One of the largest online retailers joined in on the fun of April Fools’ Day by redesigning their website to resemble their ’90s layout. I originally went to Amazon.com to check out some phone cases, then the “Circa 1999” edition roped me in and I began reading all of the April foolishness. Gone were the personalized ads of shoes and handbags I had been eyeing and replacing them were whoopee cushions and the “VHS Top Sellers.”
The layout reminded me of how quickly we judge websites. If I planned on purchasing a phone case online and came across a website that looked like this, I would quickly move on to another site for fear they may ask me to mail a check for payment. It is so important to have a visually pleasing, user-friendly website and constantly evolve your design for compatibility.
Website Design by the Numbers
As consumers we have high expectations for websites:
- 40% of us will abandon a site if it takes more than three seconds to load (Kissmetrics)
- 62% of companies that designed a website specifically for mobile had increased sales (Econsultancy)
- 67% of users said they’re more likely to purchase a product or service from a site that is mobile-friendly (Google)
- 79% of shoppers unsatisfied with website performance are less likely to buy from the same site again (Kissmetrics)
- 94% of people cite design as a reason they do not trust certain websites (Forbes)
- 94% of B2B buyers research online before purchasing a business product (Brafton)
When I reviewed these statistics they matched up closely with how I react to business’ websites. I make assumptions within seconds of viewing a webpage and base purchase decisions off of these assumptions. It is important to constantly evaluate each page of your own site with the same, if not more, scrutiny. Below are a few questions to get you started on the path to an optimized, user friendly site that clearly states your message and most importantly, drives business.
Design and Performance Questionnaire
When considering the design and performance of your website, there are many elements to evaluate:
- Is it visually pleasing?
- How long does it take to load each page?
- Is it optimized for mobile, including a responsive design?
- Is my content relaying a consistent message?
- Is it easy to navigate?
- Are there intriguing, high resolution images relevant to my message?
Go through each page and ask yourself these questions, or get an unbiased opinion from an associate. Review your competition and see how you compare. If your site is under-performing in any of these categories, you are most likely missing out on potential customers.
Though Amazon got a lot of attention for their “throwback site” they did not let it interfere with the purpose of the company, by redirecting to their current site after any click. They weren’t going to miss out on any possible business – and you shouldn’t either. If your website design is stuck in the ’90s, hard to navigate, or lacking consistent design and user experience, contact us for help or check out our portfolio of past projects. Our experienced visual design team will follow a structured and proven process to improve your website user interfaces and convey consistent messaging in a visually pleasing manner. Hasta la vista, baby!
