Design

It’s all in the follow through

Posted On January 27th, 2009 Author Kyle Racki Filed Under Design, Business, Comments 1

For those of us who design and build websites, we know that there are ones that go smoothly, and ones that don’t. But even more important than how it goes while we’re working on it is what happens after the site goes live. This is where in some cases, the team designing the website need to know how to follow through.

There is a reason many of us fall short when it comes to following through; Let’s face it, when we get a new project in the door, we’re excited. Oh, the possibilities—especially when it’s a new client, or a new type of project from an existing client. We as designers are often anxious to begin sinking our teeth into a new problem, and coming up with a design, possibly utilizing a new style, trend or technique that we want to add to our portfolio.

But then what happens; After numerous client revisions, CMS development, IE6 bugs, and waiting for content to trickle in, boredom sets in as well. Perhaps another client project has come in that has replaced the passion we once had for the website that is now 85% done (but is just waiting on copy or client feedback). I believe this is why some sites that could have been great, just end up alright. I also believe a lack of follow-through can negatively influence our relationship with our client and affect future opportunities.

First of all, let’s look at how we follow through:

Content Implementation

In many projects, we have to deal with client-provided content. We all know that even if our client is Cormack McCarthy, client-provided copy is never as effective as if we have a web copywriter who can at least refine the provided content.

This is where attention to detail matters. It’s not just the “About Us” and “our Products & Services” copy that matters, it’s the little things. The headline that users see when they first visit the site, the intro paragraph, the email subscribe lead in, the contact call to action. These should not be after-thoughts, or meaninglessly tossed in. The attention to detail in the content can make or break a website. Often, the short blurbs of copy get read by more users than the ‘meat’ content of the website.

Design refinement

This ties in closely with content implementation. The tendency can be to simply flow in content into a web page CMS, but here the design choice we make can have a dramatic impact on the usability and thus, success of the site.

Because web designers often design before they receive finished content, unlike print designers who manage to get copy before they start, the initial design merely serves as a template. It may include a polished style for the header, footer, sidebar and home page layout, but the content—the most important element on most sites—can get neglected and become replaced with Lorum Ipsum. I believe some of the most interesting parts of the design process can come after the back-end is built and finished content is being flowed into the site.

Could the list within the copy be pulled out into a side box? Could the lead-in be larger and more dramatic? Could those three paragraphs of copy be set up into three columns within the content box? Would the list or prices work better in a nicely formatted table instead of an unordered list?

A great example is how Erskine Design changes their site layout to fit content, in particular, the case studies:

Another example is Jason Santa Maria’s website. He designs entire layouts based on the content of his blog posts.

CSS tweaks and fixes

While arguably the same as design refinement, tweaking our CSS can take a website from being ho-hum to oscar worthy (whatever that means in the design world).

Designers often hate it when the developed website doesn’t match our graphic design files. Conversely, sometimes we get sloppy in the design stage and don’t place elements with pixel precision, or we don’t bother with spacing out the headings from the paragraphs for example. This is where again, follow through at the end stage makes a difference. Also, making sure our site works in every browser/state possible, including mobile and print, will ensure our users always have a positive experience.

Client relationship

Maintaining a strong client relationship doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the quality of the work you provide. You could have designed a killer website, and your client may be thrilled, or at least satisfied—and yet you could still pass up the opportunity for future work.

A good practice is to follow up with the client when all is said and done, when the site is live, when you’re busy adding it to your website portfolio. Take the time to write an email (and no, the invoice doesn’t count) thanking the client for their business, especially if this isn’t the first job they’ve brought to you. Ask them if they were satisfied with, not only the work, but the process and the support/service they received. This is really simple, but it goes a long way.

If the client was pleased, ask them for a testimonial and if you can use them as a referral. If they have complaints, truly listen, apologize where necessary and thank them for their honest feedback. You just may get the next job they have down the line.

Getting the word out - Website Marketing

And now another slight shift in topic, getting a client’s site out for people to see. If you’ve engaged the client in an upfront marketing strategy, then this should have already been planned out. But even if the client came to you for a straight-ahead design/build—you can still drop them a line after the site launched and present ideas to market the website.

Many clients and designers dust their hands clean when they finish a website, but this is the time when you can really do good for your client by helping them realize that simply because they have a new website doesn’t mean it’s going to market itself. As an added bonus, you can secure yourself more paid work by offering some or all of the following:

On-site Search Engine Optimization
Link building strategy and implementation
Email Marketing
Social Media Assessment and strategy
CPC Campaign management
Traditional print/radio advertising
Ambient/guerrilla advertising

Just like swinging a golf club, or shooting pool—a good follow-through will bring you the most success. If you do it right, you’ll ensure that you’re happy with your work, and so is your client.

Web Design Trends For 2009

Posted On January 8th, 2009 Author Kyle Racki Filed Under Design, External Articles, Comments 0

The always excellent Smashing Magazine put out a post a while back, with web trends for 2009. I felt personally that these were merely trends that have already been established in 2008.

Apparently Smashing Magazine can read my mind, because this week they put out an article on “More Web Trends for 2009”, and I feel this list definitely hits the mark on design styles that I’ve seen a little bit of last year (some I’ve even used myself), but trends we can expect to see more and more of this year. Worth a read.

When to re-brand

Posted On December 28th, 2008 Author Kyle Racki Filed Under Design, Comments 3

Most small to medium business have heard the term ‘branding’ thrown around before. Some think it’s a meaningless buzzword, others know that having a healthy brand is vital to the success of a company. But somewhere in the life of a business, it is essential to take a step back and re-brand, at least from a visual standpoint. But when does such a drastic decision need to be made?

When not to re-brand

Some small businesses when starting out, get a quick-and-dirty logo designed from a friend or relative. Eventually, they realize the short-sightedness of that decision when they receive negative feedback, or when they see that the identity doesn’t truly represent who they are.

Other times, a business will go through the right steps and contract a reputable, qualified freelancer or agency to brand their new company, looking at not just a logo, but the entire visual strategy that represents the goals, reputation and audience of the company. Some clients will then roll out this new brand, and then get antsy because they are not seeing instant results. This is not the time to re-brand.

Brands take time to become established. Did McDonald’s or Nike enjoy instant recognition when the golden arches or the check mark first came out? No. Will your well-thought out visual strategy instantly achieve success after six months and a few ad spots? Never. This is not the downfall of the designer or marketing team; all brands require time to grab hold of their market. Definitely keep an eye on it’s success level and act accordingly, but don’t jump the gun and re-brand if it’s not warranted.

Is your visual brand properly defining your business goals?

When you think that your brand may be losing it’s freshness, one of the key issues to ask about isn’t, “Does my logo still feel cool to me”. Personal aesthetic sensibility is never a true gauge of effectiveness. When you first branded your company, you would have received a brand strategy document and perhaps a positioning statement. At the time you may have thought that this was meaningless fluff to justify the high price tag of your brand session, but in reality these documents serve as wonderful guides to continue to point you in the right direction.

Has anything changed in your business goals? Are you now widening, or perhaps narrowing your target. Is one of your customer groups responding better than the previous markets you initially focused on selling to? Do you offer different products or services than you did when you first branded yourself? If the answer is yes, then you may want to look at revisiting your visual brand to help match your new values.

Has it been out for years and people still can’t recognize it?

If you have been out there in the public, and your customers and target audience have seen your ads, your website, signage, and stationery, and still can’t seem to remember you—this may be a time to reconsider whether your brand is working.

Remember that your brand is your reputation, not just your logo. If you can’t retain customers, it may have nothing to do with how you look visually, it may have to do with poor service, lack of supply, or whatever other reason people look to other companies to meet their demand. This is where survey’s and focus groups can come in handy, perhaps invest in some marketing research, a usability test, or any other professional way to gather information and learn why you are having problems attracting and/or retaining customers.

If the reason is just that your visual marketing pieces are boring, and not interesting your target audience, it may be time to refresh or re-brand entirely.

Has a competitor stole your thunder?

Sometimes, there’s nothing wrong with your design identity. In fact, sometimes, it’s pretty good. But one thing about humans is they adapt, their interests switch. Sometimes, you need more than just good, especially if a competitor has come out with a strong, attention-grabbing way of marketing to your customers. In this situation, simply looking professional isn’t enough. You need to jump up and down, and make a scene… in a good way.

Big companies do it all the time. Any massive BTC corporation needs to fight continually to retain market share. This is why car companies come out with new ads instead of running the old ones. It’s why phone companies who previously had little competition come out with a re-brand all of a sudden. If the big guys need to do it, you’ll need to as well.

Can you salvage anything?

A word of caution; If you decide it’s time to re-brand, be careful not to throw out the brand equity you’ve built up over the years. Even if your previous brand wasn’t working, obviously some people have seen it, maybe some have even liked it. If there is anything to salvage in your brand identity, see if there’s a way to retain it, but to take it up to a whole new level.

Take a look at some examples of classic redesigns of large companies, and notice how many times, they retain existing qualities to their old identities.

A more dynamic version of the simplistic burger icon.

Same log, new sleek look for Apple.

A recent redesign for Bell. They lost the uninspired icon, and kept a simple, but effective word mark.

For some more great versions of redesigned, check out this post on stunning examples of a great redesign.

Usability, different from being passable

Posted On November 3rd, 2008 Author Kyle Racki Filed Under Design, Business, Usability, Comments 3

Usability, part of the long drawn out series,12 things you need to know before commissioning a website.

In many cases, if you’re commissioning a website, it is not because you don’t have one, it’s because your current one isn’t working. Problem is, many don’t know specifically why they’re current website isn’t working. Perhaps it is just plain ugly or has outdated information. But what if you actually paid for a good website only a year ago, and it just isn’t helping your bottom line? That’s where usability testing just might come in handy.

Why the heck would I want my site just usable?

The term ‘usable’ generally doesn’t have great connotations, as if we’re content with merely being usable (eg: “How do you like that new Mercedes?” “It’s usable”). However in the context of websites, it is perhaps the most important element to get right, equally as important as branding, content and accessibility. So what is it? In a nutshell, it means that the people who use your site intuitively understand how to use it, enjoy using it, and it leads users to where you want them without forcing or frustrating them.

Achieving this goal is often easier said than done. While many sites we would typically refer to as having usability issues are old clunker sites done in 1999 by the proverbial basement-dwelling cousin, even some very high-profile, ultra-high-tech, insanely high-priced websites have equally poor usability.

Even sleek and sexy sites can stink when it comes to usability

For example, typical usability concerns that face websites are things like splash or welcome pages that have little to no content, poor navigation that makes you feel lost, hard-to-read text over gaudy backgrounds, you get the idea (visit user designed Myspace pages for examples).

But even very attractive, polished websites for fortune 500 companies can have crippling usability concerns. For plentiful examples, visit the FWA (Favorite Website Awards). It posts “cutting edge” websites on a daily basis. And by cutting edge, they mean sometimes innovative all Flash websites, with sound, video, motion-graphics, and rich vector graphics. Don’t get me wrong, there is beautiful stuff on here, but there is also consistently unusable, yet original interfaces.

Revolution vs Convention

This is where the great divide comes in. On one camp, you have Jacob Nielson, a usability advocate who preaches conformity to established rules (and you can tell by his website that design, creativity or originality isn’t a concern of his). In the other camp, you have design organizations like Communication Arts, and the aforementioned FWA, as well as prominent companies like Barbarian Group and Big Spaceship who seem to feel that conforming too closely to usability laws stifles creativity.

Usability testing

But let’s bring it back to you. Let’s say your website looks good, it’s on brand, and yet you notice that 80% of your users bounce off of the home page. There is a definite chance you have usability issues. Those could be visual (ie: layout confusing, nav too hidden, buttons not big enough etc.) or they could be copy-related (text doesn’t draw in users, there’s too much body copy not enough quick snappy callouts etc.).

One of the best ways to find out is by conducting a usability test. In the past usability tests were expensive, involving two-way mirrors, and demographically-chosen test users with tubes hooked up to the back of their heads (okay, I made that last part up). It doesn’t have to be that way however. With great tools like Silverback, usability testing can simply involve getting a handful of users together and observing their behavior as they navigate your website, noting where they have difficulty. Nowadays, small-medium sized companies can generally afford usability tests.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this information will prove useful to you as you commission a website redesign or rework. Keep in mind that usability is directly related to the mainstream consensus of web users, and as they evolve and adapt to interface conventions, so will the standards of usability.

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