Web sites should always be built with the
end user in mind. Knowing or at least guessing a bit about the demographics of your end users is essential. Business
web sites can be a valuable marketing tool, but can do more harm than good if not geared toward the end user. There
are a number of factors that play a role in designing a site that successfully reaches your target market.
Business sites should make a professional presentation of your business to the target market. Thus, content, features,
and layout should be setup with this in mind. A site whose end users are 15-23 year olds with leisure time will
look vastly different than one designed around a busy business professional. Sites built for very young children,
should include simple content for them and have support info tossed in for parents likely to be surfing with them.
The web was originally designed for cross platform compatibility, so that all users would see essentially the same
content regardless of the software or operating system used. The intent was that a Mac user running Internet Explorer,
a Linux user running Netscape Navigator and a Windows user running Opera would all see the same page with only
minor formatting differences. New technologies are constantly emerging and vieing for a position on the web. Although
many of these create great looking special effects and sometimes useful features, many require plugins that some
users will not have or take time to download. Others will only work on some operating systems or browsers. A common
axiom holds true that the leading edge of technology is a good place to bleed to death.
Many end users still access the web with 56K or slower dialup modem connections. From your own experience, you've
probably sat for two minutes or longer, drumming your fingers, waiting for a page to load and then clicked out
because it was taking too long to access whatever it was you came there looking for. Many business web sites now
open with Flash Player openings that take several minutes to load and offer no functionality or useful information
for the person accessing the site. Making the assumption that your customer's time is worthless is not a good business
practice.
There are cases where such content can be a useful tool. When targeting young people browsing in their leisure
time, you'll get and hold their attention much better with "cool" content. Also, some business are, by
nature, graphically intensive. There is no way to make them effective sites without including large graphic or
multimedia files. Even in these cases, it is good practice to present a fast loading, well designed opening page
that gives the users some idea of what is ahead and how long it will take to access. Also, all graphics and multimedia
content should be optimized to download as quickly as possible. Very attractive looking designs can often be achieved
with fast loading background colors, text, and table layout and a minimal amount of graphics.
Conversely, it is not a good idea to "dummy down" sites to the lowest common denominator. It's difficult,
if not impossible, to build a good looking, functional site for someone running IE 2.0 on Windows 95. Anyone in
this situation is accustomed to not getting the whole picture. However, the site should be accessible and usable
by the vast majority of people accessing it without regard to operating system, browser used, or access speed.
One solution to this is to include scripting to determine the end users operating system and browser and redirect
to a site custom designed to optimize content for their particular computer configuration. This can significantly
increase development costs, since as many as three different versions of the same page may be needed. Unless some
services are essential and cannot be provided by other means, the best solution is to design the site for cross
platform, cross browser compatibility so that all intended users may access the site.
Another crucial factor in effective site design is organization. Site visitors should be able to easily navigate,
locate and use information on your site. As in a conventional store, your products or services can't be purchased
if they can't be found. Site search services can be a great help, if set up correctly, but care must be taken to
ensure that the hits returned are relevent and useful and that no important information is omitted because of a
mistyped word. More important is menu, organization, and navigation layout. The opening page should be fast loading
and well laid out. The links should be clear on what information is available when selecting them. The user interface
should be intuitive so that someone who knows nothing about your business can find what they are looking for.
Providing support for your products is also a good idea. If you sell widgets, make your site an online resource
for widget users. They should be able to learn how to clean and care for their widget and operate it for maximum
performance. If their widget has alternate uses, these can be specified. In real world terms, this can include
FAQs, MSDS information, online owners manuals, recipes, and any other information that the person purchasing may
find useful. Interactive services can be added, such as question submission forms and user message forums. These
types of services make for repeat visitors and repeat customers. Links to additional support sites can also be
included.
One more consideration is how people will locate your site to use it in the first place. Promoting your site is
a key factor. Your web site and email addresses should be included on any printed material your business distributes.
For your site to be a resource to your business, your customers must know it's there. From a design perspective,
much can be done behind the scenes to get your site noticed. Most search engines rate sites based on specific criteria.
Designing the site to effectively use the proper combination of META tags and textual content can make it rate
much higher on search engine results lists. With proper design, your site can place highly enough in results pages
to be accessed by users who may not even know that your business exists and can thus become a valuable tool for
generating new business.
For the overall site design, consider first your end users. Design the site around who they are, how they access
it, and why they access it. Make it effecient and don't waste their time. Make it attractive, neat, professional,
and geared toward customer service so that it is a good reflection on your business.
