Social Media

Site Design

Instructor: Hanniya AbidAssistant ProfessorCOMSATS Institute of Information Technology

E-MarketingLecture 29By the end of this lecture you will:

Know what makes an excellent web site Be able to review the components of a siteObjectivesIntroduction to web site designWeb site design = Function + Content + Form + Organization + Interaction

Combining these elements web site design presents a challenge few have mastered since success requires a range of skills. Companies need to harness internal skills and/or use specialist agencies on all of the success factors for web site design which we will review.Introduction to web site designAccessibility This should be built into all web sites since it is a legal requirement under disability and discrimination law. An accessible design supports visually impaired site users and other disabled users with limited limb movements. It also helps users accessing the site with a range of different web browsers using different devices such as mobiles or PDAs and it also assists search engine optimization.

User-centred design and usability With a user-friendly site visitors can find the information they are seeking, have a satisfactory experience and complete actions efficiently. User-centred web site design is an essential approach to ensure the web site meets visitors needs. Research to identify appropriate personas, customer journeys and relevant content is a key activity.Information architecture and findability Analysis and design to create a sound system of structure and labelling content in headings and navigation is essential to help findability through standard navigation and on-site search.Introduction to web site design Search engine optimization (SEO) If SEO is n t considered in site design and within content management systems, search robots will be unable to crawl content and the relevance of different pages will be unclear.Web standards Complying with standards to produce consistency in the way sites are coded and displayed in different browsers as promoted through the World Wide Web consortium ( www.w3.org ) and the Webstandards Project ( www.webstandards.org ).Introduction to web site design Persuasion to deliver commercial results Your design should emphasize specific content and journeys through the site in order for your site to meet it s objectives. Users should not be given free rein to visit any content, instead you should prioritize your most valuable content in a similar way to a supermarket using merchandising to promote specific products. We also need to study the psychology of customer engagement to understand the content, messages and visual design that influence customer perceptions.Introduction to web site design Visual design The experience of a brand and a site will not be memorable and positive if the visual design isn t energizing and doesn t fit with what the visitor would expect from a brand.Web analytics Analysis of site visitor journeys can help improve navigation and conversion to different site goals.Legal requirements Site owners need to check they comply with the many laws to control a web presence.Internet marketing planning and improvement process The web site must fit within the wider world where it supports different organization goals, integrates with other sales channels and is continuously reviewed and improved to achieve them.Introduction to web site design Web Site GoalsClarifying the key objectives and purpose of the site helps to determine the functions and content of the site. In turn content drives form (the way it looks) and finally form drives the organization of the web site. We will also look at how interaction should be built into the site to improve the visitor experience. Introduction to web site design Introduction to web site design So what is the purpose, or objective, of a web site? First, to help customers, or other stakeholders, ask How can my web site help my customers? For example:Help them buy something they need.Help them find information.Help them to save money and time.Help them to talk to the organization.Help them to enjoy a better web experience.

These are the 5Ss Sell, Serve, Speak, Save and Sizzle, as seen from the customer perspective. Site design can help achieve the 5Ss as follows:Sell Growing sales can be achieved through effectively communicating a crystal clear online value proposition and through making e-commerce and lead generation easier.Serve We can add value through designing easy-to-use interactive services that help customers to find relevant, up-to-date information quickly.Introduction to web site design Speak We can use the site to converse with and get closer to customers by providing tailored content and designing interactive facilities to create a dialogue or even a trialogue when customers talk to each other, as well as learning about their needs.Save Costs are saved through delivering online content and services that may have previously been achieved through print and post or face-to-face service and sales transactions.Sizzle An excellent site design helps build the brand and reinforces the brand values through the type of content, interactivities and overall style, tone or feel.Introduction to web site design

Design priorities do vary, but many companies use the objectives of customer relationship management to serve as objectives for their site:Customer acquisition Acquisition means winning customers converting prospects (visitors) into customers on site.Customer retention Retention means keeping customers ensuring they repeat buy. Timely, personalized and relevant e-mails and offers can bring them back to you via the site.Introduction to web site design Introduction to web site design Customer extension Extension means extending the share of wallet. Selling other relevant products and services to the same customer. For example, the database can identify similar customers that bought A but not B and then make recommendations.

For each of these, design can help convert the visitor to the required marketing outcome. Achieving site stickiness increases the chance of achieving these objectives.

Introduction to web site design

Introduction to web site design

Key Variables for Web Design ObjectivesSo what factors facilitate online sales and encourage visitors back again and again? What are the key variables? A Forrester survey of 8600 US consumers ( www.forrester.com ) showed that web users believe four main factors encouraged them to return to a site:1 High quality content.2 Ease of use.3 Quick to download.4 Updated frequently.

Introduction to web site designOther factors such as coupons and offers and leading-edge technologies were insignificant in comparison. Lets explore these four factors in more detail.Content is important. It was said in the mid-1990s that content is king , but recent thinking suggests that context is king . Having the right information in the right place at the right time just when you need it is king. For example, online travel package sites now need much more than plain listings of hotels to compete, they need guest reviews, resort guides and even videos. Quality content helps site visitors make the right decision and also attracts visitors through search engine optimization so increasing brand awareness.Introduction to web site designEase of use is also important. Easy-to-use sites mean good navigation. The form or structure of the site is neither over-complicated nor too big. You never get lost in a good site since its always clearly signposted. Take sales the order page should be easily found. E-commerce transactions must be easy to make and provide reassurance about security and privacy.Quick to download. Good sites also download quickly. Bad sites are cumbersome and slow. Visitors wont wait. Assess performance with services like SciVisum or Site Confidence.Introduction to web site design Frequently updated. Good sites stay fresh. They put up new information which is useful, relevant and timely for their audience. They also systematically take out old, out-of-date, information (particularly offers with expiry dates) as this destroys credibility. This is expensive. It takes time, energy and skills to maintain a site. Does your site encourage repeat visits? Does it encourage customers to come back? Does the site offer them genuinely good reasons to return?Introduction to web site design E-retailers also need to research what blocks purchase what causes shopping cart abandonment . Remember that for most e-tail sites, fewer than 10% of new visitors make a purchase.

You can see how a combination of technical problems and poor design coupled with inadequate information can hamper the online shopper. Introduction to web site design Introduction to web site design Every site can improve its conversion rate by researching the factors that cause abandonment and improving the design to correct problems. Even Amazon still continually needs to refine its site to reduce abandonment and increase average order value.There is more on all of these issues in the aesthetics, navigation, interaction and copywriting sections .

Usability and AccessibilityEffective web site designs are today informed by two key approaches used by professional designers. These are usability and accessibility.Usability is a concept applied to the design of a range of products which describes how easy they are to use. The British Standard/ISO Standard Human Centred design processes for interactive systems defines usability as: the extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use . (BSI 1999 ).Introduction to web site design You can see how the concept can be readily applied to web site design web visitors often have defined goals such as finding particular information or completing an action such as booking a flight or viewing an account balance.In Jakob Nielsen s book Designing Web Usability (2000), he describes usability as followsAn engineering approach to web site design to ensure the user interface of the site is learnable, memorable, error free, efficient and gives user satisfaction. It incorporates testing and evaluation to ensure the best use of navigation and links to access information in the shortest possible time. A companion process to information architectureIntroduction to web site design In practice, usability involves two approaches. Firstly, expert reviews are often performed at the beginning of a redesign project as a way of identifying problems with a previous design. Secondly, usability testing which involves:

1 Identifying representative users of the site.2 Asking them to perform specific tasks such as finding a product or completing an order.3 Observing what they do and how they succeed.Introduction to web site designFor a site to be successful, the tasks or actions need to be completed:

Effectively web usability specialists measure task completion, for example, only three out of ten visitors to a web site may be able to find a telephone number or other piece of information.

Efficiently web usability specialists also measure how long it takes to complete a task on site, or the number of clicks it takes.Introduction to web site design Web accessibility is about allowing all users of a web site to interact with it regardless of disabilities they may have or the web browser or platform they are using to access the site. The visually impaired or blind are the main audience that designing an accessible web site can help, although often the site will become easier to use for sighted users due to clearer navigation and labeling.This quote shows the importance of the accessibility to a visually impaired user of a web site who uses a screen-reader which reads out the navigation options and content on a web site.For me being online is everything. It s my hi-fi, it s my source of income, it s my supermarket, it s my telephone. It s my way in .Introduction to web site design ContIntegrated DesignThe Web and Integrated Marketing CommunicationsAlthough web sites do more than just communicate (remember the 5Ss), web sites must integrate with all other communications tools, both online and offline. The web site s brand messages must be consistent with those in offline advertisements and mail-shots. Equally, new offers and major announcements such as awards won should be communicated consistently both online and offline. As the organization and the web site grows this job gets more difficult, but space should be reserved within the page template for these key messages which help show credibility and reinforce perceptions received through other channels.The Web and Buying ModesThe web site should integrate with different buying modes. We must take account of customers preferences of browsing, comparing, selecting or buying products either online or offline. Completing some activities of the buying process offline and some online is referred to as mixed-mode buying or multichannel behavior. The site design and offline marketing communications should be integrated to support mixed-mode buying.Integrated Design 36Common buying modes include:Online purchase Some customers want to search, compare and buy online. Does your web site accommodate all stages of the buying process? Few products can be delivered online so fulfillment is usually offline.

Integrated Design Online browse and offline purchase Mixed-mode buying is when customers like to browse, look or research online and eventually purchase offline in a real store or in a real meeting. Some of these customers might like to browse online, but purchase via fax or telephone because of security and privacy issues. Does your site have fax forms and telephone numbers for placing orders or taking further enquiries? Does your site integrate with other communications channels? Some sites also have call-back facilities which allow visitors to request a telephone call from a sales staff to complete the purchase.Integrated Design

How Should the Web Integrate with the Database?Mixed-mode buying requires good systems. A web site database should, ideally, be integrated with the old, legacy, database. Enquiries coming in from offline mail-shots or online from the web site should be recorded centrally on the database and subsequently followed up carefully. An integrated database can help sales reps know which web visitors have requested a real visit or a telephone call.It can help in managing relationshipsIntegrated Design

Online value propositionThe web gives the ultimate in customer choice. There are millions of sites to choose from and thousands of new domain names are still added every day. How will you stand out? Good sites have good content, are regularly updated, easy to use and fast to download. In addition to all of these, your site has to have a clear and strong proposition. A proposition to your visitor. A unique proposition. An online value proposition (OVP) .

The OVP is similar to the traditional unique selling proposition used in advertising, although advertising executives can have great debates about how the cyber world is different. Ideally, we need to try to find a proposition that explains what your organization or site is offering that: is different from your competitorsis not available in the real-worldmakes a difference to your customers lives.At the very least the proposition should clearly show the services you are offering and your credibility to deliver.You then need to devise a tag line that accompanies your brand identity and URL to drive home your web proposition in all communications, both web-based and real world.Online value proposition So, we have our proposition. What next?1 First we need to leverage the proposition in traffic building. The proposition can be combined with the URL or web address and be in all advertising, as an e-mail signature and included in all marketing collateral.2 We need to state clearly the proposition on-site. Many sites are designed so that their proposition is prominent on the home page and may be referred to on every page at the top or top left as part of the organization s identity. Others make the visitor work too hard to understand the proposition.3 We need to deliver on the proposition through all interactions a customer has including online and offline fulfillment and service.Online value proposition Customer OrientationDefining, first, the purpose of your web site and second, your audience, are fundamental stages of web site development. The answers drive the kind of content required; content drives the form required and form drives the structure of the site. Usability and accessibility as defined at the start of this lecture are also a key element of customer orientation. There are many different types of audiences including your competitors, shareholders, employees, the press and customers, to name a few Customer orientation is about trying to achieve the impossible trying to provide content to appeal to a wide rangeof audiences.

As far as customers are concerned, you must remember that your web site exists for one reason and one reason only to help customers. The big question is how can my web site help my customers? A customer-orientated web site starts with customers and their needs. The site will not only fulfill basic customer needs, it may even delight customers by fully understanding and satisfying the different needs which different customers have. So ask customers! Customer Orientation Customer OrientationTry thinking about the types of services you can offer customers. Identify their key tasks and goals and make these options prominent. These may be services you offer already such as giving the status of an order, new added value services that don t cost much, or there may be new services that customers can operate themselves. Also ask customers what they think of your existing site. Ask them how you can improve your web site what would they like to see there?

Rosenfeld and Morville (2002) suggest four stages of research that help achieve customer orientation:1 Identify different audiences.2 Rank importance of each to business.3 List the three most important information needs of audience.4 Ask representatives of each audience type to develop their own wish lists.Customer Orientation Customer orientationCustomer orientation can create competitive advantage. Customer-orientated web sites are relatively rare compared to product-orientated web sites. Product-orientated web sites tend to show lots of products (or services) and their features. Benefits are buried, as are any attempts to identify customer needs. Product benefits are never matched to specific customer needs. These sites never ask How can I help my customer?

Dynamic design and personalizationThe most important sound in the world is your own name. Remembering customer names and their needs is a personal thing. Web sites can get personal. Internet-based personalization delivers customized content and services for the individual either through web pages, e-mail or push-technology. In this section we are going to look at what personalization is and what its components are. Personalization also helps to Sell, Serve, Speak and Sizzle:Sell personalization can make it easier for customers to select their products. A customer of an online supermarket does not want to select a new shopping basket of goods each time they shop. Example: Tesco ( www.tesco.com ).Serve a customer who uses an online travel booking service does not want to have to key in the same journey details if it is a common itinerary. Instead personalization enables them to save their itinerary. Example: Expedia (www.expedia.com ).Dynamic design and personalizationSpeak through personalization a customer can select the type of communications they want to receive from a company as part of permission marketing. For example, a customer may just want to hear about major product launches via e-mail, but not receive a weekly e-mail. Example: Amazon ( www.amazon.co.uk ).Sizzle all of the above can help add value, strengthen the brand and develop the relationship. Example: Dulux ( www.dulux.co.uk ). The Dulux brand enables visitors to save colour swatches and products to a scrapbook or project area for later access..Dynamic design and personalizationOptions for PersonalizationPersonalization can occur through displaying different information depending on customer specific or dynamic environment variables. Examples, many of which are illustrated by Figure 6.11 , include:Customer or company name. A site can be personal on a simple level by referring to returning customers by name (using cookies).Date or time. Updating the date or time on site using JavaScript can be used to highlight a dynamic, up-to-date online presence that is worth returning to.Country. Sites can identify the origin of a visitor based on their IP address and deliver content accordingly. IBM.com automatically redirects customers to their own country site. Amazon recommends a local site if a visitor is on .com.Dynamic design and personalizationCustomer preferences. Personalization of content on a web site can be set up by a customer clicking or selecting different types of content. This can be used to build data collected via registration forms, questionnaires, cookies and of course purchases.Recommendation algorithms. This approach often known as collaborative filtering uses automatic prediction (filtering) about the interests of a visitor by collecting preference information from different users. This is arguably the most effective personalization since it is unobtrusive; Amazon is the best known example since it gives recommendations of books based on past purchases by customers with similar interests without requiring the user to register their preferences.Dynamic design and personalization

News and events . Results, surveys or press releases can be automatically posted to the site.Viral personalization. Here a user interacts with a site and personalized video clips are delivered based on a lookup of keywords typed by visitors. Try it for this Burger King viral (www. subservientchicken.com ). This approach was also used on the Mini Aveaword campaign where it was combined with e-mail to send a personalized video clip urging a friend to try the mini based on their geography, gender, job, hobbies, name and sexual preferences (straight or gay, etc.). This degree of personalization was both highly entertaining and effective the word-of-mouth generated many additional sales during the campaign period.Dynamic design and personalizationReferrer string. Content can potentially be personalized according to which site the visitor previously visited and in particular the key phrase typed into a search engine, e.g. an insurer has used the type of insurance searched for to tailor messages for new visitors.Location. Internet phones enabled with WAP make it possible to send promotions to a customer as they pass a shop. Whether this is desirable is another matter!Multivariate real-time, conversion optimized personalization. Some systems use a combination of the variables above and then use a series of promotional containers to present the most relevant promotion which is predicted to have the highest click through rate, conversion rate or average order value for an individual customer. Dynamic design and personalizationNote however that personalization can be expensive to implement. It requires complex software and up-to-date databases. As such it is most commonly used by retailers and major media owners who hope to have frequent interactions with customers and can demonstrate the returns. However, we predict that lower cost personalization approaches will become widespread.

Dynamic design and personalizationSummaryWe have discussed design considerations of websites.

Usability and Accessibility

Dynamic design and personalisation