Crafting the Perfect Web Environment
November 19, 2009 by Danny J Holley
Filed under Internet marketing
What makes a perfect web environment? It is more than just a great look. It must have the right look for the purposes it is designed to fulfill. To design the perfect web environment, a designer needs to focus on the purpose of the site as well as on making it look nice. The skills that a designer gains with experience will help the designer make good looking sites, but it is the focus on the purpose of the site that will help the designer home in on the right look for that particular web environment.
Choosing the Right Design for the Site
To choose the right design for the site, you need to know the product first. If you don’t know what is being presented on the site, you are flying blind. The more you can learn about the product, the better off you will be. Choosing the right design for a web environment is like choosing the right pair of shoes to sell to a customer. In order to make the sell, the shoes you are offering to the customer must fit that particular customer. In order to find the right fit, you need to know the size of the customer’s foot, taking into account additional variables such as width, height, and shape. But just finding a shoe that fits the foot isn’t enough. You also need to find a shoe that that particular customer wants, and that depends on the customer’s tastes (not yours!) and on what the customer is planning to use the shoes for. A customer looking for running shoes isn’t going to select a pair of dress shoes, no matter how nice they look.
This is why a nice looking style is not enough for a website to be successful. Crafting the perfect web environment requires the site to be tailored to its purposes, and those depend on the individual product and target customers. As you work on your design, keep in mind the following two guiding principles. First, tailor the site to the customer. To do this, you will need to know as much as you can about who will be using the site, including how old they are, what percentage are male or female, what kinds of interests they can be expected to have, etc. The second important principle is to tailor the site to the product itself. Pay attention to the style used in the product design and its marketing. Look for what makes it stand out from other products. What kinds of activities and in what environments will the product be used. All of these things can be helpful in selecting the right design for the site.
Applying the Knowledge
After sufficiently researching the product and the target audience, the designer is ready to apply this knowledge in crafting the perfect web environment. The style of the site should be chosen to appeal to the target audience, even if the designer personally prefers a different style. Characteristics of the product should also be worked into the site design. For example, if the product is sleek, the web environment should be sleek. If the product is rugged, the site should be as well. A site design that runs counter to the product design or marketing can drive away customers. Designers need to use what they know to guide their development of the web environment.
Preparing for Change
For the perfect web environment, change is inevitable. As tastes and fashions come and go, the needs of the site will change with time. The target demographic might change, and new versions of the product or new marketing campaigns may dictate a new strategy. This is why it is important for designers to create their web environments to facilitate later changes.
A designer should never be afraid to make necessary adjustments, regardless of how personally invested in the design they have become. If the style does not fit, the site’s effectiveness will be compromised. A designer should focus on a style that if effective, regardless of its look. If the design is flexible, and changes are made as needed, the designer can ensure that the perfect web environment remains perfect. This requires an ongoing commitment, but it is the consistent quality that will win the most customers.
Danny Holley is a web design Utah expert and author. He is also a partner and lead designer at the Utah web design firm, Superior Design.
categories: internet marketing,web marketing,web design,internet business,online business,web masters,webmasters,Marketing,Advertising
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