There are various aspects of an appearance that ‘appeal to’ or ‘put off’ people; and most of them can be generalized under the term Aesthetics.
Be it BTC or BTB, at the end of each terminal is a human. Aesthetic appearance and effortless Interactions drive Emotions which help cultivate an Attitude towards your organization.
Touchpoints are the terminals through which a consumer can interact with the business. Most touchpoints today are digital, and clients evaluate your organization based on your frontend design.
Minimalistic design and Clean Webpages are a key to attracting B2B clients. The act of unjumbling the clutter and reducing to the bare necessities brings peace to the viewer. The focus is on sensibly placing only the mandatory elements of action, before the client. Too many Menus and CTAs portrays a needy appearance to your frontend.
On the other hand, while working with B2C, there is a need to highlight actions and to strike an emotional chord of the buyer. Providing Clear and Directed actions help customers reach products without having to wander about the site looking for the right destination. Breadcrumbs are a mandate to identify where you stand in the overall design of the website.
The end goal of your frontend may vary but the primary goal is to hook clients to your portal and effectively communicate the details of your offerings.
Impressions
First impression may not be the last impression in the real world. But in the digital world, opportunities for a 2nd impression, might not turn up.
People are good at influencing premeditated first impressions. But they cross the line when they try too hard. Flashy images and heavy jargons offset users. It portrays your desperate attempts to amaze and compel rather than simply providing guidance. The home page should capture the maturity and positioning of the organization and not portray its urgency to make a sale. Each touchpoint should suffice its purpose and refrain from pushing hidden agendas.
The first page reflects the sole of the organization. If you are not acquainted with the extent of information you can project, “Less is more” should be the law in such cases. An example of such design is the GoogleStore, which neatly segregates the offerings without creating a clutter.
Typography
Typography is the art of making written material Readable and Appealing. The choice and placement of Fonts either imparts ease to reading or displays an erratic clutter of words. What you have to say should work in unison with how you say it. The quality of content won’t make a difference if the client has to cringe his eyes for your fancy font. Identifying fonts which fits the personality you want to portray is a talent. Checkout google typefaces that can be paired together.
Smooth Transitions – User Friendly Navigation
Transitions are relevant to both the technical and artistic domains. In most Frontends, users are confused with what to click next; and the question “where do we go from here” is a put-off.
The information flow with triggers to move ahead should represent an organic flow of ideas. The SPEED of transition is crucial to creating the perception of a flow and adds a rhythm to the experience. The first page might create a curiosity, but the flow will decide the sustainability of the frontend design.
The infrastructure, development and design teams need to go hand in hand to provide this smooth transition. Microinteractions is the rising trend in UX design. They are events which have one main task to perform, which is engaging, Interactive, and leads to an action. Makemepulse is an extreme example of microinteractions which are engaging.
Calls to action
The motive of any Frontend is to steer action. Be it a daily use tool or a website used for Marketing. Too many action alternatives either distract or confuse the user. Moderation on the use of Popups and callouts avoid unwanted interruptions. Providing minimal and naturalistic pathways free of mandates on opting in or out, create a harmonious experience for a user. CTAs do not necessarily have to be for lead generation. They can be for Social Sharing, providing free Ebooks, Form Submissions or as simple as Read more.
Trust and Confidence
The lack of personal contact is a major setback of frontends. The presence of an individual provides an assurance and builds trust in customers. Hence it is the designer’s job to make the experience as organic as possible. On websites it is always beneficial to reassure the user that there are individuals behind this organization who are within your reach. Using visuals that either depict individuals or convey stories help building a relationship with the viewer.
With the introduction of IoT, designing frontends with human qualities is the direction in which the market is heading. Devices which respond to actions or voice are on the rise. A more empathetic and Humanizing experience is the only direction towards building Trust and Confidence, which is our final goal. Having a chatbot is one of the devices used to persuade contact with the organization, either to get quick resolutions or to engage in relationship nurturing.
For this experience to come alive you need a competent Frontend team. A team constituting of UX-UI designers, Frontend and Database Developers, Requirements Analyst, Mobile developers and Infrastructure support. Consolidating such a team is an expert’s task. Distinct individuals contributing from isolated locations, segregates the understanding and cannot create the unison required to bring about a frontend that reflects the essence of the organization. If you are on a lookout of consolidating a similar team, approaching a firm that can provide you the entire package would be beneficial.
For more information on how you would be able to hire developers or an entire web/mobile development team please reach out to us with your requirements.
