinct.
The past does not equal the future. What might be effective for one targeted customer type is no guarantee to sell successfully to this client’s buyers. Every niche and community is different. Even within a community of users and customers there are many different personalities to consider.
By using cost effective UCD services provided by experienced professionals, you have the opportunity to test with a very specific customer type. You then get to make positive choices to alter your designs. You get immediate feedback from precisely the type of potential customer you hope to make successful sales to once you launch your web site.
Another powerful aspect of using UCD is to better understand the Rhetorical Situations which face your website visitors. By casting a wide test net, you gain knowledge as to the audience you hope to server better. What are their age ranges, gender, geographical locations, ethnicities, education levels, buying power, etc.
What was the context that brought your users to your website? Do you provide something they need to answer questions? Will your products or services help make their lives better? Understanding these context issues can make a huge difference in how you serve them.
You’ll also be able to use UCD to better understand the purpose behind your users visit to your site. If they are indeed simply looking to gain knowledge, provide them with that knowledge in a friendly and professional way. If on the other hand, they are ready to make a purchase, you need to understand how their purpose is now different from fact finding. And you’ll want to act accordingly.
While it may seem overwhelming, UCD has been made extremely user friendly for the small business owner who wants to ensure their websites success. Services exist today which provide extremely powerful yet cost effective online tools that can be used from the comfort and convenience of your office computer. Taking the time to learn more about User Centered Design is the most essential task you’ll want to check off your to do list.