Business of the Web Part 2 : Why Should You Care About Design?
Why indeed? This is probably the hardest question I have come across. Why is design important? Many clients mistakenly think that because they have a great product or service to offer, their target audience will recognize this and come flocking to buy. Of course designers know this is hardly ever true, yet we struggle to explain this in non-technical and coherent terms. Here are some reasons you (the non-designer) should care about design (and some things the rest of us can tell our clients when they ask):
Design Creates Value
While design can not make a product good or bad in itself; it can create the illusion of value or goodness. Much time and research has been spent studying what makes consumers believe one product is better than another. Often times, products are so closely related in terms of performance that it’s the design that really makes them stand out from the competition, not the product itself. Have you ever visited Target and realized you wanted to buy everything in the store? Target spends a lot of money on their POP displays, packaging, etc, that even their new value brand Up&Up looks like a joy to buy. (Take a look at how nice their website looks) You may think design has no bearing on you, or you’re only after price value, however most of this type of marketing is done subconsciously. Why Coke and not Pepsi? Why Clorox and not Kroger Value Brand? An awesome package design, website design, or any other design creates feelings and mood which leads us into…
Design Creates Mood
As funny as it sounds, many consumers buy things based on the feeling, or mood, it gives them. They purchase Gucci, not Walmart clothes, because they want to “feel” rich, “feel” trendy and “feel” better about themselves. Design has the power to make your customers “feel” good, which is really what you should aim for. This makes them go out and tell their family and friends to buy your product, visit your website, follow your blog or whatever you’re trying to sell them. Likewise, it can also make them “feel” angry, sad or any other negative feelings, which may or may not be a good or bad thing.
Design Creates Legitimacy
I don’t know how many times I’ve heard a great thing about a product, only to go to their website and immediately be turned off into thinking it’s some sort of scam or “Only on TV” product. You know who you are! Many startup companies, or even companies who aren’t doing so well, are the first to neglect or ax their marketing budget, which is probably the one thing they really need to spend the money on. How else will they get more sales and get out of a slump? There are countless websites with crummy designs that appear to have been done by a first grader with Microsoft Paint, designs that are cluttered to the max, or even text websites with no design at all. Take a look at apple.com versus tigerdirect.com. While Tiger Direct isn’t horrible, if these were two companies selling Computer A and Computer B….which company looks like it has the better computer? (OK Microsoft fans, forget for a minute that it’s Apple and pretend it’s a random brand)
So you see, design can be the make or break for your product. It’s the first impression your business gets, before the consumer even sees what you’re offering. Make sure it’s something clean, modern and pleasing to the eyes. Spend the money up front to get an identity system and a good looking website, and you’ll see a huge difference in the way your product is viewed, and ultimately in the sales.
Tomorrow: Business of the Web Part 3 : What does valid code mean to me?
About the author
Amber Weinberg specializes in clean and semantic XHTML, CSS and WordPress development. She has over 10 years of coding experience and is pretty cool to work with. Amber is available for freelance work, so why not hire her for your next project?