Website User Experience Funnel from Prospect to Customer
I'm coming across more and more websites that are beautifully designed but make me feel — well, icky. The Call To Action (CTA) strategy I'm picking on is getting more common as marketers, eager to get you to "convert" on their site, are putting the big bright "SIGN UP NOW", "PURCHASE NOW", "LET'S CHAT", etc... buttons, graphics and pop-ups as the most prominent first item that is presented to the user when landing on the site.
As a user, I feel like the site is pushing to get down my pants (for my wallet of course) and we haven't even been on a first date yet.
I want to feel good about your brand before I spend money with you. And that means you need to introduce yourself properly, show me around a bit and show me some respect by answering my most obvious questions. You need to give me something first before I'll feel good about you.
The below infographic illustrates my problem-solving methodology distilled from my two decades of website design experience. I hope this might help you get inside the head of your users whether you are an entrepreneurial company or an aggressive enterprise marketing department.
Some Notes on the Guiding Principles
Make it easy | Don't make me think. Assume users are trying to discover your site in the middle of Times Square, in the rain, when they are drunk. Interface pioneer/guru/writer, Steve Krug's work is brilliant and universally relevant. Use icons, vocabulary and layout that users are already familiar with.
Make everything frictionless | Don't be satisfied with mediocrity. Take the above principle and push it into every interaction possible — reduce image/video load times, have content hierarchy that guides users to next steps, create obvious paths for all personas. Be sensitive to how many clicks a user needs to do to get what they want — every "click" demands a thinking commitment from the user — I'm currently a fan of informational rollovers and animations.
Serve the user first | Don't serve company/marketing interests first. How many sites have you come across with HUGE, distracting social media icons across the top of the homepage? The website hasn't even delivered any useful content to me (the new user) yet — maybe a pretty, large, but company-centered banner across the top and now the site expects me to post on my personal social media? Yeah, and that incessant chat box that keeps popping up? Stoppit! I see all your CTA icons (even if unobtrusive) — if I'm inclined to interact, I'll do it when I'm good and ready — AFTER the site has delivered something relevant, enjoyable, and persuasive to me.