Design is problem solving. Whether you are creating an app or a website, you need to focus on solving a problem, not just making it look pretty. When you design, you need to make an impression, create something usable, solve the right problems and improve when your design has flaws.
Good design begins with honesty, asks tough questions, comes from collaboration and from trusting your intuition. Freeman Thomas
— SpyreStudios (@SpyreStudios) November 21, 2013
The following tips can help you improve how you design.
Make an Impression
You have 3-5 seconds to make an impression. If you don’t, your website visitors will leave. You have to make design decisions that convince your visitor to stay. Designing for the 3 Second Rule gives your 5 tips that you can do to make certain that your design will have impact.
Design for Activities, Not Users
Most people go to a website to do something: read, watch a video, or post pictures. You need to consider what they plan to do on your site. When you focus your design on a person or group of people, you can create a web site or app that has too many features. By focusing on activities instead of users, you can build a better website. In Stop Designing for “Users”, Mike Long explains why designing for activities is a better for your design.
Apply App Design to Website Design
Can you use app design to create better websites? App design can provide a source of inspiration and guide for solving certain problems. Kayla Knight explores how you can apply app design concepts to website design. She talks about planning layouts, focus on the user’s reason for coming to the site, solving problems first and making it pretty second.
Test for Usability to Improve Your Design
When you develop an app, some features are easier to use than others. You don’t always get it right with your design. Testing helps you to identify the flaws in your design. Joshua Gross explains How Usability Testing Drastically Improved My Client’s App.
When you create an app or a website, you are solving a problem. You want to be able to impress your visitors to use your app or stay on your website longer. Use app techniques like focusing on activities, instead of a group of users. People come to websites because it answers a question, invites them to play a game or chat with their friends. Test your app. Testing helps you to see how the app or website works when your visitor uses it. By testing, you may see ways to improve the experience for your visitors.
Design requires that you make choices. Those choices affect how a website looks and works. Use these techniques to help you make better design decisions. Do you have any additional suggestions for improving your web design?