Owning a website for your business is like putting one foot into the e-commerce door. To be completely in, you need the other one. This can refer to website design.
For many, website design is all about aesthetics. In reality, it hardly counts. The essence of every layout, color scheme, and responsiveness, and content lies way beyond mere beauty.
Why Web Design Is Important
Athena Integrated, a Maryland-based digital marketing agency, has already answered why web design is important. Some points, though, including those not covered by Athena’s article, bear repeating:
1. Web Design Can Speak the Language of the Target Market
The 2010 study in the International Journal of Human-Computer Studies tries to prove this by determining the impact of color schemes on website design to cultural differences. Using a combination of methods, such as surveys and interviews, they discovered that:
- color does affect a person’s psychology
- a person’s perception of the color can vary according to their location
For example, blue seemed to be an effective color for Germans, Japanese, and Canadians. However, of the three, it’s the Germans who will likely appreciate the shade the most. The participants in Germany had an aversion with yellow, which they viewed as “too showy and friendly.” (Interestingly, the country’s flag features this hue prominently.)
Men and women can also have different perceptions of web design, according to a 2005 research. The factors that can satisfy their website or user experience can also vary.
2. Users Should Be Able to Access the Same Content in Different Formats
A 2019 Variety article revealed stunning information on connectivity in the United States: a typical household could own at least 11 devices. These already include laptops, PCs, smartphones, tablets, and Internet-ready TVs.
Meanwhile, over 250 million Americans own a smartphone, and an average person spends nearly three hours with it. More than 65% would even bring such a device in the bathroom.
People want to stay connected all the time, and yet they want to see the same content regardless of whether they’re viewing it on television or tablet.
3. Website Design Helps Lower the Churn Rate
The “churn rate” is a gentle way of describing attrition or, more clearly, abandonment rate. Since businesses cannot please everyone, all industries have a maximum churn rate–one they consider as acceptable.
Many factors, though, can push churn rates up, and one of these is bad web design. Statistics showed that over 50% of mobile users would not engage with the company if they didn’t have a pleasant experience. They were also more than three times likely to abandon the site if it’s not optimized for mobile.
Somereasons for cart abandonment can also relate to web design. Consider the missing delivery calculator, lack of shipping rate options, or inability to apply promotional or voucher codes.
Website design has come a long way since the early days of heavy graphics, GIF abuse, and slow download speed. Websites nowadays are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional and responsive.
However, demand, target market, and trends change. If you want to remain on top of the game, the site’s design should also learn to keep up.
