Customer-centric experience with growth-oriented design
To meet the needs and expectations of today's consumers, the traditional approach to web design requires significant upfront costs and considerable development time, and can have a low return on investment for the efforts required. Today's web differs from previous iterations, and clinging to traditional web design approaches feels stagnant and intransigent.
A better approach involves transitioning to growth-driven design (GDD). Rather than reinventing the web in one major overhaul, GDD focuses on a cycle that introduces improvements in increments based on data analysis. Rather saudi arabia numbers than striving for perfection, the goal is to make systematic, iterative changes based on analysis of traffic patterns and audience reactions in a continuous, ongoing review process.
Definition of growth-oriented design
GDD is agile rather than overwhelming, adjusting based on data rather than reinventing from scratch. The goal is to determine realistic goals, launch them, evaluate the results, and make necessary revisions. Continuous website improvements are easier to implement and more affordable than scrapping the existing and rebuilding or revamping it entirely.
This process recognizes that the website must meet the changing needs and expectations of customers. This approach allows businesses to make updates to reach their target audience without delay. With GDD, the goal is not to schedule mass updates to purge outdated content every few years, but to improve performance in stages to respond more quickly.
Understanding the phases of GDD
Most growth-driven design approaches include four distinct phases:
Planning : This is where marketing approaches and goals are considered and plans for the future website are discussed. What will the website look like aesthetically and what is important for it to do? Are current assumptions valid? And if they are, do they fit with future goals? Keep in mind your target audience, set realistic goals, and review design concepts that create connections with customers.
Development : At this point, improvements are made to the current site or a new page or site is added as a "launchpad" with only the major features and most significant updates. The launchpad approach can be tested internally before going live and provides the opportunity to gather and analyze feedback before and after going public.
Learning : Both internally and externally, this is the phase where data analysis and detailed review of metrics occurs to learn, adjust, and experiment in other ways that can have an impact. Are features and functions working properly? Are they attracting the expected attention? What changes need to occur and how should they be prioritized?
Transfer : After the data is reviewed, the information is shared across the organization, from marketing professionals and the management team to others involved in various aspects of the business. Additional research is conducted. At this point, the site may be up and running or perhaps receiving final revisions before going live.
This approach is in line with the lean marketing principles used by some companies. Rather than embarking on a costly rebuilding process, you want to use as few resources as possible to create a web presence that will have a positive impact on current and future customers. The goal is to quickly analyze and learn from the things that work and eliminate those that are ineffective or inefficient.
Post-launch evaluation of the website
With traditional web design and layout, launching a website was a monumental event, like the opening of a digital building. Rather than tearing down and rebuilding that web infrastructure, GDD recognizes that the company, its customers, and the market are continually evolving.and that tasks often take new forms rather than reaching an absolute end.
When the website is launched, important evaluations take place:
Comparing Goals and Outcomes : GDD involves re-evaluating goals after determining the overall performance of the live product. Instead of marking a goal as complete and moving on, consider reworking the goal to meet new objectives or take things to a different level.
Conduct additional research : Think of GDD as a constantly evolving process that requires further research to ensure that the goals selected during the planning phase remain the most relevant in the near future. This research informs the marketing and web design teams of potential changes that will have even more impact or improve progress already made.
Consider marketing and sales data : Know what is in demand in your company and across the industry landscape at large. Assess not only which specific products or services are not meeting expectations, but also try to determine why.
Traditional web design practices consist of building a site and hoping it comes to you. Growth-driven design tracks attendance, sales, and interest as customers digitally visit the field of dreams to see if it's worth returning to as a place to spend more time and money.
Remember that user experience is vital
One of the top priorities of the GDD is to improve UX. One of the goals of the process, from initial design through reviews, is to consider how users view the platform, how they move through the necessary steps (such as placing items in a cart or checking out after making selections), and to learn about any frustrations or issues they may encounter.
Evaluating UX requires research. GDD and marketing teams have questions, and the answers they get will inform next steps to improve the user experience. Possible approaches include:
Qualitative research : Using surveys, interviews, and other tools to determine why website visitors act in certain ways.
Observational research : Examining heat maps to see where users moved, scrolled, and clicked on a page allows for analysis of red-hot regions and cooler zones.
Quantitative Research : A detailed evaluation of website analytics provides insight into what website visitors are searching for, what they do when they find your website, and how they move forward.
The importance of user experience is taken into account long before a website goes live:
Develop a strategy : Know your target audience, your goals for attracting them, and how they interact once they arrive, and consider how existing research can improve your initial design and their experience.
Build the launch pad : Test assumptions internally so that many internal parties can critically evaluate your user experiences and keep your audiences in mind.
Learning at Every Phase : Data collected during the launch phase is essential, but evaluation continues long after the site is live and published.
Reassess : In addition to learning what works and what needs to be improved, the GDD process allows for adjustments and small changes to be made to see if they have a more significant impact. As goals change, re-assessment becomes even more important.
Evaluating web metrics and analytics
Evaluation is ongoing throughout the GDD process. Key metrics enable team members to make sound decisions moving forward. The metrics to be evaluated should be familiar to those working in the marketing world. Obvious statistics to review include overall site traffic, bounce rates, time a visitor spends on the website, number of successfully closed transactions, and conversion rates.
When reviewing data, team members should remember that situations caused by third parties can influence some statistics. An obvious example is slow loading times of web pages due to Internet connections or service provider performance.
Ultimately , increasing conversion rate is a primary goal. There are well - established ways for GDD to improve conversation rate compared to the previous approach to website design. Analytics informs , allowing data to suggest decisions that drive growth and customer-centric experience.
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