Discretion Designs UX - user experience for your business

If you’re interviewing a candidate for a job as an investment banker and they come in dressed in a tank top and torn jeans it doesn’t matter how talented they are, how educated they are, or how appropriate for the position they are – they likely won’t get much of your time or consideration.

The same goes for your website.  If it doesn’t look professional and doesn’t come across professionally with regards to its images and content – it won’t be taken seriously. Which means you and your business wont’ be taken seriously.

If your design isn’t credible, and related to your field, your business loses credibility.

Websites targeted to children should be bright, colorful, and interactive.  Whereas a funeral home’s website would likely offend its visitors with such a design.

So how do you determine the best design for your business?

First, look at your competitors’ websites.  What’s your first impression? What works and what doesn’t?  Then move to your favorite websites and ask the same questions.

You don’t want to copy anyone’s design but you do want to get inspired and use what works.

That said, what works for one site, may not work for yours so be open to alter your design appropriately for your business.

It’s also important to pay attention to font selections (keep it to 2-3 – Arial and Verdana are the most readable), line height (20-22 pixels is ideal), colors (stay within the same tone and stay with what works for the industry – a water theme for a plumber), relevance (is a picture of someone smiling really appropriate for a funeral website?), and white-space (your content shouldn’t overwhelm the reader, use [more…]).

Design is also ever evolving – so be prepared to redesign to keep your look current, relevant, and usable.

• Posted on Monday, August 3rd, 2009
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