Designing
Web
Usability
Written
by
the best-known guru
of usability.
Secrets
of
Successful
Web Sites
Siegel
gives
a perfect blueprint of ways to
plan, develop and design websites
that work.
Creating
Killer
Web Sites
Another
enlightening book by
Siegel, which (in my opinion) counts as the "creme de la creme" of
website development books.
Don't
Make
Me Think
If
you read
this book
along with Nielsen's books, and follow their advice,
visitors will
love visiting your
websites.
101
Ways
to Promote
Your Web Site
Once
you
have your website launched,
you want people to
visit. Author Sweeney
is
an expert on
a plethora of ways to accomplish it.
that Accompany Websites
Volume II, Issue 6
ISSN: 1547-7754
November 2004
printable
version
Chris
King, Editor
By
subscription only, this monthly e-newsletter is loaded with short, "down
and dirty" tips to help you with solving the everchanging and growing
puzzle of the Internet. This e-zine serves as a place
to ask your questions and find the answers. So, send
me your burning questions.
During this past month, a marketing discussion group to which I belong has been carrying on a long discussion about the role emotions (and feelings) play in the marketing and selling process. I also attended a tele-seminar concerning the emotional impact of websites. So, in this issue, I thought it would be fun to consider some of the emotions and feelings that visitors experience as they surf the Internet and come in contact with various websites.
There are so many, that I will only be able to scratch the surface. We must also realize that there are both positive and negative feelings. And that many reactions occur according to the target audience a website is designed for – as they should.
FEELING #1. Frustration happens in many ways because of thoughtless design.
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Long download time because of huge graphics, Flash introduction pages and bloated code.
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Most visitors will leave because their frustration turns into impatience.
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If you know that everyone who visits your site has a high-speed connection, you won’t have to worry about this.
FEELING #2. Confusion arrives in many forms.
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What is this site about? Even though we know what our site is about and why we have it, we must make sure that it is obvious to a visitor what we are working toward accomplishing through our website. It is amazing how many sites leave us wondering and confused.
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Unclear navigation provides a prime area of confusion. If the navigational tools/buttons don’t have obvious labels or are not recognizable, the visitor will have no idea where to go next or how to find what he or she is looking for.
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A shopping cart from H - - -! You know what I mean. It takes a plethora of steps and clicks to buy a small item, and when you get to the end, you are still unsure of whether it worked or not.
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Hard-to-find contact information. It is always surprising to me when I have trouble finding how to get in touch with the website’s company and/or owner. I begin to wonder if they are hiding something. I suggest including this information on every page.
FEELING #3. Warmth will help with setting up rapport and trust with your visitor.
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Many websites have good, clean, corporate looking designs – and even straight forward navigation – but, for me, are a turnoff because they lack personality and warmth. They are too, too corporate.
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What provides warmth? Personally, I like to see photos – and not obviously stock photos. If I am going to be doing business with the company owner, I want to know what he or she looks like.
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Warm and friendly colors – not jarring lime greens and bright pinks – can also provide warmth in a subtle and refreshing way.
FEELING #4. Pure delight with a newly visited website offers surprise and joy because there are so many others that elicit negative feelings and emotions.
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A website can be fun and exciting. It is our assignment to figure out ways to make them so. Interesting, ever-changing and updated content, helpful resources, free offers and surveys, along with well written e-newsletters all combine to succeed with this reaction.
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The website has just what you are looking for – either in the form of information or the product of your dreams at the perfect price and with an easy to use shopping-cart experience.
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The website portrays the perfect tone for its purpose. If it is a designer’s site, it has an artistic feeling. If it is a photographer’s site, the photos are breathtaking. If it is a technology site, it is crisp and technologically distinct. You get the picture.
FEELING #5. Distaste results from an unexpected shock.
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The site is the epitome of Kitsch (the tasteless and pretentious). I was just sent to a site like this by a woman who claimed that she is a fine designer. If she is a designer, my shock changed my mind about her credentials.
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We all have different tastes and expectations, but when the website renders distaste in more than a few visitors, it is ready for a re-design.
FEELING #6. Community and sharing go a long way in establishing repeat visitors.
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A site that offers a discussion area, articles of interest, an e-newsletter with an easy way to send feedback and serves a common target market and/or area also offers a sense of community.
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Blogs are a perfect example of community and sharing. This is why, in my opinion, they have become so popular.
As I mentioned in the beginning, this e-zine is just scratching the surface of emotions and feelings. I hope, however, it will encourage you to test your website – or website to be – for whether or not it is succeeding at creating the emotions and feelings you want it to.
Attention! New Offer from Chris King. After visiting many websites, and talking with website owners, I realize that many have sites that are in need of a refurbishing, but the original designer(s) is no longer available. If this applies to you, I am now willing to help you update and freshen your website. Give me a call at (216) 991-8428 or e-mail me at chris@creativekeys.biz.
Remember, send your comments and questions to me at chris@creativekeys.biz. I love to receive feedback and will answer your questions in future e-zines.
If you would like to subscribe to this e-zine and receive five free Internet tips, send an e-mail to subscribe@creativekeys.biz with subscribe in the subject line. If you ever wish to be removed from the mailing list, just send an e-mail to unsubscribe@creativekeys.biz with unsubscribe in the subject line.
Chris
King
P.O. Box 221255
Beachwood, Ohio 44122
(216) 991-8428
http://www.creativekeys.biz
