November 2016 - Kraken

Designer and Clients UX UI Expectations

TLDR

Web designers need to use UX / UI in designs. Explain what they are and how they use them to customers. If customers don't understand ask questions get knowledge.

Working With Designers

I understand that working with designers can sometimes be very difficult. Using a language that can go right over your head and whilst they talk this strange language you nod and smile. If this is you and they aren't taking the time to explain the terms they use then ask them! They should of course be trying to explain what UX and UI are and their reasoning on using them in the design.

So what are UX and UI?

UX From Wikipedia: User experience design (UX, UXD, UED or XD) is the process of enhancing user satisfaction with a product by improving the usability, accessibility, and pleasure provided in the interaction with the product.
UI From Wikipedia: The user interface (UI), in the industrial design field of human–machine interaction, is the space where interactions between humans and machines occur.

How Do They Effect Your Design

Well UI is the interactive parts of the site like buttons, links, video players, etc and UX is how to use them and place them. Combining both to push users to be able to 1. use the page they are using and 2. guide them to the place on the site you want them to (conversion points).

Web design goes hand in hand with UX and UI. A site that looks pretty doesn't mean it will do the job it's meant to do. Good looks doesn't always turn in good conversion (get the user to do what you want them to do).

Sites need goals. If your site has no goals then your making art and even then there is a goal!

What Designers Should Ask

Web designers need to be asking probing questions to you. Finding out what you are trying to achieve. Looking to see what your goals are and what level of importance they go in. Using this to design basic ideas of how the site will work then add the beauty in after. Get the functionality and structure sorted then move on to jaw dropping beauty that will aid the UX and UI.

Conclusion

Designers need to use UX and UI to make working websites that achieve goals. They also need to be able to explain this to customers and make sure that they understand what they are. Customers need to be able to talk to designers and understand what is being said without a language barrier. They also need to be able to say sorry I don't understand. This is difficult as no one likes to look as if they don't know what the other person is taking about but please say something it may save your online business.

Testing And Improving Web Design

The Moan

In the world of web design there are many web designers who, once they design something, have it set in stone. They don’t like it when it changes or deviates from the original design that they worked on. This is understandable when designers have poured a lot of effort/time to get a mixture of creativity, UX - UI patterns and branding on the design. The same with developers. They spend a long time making the solution and suddenly changes need to be made to the page They've been through the designs with the designer - so why is it changing?

So when someone says I want to test that verses this idea, they feel like it’s putting down their design skills and knowledge. This isn’t the case. This is normally another person seeing something from a different angle.

Learn / Update Your Skills

Testing also is something a designer/developer should embrace as it’s an avenue for them to prove their understandings and reshape what they know with facts and figures. A designer/developer with the open minded approach of 'test it - because right or wrong, I’ll learn' is more valuable to a company than one who says 'I’m the expert and only my view matters'.

At Kraken, We are fortunate to work with a very open minded and talented designer (Hannah) and developer (Sam). Hannah works with Sam on ideas and concepts to help improve people’s site goals. This could be working on getting more sign ups or getting more people to the checkout. What we want is constant understanding of what it is we do, and to further that knowledge that makes us masters in our areas of expertise.

Testing a site and using the data from those tests will improve not only the website but also improve the designers and developers ideas of what works where. Adding lots of small ideas to improve the library of knowledge you bring to the table for each and every customer.

What To Take Away - TLDR

So from this read take away the ability to be flexible in thinking about solutions. What worked on one site may not work on another due to other factors - and embrace that sharpening of your tools and knowledge through testing.

Working With Local Businesses

Kraken has a lot of new websites coming out soon. Working with many customers from the local area (Wedmore, Bridgwater, Glastonbury to name a few). Businesses with different types of people in different areas of work.

This means we need to understand what people want from their web sites and go deeper to help them understand how to use a website as part of their business. It’s a great part of the job. When meeting with clients and them saying I need the web site to do XYZ and then breaking that down deeper to show other aspects they may not have thought of.

Giving them great web designs, built in a way that makes them easy to read from search engines and content to go with. Putting information and contact points in places that not only make sense but increase user engagement is what we do. Having all these go together and seeing businesses see the improvements we are making is great and makes us happy to help people and businesses.

So just wanted to say we have had a great few months and worked with great people to improve their online presence and footprint. We look forward to the next few months with a load of great web design projects to start.

Month: November 2016