Web design is one of the most important things that comes with creating a website. In order to have an effective website, you must know your target audience. Knowing your target audience is very helpful in designing a website because different audiences prefer different designs and features. It is important to gather knowledge of the target audience, do research on websites surrounding that particular target audience, and then implement the style of web design that is most common and effective for the audience. Once this is accomplished, the user will have a more positive experience.
1. What are their needs and wants?
A users needs and wants change with every audience. If my mom is shopping online, she would prefer a website that is easy to navigate, simplistic, and straight to the point. People in this age range are more likely to spend their money when they don’t have to go through difficulties to do so, and if they feel it’s something they need or want. The design of the website needs to align with the users wants and needs. If the website is sloppy and hard to navigate, the user could get annoyed and change their mind about what they want and choose to not spend their money on this website due to the poor design and difficulties they encountered.
2. What type of website will drive the most sales?
As mentioned above, the websites that will drive the most sales are the websites that are specifically designed for their target audience, or ones that can be used for a broad target audience. I think that a good way to tell what websites drive the most sales is the use of eye tracking and heat maps. Eye tracking is good for testing to see the difference between what sites/features attract the attention of males and which attract the attention of females, and then comparing those results to see if one does better than the other. It’s a good way to do research on the audience to see what they are more drawn to and what interests them. This can be done with different target audiences/age groups and not just male vs. female testing. Heat maps are also useful because it can be done completely virtually, instead of eye tracking where a person would physically have to come to a location to do the test. Heat maps work in a similar way, where it tracks where the mouse goes and how frequently it goes to that place. This is useful because if a website has a lot of action on it, or if the site has a specific place where there is a lot of action then you would easily be able to tell if the site is effective and what about the site is interesting to the user.
Hey Alicia!,
Very valuable information! I agree with everything you say. I do think that any company that is going online and has their own website should always think of their user experience. Always leaving a positive and great experience that will make the customer come back for more and more. The company should think on their target market. Who do they want to target? and with that know what are their needs and the wants of their customers because as time goes, people also change and their needs aren’t the same. Also, I liked how you touched on the eye tracking and heat maps as a way to drive sales. Eye tracking because it is good too know which part or feature attracts the attention of males and females. And heat maps which tracks where the mouse goes and the frequency. This are great tools that will help you know if your website is being successful or not.
Hi Ali, I think this blog was very well written! The information that you included in what design elements a website should have is very informative and I feel like I have a better understand of effective websites now!