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As humans, we tend to make broad stroke assumptions about things. This can be very useful in our everyday lives for making time-efficient decisions.
In business, however, using a ‘common sense’ approach can often lead to undesirable outcomes.
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When considering how to best serve a certain user group, our clever brains often tell us that the most obvious answer is the correct one. Often, it is, but sometimes it isn’t.
Weighty decisions about product or marketing investment shouldn’t be made based on hunches. That’s why we’re always shouting about user research and quality user data.
Looking broadly at different generations and the assumptions we make about them, we can see how commonly held beliefs only paint a part of a larger picture.
<h2>1. Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964):</h2>
Growing up alongside the beginnings of television and landline telephones, baby boomers experienced the first widespread access to lots of what we might now consider ‘old-school’ technology.
Their formative years didn’t really see the introduction of the modern computer at all, so adapting to advancing technology has come later in their lives.
As a result, it’s easy to draw the conclusion that older individuals tend to spend a lot less time online than younger generations, and do so with great difficulty.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-14911 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/homer-any-key.jpeg" alt="" width="640" height="427" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/homer-any-key.jpeg 640w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/homer-any-key-250x167.jpeg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/homer-any-key-120x80.jpeg 120w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" />
Let’s be honest, we’ve all seen baby boomers exhibit a lack of tech literacy. Hell, the phrase ‘OK Boomer’ was hugely popular in recent years to point the finger at the &#8216;out of touch.&#8217;
Broadly speaking, of course they need a little more hand holding than most, but don’t be so quick to write them off as ubiquitously struggling to keep up.
In reality, their behaviours are becoming more and more online oriented. Their presence on Facebook and Youtube is significant, with <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/309166/boomer-senior-social-networks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">67% and 78% respectively being active on those platforms</a> back in 2020. They’re increasingly shopping online since the pandemic (90%), and their online activity is trending upwards more than any other age group (3.6% increase per year).
Sure, they might find navigating modern interfaces difficult, but we must ask why that is the case. Do we blame a younger user when they get confused using something unfamiliar? It’s much more likely that the digital environment largely ignores the needs of the elderly, rather than that they’ve an innate inability to adapt.
We need to be embracing an inclusive and accessibility-first approach to how we design and communicate our products, particularly to older users.
Plus, they have the largest purchasing power of any generation, so reaching and empowering them to embrace technology is good for everybody.
(Stats from Statista, Marigold Engage, PYMNTS)
<h2>2. Gen X (born 1965-1980):</h2>
Gen X grew up with significant technological advancement. Video games, Walkmans, VHS and word processing to name a few, they essentially experienced the advent of personal computing and the emergence of several key technologies that laid the foundation of our current digital landscape.
Personally, I often lump them in with baby boomers when it comes to technology, and that perception comes from my own life experiences.
A few weeks ago, a Gen X friend of mine was struggling to get the time and date to read correctly on their new smartwatch, and they’d tried extensively to no avail. It was sorted in 5 minutes by a fellow Millennial.
Our own anecdotal experiences can lead us to some black and white thinking about groups of people. We’re all guilty of it in all aspects of our lives.
We then assume that we know what our customers want based on first hand experience, but that simply isn’t accurate on a larger scale.
Are Gen Xers actually hesitant to adapt to new technology? Are they less savvy than their younger counterparts? It’s not uncommon to hear these kinds of generalisations, but let’s not forget they largely established the likes of Google and Amazon, and built the bridge between analog and digital.
According to LinkedIn, a surprising <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-gen-x-worth-your-time-methods-mastery/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quarter of Gen X are on Tik Tok regularly</a>, and 90% of them are on some sort of social media. Of course there are exceptions, which again is why user research is so important for a realistic view and effective strategy.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-14912 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/gen-x-ellipses.webp" alt="" width="640" height="624" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/gen-x-ellipses.webp 640w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/gen-x-ellipses-250x244.webp 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/gen-x-ellipses-120x117.webp 120w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" />
Their adaptability shouldn’t be underestimated. Sure, my dad may like to text with a copious amount of ellipses, but someone the same age working in tech their whole lives may have a much firmer grasp on the actual building blocks of the tech we use daily than anyone his junior.
So don’t be fooled by your limited life experience, no matter how convincing it might be. Test those hypotheses!
(Stats from LinkedIn, Hubspot)
<h2>3. Millennials (born 1981-1996):</h2>
Having been born in 1994, I’m at the tail end of the millennial spectrum, bordering on a “Zillennial” really. My childhood had dial up internet and snake on my parents’ indestructible Nokia. Into my adolescence we transitioned to broadband, not so smart smartphones and the beginnings of social media.
It’s with Millennials that we started to hear of ‘tech dependency,’ the overarching sentiment being that they&#8217;re inept in the ‘real-world’ of face-to-face communication and unable to detach themselves from their online lives.
We’ve been hearing it our whole lives, deemed lazy and entitled for playing video games for hours on end, or getting anxiety about having to make a phone call.
Now, I consider myself very capable and understand most technology intuitively, and broadly millennials as a whole are very comfy in the digital realm. I am also likely addicted to my phone in a less than healthy way, but far from helpless with tasks that require some real-world interaction.
So are all Millennials really dependent on technology? The reality of such questions is always much more nuanced than we might like.
In short, yes, Millennials are more tech dependent than previous generations, but to what degree? How do we define who is and isn’t addicted to their phones when there’s only about an hours difference between average screentimes of Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z.
<div id="attachment_14940" style="width: 710px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14940" class="wp-image-14940 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/average-screen-time-by-generation-1-700x651.webp" alt="" width="700" height="651" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/average-screen-time-by-generation-1-700x651.webp 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/average-screen-time-by-generation-1-250x232.webp 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/average-screen-time-by-generation-1-120x112.webp 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/average-screen-time-by-generation-1.webp 725w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />Graph courtesy of https://whatsthebigdata.com/average-screen-time-stats/</div>
The point I suppose, is that the notion of tech dependency is slowly losing its meaning.
Looking back on my own childhood, the Overton window has shifted dramatically when it comes to how much online activity is acceptable in day-to-day life. The assumption that Millennials are streets ahead of older generations in terms of online addiction and tech literacy is less and less true as the years fly by.
<h2>4. Gen Z (born 1997 &#8211; 2013):</h2>
The first truly digital-first generation. With no frame of reference for what a world without an unlimited information machine in their pocket was like, the stereotypes are naturally more extreme than with Millennials.
Short attention spans and social media addiction, you’ve probably heard the rumours. To be honest, it’s going to hard for Gen Z to beat the extremely online allegations.
The detrimental effects of constant social media exposure are well documented, and one might assume that it’s rotting young people’s brains outright. It’s a mixed bag in reality.
Reports of boosted social connection, self-expression and access to health services are amplified by social media, but one can’t just decide to reap the positive benefits only. Social media is a complicated beast.
As for short attention spans, long form media such as podcasts proves popular among young people looking to escape the scrolling loop. A reported 82% of listeners also report not doing anything else while they listen, contrary to the multi-tasking teen stereotype, and 80% report doing so specifically for relaxation. Detaching from the online world is part of many Gen Zs daily habits.
Technology has been baked into their DNA. Gen Z are merely utilising the tools provided to them, can we really shame them for that?
One study finds that <a href="https://www.edelman.com/insights/unleashing-power-gen-z" target="_blank" rel="noopener">only 12% want to be influencers,</a> and a hopeful 70% are part of a social or political cause. They’ve been handed a very uncertain world to navigate, to paint them all with the same self-obsessed Tik Tok brush is unfair and inaccurate.
They’re engaged in real world issues, they just view it through the lens they have been provided; technology.
(Stats from emarketer.com, Edelman)
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-14914 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/gen-z-meme.webp" alt="" width="500" height="616" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/gen-z-meme.webp 500w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/gen-z-meme-250x308.webp 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/gen-z-meme-120x148.webp 120w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" />
<h2>So why is any of this important?</h2>
Broad generalisations help us make sense of a chaotic world. I’d probably be right in assuming that a poorly lit alleyway isn’t a safe place to hang around at night.
Where it’s not useful is when we make decisions about how to serve customers based on their belonging to a certain broad demographic, like their age.
You might think you intuitively know your audience, but groups of users are endlessly complex.
For example, a good starting point might be that you can reach zoomers on Tik Tok, but how do you communicate with them?
You might find that your potential audience might actually include their parents too, and your messaging just won’t appeal to both groups effectively without some fine-tuning.
When we design interfaces, we need to consider accessibility standards so everyone can use it, regardless of their age. Tailoring your product to a younger tech-savvy audience only isn’t just a bad idea, <a href="https://www.friday.ie/blog/navigating-eu-accessibility-what-the-eu-accessibility-act-means-for-websites/">it might soon be legally questionable to ignore how everyone, regardless of their abilities, can use it effectively.</a>
Luckily, we at Friday know how to get to the root of user behaviour, on both the micro and the macro scale. If you need help in understanding how the hell to give users what they need, get in touch with us to collaborate on whatever it is you’re working on.
Unless you’re just a clueless old boomer&#8230; (kidding!)

Challenging Assumptions: How different generations actually use technology

Benchmark reporting, or a Digital Audit, is an exercise that combines audience research, deep-dive analytics and competitor analysis to give a clear data-driven view of where your organisation&#8217;s marketing strategy compares with competitors.
I’ve often heard the expression that luck is &#8216;Opportunity meeting preparation.&#8217;
Well, the Benchmark Report can lift the lid on opportunities to attract more customers and overtake your competition.
In this post, I&#8217;ll discuss benchmarking for marketing, and why it&#8217;s one of our most powerful tools.
<blockquote>&#8220;When we show people where their organisation sits amongst their competitive set, they sit up and take notice.&#8221;</blockquote>
Digital benchmarking uses a combination of audience research, deep-dive analytics and competitor analysis to give a clear data-driven view of where your marketing efforts compare to competitors &#8211; from visibility to market position, content, and social media activity.
The research outputs will help you to understand areas to improve, new opportunities to target and the places you should focus on to retain and grow your business.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-14887 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/benchmark-reporting.jpeg" alt="" width="1000" height="600" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/benchmark-reporting.jpeg 1000w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/benchmark-reporting-250x150.jpeg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/benchmark-reporting-700x420.jpeg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/benchmark-reporting-768x461.jpeg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/benchmark-reporting-120x72.jpeg 120w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" />
The digital landscape is ever-changing.
How people make purchasing decisions, how they engage and create content, and the laws around data privacy are some of the areas that are important to understand and adapt to.
By comparing your performance against your competitive set, benchmarking offers valuable insights that will inform your digital strategy and improve trust signals and overall customer experience.
Let&#8217;s take a look at some of the benefits.
<h4>Digital Benchmark Benefits</h4>
<ol>
<li>Measure performance against your peers: Benchmark reports allow you to see how your digital experience, marketing efforts, or content performance stacks up against your competitors.</li>
<li>Identify trends and opportunities: By understanding industry trends, you can capitalise on opportunities and adapt to changing audience intent and market conditions.</li>
<li>Improve customer experience: Benchmark reports can help you understand what a great customer experience looks like for your industry, positioning you to take action to reduce frustration and increase engagement.</li>
<li>Optimise your strategies: The report data will help refine your marketing activity by identifying which channels, content, technologies, and tactics work best. For example, if content is created you can see what your audience is looking for based on keyword research and trends, you can increase organic visibility and traffic.</li>
<li>Stay ahead of competitors: By understanding your competitors&#8217; strengths and weaknesses, you can adapt your strategies to stay ahead.</li>
</ol>
The data and insights you will gain from this work will inform your marketing channels. If you take the right action, performance metrics will increase in organic and paid search rankings, overall visibility and social media signals.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-14924 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/path-digital-tR0jvlsmCuQ-data-analytics-scaled.jpg" alt="data analytics screen for digital aiudit" width="2560" height="1475" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/path-digital-tR0jvlsmCuQ-data-analytics-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/path-digital-tR0jvlsmCuQ-data-analytics-250x144.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/path-digital-tR0jvlsmCuQ-data-analytics-700x403.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/path-digital-tR0jvlsmCuQ-data-analytics-768x442.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/path-digital-tR0jvlsmCuQ-data-analytics-1536x885.jpg 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/path-digital-tR0jvlsmCuQ-data-analytics-2048x1180.jpg 2048w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/path-digital-tR0jvlsmCuQ-data-analytics-120x69.jpg 120w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />
<h4>Process for Engaging a Benchmark Report</h4>
<ol>
<li>Choose a reputable source: Look for research and insights from a trusted partner to ensure the data you uncover is reliable and relevant to your industry.</li>
<li>Analyse the data: Carefully review the data and insights provided in the report to understand how your performance compares to industry peers. Take an unbiased look at it and leave assumptions to the side.</li>
<li>Identify areas for improvement: Use the insights from the report to identify areas where you can improve your digital experience, marketing activity, and content strategy.</li>
<li>Create a strategy: Develop an action plan and schedule based on the insights from the report, outlining specific steps to improve your performance.</li>
<li>Monitor progress: Monitor your progress weekly and monthly against an action plan to ensure you are improving and optimising relevant channel content.</li>
</ol>
By understanding your data and trends, you can refine your strategies and take action to improve customer experience. When we show people where their organisation sits amongst their competitive set, it&#8217;s like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_of_the_Pops" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Top of the Pops</a>, and they always sit up and take notice.
Following this process, you will gain greater insights into your competitive landscape, things you are doing well, where you can improve, and where your competition is stronger.
You will also understand your audiences better &#8211; their intent, and needs.
Thanks for reading :)
<a href="https://www.friday.ie/contact/">Get in touch</a> if you want to chat about benchmarking and would like a bigger slice of the cake.

Unlocking the Benefits of a Digital Audit

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From 28 June 2025, a new set of rules will apply in the European Union aiming to make things easier for everyone navigating online, especially for people with disabilities.
The European Accessibility Act of EAA focuses on improving the accessibility of products and services by standardising accessibility rules across member states.
The goal is to ensure that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can use and enjoy things like websites, apps, and other products without unnecessary barriers.
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Accessibility is crucial for fostering inclusive online experiences.
It ensures that digital content and services can be seamlessly accessed and used by everyone, regardless of their abilities.
The average person without a disability often takes for granted the relative ease of using the internet or mobile apps, however, the narrative differs significantly for millions of individuals living with disabilities across the EU.
According to <a href="https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/infographics/disability-eu-facts-figures/" data-trid="220">Eurostat estimates</a>, in 2022 27% of the EU population had some form of disability. That’s 101 million people or 1 in four adults.
This data highlights the need for a more inclusive digital landscape that accommodates and caters to the diverse needs of a substantial portion of the European population.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-14873 aligncenter" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Frame-19-700x357.png" alt="" width="700" height="357" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Frame-19-700x357.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Frame-19-250x128.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Frame-19-768x392.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Frame-19-120x61.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Frame-19.png 1176w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
<h2>Understanding the Act</h2>
The EAA aims to make sure that the things we use daily, like products and online content are user-friendly for everyone, no matter where they are in Europe or what abilities they have.
The key objectives and provisions of the EAA include:
<ul>
<li>Making things Accessible for everyone: The primary objective of the EAA is to ensure that rules about accessibility are the same across the EU. This means that everyone, especially those with disabilities can access and use things like computers, the internet, phones and services easily.</li>
<li>Ensuring Accessibility for Essential Everyday Items: The EAA focuses on everyday things we use a lot, such as computers, ATMs, e-books, and services from banks. The goal is to make sure these things are accessible to everyone, no matter what.</li>
<li>Designing for everyone: The EAA encourages the adoption of inclusive design principles. This entails designing products and services to be as usable as possible by individuals irrespective of their age, or ability</li>
<li>Digital Services for Everyone: It also looks at digital services, like websites, e-commerce platforms and apps. The rules make sure these digital services are easy to use for people with disabilities.</li>
<li>Clear rules for everyone: The EAA sets clear rules that countries and businesses must follow. These rules are there to make sure that everyone has a fair chance to use different products and services, and that accessibility is a top priority across the whole of the EU.</li>
</ul>
The EAA will apply to several products and services including:
<ul>
<li>Computers and Phones</li>
<li>ATMs and Banking Services</li>
<li>E-books and Online Reading</li>
<li>Electronic Communication</li>
<li>Ticketing Machines and Public Transportation Services</li>
<li>Websites and Apps from the Government</li>
<li>Healthcare Services Online</li>
<li>E-commerce and Online Shopping</li>
<li>Educational Platforms</li>
<li>Entertainment Platforms</li>
</ul>
The EAA brings important benefits for everyone.
For individuals with disabilities, the EAA ensures that everyday things are designed in a way that everyone can use allowing for equal opportunity and greater independence.
For businesses following the EAA means a wider customer base, and builds a positive reputation by being inclusive for all. The EAA ultimately fosters a more inclusive environment for everyone.
<h2>How does the EAA impact your website?</h2>
The EAA affects both government and private businesses. For public entities, including government agencies and municipalities, it means they have to ensure accessibility in their digital services, websites and buildings.
Private companies that offer products and services falling under the scope of the legislation, such as manufacturers, retailers, and service providers, also need to follow rules to ensure their digital content, devices, and services are accessible to everyone.
These rules include making websites and apps understandable and usable for everyone, and companies have to stick to these rules within a certain time. If they don&#8217;t, they might face penalties.
The EAA does not provide technical accessibility standards for businesses to comply with and it is up to individual member states to decide how to achieve these aims, it is assumed that most will adhere to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 level AA.
WCAG 2.2
WCAG is a set of web accessibility guidelines published by the World Wide Web Consortium.
<a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/new-in-22/">WCAG 2.2</a> consists of 26 guidelines organised under four principles, perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. The guidelines provide a framework for creating accessible websites and digital content. WCAG for example ensures that a website is keyboard accessible for users who cannot operate a mouse to interact with the site. It also ensures the site is readable by setting appropriate font sizes, and sufficient colour contrast.
In conclusion, the European Accessibility Act represents a significant leap towards a more inclusive and accessible digital future in the EU, promoting equal opportunities for all its citizens.
Businesses and entities operating in the region must take proactive measures to ensure compliance, fostering an environment where accessibility is not just a legal requirement but a shared commitment to inclusivity and diversity.
If you need help ensuring your website meets the EAA accessibility requirements, <a href="https://www.friday.ie/contact/" data-trid="700">get in touch</a>.

Navigating Accessibility: What the EU Accessibility Act means for websites

Friday Agency is excited to publish their inaugural <a href="https://www.friday.ie/ux-in-ireland/">UX in Ireland</a> research report. Drawing insights from over 100 relevant business leaders and practitioners, the report highlights perspectives on the maturity of User Experience Design (UX) within various industries. 
UX maturity, a measure of sophistication in design and research, significantly influences brand perception, customer conversion, retention, and overall success. 
Conducting this study annually aims to provide valuable comparative data for ongoing analysis of UX adoption and the state of the nation.
<a href="https://www.friday.ie/ux-in-ireland/">Read the Report</a>
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Friday publishes the inaugural UX in Ireland research report

With the amount of UX tips and tricks readily available at our fingertips, it&#8217;s hard to believe how many websites and other interfaces are still drowning in cognitive noise.
… but here we are.
In a misguided attempt to catch our attention, we still see interfaces that overburden the users&#8217; cognitive load (the amount of mental effort required by the user to absorb new information) by cramming way too much information and irrelevant visuals into any available real estate.
These additional and unnecessary elements are usually referred to as &#8216;cognitive noise&#8217;.
In this post, we&#8217;ll delve into the concept of cognitive noise and why it needs to be managed.
<h3 class="p1">Understanding Cognitive Noise:</h3>
Cognitive noise in UX design is the static that disrupts the smooth transmission of information from the screen to the user.
Think of navigating a website with excessive cognitive noise as similar to trying to read a book at a dance rave &#8211; the distraction would be overwhelming. You probably won&#8217;t be able to focus on the plot and will have to keep going back over the same sentence again and again, trying to absorb it.
Realistically, you’re not going to commit to this scenario for very long and are more likely to ditch the book and grab a glow stick.
Now, imagine reading that same book in a quiet library, with soft lighting and minimal disturbances. The experience is immersive, allowing you to focus on the narrative without the strobe light-induced chaos.
&nbsp;
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-14825" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/reading-at-a-rave-vs.-at-a-library-250x111.png" alt="" width="744" height="330" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/reading-at-a-rave-vs.-at-a-library-250x111.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/reading-at-a-rave-vs.-at-a-library-700x311.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/reading-at-a-rave-vs.-at-a-library-768x341.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/reading-at-a-rave-vs.-at-a-library-120x53.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/reading-at-a-rave-vs.-at-a-library.png 1277w" sizes="(max-width: 744px) 100vw, 744px" />
<h6>&#8220;Navigating a website with cognitive noise is like trying to read a book at a rave.&#8221;</h6>
The point is, that a rave isn&#8217;t an appropriate atmosphere for reading a book and the surroundings don&#8217;t match the task at hand. The surroundings make it more difficult to focus by adding cognitive noise, like flashing lights, loud music, and people shouting.
The target audience for a rave isn&#8217;t people who want to read a book and it isn&#8217;t the task that the atmosphere is designed for. Whereas a library should be designed to be conducive to reading, after all, people come to a library to read.
<h3>Necessary Noise</h3>
There will always be some noise in a library, things that might distract but are part of its functioning like the phone might ring or there might be flyers on the table for an upcoming event.
These things will be considered. The phone will probably be on a low volume and the flyers will likely be in a neat pile. If not, the library could start to look and feel chaotic and noisy, and a lot of its target audience would probably stop visiting.
The same goes for interfaces &#8211; there is a level of noise that is unavoidable and acceptable.
But, if it&#8217;s just full of useless information and distracting visual elements, users will look elsewhere for a product that has considered their experience and has optimised the signal-to-noise ratio.
<h3 class="p1">Signal-to-noise Ratio</h3>
Generally, Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is a term used when referring to audio, but it can also be applied to measuring cognitive noise in UX/UI design.
It&#8217;s a measure that compares the level of a desired signal (the information the user wants/needs to complete a goal) to the level of background noise (anything unnecessary that distracts the user from completing that goal).
So for example, a website that prioritises visual distractions over intuitive navigation and relevant information has a low SNR. In contrast, a site that prioritises the users’ goal/journey and uses appropriate visuals to enhance that experience, has a higher SNR.
<h3 class="p1">The University of Terrible UX</h3>
<a href="http://UAT.edu">UAT.edu</a> (University of Advancing Technology) was for a long time held up as a shining example of bad UX design, until its redesign in 2020.
While the approach to the site&#8217;s navigation was certainly…innovative…it made for a horrible user experience.
&nbsp;
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-14818" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Uat.edu-2020-250x147.png" alt="" width="749" height="440" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Uat.edu-2020-250x147.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Uat.edu-2020-700x412.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Uat.edu-2020-768x452.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Uat.edu-2020-120x71.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Uat.edu-2020.png 1519w" sizes="(max-width: 749px) 100vw, 749px" />
&nbsp;
Every aspect of the navigation was animated. To find the content you were looking for, you had 2 options, both of which were literal games of cat and mouse.
You could either:
A: Follow 20-ish images swirling around a man&#8217;s head, reading the text overlaid on each and trying to click the right one before it disappears behind him.
Or, B: If you are a very fast reader and incredibly patient, you could wait, ready to immediately click the menu options at the bottom of the page that randomly jump up into view for about 1 second at a time.
<h3 class="p1">The New and Improved University of Terrible UX</h3>
With all of that said, in 2020 UAT launched their new, redesigned website.
So, surely the overuse of animation and strange navigation patterns are now a thing of the past right?
Wrong.
The website has come up with a new and improved way of being incredibly distracting and difficult to navigate.
&nbsp;
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-14820" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/uat.edu-2024-1-250x127.png" alt="" width="731" height="371" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/uat.edu-2024-1-250x127.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/uat.edu-2024-1-768x391.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/uat.edu-2024-1-120x61.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/uat.edu-2024-1.png 1788w" sizes="(max-width: 731px) 100vw, 731px" />
&nbsp;
Now there is, at least, a clear call to action to choose what type of degree you want more information about, but it is overlaid on a looping video of students posing and flexing for the camera, with ever-changing colours that slide in and out while you try to read the white text.
Not to mention the annoying animated hover states on cards, the second irrelevant video of said posing students that twirl in and out of view and course a horizontal scroll that makes it easier than ever before to accidentally navigate to whatever webpage you were on previously.
While the new version of the site is, to be fair, easier to navigate than the old one, the design is still overly noisy, disorganised and distracting.
It&#8217;s a clear case of a low signal-to-noise ratio, which seems outdated for a university that teaches students to “innovate for the future”.
<h3 class="p1">Minimum clutter, maximum impact</h3>
If UAT is the rave from our initial analogy, then the University of the Arts London (UAL) is the library.
The homepage features a clean layout, with a simple, but effective colour palette. The strong, professional imagery of the students’ work gives the site its personality while also setting a professional tone and suggesting high standards of work.
&nbsp;
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-14831" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-04-at-14.34.14-1-250x135.png" alt="" width="711" height="384" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-04-at-14.34.14-1-250x135.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-04-at-14.34.14-1-700x378.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-04-at-14.34.14-1-768x414.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-04-at-14.34.14-1-1536x829.png 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-04-at-14.34.14-1-120x65.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-04-at-14.34.14-1.png 1790w" sizes="(max-width: 711px) 100vw, 711px" />
&nbsp;
Simple animations are reserved only for hover states, so there are no distracting moving elements vying for our attention, making it much easier to see what is available on the site.
This website has a high signal-to-noise ratio. It is much easier for a user to complete a specific task on this site or to even just browse because the navigation and information are forthcoming and not overshadowed by clutter.
<h3 class="p1">Cleaning Up the Clutter</h3>
In conclusion, the battle against cognitive noise is an ongoing challenge in the ever-evolving landscape of UX design.
Enjoyable and effective user experiences are created by embracing simplicity and decluttering digital spaces, rather than cramming as much as possible into a small space.
Design that balances intuitive navigation and minimal cognitive noise, while still portraying brand personality, is key to a successful interface. And if your design doesn&#8217;t achieve this, then it&#8217;s probably time for a spring cleaning to declutter for your users.
After all, less noise will translate to a better user experience, reduces your bounce rates, and increases conversion.
If you need help identifying the signal from the noise for an improved <a href="https://www.friday.ie/expertise/user-experience/">user experience</a>, <a href="https://www.friday.ie/contact/">get in touch</a> with our team.

Cutting Through the Clutter: Cognitive Noise in UX Design

Digital marketing often traps us within &#8216;echo chambers&#8217;, knowingly or not.
&#8216;Echo chambers&#8217; are spaces where our views are amplified and echoed back to us, creating a loop of similar ideas and opinions.
This phenomenon, quite prevalent in digital marketing in fact, brings forth unique challenges and opportunities.
As a digital agency, we regularly do this ethically and in very effective ways. If someone likes shoes, we will show them ads for shoes. This cannot be avoided, and it is the norm.
But we would normally only apply this tactic in silo when the budget is tight and there is no perceived media spend available for awareness.
‘Awareness’ is sometimes considered to be a dirty word in digital marketing because it’s not attribution’s best friend, in that it can be difficult to tie it directly to conversion. But what I’m about to discuss will highlight why it’s essential.
<h3>The Role of Echo Chambers in Consumer Behaviour</h3>
In digital marketing, algorithms often curate content and show ads that align closely with users’ existing preferences, effectively creating echo chambers.
While this approach ensures efficiency and relevance, it also risks narrowing our exposure to diverse viewpoints and products, potentially limiting the spectrum of consumer choices.
Echo chambers feed into our cognitive biases, particularly confirmation bias – our tendency to favour information that reinforces our existing beliefs.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-14810" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/5c880b1899097.image_.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="359" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/5c880b1899097.image_.jpg 600w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/5c880b1899097.image_-250x150.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/5c880b1899097.image_-120x72.jpg 120w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" />
In a marketing context, this means consumers might be limited to products and services that resonate with their established interests, which could hinder diversity and innovation in consumer choices.
There is nothing ethically wrong with showing consumers relevant products or services, but we need to understand that algorithms are not infallible. That person I mentioned above who likes shoes? Well, their digital footprint might not even suggest that they do&#8230; only an awareness campaign could capture them.
<h3>Key Challenge</h3>
The key challenge for digital marketers is to navigate these echo chambers without losing audience engagement. How can we introduce new ideas and products while maintaining relevance?
Here&#8217;s where understanding consumer psychology becomes crucial…
By leveraging insights into consumer behaviour, we can strategically diversify the content within these echo chambers, subtly introducing new concepts and products that can expand consumer perspectives while retaining a sense of familiarity.
<h3>Existing Preferences</h3>
Echo chambers occur when individuals are exposed primarily to opinions, information, or products that align with their existing beliefs or preferences.
In digital marketing, this is often facilitated by algorithms that tailor content based on past behaviour, creating a self-reinforcing loop.
While this can enhance the consumer&#8217;s experience by providing relevant content, it also limits exposure to a broader range of ideas, products, or services.
<h3>Implications for Marketing Strategies</h3>
<ul>
<li>Limitation of Personalisation: While personalised marketing is effective for engaging and converting consumers at the middle and bottom of the funnel, it often neglects the broader awareness stage. Echo chambers can keep potential new customers from entering the funnel if they are not already aligned with the brand or product.</li>
<li>Need for Broader Exposure: Echo chambers emphasise the importance of ToFu (top-of-funnel) marketing. In other words, awareness campaigns. ToFu strategies focus on reaching a wider audience to build brand awareness, rather than targeting only those already interested or engaged. By targeting a broader audience, brands can penetrate echo chambers that might otherwise limit their reach.</li>
<li>Brand Awareness: ToFu marketing aims to make more people aware of a brand or product, irrespective of their immediate interest or intent to purchase. This broadens the potential customer base and introduces the brand to diverse audience segments.</li>
<li>Diversifying Marketing Channels: Using a variety of marketing channels (social media, content marketing, SEO, paid ads, PR, etc.) can help brands reach people outside of their existing audience. This is crucial for breaking into echo chambers that might confine a brand’s visibility to its current audience.</li>
<li>Content Marketing: Creating <a href="https://www.friday.ie/expertise/content-marketing/">diverse and informative content</a> can attract a wider audience. This includes leveraging blogs, videos, infographics, and podcasts that cover a range of topics, not just those directly related to the brand’s products or services.</li>
<li>Educational and Informative Approach: ToFu content often focuses on educating the audience about a problem or need they might not know they have. This is particularly effective for engaging consumers who are outside of the brand’s typical echo chamber.</li>
<li>Social Media Strategies: <a href="https://www.friday.ie/expertise/digital-marketing/social-media-advertising/">Social media</a> platforms are known for creating echo chambers, but they can also be used to break them. Strategies like awareness/branding campaigns, partnering with influencers who have diverse followings, or using broad hashtags can expose the brand to a new audience.</li>
<li>SEO and Broad Keywords: Using SEO strategies that incorporate broader, more general keywords can attract traffic from users who are not already familiar with the brand or product.</li>
</ul>
For digital marketers, navigating the ethical landscape of targeted advertising requires a balanced approach. It&#8217;s essential to blend personalised marketing strategies with efforts to expose consumers to a broader range of ideas and products.
This might involve leveraging a mix of targeted and broad-spectrum advertising tactics, ensuring that marketing campaigns do not exclusively reinforce existing consumer preferences but also introduce new concepts and diverse perspectives. It also drives more people into your funnel, so it’s a win-win. We do this all the time.
<h3>The Role of Psychology</h3>
Understanding the psychology behind echo chambers is key. Obviously, people tend to engage with content that aligns with their existing beliefs or interests. ToFu marketing should thus aim to introduce new concepts in a way that is still relatable to these interests, thus gently expanding the consumer’s horizons.
Echo chambers in digital marketing highlight the necessity of ToFu marketing and broader awareness campaigns. By reaching out to a wider audience, brands can effectively break through these chambers, attracting new customers who might otherwise remain outside their marketing reach.
This approach not only diversifies the potential customer base but also contributes to a more informed and engaged audience, ultimately benefiting both consumers and brands. It also brings them into your echo chamber for future targeting.
<h3>Recent Controversies and Ethical Considerations</h3>
In recent years, leading digital platforms like Facebook and Google have come under intense scrutiny for their targeted advertising practices. These platforms, harnessing vast amounts of user data, create highly personalised advertising experiences.
However, this personalisation has sparked controversy, particularly when it inadvertently reinforces echo chambers.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-14808" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/confirmation-bias-social-media-72131222.webp" alt="" width="2400" height="1350" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/confirmation-bias-social-media-72131222.webp 2400w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/confirmation-bias-social-media-72131222-250x141.webp 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/confirmation-bias-social-media-72131222-700x394.webp 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/confirmation-bias-social-media-72131222-768x432.webp 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/confirmation-bias-social-media-72131222-1536x864.webp 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/confirmation-bias-social-media-72131222-2048x1152.webp 2048w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/confirmation-bias-social-media-72131222-120x68.webp 120w" sizes="(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px" />
For example, in 2021, Facebook <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/10/12/congress-regulate-facebook-algorithm/">faced backlash</a> for its algorithm promoting divisive and polarising content, illustrating how targeted advertising can sometimes prioritise engagement over the dissemination of diverse perspectives.
These incidents highlight a growing concern: the ethical implications of digital advertising in shaping user experiences and societal norms.
In response to these ethical dilemmas, governments and regulatory bodies have started to step in. The European Union&#8217;s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) represent significant efforts to give users more control over their data. These are a pain to marketers, if I am honest. We are losing sight of data.
My own gripes aside, these regulations aim to curb the extent of targeted advertising, thereby potentially reducing the impact of echo chambers. By limiting the ability of platforms to indiscriminately harvest and utilise user data, these laws seek to establish a more balanced digital advertising landscape.
<h3>Impact on Political and Social Discourse</h3>
The influence of echo chambers, fuelled by targeted advertising, extends beyond consumer behaviour, significantly impacting political and social discourse. The 2016 and 2020 U.S. presidential elections, for example, demonstrated how echo chambers can shape political narratives and polarise public opinion.
Targeted advertising can create isolated information bubbles, where users are exposed only to content that aligns with their existing beliefs, potentially leading to misinformation and heightened societal divisions.
<h4>Consumer Awareness and Education</h4>
A crucial step in mitigating the effects of echo chambers is raising consumer awareness. I do not believe that this is talked about enough, and as a result, digital marketers are demonised and put in the same category as those seeking to swing an election.
Users often remain unaware of how their online behaviour influences the content and advertisements they see. This is mostly harmless, but educating consumers more about data privacy, the mechanics of targeted advertising, and how to use available tools to manage their digital footprints can empower them to make more informed decisions about their online interactions.
This might also allow room for digital marketers to use targeting advertising without being considered ‘evil’ for doing so!
<h4>Future Outlook</h4>
Looking ahead, the future of digital advertising in the era of heightened awareness and regulation presents both challenges and opportunities.
Emerging technologies like AI and machine learning could be pivotal in creating advertising experiences that are both personalised and ethically responsible.
The goal would be to use these technologies to delicately balance personalisation with the need to expose users to a wider array of content, thus breaking through the echo chambers that currently dominate much of the digital advertising landscape.
Perhaps the true art of digital marketing in today&#8217;s world lies in our ability to use algorithms not just to reinforce, but to challenge and broaden consumer horizons.
By presenting a mix of familiar and new ideas, we can enhance consumer experiences, encourage exploration, and drive innovation.
It&#8217;s a delicate balance, but one that holds the potential for transformative impact in the way we approach marketing and consumer engagement.
If your <a href="https://www.friday.ie/expertise/digital-marketing/">digital marketing campaigns</a> are not getting you the reach you deserve, then <a href="https://www.friday.ie/contact/">get in touch</a> with us today.

Echo Chambers: The Argument for Awareness Campaigns

It’s an exciting week for the Irish design industry, and not just because Christmas is around the corner…
The Irish Government have just <a href="https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/6a866-action-plan-for-designing-better-public-services-launched-by-minister-donohoe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> a progressive roadmap for embedding design in the public service. <a href="https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/1e3e2-action/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Action Plan for Designing Better Public Services</a> was launched by Minister Paschal Donohoe and is a successor to the ‘Our Public Service 2020’ framework.
The primary objective of the plan is to enable all public service organisations to embrace and embed design thinking as a core part of their approach over the next two years.
It is encouraging to see terms like ‘UX’, ‘Journey Mapping’ and ‘doublediamond processes’ referenced in a Government roadmap. This is real recognition of the value and benefits good design can have on the public sector and beyond. What also stands out is the clear distinction drawn between paying lip service to design and adopting an effective design approach.
<a href="https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/1e3e2-action/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-14801 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DS.png" alt="" width="2000" height="942" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DS.png 2000w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DS-250x118.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DS-700x330.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DS-768x362.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DS-1536x723.png 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DS-120x57.png 120w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /></a>
There are three focus themes within the action plan:
<hr />
<h5>Demonstrate Design Commitment </h5>
The first theme covers the actions required that demonstrate commitment to implementing the discipline of design by providing the necessary investment, funding and resources that are required to deliver real progress and change.
<ol>
<li>Encourage Design Integration</li>
<li>Establish Design Funding</li>
<li>Leverage Design Expertise<a href="https://www.ops.gov.ie/designprinciples/"> 
</a></li>
</ol>
<hr />
<h5>Increase Design Capability</h5>
The following actions aim to democratise design by making skills, tools, and training accessible to all, ensuring everyone can contribute their unique talents to enhance public services.
<ol>
<li>Develop Design Resources</li>
<li>Enhance Design Skills</li>
<li>Foster Collaborative Experiences</li>
</ol>
<hr />
<h5>Foster a Design Culture</h5>
Actions to foster a design culture throughout our public service, fostering a community that integrates design into daily language and behaviours, promoting collaboration and advocacy.
<ol>
<li>Promote Design Successes</li>
<li>Facilitate Design Challenges</li>
<li>Foster a Design Community<a href="https://assets.gov.ie/255872/e6feb71e-0199-4061-894e-6f8e80bafad1.pdf"> 
</a></li>
</ol>
<hr />
This plan envisions Ireland as a global exemplar of design-led public service transformation, emphasising the importance of a design approach in creating a more efficient and inclusive future. 
Overall, <a href="https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/1e3e2-action/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the plan</a> appears comprehensive, well-researched, and strategic, providing a solid foundation for the integration of design principles into the Irish public service, something everyone will benefit from.
This is a shot in the arm for the Irish design industry as a whole. The value of good design has been recognised at a Government level and this should have a knock on effect in the private sector over time.
At Friday, we’ve had the pleasure of collaborating on a number of public service design, research and marketing projects in 2023 and we look forward to continuing this work into 2024 and beyond.
Our observations indicate a shift in the design maturity within the public sector and this new Action Plan will have more substantial influence. 
The future of Irish design looks bright.

Government Announce a Roadmap for Embedding Design in the Public Service

Apocalypse Cookie 2024: Survive & Thrive with Privacy Embracing Tracking

<h6>3 MIN READ.</h6>
That choice. Hire a specialist marketing agency or build your in-house team?
In this piece, I talk about the benefits of the two options and how you can have the best of both. We&#8217;ll also look at some recent stats for context.
<h3>In-Housing</h3>
Here are some of the advantages of having your own full-time in-house marketing team.
Organisational know-how
In-house marketing teams are dedicated exclusively to your brand or business, so naturally, they will know your products, services, and audience. Having this full-time knowledge and focus is key.
A <a href="https://www.pwc.com/us/en/library/trust-in-business-survey.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 survey by PwC</a> found that 77% of European consumers consider trust in a brand as a buying factor, highlighting the importance of maintaining consistency of message and communication. In-house marketing talent is key to this.
Speed
In-house teams are always available, allowing for immediate responses to changing market conditions or unexpected challenges. This can be particularly important in fast-paced industries where timely decision-making and execution are critical.
Control and Alignment
Having an in-house team gives you complete control over your marketing activities. You can directly oversee projects, ensuring they align with your company&#8217;s vision and values.
This control can be especially crucial when your marketing efforts involve sensitive information or require a high degree of customisation.
Cost
Cost is a factor, but it swings both ways and there is value with different options depending on your circumstances.
Unilever announced back in 2017 that it saved approximately 30% on its agency fees by taking some of its advertising in-house and reducing the remit of its agency teams.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-6941 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/13-700x374.jpg" alt="In-Housing vs Agency" width="700" height="374" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/13-700x374.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/13-250x134.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/13-768x410.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/13-120x64.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/13-80x43.jpg 80w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/13.jpg 1900w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
<h3>Agency Benefits</h3>
Here, are some of the main advantages of partnering with an agency team.
Expertise and Ideas
Marketing agencies are often home to a team of specialised professionals with diverse skills. This breadth of expertise lets them stay updated with the latest marketing trends, strategies, and technologies.
For instance, in the European context, a survey conducted by the Digital Marketing Institute in 2021 found that 70% of marketers believed that keeping up with digital marketing trends was the biggest challenge they faced.
Marketing agencies can alleviate this concern by providing a pool of experts who specialise in various aspects of marketing, from SEO and content marketing to social media advertising.
Cost Efficiency
Hiring and training an in-house marketing team can be a significant investment, especially for small to medium-sized businesses.
In contrast, partnering with a marketing agency allows you to access a team of experts without the expense of hiring and retaining full-time employees.
This can be particularly advantageous for businesses with limited budgets.
Scalability and Flexibility
One of the key benefits of using a marketing agency is scalability. Agencies can easily adjust their resources to meet your changing needs.
Whether you&#8217;re launching a new product, entering a new market, or need to ramp up activity during a specific period, agencies offer flexibility without the commitment and risk of hiring.
HR
If you are a small company with a small team, there’s a limit to what you can accomplish because of the limited skill sets. For this reason, in-housing can be quite challenging.
Big businesses, on the other hand, have the human resource capacity to handle significant marketing activities.
However, after reviewing various agency prices, some large companies may prefer to cut costs by hiring an agency to handle their marketing.
Should they decide to stick with an in-house marketing team, managing a large team can become a challenge of its own.
With a huge internal marketing team, company leaders have to break silos for easy management. This could slow down communication.
<h3><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-8355 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Ab17-700x374.jpg" alt="marketing stairs" width="700" height="374" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Ab17-700x374.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Ab17-250x134.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Ab17-768x410.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Ab17-120x64.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Ab17-80x43.jpg 80w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Ab17.jpg 1900w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></h3>
Ultimately, the decision between using an agency and building an in-house team depends on your specific needs and circumstances.
We would say it, but the expertise, cost-efficiency, and scalability offered by agencies are important to the success of your <a href="https://www.friday.ie/expertise/strategy/">marketing strategy</a>. However, the in-depth knowledge, immediate availability, and control you get from your in-house team are equally important.
<h3>The Hybrid Approach</h3>
The hybrid approach, where in-house talent and agency support combine, strikes a perfect balance.
By leveraging the strengths of both teams, you can maximise impact.
Advantages of a Hybrid approach
In Bannerflow&#8217;s most recent published in-housing report, <a href="https://www.bannerflow.com/the-state-of-in-housing-2021-report">30% of respondents said that they had chosen a hybrid model</a>.
Building a strong partnership between an agency and a company&#8217;s in-house marketing team gives the best of both worlds and has the potential to transform an organisation into a marketing powerhouse.
Hybrid benefits include:
<ul>
<li>Data-driven decision-making without providing external parties access to a company&#8217;s sensitive consumer data.</li>
<li>Access to industry experts without the need to persuade them to become permanent employees of your company.</li>
<li>Benefiting from top-tier agency marketing tools and insights that might not otherwise be in reach.</li>
<li>With both in-house and external perspectives the collaboration processes make for a better strategy.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Thanks for reading.
If you are unsure about how to build your digital marketing or UX design team, <a href="https://www.friday.ie/contact/">get in touch with Friday</a>. We won&#8217;t bite you. I swear.
Also, we are currently working on a short survey for brand and marketing leads, product owners and senior people involved in marketing. If you would like to be involved in the survey, get in touch with me before the end of October 2023.

Marketing Teams – In-House, Agency and the power of Hybrid

From a quick back of a napkin calculation over lunch, the UX team at Friday discovered that we have collectively sat through over 500 hours of user testing (that&#8217;s 20 days without sleep!). Our team has conducted user testing on many, many apps and websites, either during the redesign process or as part of UX audits.
It’s fascinating looking at the patterns of human behaviour that emerge by observing people using apps and websites.
We figured it would be fun to compile some of the most common issues that regularly pop up across user testing. There are many myths about what end users want or expect from an app or website &#8211; most of these are based on pure assumptions and personal bias. We hope to dispel some of these myths. 
&nbsp;
<h5>1. Where’s the Home button?</h5>
Everyone knows that when visiting a website, if you click the logo it will bring you back to the homepage, right? 
Wrong. This is something we always observe in user testing when we prompt participants to go back to the home screen. You’d be surprised how many people use the back button in the absence of a home button. The tech-savvy will use the logo but we would hazard a guess that somewhere in the region of 50-60% of people will not know this. Implicit as well as explicit links are needed until everyone is categorised as ‘tech savvy’!
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<h5>2. What does this company actually do?</h5>
The opening title on your website holds immense significance as a communication tool. It serves as the stage-setter, introducing users to your identity, purpose, and approach. Ambiguity often leads to users navigating away. While I won&#8217;t delve into perfecting the art of writing titles for the hero area of a website, I will say that a few minutes into testing, it&#8217;s not uncommon for a user to ask “What does this company actually do?”.
Consider these two homepage examples from within the same industry, providing a similar service. Examining the first one on the left, does its title readily reveal its product/service or even industry? On the other hand, Cognosis (right) takes a more explicit approach. Their message conveys a simple mission of aiding business growth. In a single line, users discern if they&#8217;re in the right place and can proceed accordingly. If your brand is not a household name, be clear and direct about who you are and what you do.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14567" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/compare-1.png" alt="" width="1769" height="1474" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/compare-1.png 1769w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/compare-1-250x208.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/compare-1-700x583.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/compare-1-768x640.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/compare-1-1536x1280.png 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/compare-1-120x100.png 120w" sizes="(max-width: 1769px) 100vw, 1769px" />
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<h5>3. Don’t make me read!</h5>
Another observation we often note is how much people don’t like to read, users will scroll and scan the page looking for something that is a visual match with the expectation they have in their head. In most cases, users might read buttons, calls to action or titles (if they are short) but they will not read any more than a couple of lines of text unless there is a clear task and they have motivation to do so. 
In our experience, the younger the audience the less patient they are when it comes to reading. Sorry, but unfortunately nobody wants to read your 15,000-word mission statement! Designing for scan reading is key to conversion.
&nbsp;
<h5>4. Icons (for everything)</h5>
While icons can enhance usability, communication, and aesthetics, overusing icons can lead to various issues and challenges. An assumption might be made that everyone knows what a square with a dot in the middle of it is! The reality is that there is a very small set of truly universally recognisable icons. Sometimes you’ll need to add some text beside an icon to help communicate it better but is this the right solution? We see it all the time, incomprehensible icons simply get ignored, so it&#8217;s worth making sure your icons make sense and that means testing.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14576" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/icons-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1178" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/icons-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/icons-250x115.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/icons-700x322.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/icons-768x353.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/icons-1536x707.jpg 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/icons-2048x942.jpg 2048w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/icons-120x55.jpg 120w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />
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<h5>5. Burger menus</h5>
<a href="https://www.friday.ie/blog/not-such-a-tasty-burger-the-case-against-hidden-menus-in-web-design/">Mary discussed burger menus a few years ago</a>; how they can be a bit of a blind spot for users and raise issues with content discoverability. Burger menus are often a necessary evil on mobile apps and websites. They have a clear function of housing navigation that simply cannot be presented out front because of space constraints. It is amazing how little people actually use them, at least in our user testing, people are much quicker to scroll to find what they are looking for (see my next point). It&#8217;s like users see them as a last resort for navigation when all else fails. 
Take note: Never, ever use a burger menu on a desktop website, you have the space for navigation, use it!
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14568" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/website-navigation-hamburger-menu-icons-set-flat-website-menu-icons-with-rounded-and-sharp-edges-mobile-app-menu-icons-set-of-ui-ux-design-elements-app-burger-icons-stock-eps10-vector.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="340" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/website-navigation-hamburger-menu-icons-set-flat-website-menu-icons-with-rounded-and-sharp-edges-mobile-app-menu-icons-set-of-ui-ux-design-elements-app-burger-icons-stock-eps10-vector.jpg 800w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/website-navigation-hamburger-menu-icons-set-flat-website-menu-icons-with-rounded-and-sharp-edges-mobile-app-menu-icons-set-of-ui-ux-design-elements-app-burger-icons-stock-eps10-vector-250x106.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/website-navigation-hamburger-menu-icons-set-flat-website-menu-icons-with-rounded-and-sharp-edges-mobile-app-menu-icons-set-of-ui-ux-design-elements-app-burger-icons-stock-eps10-vector-700x298.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/website-navigation-hamburger-menu-icons-set-flat-website-menu-icons-with-rounded-and-sharp-edges-mobile-app-menu-icons-set-of-ui-ux-design-elements-app-burger-icons-stock-eps10-vector-768x326.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/website-navigation-hamburger-menu-icons-set-flat-website-menu-icons-with-rounded-and-sharp-edges-mobile-app-menu-icons-set-of-ui-ux-design-elements-app-burger-icons-stock-eps10-vector-120x51.jpg 120w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />
&nbsp;
<h5>6. Everybody Scrolls</h5>
When it comes to mobile website design, navigation can be tricky. We have looked at the dreaded burger menu and there still seems to be a high level of anxiety about what is ‘above the fold’ coming from website owners, a concept that goes back to the beginning of the printing press. 
When it comes to above the fold, sure, we need to ensure the most engaging content is visible, but users will and do scroll. Scrolling is the most common navigation action a user will take, people are much more inclined to scroll in order to find what they are looking for over going into a menu.
When it comes to above ‘the fold’, use discipline. Cramming as much as possible above the fold will result in poor engagement, users won’t know where to look, which leads me beautifully on to my next point…
&nbsp;
<h5>7. Options: Don’t make me think!</h5>
You know when you go to a restaurant and they hand you a multi-page menu that is like a short novel, you can’t make a decision and end up panic ordering the cauliflower and squid risotto (and later regretting it). 
Too many options cause what we call increased cognitive load and this usually ends in user frustration. We’ve always noticed when a user is presented with more than 3 or 4 options at any one time, they get flustered. A flustered user often walks away. Keep it simple.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14569" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/convert-website-visitors-3a.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="700" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/convert-website-visitors-3a.jpg 1200w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/convert-website-visitors-3a-250x146.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/convert-website-visitors-3a-700x408.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/convert-website-visitors-3a-768x448.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/convert-website-visitors-3a-120x70.jpg 120w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" />
<h5>8. Put it in a Carousel</h5>
While carousels can seem like a good way to display a variety of content in a limited space, they come with several pitfalls that can negatively impact user experience. Contrary to belief, just because you have a carousel doesn’t mean users will engage with it, in fact, they have low engagement and interaction rates. 
Unfortunately, very few users will get to see the 23rd frame of your carousel but they will notice how long the screen takes to load. In our experience, most users just scroll past them unless something really catches their eye. Vitaly Friedman from Smashing Magazine created this nice little chart showing how fast engagement rates fall on the second and third slides in a carousel.
<div id="attachment_14565" style="width: 1355px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14565" class="wp-image-14565 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1692271189974.png" alt="" width="1345" height="1000" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1692271189974.png 1345w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1692271189974-250x186.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1692271189974-700x520.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1692271189974-768x571.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1692271189974-120x89.png 120w" sizes="(max-width: 1345px) 100vw, 1345px" />Credit: Vitaly Friedman, Smashing Magazine</div>
<h5></h5>
<h5>9. Meeting Expectations</h5>
Every user testing session and task begins with asking the participant what they expect before they start. Based on this input, we’ll have a good idea if we’re going to get positive feedback or not. If we can meet the users expectations through intuitive interactions, trust-building, and ultimately a positive user experience, thats a win, it’s as simple as that. 
The only way to establish user expectations is research.
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<h5>10. Positive Moments</h5>
Sometimes life can be mundane, especially when you have your head stuck in a screen. We talk about how good UX can be achieved by meeting users&#8217; expectations, great UX is about exceeding them. A simple way to do this is to consider designing for emotional delight. Sounds a bit fluffy? Just bear with me!
A simple, maybe subtle and unexpected animation, message or sound that makes the user smile. Humour goes a long way and helps lift your brand&#8217;s personality. We’ve seen faces light up with well-thought-out micro-interactions or interface feedback that leaves the user with a positive impression, this reflects on the brand.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14570" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2.gif" alt="" width="800" height="200" /> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14571" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/3.gif" alt="" width="800" height="200" /> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14573" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/a.gif" alt="" width="800" height="200" />
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14574" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/4-1.gif" alt="" width="800" height="200" />
Hopefully, these points will help you avoid some of the most common pitfalls in UX design. Do <a href="https://www.friday.ie/contact/">get in touch</a> if you need help with <a href="https://www.friday.ie/expertise/user-experience/usability-testing/">user testing</a> or any area of <a href="https://www.friday.ie/expertise/user-experience/ux-research/">UX research</a> and <a href="https://www.friday.ie/expertise/user-experience/ux-design-dublin/">UX/UI design</a>.

10 Things We’ve Learned From Over 500 Hours of User Testing

We&#8217;re delighted to share that we&#8217;ve been nominated again in this year&#8217;s Digital Media Awards for Best Integrated Campaign and Best Website.
Following our win for <a href="https://www.friday.ie/blog/friday-win-best-in-e-commerce-at-the-spider-awards/">Best in eCommerce</a> at the Spider Awards earlier this year, we&#8217;re hoping to add to that in a couple of weeks&#8217; time.
<h3>Best Integrated Campaign</h3>
We are excited that our digital strategy and marketing work with the brilliant team at <a href="https://www.iqeq.com">IQ-EQ</a> has been nominated here.
This category recognises brands and businesses that demonstrate successful results across different digital channels using best practices, innovation and excellence in promoting, advertising, and communicating their services or products.
<h3>Best Website</h3>
Friday Agency has also been nominated in the best website category for our work with leading games developer, <a href="https://www.starbreeze.com/">Starbreeze</a>.
The category recognises best practices in navigation, UX and UI design, use of content and the positive results related to the overall user experience.
These nominations are further testament to the talent and hard work of the Friday team and our brilliant clients who put their trust in our people and process.
The event takes place on Friday, 29th September in the Clayton Burlington hotel.

Friday nominated again at the DMAs, including Best Integrated Campaign

Websites are the central supporting pillar of most online presences and often the first brand touchpoint. When building a website there are generally two options &#8211; a template or page builder, or a custom design and build. But which option is best?
The wide availability of templates and page builders has made it easier and faster to set up a website. While on the surface this seems positive, it may not be the best approach.
Web templates and page builders may be quick, but they have several drawbacks. The designs can be generic with less room to customise and functionality can be limited.
On the other hand, a custom web design can help your business stand out from all the digital noise. It&#8217;s tailored to your brand&#8217;s unique vision, values, and goals. You have the freedom to choose your colour scheme, fonts, and overall aesthetic in line with your brand.
A custom website can also be designed with the user experience in mind something we at Friday value greatly, thus ensuring that visitors can easily find the information they need and navigate the site with ease.
<h2>Disadvantages of Template Websites</h2>
<h3>Predetermined Design</h3>
While templates offer speed and convenience, they can be limiting by confining you to a predefined design. These templates often provide only minimal room for customisation, making it challenging to seamlessly integrate them with your unique brand identity.
<h3>Excess Code</h3>
Templates are designed with a broad spectrum of businesses in mind, encompassing a diverse array of features to cater to a wide audience.
However, this inclusivity can result in an abundance of options, some of which might align with your requirements while many others may not.
Consequently, this can introduce unnecessary bloat and surplus code into your website, potentially impeding its performance and speed. This is bad for the user and for your SEO.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-14547 aligncenter" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/hal-gatewood-tZc3vjPCk-Q-unsplash-700x467.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="467" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/hal-gatewood-tZc3vjPCk-Q-unsplash-700x467.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/hal-gatewood-tZc3vjPCk-Q-unsplash-250x167.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/hal-gatewood-tZc3vjPCk-Q-unsplash-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/hal-gatewood-tZc3vjPCk-Q-unsplash-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/hal-gatewood-tZc3vjPCk-Q-unsplash-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/hal-gatewood-tZc3vjPCk-Q-unsplash-120x80.jpg 120w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
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<h2>Advantages of Custom Websites</h2>
<h3>Design Tailored to Your Brand</h3>
With a custom website, the level of customisation and personalisation is virtually limitless. Designers can work closely with clients to ensure that every aspect of the website aligns perfectly with their brand guidelines, effectively conveying their core beliefs and values.
Custom websites enable businesses to maintain consistent branding across all digital platforms. From the logo and colour scheme to the typography and imagery, every element can be carefully tailored to reinforce the brand identity and leave a lasting impression on visitors.
<h3>User Experience-Optimised Design</h3>
A custom website can be designed with your user in mind. For any website, <a href="https://www.friday.ie/expertise/user-experience/" data-trid="232">UX</a> will play a pivotal role in ensuring user satisfaction and improving the UX design of a website can enable a business to increase its conversion rate by &#8220;as high as 400%&#8221; (Source: <a href="https://www.forrester.com/report/The+Six+Steps+For+Justifying+Better+UX/-/E-RES117708" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Forrester Research</a>).
<h3>Increased Search Performance</h3>
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the practice of optimising a website to improve its ranking on search engines. The better your SEO, the higher your site will rank.
Many factors can help SEO, and keeping them in mind when designing and building your custom-coded website will ensure that it is built perfectly to maximise your search ranking.
<h3>Ability to Evolve in Response to Business Changes</h3>
As your business grows, its digital platforms must adapt along with that growth. A custom experience makes it easier to add new features or changes as you need.
<h3>Custom functionality</h3>
Different businesses require their websites to perform various tasks, whether it&#8217;s an e-commerce solution, a location finder to show all business locations, or custom functionality not included with the base CMS.
A pre-built theme will limit you to the basic functionality of the CMS. To extend its capabilities, you&#8217;ll need to add plugins.
However, plugins can add a lot of unnecessary code to your site, as you may only need to use a small portion of their functions. With a custom site, your developer can build the exact functionality you need without any unnecessary code or plugins.
<h3>Flexible CMS functionality</h3>
Most business websites run on a content management system (CMS) to allow for easy content changes across the site. However, with a base install and template, you will be limited to only changing what the template allows.
Your developer can make all content editable and add custom content types to suit your business needs.
<h3>So</h3>
In a dynamic digital landscape, the choice between templates and custom design for your website is pivotal. While templates provide a quick start and have their place for small sites where you want something up and running pronto, they can stifle your brand&#8217;s uniqueness and compromise user experience.
On the other hand, custom websites align closely with your vision, offering limitless customisation, optimised user experience, and enhanced SEO performance.
A custom-built user experience will resonate with your audience, reinforce your values, and empower your business.
If you are ready to stand out <a href="https://www.friday.ie/contact/">get in touch</a> and embrace the power of custom web design.

The Power of a Custom Web Experience

The future of design as a whole is on the brink of a major shift thanks to generative AI models. As a designer myself, I&#8217;m particularly interested in text-to-image tools like Dall-E and Midjourney.
AI is likely to completely transform the process of User Interface Design for websites, apps, and the digital space in general. And soon.
Let&#8217;s take a look at some AI tools available right now, and if they&#8217;re actually of any use for UI designers.
I&#8217;ll also highlight some of the more promising-looking tools that aren&#8217;t yet publicly available, but definitely worth keeping an eye on in the near future.
<h3>But wait, what is text-to-image AI?</h3>
A brief description for the uninitiated. Text-to-image models have been around for a while now, but have been rapidly improving in quality in the last year or so.
Essentially, they use machine learning models to generate images from a simple text prompt.
They are trained on large data sets of existing images in order to understand how to turn your text prompt into an image that looks like what you&#8217;ve described.
So, all you need to do is type a description of the image you want and hit enter. Magic! The art of getting decent results lies in the quality of the tool you&#8217;re using, and the quality of your text prompt.
Just check out the thumbnail of this post for an example of an AI generate image!
<h3>So what can AI do for UI Designers right now?</h3>
The short answer is.. not a lot, yet.
Yes, the likes of Dall-E, Midjourney and Stable Diffusion can produce some astounding stuff from a purely visual design perspective. How they perform when tasked with UI-specific prompts is less impressive, for a couple of reasons:
<ul>
<li>They can only produce flat images, so you can&#8217;t directly edit the output in a design program like Figma.</li>
<li>They don&#8217;t do a great job with text, it mostly looks like a cryptic alien language.</li>
<li>Results vary in quality and are probably more time-consuming than just searching on Dribbble or Awwwards.com.</li>
<li>When working on a project, you&#8217;ll have some content structure in place before you get to UI. AI tools can&#8217;t really take this into account, so a generated Home page may not be applicable to wireframes you&#8217;ve developed.</li>
</ul>
These tools can produce some nice inspiration and moodboarding assets, but that&#8217;s about it right now. Check out some of the results I got from the following prompt:
&#8220;Mobile app home screen for a music festival, modern, minimal, purple colour palette, dribble, high-res&#8221;
<h5>Stable Diffusion:</h5>
Not a bad effort, but there wasn&#8217;t much of use bar the colour palette. Though the illustrations are nice, they really aren&#8217;t usable unless recreated manually in vector format.
The strange melding of the phones on the right is quite amusing, as the AI tries to interpret what a phone should look like.
<div id="attachment_14549" style="width: 1708px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14549" class="wp-image-14549 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Stable-Diffusion.png" alt="AI generated image of a smartphone music festival app on multiple screens, using the tool Stable Diffusion" width="1698" height="832" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Stable-Diffusion.png 1698w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Stable-Diffusion-250x122.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Stable-Diffusion-700x343.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Stable-Diffusion-768x376.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Stable-Diffusion-1536x753.png 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Stable-Diffusion-120x59.png 120w" sizes="(max-width: 1698px) 100vw, 1698px" />Stable Diffusion&#8217;s UI effort</div>
<h5></h5>
<h5></h5>
<h5>Midjourney:</h5>
A little more impressive, it gives some indication of a weather tracking feature, and the details are crisper and generally better quality. It certainly has a better grasp on what a phone looks like.
Generally, it sparks the creative part of your brain as inspiration, but not much else, and I could find a plethora of similar images on Dribbble pretty quickly.
<div id="attachment_14550" style="width: 1504px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14550" class="wp-image-14550 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Midjourney.png" alt="AI generated images of a smartphone music festival app, using the tool Midjourney" width="1494" height="741" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Midjourney.png 1494w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Midjourney-250x124.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Midjourney-700x347.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Midjourney-768x381.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Midjourney-120x60.png 120w" sizes="(max-width: 1494px) 100vw, 1494px" />Images generated by Midjourney</div>
Overall, results from these tools are difficult to interpret. It&#8217;s like an alien&#8217;s best guess at what an app might look like. Given that the AI is essentially doing something similar, it&#8217;s not surprising.
<h5>Magician/Dall-E</h5>
<a href="https://magician.design/">Magician</a> is a plugin for Figma (made by Diagram, more on them in the next section). It harnesses the power of ChatGPT and Dall-E 2 to give you some nice little AI tools right in the Figma UI.
I tried out the Magic Image and Magic Icon tools to generate some logos for a pharmaceutical company. It&#8217;s not revolutionary, but definitely exciting to see how this could speed up the idea-generation process.
<div id="attachment_14551" style="width: 1718px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14551" class="wp-image-14551 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Dall-E.png" alt="AI generated images of a medical company logo concept, using the tool Dall-E 2" width="1708" height="793" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Dall-E.png 1708w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Dall-E-250x116.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Dall-E-700x325.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Dall-E-768x357.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Dall-E-1536x713.png 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Dall-E-120x56.png 120w" sizes="(max-width: 1708px) 100vw, 1708px" />Magician uses Dall-E 2 to generate images via a Figma plugin</div>
Side note, ChatGPT is amazing for writing short copy snippets for your prototypes, a use-case for AI that I&#8217;m already using quite a bit.
<h3>The tools to watch out for</h3>
The prospect of including AI as a core part of the UI process in the near future seems very real. Generating specific, editable vector UI layouts with a click could be a game changer, and it&#8217;s only going to get more powerful with time.
Here are some of the tools you should keep an eye on. Some are only just announced and not yet publicly available, so we can only speculate until we get hands-on.
<h5>Framer:</h5>
Available now and a lot of fun to play around with, <a href="https://www.framer.com/ai">Framer&#8217;s AI</a> page builder takes your prompt and starts designing in front of your very eyes. All the elements are editable, and you can regenerate the typography styles and colour schemes at will.
It&#8217;s a big step up from the text-to-image tools in terms of UI, but certainly not an end-product right out of the gate. There&#8217;s still a lot of work to do for a designer to bring a mockup like this to the finish line, but could shave a good half hour off the start of a given task.
<div id="attachment_14552" style="width: 1454px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14552" class="wp-image-14552 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Screenshot-2023-08-11-at-15.02.18.png" alt="UI mockups of a music festival website using the design tool Framer" width="1444" height="1094" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Screenshot-2023-08-11-at-15.02.18.png 1444w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Screenshot-2023-08-11-at-15.02.18-250x189.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Screenshot-2023-08-11-at-15.02.18-700x530.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Screenshot-2023-08-11-at-15.02.18-768x582.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Screenshot-2023-08-11-at-15.02.18-120x91.png 120w" sizes="(max-width: 1444px) 100vw, 1444px" />A set of AI generated UI mockups using Framer</div>
<h5></h5>
&nbsp;
<h5>Diagram &amp; Figma:</h5>
Figma is already the biggest player in the UX design tool space, and they recently acquired a rather successful AI Design startup called Diagram. It seems they have a few AI tools in the works, and they look promising.
Their <a href="https://blog.diagram.com/p/introducing-genius">Genius</a> tool claims to be able to &#8220;autocomplete your design using components from your design system.&#8221; Unlike something like Framer which just generates a unique UI each time, this could potentially work with your existing design system, and anticipate what you want to do next.
Actual details are rather scarce, but having seen Figma&#8217;s output so far and their commitment to the design community, I have high hopes for this one.
<h5>Galileo:</h5>
A slightly more mysterious player in this space is <a href="https://www.usegalileo.ai/">Galileo</a>. Similar to the previous tools, it claims to turn &#8220;natural language prompts into high-fidelity designs,&#8221; as well as produce copywriting and illustrations based on text prompts.
They seem to be less forthcoming about the company and the tool itself, so we&#8217;ll have to wait and see if it can deliver. With a few competitors emerging at once, it&#8217;ll take something special to really get designers on board.
<h5>Wix &amp; Webflow:</h5>
Also worth a mention are the no-code site-builders like Wix and Webflow. If you&#8217;re less design-savvy, you might go straight to <a href="https://www.wix.com/blog/wix-artificial-design-intelligence">Wix ADI</a> to generate a site based on a description of your business.. in theory. In reality, you&#8217;ll need to do lots of fine-tuning with the site layout and content, but the idea is enticing.
<a href="https://webflow.com/blog/power-of-ai">Webflow</a> is also promising some powerful AI-enhanced content and styling functionality. It&#8217;s not a tool for beginners, but with some practice, it&#8217;s one of the most versatile ways to build a site without coding skills, and AI is only going to make it more accessible.
<h3>The Future of UI Design</h3>
While this is all very exciting, it begs the question; will this replace UI designers altogether? I don&#8217;t think so, not in the short term anyway.
UI design is a lot more than making pretty pictures, and it&#8217;s never done in isolation. So you can create a nice-looking template with a click? It&#8217;s useless if it ignores user pain points, and it certainly can&#8217;t test the UI with real users.
A designer&#8217;s expertise will likely always be required to both craft an AI input, and then moderate and fine-tune the output. Generative AI will likely find a home in a UI designer&#8217;s arsenal as a time-efficient extension of their expertise.
<h5>Realistically, here&#8217;s where I&#8217;m hoping AI will fit into my workflow:</h5>
<ul>
<li>Speeding up the process of gathering lots of visual inspiration.</li>
<li>Generating a decent editable starting point for screens and specific interaction scenarios.</li>
<li>Anticipating and suggesting UI components from my component library, that fits into a layout I&#8217;m already working on.</li>
<li>Quickly producing realistic copywriting and placeholder imagery for mockups and user testing.</li>
</ul>
In conclusion, it&#8217;s an exciting and daunting time to be a designer.
Though the AI revolution won&#8217;t outright replace designers, it will certainly leave the un-trained in its wake, which is why I&#8217;m keeping a very close eye on the ever-developing landscape. It&#8217;s changing by the week, so you better keep up!
We try to keep our ear to the ground here at Friday. Get in touch with our <a class="c-link" href="https://www.friday.ie/expertise/user-experience/ux-design-dublin/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://www.friday.ie/expertise/user-experience/ux-design-dublin/" data-sk="tooltip_parent">UX Design team</a> to understand what an experienced team can bring to your next project.

An AI generated illustration of a computer with small graphic elements on screen, representing design systems and UI design

AI tools for UI Design: Are they any good?

The Three-Click-Rule is an unofficial usability heuristic that feeds into the notion that we should be counting clicks to measure usability. It states that if users don&#8217;t find the information they are looking for within three clicks, they will get frustrated and leave the website.
However, in recent years, the notion that usability can be accurately measured by the number of clicks needed has been widely debunked.
Yet, this myth still manages to pop up from time to time and presents a challenge for UX designers when advocating for intuitive navigation.
So, we are going explore the origins of the 3-click myth and shed light on why reducing clicks doesn’t automatically lead to a better user experience.
<h3 class="p2">The origin of the 3-click-rule</h3>
The origin of this ‘rule’ is fairly ambiguous, but the first apparent definition appears in Jeffrey Zeldmans’ book ‘Taking Your Talent to the Web’ (2001)
Zeldmans reasoning for this rule comes down to the users’ very real need for instant gratification. But, there’s no evidence to show that this rule even addresses that need. Zeldman himself says that it’s more of a suggestion than an ironclad rule. So, why he put the word ‘rule’ in the title is questionable.
<h3 class="p2">Applying the 3-click-rule</h3>
If we look at websites from 2001, when this ‘rule’ was in effect, we are confronted with sprawling navigation bars and pages full of text links. Somebody is clearly trying to get us from A to B in under 3 clicks (at the expense of aesthetics).
<div id="attachment_14505" style="width: 543px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14505" class="wp-image-14505 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/icq.png" alt="" width="533" height="342" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/icq.png 533w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/icq-250x160.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/icq-120x77.png 120w" sizes="(max-width: 533px) 100vw, 533px" />2001 homepage for ICQ.com</div>
But what happens when you have to fish through a load of options to find what you’re looking for?
It slows you down, you are overwhelmed with choices and you waste time searching for the right option. It&#8217;s known as the paradox of choice and it&#8217;s the perfect recipe for user frustration.
<h3 class="p1">The Paradox of Choice in Action</h3>
The paradox here is that while users are most attracted to the idea of having lots of choices, it’s actually easier to make a choice when faced with fewer options.
A study titled &#8220;When choice is demotivating: Can one desire too much of a good thing?&#8221; (<a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2000-16701-012">Iyengar, S. S., &amp; Lepper, M. R.</a>, 2000) demonstrates this nicely.
In this study, researchers set up a tasting display of 24 different jars of jam in a supermarket. All of that selection appealed to a large number of shoppers, with 60% stopping to taste the options. They then reduced the display to 6 options the following day and attracted fewer people.
But there&#8217;s a plot twist.
Guess which display resulted in more sales than the other? Well, it turns out that people are 10 times more likely to make a purchase when presented with fewer options.
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_14502" style="width: 762px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14502" class="wp-image-14502" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/jam-graphic.png" alt="" width="752" height="451" />The jam experiment results</div>
<h3 class="p1">The paradox of choice vs. The 3-click-rule</h3>
So how does all of this relate to the usability of a website, app or any digital screen?
Well, the 3-click rule suggests displaying all (or most) options upfront. But, now we know that this will overwhelm our users and lead to fewer conversions. So, it would be better to throw that rule in the bin and display only a few options at a time, allowing for a few more clicks.
It&#8217;s important to note, these extra clicks should be meaningful, they should lead the user down the path to their desired content. Also, we aren’t going to get rid of the rest of the options, we are going to categorise the options into 6(ish) logical groups.
Why 6? Because people only have the capacity to remember 7 pieces of new information at a time. So, we aim for 6 to make it as easy as possible, and it allows for an addition that may come at a later date.
So in terms of our jam metaphor &#8211; we might first let the user choose which fruit they want their jam to be made from, and then show them only the jams made from that fruit. This way the user can quickly narrow down their options to ones that are relevant to them and their goal.
But there are many categorisation options and their suitability for the job depends on the site, its purpose and its target audience. So, how do we choose the right categories?
Simple answer, we ask the user.
<h3 class="p1">User research for an intuitive navigation</h3>
Arguably the best way (but not the only way) to find out user expectations of content categorisation is through a card-sorting exercise. We can even use this to find out what they would expect the names of the categories to be.
We can then develop an information architecture based on these categories. After that, we can conduct tree testing to validate the new navigation and find areas that need improvement.
By including our users in the design process, we ensure that our navigation is intuitive and user-centric.
<div id="attachment_14504" style="width: 724px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14504" class="wp-image-14504 " src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/jam-cards.png" alt="" width="714" height="405" />Example of a card sort</div>
<h3 class="p1">Categorisation for larger websites </h3>
Categorisation for a larger website, with more content and pages, can be a bit more complex. In these cases, categorisation will likely require more levels. To explain this a bit better, I’m going to go back to our jam metaphor one more time.
On a jam company’s website, the primary user goal is to buy jam from an already limited number of options. So, naturally, the user should achieve their goal with a small number of clicks.
Finding the same jam on a supermarket website that stocks it among hundreds of other products is a different story.
On the supermarket site, jam is just a small piece of the information architecture puzzle. Here, we have to look at more layers in terms of parent, child and grandchild categories, as well as filters.
So the user flow to a particular strawberry jam might look like this:
Homepage &gt; Pantry &gt; Preserves and Spreads &gt; Jams &gt; Desired jam.
<h3>Meaningful clicks</h3>
The user now has at least 4 clicks to achieve their goal on the supermarket site, but each click is meaningful. They are on an intentional journey, narrowing their options and getting closer to the content they want, in the least overwhelming way possible.
If we applied the 3-click-rule here, we would get the user to a page displaying every brand and type of jam that the store has to offer, putting them in the exact situation we are trying to avoid, where only 3% of our website visitors will actually buy jam.
Now that might not seem like a big deal in terms of jam because people will probably buy the rest of their groceries and a sale will still be made.
But what about on a hotel booking website, where the user is there to make one single big purchase?
If we make users fish through every hotel in the world, in the interest of saving clicks, we are going to lose them to a more intuitive website.
And that is exactly why we should not be counting clicks as a measure of the usability of a website, app or any digital screen.
<h3 class="p1">What to keep in mind</h3>
If you take anything away from reading this, let it be this:
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li2">The 3-click rule is a myth.</li>
<li class="li2">Users prefer to make a few extra clicks than to decode tonnes of information.</li>
<li class="li2">Stop counting clicks and start making each click count.</li>
</ul>
Also, if you like jam (or award-winning work), check out the experience we created for Follain at: <a href="http://www.follain.ie">www.follain.ie</a>.
If you&#8217;re interested in improving your websites <a href="https://www.friday.ie/expertise/user-experience/">user experience</a> through intuitive navigation, get in touch with <a href="https://www.friday.ie/contact/">Friday</a>

Counting Clicks: Why Fewer Clicks Doesn’t Guarantee Better User Experience

User Experience (UX) is a fundamental component of successful digital marketing strategies. And rightly so.
From e-commerce websites to mobile apps, <a href="https://www.friday.ie/expertise/user-experience/">UX</a> plays a pivotal role in ensuring user satisfaction, influencing purchasing decisions, and ultimately determining whether customers become loyal advocates or turn to the competition.
As an agency, we’re consistently highlighting the essential role of UX in <a href="https://www.friday.ie/expertise/digital-marketing/">digital marketing</a>, including its impact on user-centric marketing, trust and credibility, SEO, and the ability to drive customer loyalty.
We firmly believe (and why wouldn’t we?) that if you&#8217;re spending money to get users to your brand experience then you should give them the best one possible.
I’ll say it more than once in this blog post, but I can’t help myself: it’s a no-brainer.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14476" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/no-brainer.jpeg" alt="no-brainer" width="624" height="351" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/no-brainer.jpeg 624w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/no-brainer-250x141.jpeg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/no-brainer-120x68.jpeg 120w" sizes="(max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px" />
<h3>User-Centric Marketing</h3>
In the modern digital landscape, a shift towards user-centric marketing has become imperative. Gone are the days of a purely product-centric approach.
User-centric marketing is a strategy that prioritises the needs, preferences, and behaviours of the consumer above all else.
Instead of making assumptions about what customers want (often based on complacency or ego), businesses leverage data and insights to gain a deeper understanding of their target audience.
The UX process utilises usability testing, user research, analytics deep dives, UX audits and other core activities to take you out of your own building and into the minds of your customers.
This knowledge allows us to create personalised experiences that resonate on an individual level.
Unfortunately, not enough businesses recognise the importance of focusing on the user and their experience throughout the marketing journey. UX lies at the heart of this approach, aiming to provide users with seamless, efficient, and enjoyable experiences when interacting with digital products or services.
<h3>Every Touchpoint</h3>
When businesses prioritise UX, they simplify the path to conversion and address the user&#8217;s needs at every touchpoint.
By doing so, they create a frictionless experience that makes it easier for potential customers to navigate through their website, understand the product or service, and ultimately make a purchase.
This user-centric approach has been proven to significantly improve conversion rates, resulting in higher business success.
There is no simpler way to put this: If your website converts better then EVERY digital marketing channel converts better.
It is that straightforward. A no-brainer, if you will (sorry!).
To implement user-centric marketing effectively, businesses must understand their customers&#8217; needs, pain points, and motivations.
By developing a comprehensive understanding of their target audience, businesses can create valuable solutions that address specific challenges or desires. Moreover, effective communication of these solutions is key to establishing a meaningful connection with customers.
<h3>Why Listen to Users?</h3>
At its core, UX is all about enhancing the overall experience for customers. By prioritising the needs and wants of customers, businesses improve their satisfaction and engagement levels.
This, in turn, leads to increased conversions, repeat business, and positive word-of-mouth.
Businesses need to cut through the noise and deliver relevant and tailored experiences now. Today&#8217;s consumers are inundated with marketing messages, making it, at best, noisy and annoying. Consumers are tuning out&#8230;
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14477" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/giphy.gif" alt="" width="480" height="320" />
By leveraging customer data and analytics, businesses can gain insights that enable them to customise interactions, products, and services to match individual preferences. This personalised approach resonates with customers, leading to higher engagement and conversion rates.
UX serves as the bridge that connects businesses with their customers in the digital world. It encompasses every aspect of a user&#8217;s interaction with a digital product or service, ensuring that they find value in what businesses provide.
A good UX design goes way beyond aesthetics; it focuses on creating intuitive and user-friendly interfaces, delivering seamless navigation, and providing relevant content.
From the moment users land on a website to navigating through products or services and reaching the final checkout, the entire customer journey should be smooth and enjoyable.
UX design utilises data-driven decision-making to continually refine and improve the user experience, aligning it with the evolving needs and expectations of customers.
So don’t be a data denier… we have enough of those! Let the data lead the way.
<h3>Building Trust and Credibility</h3>
In the digital (and mostly faceless) world, building trust and credibility is more challenging yet more important than ever.
Establishing trust through UX design is crucial to creating meaningful connections with users.
A user-friendly and intuitive website not only enhances the user experience but also builds confidence in the brand. When users find a website easy to navigate, aesthetically pleasing, and functional, they develop trust in the brand&#8217;s credibility.
Transparency is another critical factor in building trust. In an era of data breaches and online scams, customers are increasingly concerned about their privacy. Businesses must be clear about their privacy policies and how they handle customer data. Making these policies easily accessible and understandable contributes to establishing trust.
Just try not to make your user’s privacy journey too annoying or intrusive. Far too many are doing this and websites are losing revenue there.
A study titled &#8220;The Impact of Privacy Laws on Online User Behaviour&#8221; (<a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3774110">Goethe University</a>, revised 2022) found that the enforcement of privacy laws like the EU&#8217;s General Data Protection Regulation (<a href="https://gdpr-info.eu/">GDPR</a>), which mandates the use of cookie notices, had a negative effect on user quantity and usage intensity on websites.
The study suggests that these effects could translate into revenue losses for websites. Let that sink in.
<h3>Relevant Content</h3>
Providing high-quality and relevant content is another way to build trust and credibility.
Regularly updating a blog, resources, and social media platforms with informative and valuable content not only helps in ranking better on search engines but also establishes the brand as an industry expert.
Customers are more likely to trust a brand that consistently provides helpful and authoritative content. Of course, this also lends itself well to your <a href="https://www.friday.ie/expertise/digital-marketing/search-engine-optimisation/">SEO</a> efforts.
Leveraging social proof is another powerful strategy for building trust and credibility. Customer reviews, testimonials, case studies, and endorsements can significantly influence potential customers&#8217; perceptions of a brand. Positive reviews serve as proof of a brand&#8217;s reliability and trustworthiness, thereby enhancing credibility.
<h3>Consistency</h3>
Consistency is also crucial in building trust and credibility. Consistency across all platforms and touchpoints helps establish a credible brand identity.
Whether it&#8217;s on the website, social media channels, or email campaigns, maintaining consistency in branding, messaging, and tone of voice reassures customers and strengthens the brand&#8217;s identity.
UX can provide a consistent experience while digital marketing uses these same insights for consistency of messaging.
<h3>Influence on SEO</h3>
In recent years, search engines have started giving more weight to user experience in their ranking algorithms.
They understand that websites that offer a good user experience are more likely to provide value to users. As a result, these websites are rewarded with higher rankings in search engine results pages (<a href="https://www.semrush.com/blog/serp/">SERPs</a>).
User engagement metrics play a significant role in determining the quality and relevance of a website. Metrics such as session duration are believed to influence a website&#8217;s search engine ranking.
When users have a positive experience on a website and engage with its content, it sends positive signals to search engines, indicating that the website is valuable and relevant.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14479" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/make-google-happy.jpg" alt="" width="575" height="320" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/make-google-happy.jpg 575w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/make-google-happy-250x139.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/make-google-happy-120x67.jpg 120w" sizes="(max-width: 575px) 100vw, 575px" />
<h3>Mobile</h3>
Mobile optimisation is another aspect where UX and SEO intersect. Search engines have prioritised mobile-first indexing.
This means that search engines primarily consider a website&#8217;s mobile version when determining its rankings. Having a mobile-friendly UX is no longer optional but necessary to rank well in search results and provide a positive experience for mobile users.
Website speed is another critical factor that affects both UX and SEO. A slow-loading website not only frustrates users but is also frowned upon by search engines.
Speed is a confirmed ranking factor (for now), and it directly impacts user experience. Users typically leave a website if it takes too long to load, which increases the bounce rate and signals to search engines that the website might not provide a satisfying user experience.
<h3>Navigation</h3>
A clear and logical navigation is crucial for both UX and SEO. A well-structured website with intuitive navigation allows users to find what they&#8217;re looking for quickly and easily.
This positive user experience leads to increased engagement, lower bounce rates, and longer session durations, all of which contribute to better SEO performance. Moreover, search engine bots can crawl and index a website more efficiently when its navigation is clear, leading to improved visibility in search results.
UX and SEO are no longer separate entities but intertwined components of a successful digital marketing strategy.
By aligning UX with SEO best practices, businesses can create a more enjoyable user experience, drive organic traffic to their websites, and ultimately improve their search engine rankings while doing so!
<h3>Driving Customer Loyalty</h3>
A positive user experience can be a significant factor in driving customer loyalty.
When your customers find a website or app easy to use, visually appealing, and pleasant, they are more likely to return and make repeat purchases.
By continually improving and updating the UX, businesses can foster a loyal customer base that not only remains engaged but also becomes brand ambassadors, recommending them to others.
To drive customer loyalty through UX, businesses must focus on creating delightful experiences at every touchpoint.
This includes designing intuitive user interfaces, optimising website performance, and personalising interactions based on individual preferences.
By consistently delivering exceptional user experiences, businesses can build trust, foster loyalty, and establish long-term relationships with their customers.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14478" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/giphy-1.gif" alt="" width="450" height="253" />
<h3>No-Brainer</h3>
As the digital landscape continues to evolve, the role of UX in digital marketing becomes increasingly crucial.
User-centric marketing, built upon a foundation of exceptional UX design, empowers businesses to prioritise customer needs, enhance satisfaction, and drive revenue. It is a no-brainer. No, really.
By building trust and credibility, influencing SEO, and fostering customer loyalty, businesses can position themselves for success in the digital realm.
Investing in UX is not just an option but a necessity to thrive in today&#8217;s highly competitive digital marketplace.
By prioritising the user and delivering exceptional experiences, businesses can unlock the true potential of their digital marketing efforts and cultivate strong, lasting relationships with their customers.
Of course, you can also generate a sh*tload more revenue along the way.
Reach out to <a href="https://www.friday.ie/contact/">Friday</a> today to see how UX and Digital Marketing can transform your ROI.

The Crucial Role of UX in Digital Marketing

For most, data privacy, consent, and the laws that govern it are about as appealing as watching paint dry. But are the tools we use every day that are designed to help control our consent really working?
Getting around the web is often a pain in the ass.
Newsletter pop-ups, display ads, and location alerts  &#8211; not fun.
And this pain manifests not least in the form of Consent Management Tools and their pop-up controls or Cookie banners. We&#8217;ve all been clicking, or at times ignoring some form of OK, Accept, Reject, etc almost every day for 5 years.
<h3>Consent with the GDPR</h3>
The GDPR is now 5 years old. It is a necessary and important EU directive that sets out laws and guidance on how personal data is controlled, stored and processed.
In front of that personal data sits the consent to have it in the first place, and that&#8217;s what this post is about.
<blockquote>&#8220;Most people are simply not thinking about their privacy or data rights. They just want to move on with their lives.&#8221;</blockquote>
<h3>Transparency</h3>
One of the core principles of the GDPR regulation is that it requires companies to provide consent notices to consumers in “concise, transparent, intelligible and easily accessible form, using clear and plain language.”
But what are the design principles that ensure those notices and their user interfaces are clear and transparent?
Can organisations that design for a myriad of things &#8211; web, mobile, wearables, voice assistants, connected cars and every sort of IoT device really live up to these ever-changing laws and principles?
<h3 class="graf graf--p">Do consent tools even work?</h3>
As is our nature, we tested this out.
In a set of usability tests with 20 people on a compliant consent tool pop-up, we found that the majority of users, 70%, clicked to Accept cookies.
When asked why they chose their action, answers from those who accepted included &#8220;That&#8217;s just what I always do&#8221; and &#8220;&#8230;it&#8217;s the fastest way to get rid of it.&#8221;
The problem is clear. Human nature prevails, and as <a href="https://dictionary.apa.org/cognitive-miser" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cognitive misers</a>, through simple repetition, we follow the path of least resistance.
Most people are simply not thinking about their privacy or data rights, they just want to move on with their lives.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-14463" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/consent-accept-250x133.png" alt="" width="500" height="266" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/consent-accept-250x133.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/consent-accept-700x373.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/consent-accept-768x409.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/consent-accept-1536x817.png 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/consent-accept-120x64.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/consent-accept.png 1586w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" />
&nbsp;
But do consent tools actually work?
We tested this too.
Out of a quick straw poll selection of 12 random websites (May 2021), we found that just 7 of them (58%) did not fire cookies when Marketing Cookies were declined.
<h3 class="graf graf--p">Good Cookie?</h3>
When it comes to content streamers and IoT stuff, many of these services need to collect data from you to give you a better user experience.
For example, Netflix.
When you’re milling around thinking about what to watch next, content streamers use first-party cookies and data to show you content that you might like based on your viewing history, gender, etc.
If Netflix kept showing you the same viewing options every day, including things that you’ve already watched that would get annoying.
While this use of personal data improves the user experience, there are other ways your data is used from deciding what content to produce to more grey areas such as <a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/netflix-data-tracking-privacy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how data is shared with 3rd parties</a>.
In the case of Netflix, the only opt-out is to stop using the service.
<div id="attachment_14461" style="width: 936px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14461" class="wp-image-14461 " src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/path-of-least-resistance-250x131.jpeg" alt="" width="926" height="485" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/path-of-least-resistance-250x131.jpeg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/path-of-least-resistance-768x401.jpeg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/path-of-least-resistance-120x63.jpeg 120w" sizes="(max-width: 926px) 100vw, 926px" />The path of least resistance. (Michael Sankey)</div>
<h3 class="graf graf--p">Privacy by Design</h3>
Despite the clear challenges of getting consent, education for those who process and store personal data is critical.
I spoke some time ago at a webinar hosted by the brilliant <a href="https://fpf.org/">Future of Privacy Forum</a> who invited me to give a talk on consent transparency and designing for trust.
Interesting takeaways included:
<ul>
<li class="graf graf--p">The biggest challenge to increasing User Experience transparency may be encouraging people to make deliberate decisions from a UX design perspective.</li>
<li class="graf graf--p">Designers’ colour and shape choices in User Interface design can be subtle ‘dark patterns.’ These dark patterns might even prevent, e.g., colourblind users from understanding the options at hand.</li>
<li class="graf graf--p">Organisations should ask themselves whether they should be collecting certain data in the first place.</li>
<li class="graf graf--p">Organisations need to take steps to prevent user manipulation, both by UX/UI (e.g., cookie banners) and by algorithms.</li>
</ul>
There&#8217;s a link to the webinar at the end of this post.
<h3>What should change</h3>
This is usually the part where you get &#8216;the answer&#8217; but there isn&#8217;t a definitive one or at least one that will make browsing websites and apps a little less annoying.
Google plans to phase out cookies with its <a href="https://privacysandbox.com/">Privacy Sandbox</a> but consent banners are not going to go away soon, so they may continue to annoy.
But, the real message here is that regardless of what level of consent users and consumers give (or how engaged they are when they do it), as businesses, data controllers and data processors, the responsibility lies with us to ask for, use and store their data responsibly.
There are two things I would advise:
<ul>
<li>Understand where your greatest data risks lie and ensure that your processes around processing and controlling that data are airtight.</li>
<li>Educate and train your staff on the laws and best practices around data protection, particularly how they relate to your greatest risks.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Thank you for reading.
&nbsp;
But wait, there&#8217;s more:
<ul>
<li>A piece I contributed to in the Sunday Business Post on the Death of Cookies: <a href="https://www.businesspost.ie/tech/will-google-kill-the-cookie/">https://www.businesspost.ie/tech/will-google-kill-the-cookie/ </a></li>
<li>You can check out a recording of my keynote with the Future of Privacy Forum here: <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://fpf.org/blog/event-recap-dublin-privacy-symposium-2021-designing-for-trust-enhancing-transparency-preventing-user-manipulation/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" data-href="https://fpf.org/blog/event-recap-dublin-privacy-symposium-2021-designing-for-trust-enhancing-transparency-preventing-user-manipulation/">https://fpf.org/blog/event-recap-dublin-privacy-symposium-2021-designing-for-trust-enhancing-transparency-preventing-user-manipulation/</a></li>
<li>Note: Consent Tool Usability Tests were conducted in May 2021.</li>
</ul>
And if you want to go full geek, check out this 30-minute piece on GDPR after 5 years from Voice of ESG. It has some sound advice at the end on engaging in training and awareness for your team.
<iframe title="Spotify Embed: Special: 5 years GDPR in the EU" style="border-radius: 12px" width="100%" height="152" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/5xXR5MvBjalaZOLOA2a1tW?si=x072yDeGTjWCT3Rlcfg1XQ&#038;utm_source=oembed"></iframe>

Clickety-click: 5 Years of Consent with the GDPR

It&#8217;s incredible how much technology has transformed human behaviour over the past two decades. I’ve found this to be particularly evident through carrying out hundreds of hours of user testing over the years. There is a clear change in people&#8217;s tolerance and patience levels when faced with frustrating interfaces, apps or websites that have confusing navigation or long loading times.
These days, people expect seamless, intuitive experiences that they don’t need to think about too much.
UX research and design have been undervalued in the past, but because of these changes in human behaviour and user expectations, businesses are now recognising opportunities and investing.
There are two main options when it comes to integrating UX into any business &#8211; building your own in-house UX team or collaborating with a UX agency. I’m going to take a look at each scenario. I’m sure I’ll be accused of bias (something UX professionals try to avoid) so I’ll keep this as objective as I can.
There is a place for both, and the choice depends on considerations such as scale, ambition, budget and the product roadmap. On many occasions, we have helped transition our clients to build their own UX and design teams and often continue to support them with extra capacity and consultancy.
<h4>When should a business build an in-house UX team?</h4>
Building an effective UX team has its challenges but it is very worthwhile when done right and for the right reasons. In my opinion, scale is the main justification for this approach. If you have a clear vision with a roadmap that includes comprehensive UX requirements, this might be the way to go.
In-house UX designers will be the strongest guardians of your brand. They should have broad familiarity and razor-sharp focus across your entire product suite and communications, but there is always the risk of overfamiliarity, which can lead to bias or blinkering. A strong research-based ethic with discipline is needed. 
One piece of advice I’d give anyone taking this approach is to start with strong UX leadership. Without this foundation, it will be very difficult. UX professionals also work better as part of a UX team; it’s a broad discipline so hiring one UX professional to cover strategy, research, UX design, UI Design, UX writing, information architecture, testing and delivery is a mistake. I’ve never met anyone with all of these skills at a high standard.
<h5>Key considerations when building an in-house UX team</h5>
<ol>
<li>You’ll need a high level of design maturity across the business. This needs to come from the top down.</li>
<li>There should be a strong ambition for the business and a clear product roadmap for the long term that has an ongoing requirement for a UX team.</li>
<li>You need to start with foundational UX leadership that can build the right multidisciplinary team and structures.</li>
<li>You’ll need the budget to invest in, recruit and retain the UX talent needed to build an effective team.</li>
<li>Enough time and resources will be required to onboard and develop the UX team and create processes, SOPs and team culture.</li>
</ol>
The state of the UX and tech industry in Ireland and beyond shows a skills shortage of experienced UX designers and researchers. This remains in 2023. It is a highly competitive market, and there is fierce competition for top talent. HR and staff retention are not easy, you need a very attractive proposition.
<h4>When should a business work with a UX agency?</h4>
For a lot of businesses, working with an experienced and established UX agency is often a more efficient and cost-effective way to manage UX projects without a lot of the risks associated with hiring and building a UX team from scratch.
If the product roadmap is less defined towards the longer term, requires a multi-disciplinary approach, and needs to start making progress quickly, hiring a UX agency can be a much smarter more cost-effective choice with a lot less risk.
<h5>Benefits of working with a UX agency</h5>
<ol>
<li>A UX agency will have an existing multidisciplinary team with a broad set of skills and expertise.</li>
<li>There will be close collaboration between research, design, analytics, content creation, development, and project management professionals.</li>
<li>A UX agency will already have an evolved design culture, processes, and team dynamic, which will bring efficiency to any project.</li>
<li>An agency can provide an objective perspective on your product or service, which can be valuable in identifying blind spots and areas for improvement.</li>
<li>UX agencies have a wide range of experience across multiple industries, providing best practices and proven methodologies to your project.</li>
<li>A UX agency can plug into and enhance your existing team as support for research and design.</li>
<li>Costs are reduced by only paying for the work you need.</li>
</ol>
Ultimately, the decision between building an in-house UX team or collaborating with a UX agency like Friday will depend on the unique needs and goals of the business. It may also be possible to combine both approaches, with an in-house team providing ongoing support and a UX agency brought in for specialised projects or to supplement the in-house team&#8217;s skills and capacity.
<a href="https://www.friday.ie/contact/">Talk to us</a> about your requirements, and we’ll help you work out if collaborating with an agency or building your own UX team is the right path for your business.

Should you work with a UX Agency or build your own in-house UX Team?

In the ever-evolving world of SEO, AI has already played a pivotal role in transforming various aspects of how we search.
Google in particular have been at the forefront of utilising AI to enhance user experiences, improve search quality, and support the discovery of relevant information.
And now it’s about to reach the next level using, you guessed it, AI advancements again.
<div style="width: 1280px;" class="wp-video"><video class="wp-video-shortcode" id="video-14375-2" width="1280" height="720" poster="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Screenshot-2023-05-15-at-21.40.10.png" preload="metadata" controls="controls"><source type="video/mp4" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/A-look-at-whats-next-for-AI-and-Google-Search-_-Google-I_O-2023.mp4?_=2" /><a href="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/A-look-at-whats-next-for-AI-and-Google-Search-_-Google-I_O-2023.mp4">https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/A-look-at-whats-next-for-AI-and-Google-Search-_-Google-I_O-2023.mp4</a></video></div>
In short: Google are now introducing cutting-edge generative AI technology to enhance the search experience. And I’m liking it!
I will stand up and pay attention to anyone who appears to be taking their time and using a considered approach to AI advancements. Much of it has been far too rushed.
We all know that Google <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/8/23590864/google-ai-chatbot-bard-mistake-error-exoplanet-demo">jumped the gun</a> a bit and were too exposed by factual errors, but I think the lesson has been learned.
Over the years, Google has introduced ground-breaking advancements such as the Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) and the Multitask Unified Model (MUM) to revolutionise search capabilities.
I won’t delve too much into <a href="https://blog.google/products/search/introducing-mum/">BERT or MUM</a> right now, all you need to know is that they paved the way.
Continuing this trajectory, Google is now venturing into a new frontier called Search Generative Experience (SGE), where generative AI takes centre stage.
Generative AI is a type of AI capable of creating new content, such as images, videos, music, or text, that is not directly copied from existing examples.
It’s a fascinating area with so many functionalities, responsible implementation questions being raised, known limitations and more&#8230;
<h3>What is SGE?</h3>
Search Generative Experience represents an early step in transforming the search experience using generative AI.
It presents an AI-generated response above the search results. Google explicitly indicates the answer as being from Generative AI, followed by a response to your query.
The answer is presented in a box and Google provides citations to the websites used for generating the answer. These citations can be clicked to explore further.
Alternatively, you can ask another question or use the toggle button at the top right for more in-depth information.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14377" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/google-search-generative-ai-experience-look.png.webp" alt="" width="2048" height="1521" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/google-search-generative-ai-experience-look.png.webp 2048w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/google-search-generative-ai-experience-look.png-250x186.webp 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/google-search-generative-ai-experience-look.png-700x520.webp 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/google-search-generative-ai-experience-look.png-768x570.webp 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/google-search-generative-ai-experience-look.png-1536x1141.webp 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/google-search-generative-ai-experience-look.png-120x89.webp 120w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" />With SGE, users will notice a revamped search results page that organises familiar web results in a novel manner, enabling you to extract more value from a single search.
It empowers users to ask entirely new types of questions, gain quick overviews of topics with relevant links for further exploration, engage in a natural conversational mode for follow-up queries, and effortlessly accomplish tasks like generating creative ideas or drafting content directly within the search interface.
So far, it looks pretty f*cking cool.
<h3>How SGE Works</h3>
At the core of SGE are AI-powered snapshots that provide users with a synthesised overview of a topic.
These snapshots offer factors to consider and relevant insights, serving as a jumping-off point for users to explore a wide range of content and perspectives on the web.
SGE also incorporates a conversational mode, allowing users to naturally ask follow-up questions and obtain additional links to resources for in-depth exploration.
Leveraging AI, the conversational mode adapts to the context of the user&#8217;s queries, reformulating and refining the search intent over the course of the conversation.
This dynamic approach ensures users have access to the most relevant content as the conversation progresses.
<h3>Vertical Experiences</h3>
SGE extends its benefits to verticals such as shopping and local searches.
In shopping, SGE aids users in making informed purchase decisions by uncovering insights, presenting notable factors to consider, and offering a range of product options with descriptions, reviews, ratings, prices, and images sourced from Google&#8217;s comprehensive Shopping Graph dataset.
Similarly, SGE enhances local search experiences by providing AI-powered insights that facilitate comparisons and exploration of options.
<h3>What About The Ads?</h3>
This is an important one, and make no mistake, search ads will continue to play a vital role within SGE. They will appear in dedicated slots throughout the page.
Advertisers can leverage SGE to reach potential customers at various stages of their search journeys, just as they have done already.
On the ethical front, Google says they remain committed to transparency by ensuring clear differentiation between ads and organic search results, utilising the usual labels. I’m sure the <a href="https://www.friday.ie/blog/deceptive-design-and-how-it-hurts-your-business/">dark patterns</a> will continue here, but let’s see.
<h3>Embracing Creativity</h3>
Generative AI capabilities in SGE unlock new possibilities for users to engage with information creatively. Beyond merely finding information, SGE supports users in utilising that information in innovative ways.
Whether it&#8217;s searching for a new product or brainstorming ideas for social media posts, SGE&#8217;s creative potential offers users an enhanced and immersive search experience.
It&#8217;s important to note that, initially, SGE imposes certain constraints on creative applications to prioritise safety and quality. However, as the system evolves and quality improves, creative capabilities will expand.
<h3>SEO</h3>
Whatever content SGE surfaces will still use citations and will link to content where needed, so this does not necessarily mean that we are facing a world of zero-click searches. There will be more of them, but this is not the death of your SEO traffic.
On the flip side, it will look for content that is trustworthy so all of the same <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-e-e-a-t-how-to-demonstrate-first-hand-experience/474446/">E-E-A-T</a> principles will apply if you want your content to be surfaced here.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14384" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Screenshot_2023-05-16_at_10_56_13.jpg" alt="Google E-E-A-T" width="784" height="431" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Screenshot_2023-05-16_at_10_56_13.jpg 784w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Screenshot_2023-05-16_at_10_56_13-250x137.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Screenshot_2023-05-16_at_10_56_13-700x385.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Screenshot_2023-05-16_at_10_56_13-768x422.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Screenshot_2023-05-16_at_10_56_13-120x66.jpg 120w" sizes="(max-width: 784px) 100vw, 784px" />
<h3>Applying It Responsibly</h3>
As an experimental feature, Google says they are approaching SGE thoughtfully and responsibly, in accordance with its AI Principles.
Many will like to hear this since there is currently an overreaction in which people think this will destroy the world.
<h3>So there you have it&#8230;</h3>
SGE brings cutting-edge generative AI technology to enhance the search experience, and this is certainly welcome.
It offers a distinctive new search experience, distinguishing itself from previous versions while retaining the familiar Google search essence.
Notably, Google has made improvements in linking to publishers, aiming to actually generate website traffic.
It&#8217;s pretty exciting, to be fair.
If you want to know more about what all of this means for your SEO strategy, then <a href="https://www.friday.ie/contact/">get in touch</a> with us today.

A New Way to Search: Google’s Generative AI

In the digital landscape, there are many ways for businesses to get users to click where they want them to click. A positive user experience can leave a lasting good impression on users to keep them coming back. Designers know how users tend to behave on the internet, and so, unfortunately, they can exploit these behaviours to get them to do things they may not want to.
Deceptive Design, otherwise known as &#8220;Dark Patterns,&#8221; is a user interface designed to trick users into behaving against their own interests.
You’ve probably come across it in your own online activity. Subtle (and not so subtle) user manipulation is fairly commonplace, and quite often utilised by some of the biggest names in tech. Being able to recognise the different types of deceptive designs that appear across the web is the first step in avoiding them, so let’s take a look at some examples.
&nbsp;
<h3>Deceptive Design in the Wild</h3>
<h5>Disguised Ads</h5>
‘Disguised ads’ are when a part of the user interface is made to look like another functional part that a user might want to click on, like navigation or a search result. Google has been increasingly guilty of this practice over the years. The likelihood of clicking an ad (that Google benefits monetarily from), and an almost visually identical search result is very high. Coupled with the fact that 3 or 4 ads at the top of the screen will push actual search results down the page beyond the fold, it’s even harder to recognise them for what they are.
It wasn’t always this way. Google was one of the first to clearly label its ads and seemed to be a leader in transparency in this area. Over the years they have slowly blended their ads into the search results, making them harder and harder to differentiate. Take a look at the timeline of design changes over the years below by Ginny Marvin, and read the <a href="https://searchengineland.com/search-ad-labeling-history-google-bing-254332?utm_campaign=socialflow&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social">full article</a> for a more in-depth analysis.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Color fade: A history of Google ad labeling in search results <a href="https://t.co/guo3jc4kwz">https://t.co/guo3jc4kwz</a> <a href="https://t.co/LMYqhmgfyE">pic.twitter.com/LMYqhmgfyE</a>
— Ginny Marvin (@GinnyMarvin) <a href="https://twitter.com/GinnyMarvin/status/757606109322633216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" async="" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;
<h5>Forced Continuity and Roach Motels</h5>
Before the subscription model took over digital services, you could simply pay for something once and you’d own it forever. In the modern streaming and software landscape, subscription model payments are almost ubiquitous.
There was a brief time period where one could avail of a free trial without entering credit card details, but no more. Under the guise of ‘seamless user experience,’ companies started to demand credit card details up front, to alleviate the &#8216;hassle&#8217; of entering these details later on.
In reality, the service provider is relying on the tendency for users to forget about the subscription, and have it charging away in the background into the future. It’s industry standard now, and likely here to stay. Ultimately, if you’re confident in the value your product brings, a free trial without card details shouldn’t be an issue.
The situation is worsened by the tactic known as ‘Roach Motel,’ in which a service is easily signed up for, sometimes even by accident, but then very hard to cancel. I shouldn&#8217;t have to call a customer service number and stay on hold just to cancel my subscription!
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-14347 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Screenshot-2023-04-19-at-17.07.35.png" alt="Screenshots showing the process for cancelling an online course subscription membership" width="1294" height="1414" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Screenshot-2023-04-19-at-17.07.35.png 1294w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Screenshot-2023-04-19-at-17.07.35-250x273.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Screenshot-2023-04-19-at-17.07.35-700x765.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Screenshot-2023-04-19-at-17.07.35-768x839.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Screenshot-2023-04-19-at-17.07.35-120x131.png 120w" sizes="(max-width: 1294px) 100vw, 1294px" />
&nbsp;
<h5>Privacy and Data Consent</h5>
Social Media is known for the dopamine-exploiting ‘slot-machine’ tactics that get users compulsively refreshing their social media feeds. Facebook&#8217;s deceptive design tactics don&#8217;t stop there either. ‘Privacy Zuckering’ is when “you are tricked into publicly sharing more information about yourself than you really intended to.” It was coined in Facebook&#8217;s early days, aptly named after the founder. They were notorious for getting access to your contacts list, which you had probably shared with them without realising.
The online privacy landscape has been evolving over the last 5 years. Following the GDPR introduction in 2018, European companies are required to seek consent when collecting certain data about users and are getting creative with how they discourage you from fully exercising your privacy rights.
Often, opting into maximum data exposure is the default, or framed as a feature of the product; a benefit you can avail of that will result in a ‘more personalised ads experience,’ which certainly sounds like it’s for the user’s benefit and not the company’s&#8230; (it’s not). Other times, the action to reject or to configure data consent settings is harder to access, and the wording used in these messages is finely tuned to lead you down the path of least resistance and accept more data consent than you normally would.
Privacy Zuckering definition from: <a href="https://www.deceptive.design/types/privacy-zuckering">https://www.deceptive.design/types/privacy-zuckering</a>
<div id="attachment_14330" style="width: 710px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14330" class="wp-image-14330 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Cookie-Consent-Deceptive-Design-700x414.png" alt="Screenshots of mobile website's cookie consent user interface" width="700" height="414" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Cookie-Consent-Deceptive-Design-700x414.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Cookie-Consent-Deceptive-Design-250x148.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Cookie-Consent-Deceptive-Design-768x455.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Cookie-Consent-Deceptive-Design-1536x909.png 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Cookie-Consent-Deceptive-Design-2048x1212.png 2048w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Cookie-Consent-Deceptive-Design-120x71.png 120w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />Common website cookie consent UI, where the option to reject is distanced from the user by more taps and scrolling, while the option to accept all is immediately front &amp; centre.</div>
&nbsp;
<h5>Other Examples</h5>
This is a non-exhaustive list of the kinds of deceptive designs you can find in the wild. The term &#8220;dark pattern&#8221; was coined by <a href="https://www.deceptive.design/">Henry Brignull</a> in 2010, and more recently changed to &#8220;deceptive design&#8221; to be more inclusive and easy to understand. His is the go-to source for definitions and examples of deceptive design you should be aware of, both as a user and a business owner.
Once we know what deceptive design is, an important question to ask then is; why are they such a bad idea?
&nbsp;
<h3>How Deceptive Design hurts your business</h3>
<ol>
<li>Users are becoming more and more aware of the kinds of deceptive tactics that companies employ to influence more clicks, more conversions, and more data consent. If a user feels deceived by something they initially sought help from, it leaves a sour taste and a lasting negative impression in their mind, and they’ll be much less likely to engage with that service again.</li>
<li>A loyal customer is much more valuable than a new one. Loyal users will continue to use your services into the future, creating repeat business. They might rave to their family and friends. Deceptive design practices might gain you a short-term business win but is a net negative when considering the lasting brand perception it can create with customers, especially for small businesses trying to gain momentum.</li>
<li>Although most deceptive design is not explicitly illegal (yet..), you might run the risk of breaching data and consumer protection laws depending on the nature of the deceit. All in all, it creates a frustrating and off-putting user experience, and your energy is better placed in business practice that creates value for your customers and earns their trust legitimately.</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
<h3>If Deceptive Design is such a bad idea, why do we see it all the time?</h3>
It’s true, deceptive design is still hugely prevalent on the internet for several reasons.
<ul>
<li>Big tech companies usually get away with it. They can rely on large established customer bases and brand recognition for continued business.</li>
<li>There is sometimes pressure on designers from stakeholders who don’t understand the negative long-term effect of employing deceptive design patterns. They see competitors doing the same things and think it must be working. Designers have a responsibility to advocate for better UX, for both the user and the long-term health of the business, but it often falls on deaf ears.</li>
<li>The pressure from stakeholders comes from a short-sighted approach to boosting revenue, and the capitalist mindset of ever-soaring growth and returns. It doesn&#8217;t place users&#8217; interests at the forefront.</li>
<li>There is also likely an assumption by companies that users don’t care they’re being duped, won’t even realise, or blame themselves for certain mishaps. It can be true in some cases, but with an ever-increasing tech-savvy population, these practices just aren&#8217;t sustainable.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<h3>So how do you build trust with your users in a sustainable way?</h3>
Deceptive Design is often hard to define, as all design has the intent to persuade.
Persuasive design is the art of getting users to do what you want, without being deceptive. We&#8217;ve written on the topic before. Read Dave&#8217;s article on the <a href="https://www.friday.ie/blog/how-to-be-persuasive-the-6-principles-of-influence/">6 Principles of Influence</a> developed by Dr Robert Cialdini and our post on <a href="https://www.friday.ie/blog/persuasive-design-how-to-make-shit-happen/">effective persuasive design</a> in action.
Ultimately, the details lie in human psychology, and how you communicate with users in a convincing manner. While there is no moral obligation to be 100% ethical in your design and business practice, your own experience will likely tell you how frustrating it is to be duped, the impression it left on you as a result, and ultimately why deceptive design should be avoided at all costs.
If you want your customers to enjoy a <a class="c-link" href="https://www.friday.ie/expertise/user-experience/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://www.friday.ie/expertise/user-experience/" data-sk="tooltip_parent">positive user experience</a> throughout their journey with you, get in touch with us.

Deceptive Design and How it Hurts your Business

If you use ChatGPT to write your blog posts then you&#8217;re turning up to a gunfight with a knife.
So no, you absolutely should not use it for this. I&#8217;ll explain why….
Don&#8217;t get me wrong, AI is incredible and I fully welcome it.
ChatGPT is great for certain things such as text completion, language translation, sentiment analysis, summarising text, and answering questions&#8230; it&#8217;s even a useful tool for a wide range of real-world applications such as chatbots and customer service.
It really is a game changer, but just not for your content strategy.
It&#8217;s no surprise that ChatGPT has garnered a lot of attention in the SEO industry. After all, it&#8217;s a chatbot that utilises natural language processing to answer questions. In fact, it may even be one of the most widely discussed AI tools to date.
When it comes to ChatGPT and SEO, I was keen to wait until the dust settled before forming an opinion.
In a short space of time, it very quickly went from just being an awesome new tool to sudden cries of “SEOs will be out of work now!”.
Which is, of course, total nonsense. In my lifetime I do not expect AI to be able to replicate human emotion or creativity.
It can mainstream some SEO tasks very well, such as keyword and content research, but it should not be used to fuel your content strategy.
<h3>Not capable</h3>
Firstly, it amazes me that so many are jumping the gun in assuming that ChatGPT is the answer to their content drought. And they do so without even asking the very tool that they place so much trust in for no apparent reason.
If you did ask it, it will tell you that it is not capable of creating original content or ideas, not to mention that it recommends you do your own research and not use it as a substitute for a human writer:
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14359" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/1671532184600.jpeg" alt="Should you use ChatGPT to create your blog posts" width="734" height="407" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/1671532184600.jpeg 734w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/1671532184600-250x139.jpeg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/1671532184600-700x388.jpeg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/1671532184600-120x67.jpeg 120w" sizes="(max-width: 734px) 100vw, 734px" />
Of course, many attempts have been made to generate content – in bulk or otherwise &#8211; using ChatGPT, but the results have been less than satisfactory in terms of relevance.
While some of the content produced may have driven traffic, it failed to attract the right audience, and it did not typically generate revenue.
For most businesses, creating content in bulk using AI would be a challenge in terms of maintenance and impact, particularly without a substantial marketing team or revenue.
The cost of maintaining such content would eat into the bottom line, with little or no return on investment.
Furthermore, since generic content is often removed from the buyer&#8217;s journey, it becomes increasingly difficult to justify allocating resources towards its improvement.
<h3>Ineffective approach</h3>
Years ago, many people tried publishing thousands of posts using content mills for as low as 2 cents per word, and it proved to be an ineffective approach. This is no different.
The same is true for using ChatGPT or any other automated tool to produce content. It&#8217;s simply old-school SEO, and these strategies do not work in driving business growth.
The key to success lies in understanding what your audience needs and delivering it with authority, rather than spamming content around non-competitive, high-volume keywords.
The business acumen to recognise that AI-generated content is not the solution required to move the needle is missing.
Most businesses require high-level content that communicates expertise and addresses consumer concerns. Unfortunately, AI is not currently capable of generating such content.
<h3>No acumen</h3>
I recently came across this post on Twitter by a copywriter. It’s grim, to say the least. And the business that chose to do this? There is clearly no acumen on display by this particular client:
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-14360" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/1673602990751.jpeg" alt="" width="800" height="443" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/1673602990751.jpeg 800w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/1673602990751-250x138.jpeg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/1673602990751-700x388.jpeg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/1673602990751-768x425.jpeg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/1673602990751-120x66.jpeg 120w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />
You could argue that most blog posts should not be for SEO, and this is true. But even those created for trust, optics and usefulness by ChatGPT will fall very short of requirements.
<h3>Content that satisfies</h3>
It is imperative to reiterate (once more) the paramount importance of creating content that aligns with Google&#8217;s expectations.
While not particularly complex, this is a facet of creating content that is frequently overlooked.
Google places a premium on content that satisfies the following criteria:
<ul>
<li>Offers original information, reporting, research, or analysis</li>
<li>Provides an extensive, exhaustive, or complete overview of the subject matter</li>
<li>Offers insightful analysis or intriguing data that goes beyond the surface level</li>
<li>References and cites other sources rather than simply duplicating or rehashing their content, thereby offering additional value and originality. ChatGPT, for instance, is a prime example of this approach.</li>
<li>Is the kind of content that would prompt you to bookmark it, share it with others, or recommend it?</li>
<li>Is similar to the calibre of content that you would find in a reputable publication, such as a magazine, encyclopedia, or book? This is an essential consideration; Google effectively prioritises journalism.</li>
<li>Offers greater value than other search results pages? Trust me, ChatGPT is not expending such extensive effort solely for your benefit.</li>
<li>Is crafted with care and attention to detail, avoiding any hasty or sloppy errors</li>
<li>Is not mass-produced, thereby avoiding neglect and disregard for individual pages or sites.</li>
</ul>
As you can see this is not the work of AI. This is humans. It’s critical thinking, applied knowledge, originality and opinions.
I have not even yet mentioned the trust factors that Google often references. You might know it as <a href="https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2022/12/google-raters-guidelines-e-e-a-t">E-E-A-T</a>.
<h3>Authority of content</h3>
Google&#8217;s ranking algorithm considers multiple factors when determining the authority of content.
Among these factors are questions related to the author&#8217;s expertise, including whether the content provides clear sourcing, evidence of the author&#8217;s expertise or the website&#8217;s authority, and links to relevant pages such as an author page or an About page.
The algorithm also considers whether the site producing the content is well-trusted or recognised as an authority on the topic. Additionally, the algorithm evaluates whether the content is written by an expert or enthusiast who demonstrates a deep understanding of the topic.
Finally, the algorithm checks for easily verifiable factual errors in the content.
Now, do you really want to trust ChatGPT with any of this???
<h3>Not a solution</h3>
ChatGPT is a tool and NOT a solution. It can be an effective starting point.
If you have writer’s block then by all means ask it for suggestions on sub-topics – but you’d best be prepared to write about these topics in an original, thoughtful, and perhaps opinionated way.
Think about a world filled with AI-generated content. It&#8217;s a world where quality is no longer the deciding factor, where homogeneous content reigns supreme.
After all, why bother with a half-decent writer when you can just rely on ChatGPT to generate something similar? But if everyone is using the same tool, where is the differentiation?
If your competitor generates articles on the same topic using the same AI tool, how do you stand out?
The answer: you don&#8217;t.
You&#8217;re left to compete solely on backlinking and technical SEO, which are smaller pieces of the puzzle compared to content itself.
<h3>Often wrong</h3>
But even if you manage to get your AI-generated content indexed, there&#8217;s another problem: accuracy. ChatGPT may be confident in its writing, but it&#8217;s often wrong.
It&#8217;s like using predictive text on your phone &#8211; it can lead to nonsensical statements. Except with ChatGPT, the mistakes can be subtle and dangerous.
It may use insecure libraries in code snippets, or get facts wrong. And let&#8217;s not forget its inability to count words and characters properly. At the time of writing this, if you ask it for ten headlines with 50 characters or fewer, it&#8217;ll spit out ten headlines of arbitrary length, assuring you that they&#8217;re within your parameters.
<h3>Risky proposition</h3>
So, is relying on ChatGPT for SEO content generation a good idea? In short, no. Not really. The lack of differentiation and the potential for inaccuracies make it a risky proposition.
Sure, it&#8217;s an impressive tool, but it&#8217;s not a substitute for human creativity and expertise.
When ChatGPT exploded on the scene, I became very tired of reading articles only to get to the end and be told “Surprise, this was written by ChatGPT!”
This was not clever, it was obnoxious, and I could usually tell that it was written by AI anyway.
Well, I’ll just finish by saying&#8230;
Surprise, ChatGPT could NOT have possibly written this one.
Because it’s actually original and voices an opinion.
If you want to know more about how Friday can help you with <a href="https://www.friday.ie/expertise/digital-marketing/search-engine-optimisation/">SEO</a> and <a href="https://www.friday.ie/expertise/content-marketing/">content</a>, then <a href="https://www.friday.ie/contact/">get in touch</a> with us now.

Should you use ChatGPT to create your blog posts

Should you use ChatGPT to create your blog posts?

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When demand slows, many digital leaders instinctively increase or tighten marketing spend, or ramp up activity. While this may be necessary, it&#8217;s important to look at your particular situation carefully before making radical changes to your strategy.
Market conditions are very different to those we all operated in 12 months ago.
Yet despite global uncertainty, the Irish economy is expected to grow by 3.8% in 2023 and 3.9% in 2024.
On the back of a 20% increase in digital advertising spend in 2021, digital channels (video, display) represented almost 70% of all Irish digital advertising spend in 2022, so our view remains positive.
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Consumer behaviour changes faster than businesses can keep up. If you need to make a change to your marketing strategy, before you do something mental, you should consider some of these questions:
<ul>
<li>Are there assumptions behind your offering to customers that should be adjusted or validated?</li>
<li>Do you have an up-to-date understanding of customer intent?</li>
<li>Are there gaps or new opportunities that you could take advantage of?</li>
<li>Are there actions that you could take in the short term to improve conversion?</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<h5>&#8220;Just because economic winds may be uncertain, it does not mean you cannot grow business.&#8221;</h5>
&nbsp;
<h3>Where should you focus?</h3>
Your focus will depend on what you sell and the markets you operate in, but the first step is to benchmark and assess your current situation.
Here are three areas I recommend looking at:
<h4>Your Customers</h4>
What is it in your toolbox that you do best and gives you a competitive advantage?
If you understand who your best customers are and their needs, you can focus this advantage on them to increase their loyalty to retain and grow their business.
Tip: Try usability testing on your website or app. Simple surveys with intelligent questions focussed on customer needs. You will always learn something new that you can use to improve your strategy. 
<h4>Data</h4>
Adopt a data-driven mindset, and actively work with quantitative and qualitative behavioural data about your customers and audiences. When you do this, you can test and adjust the approach to your user experience and content.
Tip: Universal Google Analytics will stop tracking data on 1 July 2023. You should install and configure the new Google Analytics 4 now on all of your digital platforms.
<h4>Marketing</h4>
Focus on your highest-value acquisition channels.
Some marketing channels will have a higher return, and when you focus here and improve your conversion rate it will have a compounding effect on your numbers.
You should at all times have a clear picture of the impact all your marketing efforts have on your performance. We call this simply ‘money in, money out’. Know where spend is having the greatest impact and why.
Tip: ChatGPT is exciting but it is unlikely to ever create content suitable for SEO.
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_14333" style="width: 984px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-14333" class=" wp-image-14333" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/look-at-the-data-250x151.jpg" alt="Look at the data" width="974" height="588" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/look-at-the-data-250x151.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/look-at-the-data-700x422.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/look-at-the-data-768x463.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/look-at-the-data-120x72.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/look-at-the-data.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 974px) 100vw, 974px" />&#8220;What if, and I know this sounds a bit kooky, we looked closer at our data?!&#8221;</div>
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There are two activities I recommend that will help to focus and optimise your digital strategy for growth:
<ul>
<li>Digital Benchmark 
Benchmark reporting is one of our most powerful tools. It uses a combination of audience research, deep-dive analytics and competitor analysis to give a clear data-driven view of where you sit amongst your competitors in terms of visibility, market position, social and content. You will understand areas to improve, new opportunities to target and the places you should focus on to retain and grow business.</li>
<li>User Experience Audit 
A UX audit or review of your website or app will identify performance, conversion and technical issues. It will uncover issues that can be addressed in the short and medium term. By making small adjustments we have seen conversion rate increases of up to 40%.</li>
</ul>
<h3> 
The Friday Method</h3>
It should be obvious, but as an agency, we follow the advice we share, particularly when it comes to understanding our customers’ needs.
Of course, they want to see we have the skills, experience, and creativity to deliver growth. And our rare ability to deliver results across demand generation to user experience and conversion gives our customers a distinct advantage.
But more than this, we have learned that on a human level, our own customers also want to be understood, to be supported, and to get a level of service that shows we are invested and committed to their success.
So, just because economic winds may be uncertain, with some smarter focus on your customers, you can maximise your growth.
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Thanks for reading.
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Sources:
<ul>
<li>The <a href="https://www.esri.ie/publications/quarterly-economic-commentary-spring-2023">ESRI Quarterly Economic Commentary</a>, March 29th 2023.</li>
<li><a href="https://iapi.ie/blog/default/magna-advertising-forecasts-december-2022-update">Magna Advertising Forecast (IAPI)</a>, December 2022.</li>
</ul>
Also, McKinsey&#8217;s <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/the-ten-rules-of-growth">The 10 Rules on Growth</a> is very good. August 2022 (read or listen).
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Maximising Growth in Uncertain Times

<h4>It was a happy Friday for us at the Mansion house last week! We won the <a href="https://thespiders.ie/winners/#2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Best in E-Commerce</a> Spider Award for our work and client collaboration with the brilliant team at <a href="https://www.follain.ie/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Folláin</a>. </h4>
The <a href="https://www.follain.ie/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Folláin</a> website uses a mix of exquisite visuals, storytelling and unique gifting options to create an experience that is pioneering for its industry.
On the night we were shortlisted for a total 3 awards, including Best Small Agency and Best Website.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-14313" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/SpiderAward-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1886" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/SpiderAward-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/SpiderAward-250x184.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/SpiderAward-700x516.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/SpiderAward-768x566.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/SpiderAward-1536x1132.jpg 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/SpiderAward-2048x1509.jpg 2048w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/SpiderAward-120x88.jpg 120w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />
This win validates the great work of our team and close client collaboration across strategy, UX design, content creation, performance optimisation and web development &#8211; resulting in a best in class e-commerce website that has broken its own targets to date. It was great to have the client team there to celebrate the win with us on the night.
We are working on some exciting new projects that we hope to submit for nominations next year.
Well done to everyone involved, you’ve done yourselves proud.
<a href="https://www.follain.ie" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-14307 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Follain_Desktop-Mobile-screen2.webp" alt="" width="1717" height="1242" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Follain_Desktop-Mobile-screen2.webp 1717w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Follain_Desktop-Mobile-screen2-250x181.webp 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Follain_Desktop-Mobile-screen2-700x506.webp 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Follain_Desktop-Mobile-screen2-768x556.webp 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Follain_Desktop-Mobile-screen2-1536x1111.webp 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Follain_Desktop-Mobile-screen2-120x87.webp 120w" sizes="(max-width: 1717px) 100vw, 1717px" /></a>

Friday wins Best in E-Commerce at the Spider Awards

Have you ever supplied your recent brand images or video shoot to a digital agency only to hear it will cost more money to re-edit them before they can be used on Social Media? Brand images and video dimensions need to be suitable for social media Ads or organic social platform placements for the best results.
I hope this post seems obvious and unnecessary to it&#8217;s readers and if so, you&#8217;re free to leave now with my full blessing. Unfortunately it&#8217;s a consistent problem we see from brand&#8217;s photo and video shoot results so perhaps this post might help you save money.
<h2>Why do Social Media friendly image dimensions matter?</h2>
One of the key components of a successful <a href="https://www.friday.ie/expertise/digital-marketing/social-media-advertising/">social media strategy</a> across both your Ads and organic social posts is the use of high-quality visuals. Your brand needs to get the greatest return on investment possible when planning a photo or video shoot to fulfil this need.
If you plan to work with a professional photographer or videographer then Social Media friendly dimensions must be kept in mind. It&#8217;s no longer enough to consider the formats and dimensions that look well on the mantlepiece, wall or TV but crucially what works across Social Media and on a mobile device in particular. Each Social Media platform has its own unique image and video size requirements.
For example, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok have different required aspect ratios for images and videos. If brands fail to take these dimensions into account, their visuals may be cropped or resized when used in Ads or organic posts, resulting in a loss of quality and a negative impact in advertising costs and results.
Social Media platform algorithms are designed to prioritise visually appealing content which engages the user. This means that images and videos that are correctly sized and optimised for the platform tend to perform better than those that are not. By creating visuals that are optimised for Social Media, brands can increase engagement, reach a wider audience, improve ROI and their overall Social Media presence.
Essentially, by creating visuals with the appropriate dimensions, brands can ensure that their content appears as intended, and is more likely to catch the attention of their audience.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-14288 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/girl-lying-down-with-hair-swept-over-her-face-for-Social-Media-photography-700x515.jpg" alt="girl lying down with hair swept over her face for Social Media photography" width="700" height="515" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/girl-lying-down-with-hair-swept-over-her-face-for-Social-Media-photography-700x515.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/girl-lying-down-with-hair-swept-over-her-face-for-Social-Media-photography-250x184.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/girl-lying-down-with-hair-swept-over-her-face-for-Social-Media-photography-768x565.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/girl-lying-down-with-hair-swept-over-her-face-for-Social-Media-photography-1536x1130.jpg 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/girl-lying-down-with-hair-swept-over-her-face-for-Social-Media-photography-2048x1507.jpg 2048w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/girl-lying-down-with-hair-swept-over-her-face-for-Social-Media-photography-120x88.jpg 120w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
<h2>The benefits of high quality social images and video</h2>
One of the key benefits of having high quality Social Media friendly images and video comes back to &#8216;Retention&#8217;. In other words, once someone sees your content they need to remember it and better yet, click on it.
Good quality brand imagery increases the click through rates on your Ads and organic social posts, reducing overall cost per conversion. It&#8217;s simple really, if you have great looking images for your brand, it increases your chances of users clicking through to find out more about you and where they can buy from you.
The same applies when it comes to organic social media posts also. Having high quality photos taken at brand events or shoots which fit into these dimensions makes a huge amount of business sense.
<h3>Three good reasons why you need Social Media friendly images from your brand&#8217;s shoot:</h3>
<ol>
<li>The results can be used for both ads and your organic social posts providing high quality visual content for the future.</li>
<li>Retention. The more impact your creatives have, the more likely they&#8217;ll be retained by users viewing them.</li>
<li>Increase your sales. The main reason why you should invest in creating great looking Social Media friendly images is because they increase sales. If people see high quality imagery, that&#8217;s what they&#8217;ll associate with your brand and chances are they&#8217;ll click on it and visit your website. This means more traffic coming into your site and ultimately more sales!</li>
</ol>
<h2>What does poor formatting on Social media placements look like?</h2>
When advertising on Social Media or any other digital Ad placement, it&#8217;s crucial to make the best possible use of the screen real estate available to you. Suitably adapted images or video content will fill the entire screen and place your core message right where the user is focused.
See an example of a poorly formatted 9:16 Facebook or Instagram Story image versus the correct formatting below.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-14291 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Poor-Social-Media-image-formatting-example-on-Facebook-and-Instagram-Story-placements-700x500.png" alt="Poor Social Media image formatting example on Facebook and Instagram Story placements" width="700" height="500" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Poor-Social-Media-image-formatting-example-on-Facebook-and-Instagram-Story-placements-700x500.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Poor-Social-Media-image-formatting-example-on-Facebook-and-Instagram-Story-placements-250x179.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Poor-Social-Media-image-formatting-example-on-Facebook-and-Instagram-Story-placements-768x549.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Poor-Social-Media-image-formatting-example-on-Facebook-and-Instagram-Story-placements-1536x1097.png 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Poor-Social-Media-image-formatting-example-on-Facebook-and-Instagram-Story-placements-120x86.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Poor-Social-Media-image-formatting-example-on-Facebook-and-Instagram-Story-placements.png 1680w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
<h2>Which Social Media image &amp; video dimensions do I really need?</h2>
If needed, find a full detailed list of <a href="https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-image-sizes-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">all Social Media sizes</a> from Hootsuite. In reality, you&#8217;ll really only need the current main ratios and minimum pixel sizes below to be well prepared for pretty much all social media platforms:
Images:
<ul>
<li>1.91:1 (1080 x 567 pixels) &#8211; Less important than the rest of the dimensions</li>
<li>16:9 (1920 x 1080 pixels)</li>
<li>1:1 (1080 x 1080 pixels)</li>
<li>4:5 (1080 x 1350 pixels)</li>
<li>9:16 (1080 x 1920 pixels)</li>
</ul>
Videos:
<ul>
<li>16:9 (1920 x 1080 pixels)</li>
<li>1:1 (1080 x 1080 pixels)</li>
<li>4:5 (1080 x 1350 pixels)</li>
<li>9:16 (1080 x 1920 pixels)</li>
</ul>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-14289 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Social-Media-image-dimensions-on-mobile-devices-700x155.webp" alt="Social Media image dimensions on mobile devices" width="700" height="155" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Social-Media-image-dimensions-on-mobile-devices-700x155.webp 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Social-Media-image-dimensions-on-mobile-devices-250x55.webp 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Social-Media-image-dimensions-on-mobile-devices-768x170.webp 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Social-Media-image-dimensions-on-mobile-devices-1536x340.webp 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Social-Media-image-dimensions-on-mobile-devices-2048x454.webp 2048w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Social-Media-image-dimensions-on-mobile-devices-120x27.webp 120w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
<h2>How can Brands avoid this common mistake?</h2>
Thankfully most modern professional photographers and videographers will keep Social Media dimensions in mind when shooting. However, a gentle reminder of their importance to your brand at the start of any photo or video shoot will serve your business well.
Keeping social media-friendly image dimensions in mind during photo and video shoots can save time and resources in the long run. Having to later re-work those images or video will cost multiples of what it takes to have them considered at the start of production. The initial shoot is the stage when it&#8217;s easiest to produce the source content correctly and allow the editing and crafting of the dimensions needed for Social Media.
By taking the time to create visuals with the appropriate dimensions during the photo and video shoot, brands can avoid these additional costs and ensure that their content is ready for distribution on social media.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-14286 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Phone-user-taking-a-photgraph-in-9-16-dimension-for-social-media-700x467.jpg" alt="Phone user taking a photgraph in 9-16 dimension for social media" width="700" height="467" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Phone-user-taking-a-photgraph-in-9-16-dimension-for-social-media-700x467.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Phone-user-taking-a-photgraph-in-9-16-dimension-for-social-media-250x167.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Phone-user-taking-a-photgraph-in-9-16-dimension-for-social-media-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Phone-user-taking-a-photgraph-in-9-16-dimension-for-social-media-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Phone-user-taking-a-photgraph-in-9-16-dimension-for-social-media-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Phone-user-taking-a-photgraph-in-9-16-dimension-for-social-media-120x80.jpg 120w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
<h2>How should a photographer or videographer shoot to deliver Social media friendly results?</h2>
Obviously your professional photographer or videographer should know the best way to shoot your brand content to allow for Social Media friendly dimensions. However if you find this task on your plate, here are some suggestions and advice based around the ratios mentioned previously above:
<h4>Shoot in 4:3 or 16:9 ratio</h4>
This is ideal for later cropping to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat. If you&#8217;re working within a tight budget, then shoot in everything in 4:3 or 16:9 and later crop down to 1:1, 9:16, 4:5 etc as needed.
Shoot in 16:9 if you&#8217;d like to include landscape images in your campaigns for any reason and they&#8217;re also commonly used on the web. The only downside to shooting in this ratio is that it won&#8217;t work well for Instagram and Snapchat until cropped down.
<h4>Shoot in 1:1 ratio</h4>
Square formats are the standard Ad image dimension and ideal for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and some YouTube placements.
<h4>Shoot in 9:16 ratio</h4>
This is ideal for video placements across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Obviously this perfectly matches the average smart phone screen and takes up the full screen real estate available for your brand. 9:16 images are crucial to help your brand look it&#8217;s best across Facebook and Instagram&#8217;s Story placements.
The key thing to remember when using these ratios is that you&#8217;ll likely need to crop down your images once you&#8217;ve finished. It doesn&#8217;t matter whether you&#8217;re shooting in 4:3 or 16:9, you&#8217;ll still need to crop down the image before publishing on Social for best results.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-14287 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/videographer-editing-brand-video-for-social-media-dimensions-in-their-editing-suite-700x467.jpg" alt="videographer editing brand video for social media dimensions in their editing suite" width="700" height="467" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/videographer-editing-brand-video-for-social-media-dimensions-in-their-editing-suite-700x467.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/videographer-editing-brand-video-for-social-media-dimensions-in-their-editing-suite-250x167.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/videographer-editing-brand-video-for-social-media-dimensions-in-their-editing-suite-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/videographer-editing-brand-video-for-social-media-dimensions-in-their-editing-suite-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/videographer-editing-brand-video-for-social-media-dimensions-in-their-editing-suite-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/videographer-editing-brand-video-for-social-media-dimensions-in-their-editing-suite-120x80.jpg 120w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
<h2>Some other things to consider</h2>
Once you&#8217;ve edited the image in Photoshop or Canva, use the Crop tool to remove any unwanted parts of the image. You may want to add an overlay text box to the top left hand corner with a CTA or logo to help promote your business further.
<h4>Use high resolution photos</h4>
It&#8217;s important that you don&#8217;t just take low resolution photos and expect them to look good. A higher resolution will give you better results.
<h4>Keep your image file sizes small</h4>
Image file sizes shouldn&#8217;t exceed 100MB unless you know exactly what you&#8217;re going to do with the image and that you need larger.
<h4>Create multiple versions of the same image</h4>
If you&#8217;re unsure about which version looks best, then create several versions.
<h4>Make sure you name and tag your images correctly</h4>
You&#8217;ll want to know what it was you were shooting to easily find them again so using sensible naming conventions is key.
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
Taking the time to shoot for social media friendly results will save you time and money in the long run. Utilising multiple ratios, good resolution photos, keeping file sizes small, sensibly naming and tagging images are all ways to ensure your brand is looking its best across social platforms. This will help brand retention for users and ultimately your sales!
If you need help from a specialist <a href="https://www.friday.ie/expertise/digital-marketing/social-media-advertising/">Social Media Ads Agency</a>, talk to us today.
&nbsp;

Photographer pointing camera at the viewer for a social media brand photo shoot

Your Brand Photo & Video Shoots need Social Media friendly results

We’re very excited at Friday to be shortlisted for 3 awards at this year&#8217;s Spiders. It’s another testament to the great UX design and Digital Marketing and work we do together as a team, collaborating with our amazing clients and their customers.
Friday has been nominated in the following categories.
&nbsp;
🕷️Best Small Agency 
Friday Agency
<hr />
🕷️Best Website 
<a href="https://www.follain.ie/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">folláin.ie</a>
<hr />
🕷️Best eCommerce 
<a href="https://www.follain.ie/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">folláin.ie</a>
&nbsp;
The annual Spiders event has celebrated digital talent in Ireland for 26 years. Notable wins for Friday over the years include the <a href="https://www.friday.ie/blog/friday-wins-the-much-coveted-best-website-award-at-the-spiders/">Best Website Spider in 2019</a> for our work on <a href="http://www.rkd.ie/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rkd.ie</a>
The event takes place on March 3rd at Dublin&#8217;s Mansion House. The dresses and suits are still warm from the DMA Awards in December where we took 3rd for Best Agency.
Looking forward to a great night out with our clients and industry colleagues. Fingers crossed we bring the silverware home.
<div id="attachment_10344" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10344" class="wp-image-10344 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/spidersFriday-e1574771593193.jpg" alt="A bunch of posers in 2019 with the Best Website Award for our work on RKD Architects!" width="900" height="522" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/spidersFriday-e1574771593193.jpg 900w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/spidersFriday-e1574771593193-250x145.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/spidersFriday-e1574771593193-768x445.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/spidersFriday-e1574771593193-700x406.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/spidersFriday-e1574771593193-120x70.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/spidersFriday-e1574771593193-80x46.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Bunch of posers in 2019 with the Best Website Award for our work on RKD Architects!</div>

Friday Shortlisted for 3 Spider Awards.

We have seen the emergence and exponential growth of User Experience (UX) as a key design discipline over the last 10-15 years.
Services like banking, mobile phone carriers, travel and music retail have become commodities with the only differentiator aside from price being user experience. Quite often the only interface a user has with a brand is via their mobile app or website. Customers are choosing to put their money where they have the best experience with the least amount of friction.
Companies like Revolut, Apple, Airbnb and Starbucks have made good UX/CX their USP and it’s paying off in spades. User centred design thinking is an obvious strategy for a businesses to employ.
<h4>What is UX Theatre?</h4>
A problem we’re seeing is how some businesses have employed &#8220;user-centred design&#8221; as a buzzword sometimes without a full understanding of its meaning, process and value. In some cases, executives can misinterpret UX design as a euphemism for &#8220;thinking from a customers perspective” while avoiding actually talking to their users.
As UX design filters from big tech all the way down to startups and SMEs we see the emergence of what has become known as UX Theatre. This is when designers are asked to act as if they are doing the work of UX design but the teams are not given the means to implement it. UX Theatre is to design what greenwashing is to climate change. Fur coat and no knickers! It’s simply lip service to UX design.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-14209" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/theatre.png" alt="" width="1900" height="1136" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/theatre.png 1900w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/theatre-250x149.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/theatre-700x419.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/theatre-768x459.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/theatre-1536x918.png 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/theatre-120x72.png 120w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" />
Examples of this phenomenon include talking about users instead of listening to them. Copying competitors instead of looking at customer needs. Roleplaying the users instead of observing them. Usability testing as an afterthought instead of being part of and informing the design process.
This can lead to poor outcomes that manifest themselves as assumption based design solutions that are led by the business for the business and not the user.
Users often don’t know what they want but they are usually pretty clear about the problems they need us to solve. Design thinking will help uncover these if we ask the right questions and are given the time and resources to solve them.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-14204" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IoPkza2_d.webp.png.webp" alt="" width="760" height="366" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IoPkza2_d.webp.png.webp 760w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IoPkza2_d.webp.png-250x120.webp 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IoPkza2_d.webp.png-700x337.webp 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IoPkza2_d.webp.png-120x58.webp 120w" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px" />
Another practice that can be common place is where the results of user research are effectively ignored when they don’t align with the assumptions or expectations of the stakeholders. These practices are not only damaging to the business and its users but can also be a waste of time and money while being demoralising for a design team at the same time.
<h4>How has UX Theatre become a problem?</h4>
Budget and time restraints can be reasons for UX lip service but the focus needs to be on creating the most effective process around the budget and timeline available instead of a poor process with most of its corners cut.
Recruitment for UX can be misguided, it’s all too common to see single roles advertised that encompass a multitude of disciplines such as UX research, UX design, UI design, Service and Information Design. Unfortunately, for the most part, these unicorns don’t exist and hiring one person as a multi-disciplinary ‘UX team’ is not going to have the desired effect.
<h4>Who is responsible?</h4>
It’s too easy to blame the stakeholders. Of course they&#8217;ll jump on the UX bandwagon when they see the success of others. The penny still hasn’t dropped for a lot of them because they don&#8217;t understand the process, how could they?
Why should a stakeholder be the main advocate of good design process? The truth is the finger needs to be pointed at designers. It’s a designers job to educate, collaborate and ultimately communicate the value of the process and execution of an informed UX strategy. 
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-14205" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/pointing.jpg" alt="" width="2134" height="768" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/pointing.jpg 2134w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/pointing-250x90.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/pointing-700x252.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/pointing-768x276.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/pointing-1536x553.jpg 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/pointing-2048x737.jpg 2048w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/pointing-120x43.jpg 120w" sizes="(max-width: 2134px) 100vw, 2134px" />
Stakeholders are often the loudest voice in the room and are too often left unchallenged by designers, when this happens, unfortunately the tail can end up wagging the dog. 
<h4>How can UX Theatre be prevented?</h4>
Designers need to take responsibility for across their own area of expertise, this includes project processes, having the users back, challenging assumptions right down to design team recruitment. Designers need to work closely with and bring the stakeholders on this journey and build trust.
There simply isn’t enough narrative on how UX can impact the financial performance of a product or service. Money talks! Designers need to get better at communicating the data and proof points if we’re going to inspire long-lasting change across tech.
Our ability to communicate the value and potential financial gain from designing for the user will speak volumes to the stakeholders. Sure, push back often gets pushed back but thats ok, the message has zero chance of getting through if we don’t educate and collaborate. 
We can help our clients and businesses improve if we approach UX Theatre from the perspective of critique instead of criticism. By calling out UX Theatre we can show how testing and research help us design effective solutions to existing customer problems as well as providing benefits for the business. We can encourage the move from “I think” to “we saw” and “we heard.” We need to preach the gospel of UX.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-14206" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Tweet.png" alt="" width="1090" height="362" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Tweet.png 1090w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Tweet-250x83.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Tweet-700x232.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Tweet-768x255.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Tweet-120x40.png 120w" sizes="(max-width: 1090px) 100vw, 1090px" />
A meaningful focus on customer satisfaction makes an important contribution to the profitability of many businesses. It’s time stakeholders walked the walk but its up to designers to show them how its done.
If you&#8217;d like to find out more about how we can help your stakeholders realise the value of UX for their business, do <a href="https://www.friday.ie/contact/">get in touch</a>, we&#8217;d be delighted to start a conversation.
For more on this topic, how to communicate the competitive advantage a good user experience provides and how to advocate the needs of your users throughout your organisation, checkout the book <a href="https://boagworld.com/products/user-experience-revolution/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">User Experience Revolution</a> by Paul Boag. A good read.

UX Theatre: Fur coat and no knickers!

The team here at Friday are delighted and excited to be shortlisted for Best Small Agency at the 2022 DMA Awards. We are up against entries from other agencies with teams of 15 or less.
<a href="https://www.friday.ie/blog/friday-wins-gold-for-best-small-agency-at-the-2020-dma-awards/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-10722 size-medium" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IMG_7908-250x188.jpeg" alt="" width="250" height="188" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IMG_7908-250x188.jpeg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IMG_7908-700x525.jpeg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IMG_7908-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IMG_7908-120x90.jpeg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IMG_7908-80x60.jpeg 80w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IMG_7908.jpeg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" /></a>Friday won the <a href="https://www.friday.ie/blog/friday-wins-gold-for-best-small-agency-at-the-2020-dma-awards/">same award in 2020</a> so we are hoping to reclaim the crown for 2022.
This is a great testament to the talent and hard work by our team well as our clients who collaborate closely and put their trust in our people and process.
The event takes place on Friday, 11th November, 2022 at the Convention Centre at The Radisson Blu Royal Hotel in Dublin. 
We’ll be dusting off the ball gowns and monkey suits for the night. Fingers crossed!
&nbsp;

Friday shortlisted for Best Agency at the 2022 DMA Awards

Developers are increasingly separating WordPress and utilising its backend as a headless Content Management System (CMS), but what exactly is a headless CMS, and how can it benefit your business?
<h2>What is a headless CMS, and why is it different?</h2>
Content Management Systems like WordPress comprise of two separate parts that are joined together in one package, the frontend (or head), and the backend (or body). The front end is what a user sees in the browser when they visit your website. The backend is where you create and customise the content, and this is then stored in a database. 
In a traditional setup both the frontend and backend are built using the same coding language and framework. Using WordPress normally you can manage your content as well as the front-end visuals using themes or block editors from the dashboard.
With this traditional setup, developers are limited to a theme-based, and plugin structure and customising can be difficult and limited to whats available within the WordPress ecosystem. 
In a Headless CMS essentially we separate these two parts essentially removing the head from that body, hence the name headless. In doing so we can turn the backend into a data source that can then be accessed by any frontend framework. 
Content can be managed like it always has been through the dashboard, but developers are free to use any frontend technology which allows for greater customisation, and the ability to take advantage of newer frontend technologies.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-14181 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/andrii-leonov-P5nZwlbTngI-unsplash-1-700x522.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="522" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/andrii-leonov-P5nZwlbTngI-unsplash-1-700x522.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/andrii-leonov-P5nZwlbTngI-unsplash-1-250x187.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/andrii-leonov-P5nZwlbTngI-unsplash-1-768x573.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/andrii-leonov-P5nZwlbTngI-unsplash-1-1536x1146.jpg 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/andrii-leonov-P5nZwlbTngI-unsplash-1-2048x1528.jpg 2048w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/andrii-leonov-P5nZwlbTngI-unsplash-1-120x90.jpg 120w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
<h2>Advantages of going headless</h2>
<h3>Fast loading page speed</h3>
One of the main benefits of using a headless CMS is better page speeds. Page speed is important for these core reasons:
<ul>
<li>Faster loading web pages provide a better user experience for your users.
<ul>
<li>Faster pages mean that Users can complete their purchase or conduct any other business on your site in a shorter journey with less friction.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Google now explicitly considers page speed as part of its ranking algorithms.
<ul>
<li>Having better page speed than your competitor could be the factor that brings you more organic traffic if all else is equal when your page is compared against a competitor&#8217;s by a Search Engine.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Why is Headless WordPress faster?</h3>
WordPress is built using php and pages are built with php templates. When a user requests the page the server needs to gather the content from the database, load the content and build the page using the template and then display it in the browser.
In total an average of 30 actions are needed to load each webpage and this will run every time a user navigates to a new page. As a result this can cause the website speed to suffer.
Headless websites can be built in whatever coding language a developer chooses as we are no longer limited to php and php templates. This means developers can use modern front end frameworks like React.js or Vue.js.
With these modern frameworks pages are pre build and stored on the server and can be sent to the browser as soon as they are requested leading to much faster loading times.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-14180 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/kirklai-_RM0idp0M2c-unsplash-700x466.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/kirklai-_RM0idp0M2c-unsplash-700x466.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/kirklai-_RM0idp0M2c-unsplash-250x166.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/kirklai-_RM0idp0M2c-unsplash-768x511.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/kirklai-_RM0idp0M2c-unsplash-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/kirklai-_RM0idp0M2c-unsplash-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/kirklai-_RM0idp0M2c-unsplash.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
<h3>Greater control and flexibility</h3>
While WordPress allows for a great amount of customisation options you are limited to whats available. To extend WordPress you need to use plugins and can be limited to whats available. Plugins can also add more functionality than you actually need leading to a much bigger code base than whats needed. 
With headless we are no longer limited to plugins and functionality can be extended in whatever way the developer chooses. This will also cut down on any excess code leading to smaller builds and easier maintainability.
<h3>Better Security</h3>
With a headless solution, the front end of the site only accesses the content through an API. Therefore the database is completely separate from the front end. 
This means an attacker will have a much harder time finding your database adding an extra security layer to your site.
<h3>Multi-Channel Content Publishing</h3>
With a traditional setup, it can only be used to build a standard mobile and desktop website. However, as a business scales, they may want to use their content on other channels like mobile apps, social media sites etc.
With a headless setup, because we can access the data from any front end we choose we can effectively turn WordPress into a centralised source for multiple publishing sources. This can allow a marketing team to have one dashboard for all their content and when changes occur they will be reflected across all platforms.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-14183 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/venti-views-g-5tSFQSb7w-unsplash-700x466.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/venti-views-g-5tSFQSb7w-unsplash-700x466.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/venti-views-g-5tSFQSb7w-unsplash-250x166.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/venti-views-g-5tSFQSb7w-unsplash-768x511.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/venti-views-g-5tSFQSb7w-unsplash-1536x1021.jpg 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/venti-views-g-5tSFQSb7w-unsplash-2048x1362.jpg 2048w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/venti-views-g-5tSFQSb7w-unsplash-120x80.jpg 120w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
<h2>Traditional WordPress Vs Headless WordPress</h2>
<h3>Differences in development</h3>
Building a basic WordPress site can be done using themes and plugins and a very simple basic site can be built without any coding ability. Headless WordPress doesn&#8217;t use themes and templates so to set up a headless site you will need an experienced developer to do so, or knowledge of frontend javascript frameworks.
<h3>Differences in functionality</h3>
Because we have separated the front end from the backend Unfortunately we lose some of the default WordPress functionality. Previews will no longer work and an alternative solution will need to be added during development. Some popular plugins have been adapted to be used by headless WordPress websites but not all have so you may not be able to use plugins like you&#8217;re used to and the development team will need to create other solutions.
<h3>Differences in hosting</h3>
Hosting a headless website will be slightly different also. WordPress is traditionally hosted on a server running PHP with the frontend and backend on the same server.
With headless, we can host our WordPress backend on a PHP server and we will then need to host our frontend on a separate server build to host javascript frontend frameworks. This will mean we now have instances on servers to maintain. It also means that if the WordPress backend server was to go down for any reason our frontend will still be live running on cached content until the backend is back up and running.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-14182 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/taylor-vick-M5tzZtFCOfs-unsplash-700x393.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="393" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/taylor-vick-M5tzZtFCOfs-unsplash-700x393.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/taylor-vick-M5tzZtFCOfs-unsplash-250x140.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/taylor-vick-M5tzZtFCOfs-unsplash-768x431.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/taylor-vick-M5tzZtFCOfs-unsplash-1536x862.jpg 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/taylor-vick-M5tzZtFCOfs-unsplash-120x67.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/taylor-vick-M5tzZtFCOfs-unsplash.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
<h3>Which businesses can benefit from Headless WordPress?</h3>
Any business that is looking to deliver a more satisfying and frictionless experience for their Users will benefit from using Headless WordPress.
A Headless setup can improve page loading speeds, provide better security, allow for multi-channel and many different types of sites can be built with it. 
Including:
<ul>
<li>Blogs</li>
<li>Brochure websites</li>
<li>Marketing websites</li>
<li>eCommerce websites</li>
<li>Web app</li>
<li>Mobile apps</li>
</ul>
<h2>Headless WordPress is here to stay</h2>
With WordPress powering over <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://w3techs.com/technologies/overview/content_management" target="_blank" rel="noopener">40% of the web</a> it is clear that it isn&#8217;t going anywhere any time soon. Headless WordPress is very quickly being adapted across the enterprise space with a study from <a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://wpengine.co.uk/blog/state-of-headless-study-finds-adoption-surging-in-the-enterprise/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WP Engine finding that 64% of enterprise respondents are currently using headless,</a> and 90% of those who don&#8217;t plan to evaluate this in the near future. 
With massive performance benefits from updating to headless, Headless WordPress is looking to be the future of WordPress Development.
If you want to experience a Headless WordPress website for yourself, just continue to browse through our site and witness the low friction experience.
If you want to understand more about what Headless WordPress can do for your business, <a href="https://www.friday.ie/contact/">talk to us today</a>.
&nbsp;

Headless WordPress: Why Losing Your Head Is The Future

Thankfully, for the most part, the pandemic is behind us, leaving a strange 2-year black hole in the timeline of our lives. While normality for most was put on standby, we saw the transformation of businesses and how customers experience products and services.
There was an acceleration in everything from working from home to digital subscriptions, online shopping, food delivery services and video calling — if you look back, the impact has been staggering.
Most of these products and services already existed but the pandemic acted like a steroid injection of digital transformation and mass adoption. Customers are now a lot savvier, their expectations have risen around websites, apps and the overall brand and product experience.
<h4 class="graf graf--h4">Dated Practices</h4>
Assumptions made in the boardroom using outdated demographic data or a hunch someone on the marketing team has is no longer a way to create a successful product or service. This type of thinking has and will usually lead to failure. We’ve been banging this drum for a long time and we have to keep banging. You’d be amazed how much we see businesses, from large multinational enterprises to SMEs still taking this approach. Excuses we hear range from the lack of time, budget or our old favourite “we already know what our customers want”.
Direction on product development needs to come from your customers — they know what they want and they will be happy to tell you if you just ask them. Not properly listening to or involving your customers in your design process will mean your competitors will out-smart, out-rank and out-sell you.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 52%; position: relative;"><iframe loading="lazy" class="giphy-embed" style="position: absolute;" src="https://giphy.com/embed/yoJC2yftYP4kP6Ku40" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
<h4 class="graf graf--h4">The winds of change</h4>
This had been bubbling a few years before the pandemic, influence was starting to filter down, fueled by the success of design-focused companies. Wider adoption of research and user-focused design processes used to create and promote digital as well as physical products was beginning to have a wider impact.
Brands who had focused on research around their customer or users experience had started to surface as the winners while others have been floating along with limited or no growth. A new standard has been set. Users&#8217; tolerance and patience for friction within a brand experience has been almost wiped out.
<h4 class="graf graf--h4">Stand out from the crowd</h4>
In a world dominated by multinationals, brands need a point of differentiation, a unique selling point. Maybe brands offering similar products look to pricing as a way to establish their USP but this is just a race to the bottom.
An example of this in Ireland is the telco, Eir. They offer what is probably the cheapest TV package on the Irish market at just €10 a month when added to your broadband package — price is their standout USP but as we all know, their issues with customer experience have been well publicised. So it is difficult to imagine they have any other sales tools they can use to establish an alternative USP to price. They have boxed themselves into a corner by not focusing on good customer experiences.
The point is that experience is more important than price. Sure, your pricing needs to be affordable but if your customers like the experience, they will be happy to pay a premium. Look at companies like Dyson, Revolut, Sky or Apple.
<blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote">“Don’t find customers for your products, find products for your customers.” 
&#8211; Seth Godin</blockquote>
<h4 class="graf graf--h4">Be Inclusive</h4>
If you want to build inclusive products that work for everyone, you simply have to follow a human-centred design process that is grounded in research. Data analytics is extremely important but listening to what real people actually want is the most valuable data you can collect.
I’m not talking about sending out a quick survey and maybe carrying out a bit of user testing on a prototype of your product. You need to invest in bringing the customer on the design journey with you, work smart by digging deep into every nuance of the customer journey and experience both online and offline — sweat the small stuff as well as the fundamentals, a collection of micro insights will be greater than the sum of its parts. Challenge assumptions, validate ideas, optimise the customer&#8217;s journey and increase conversions. This will translate into revenue, higher profits, and will grow your business.
Customer expectations are higher than ever, good experiences are rewarded with customer trust, loyalty and referrals. If you are not already listening very carefully to your customers and involving them in every area of your offering, someone else will do it and they will win.
Inclusive design takes time and effort but the investment will pay off in multiples. Talk to us if you want to know how we can help you with research-focused design, marketing and digital transformation.

If you’re not listening to your customers, you will most likely fail.

In 2022, Irish businesses really should be on TikTok, just look at the Irish TikTok demographics later in this article. Can the average Irish brand leverage TikTok for business? Of course, but you&#8217;ll need to be creative, authentic and ideally fun. More on that later.
Smart brands understand the value of building a presence on a social platform while still in its early growth stages and taking that first mover advantage against their competitors. Think Facebook in the mid-2,000&#8217;s, that time is now for TikTok.
While some people still view TikTok as a social media platform that solely caters to its generally younger audience, that would be a misinformed view about who actually uses TikTok today.
If your brand has not yet engaged with TikTok, you&#8217;re missing out on a huge opportunity.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-14147 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Seinfeld-serenity-now.webp" alt="Seinfeld clip showing man shouting Serenity now" width="640" height="360" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Seinfeld-serenity-now.webp 640w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Seinfeld-serenity-now-250x141.webp 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Seinfeld-serenity-now-120x68.webp 120w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" />
<h4>But we&#8217;re on Facebook and Instagram already!</h4>
So you should be. According to Facebook&#8217;s own Ad data, businesses can reach 2.7 M people on Facebook and 2.6M on Instagram in Ireland.
The Facebook Ads system is also one of the most effective and rewarding platforms a business can engage. It&#8217;s targeting capabilities and mass of collected data points are hard to beat.
While Paid Search Ads (Google &amp; Bing) are as exact as a surgeon&#8217;s knife for dialling into real user intent to convert by engaging your services or buying your product, Facebook is like the Swiss army knife of marketing tools. Facebook delivers many ways to engage and convert your audience.
As long as you take advantage of Facebook&#8217;s new tracking methods to help <a href="https://www.friday.ie/blog/how-to-protect-facebook-marketing-performance-cookie-free-future/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">combat visibility losses from Apple&#8217;s Privacy initiatives</a>, it will serve your business well when properly invested in, managed and optimised.
Though <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/business/media-and-marketing/facebook-usage-drops-in-ireland-as-tiktok-s-popularity-surges-1.4809994" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook usage in Ireland is dropping</a>, Facebook &amp; Instagram are still the most popular platforms for users in Ireland and most businesses should definitely maintain a presence there. TikTok is catching up fast though and is a serious contender for the Social throne.
<h4>TikTok user demographics in Ireland</h4>
We decided to look at the TikTok Irish user demographics to get a gauge of who exactly is using it in Ireland.
TikTok is now <a href="https://www.independent.ie/business/technology/tiktok-is-catching-up-on-instagram-and-facebook-with-its-irish-subscriber-base-41552010.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">used by 2.25MLN Irish people</a>, which shows rapid growth in the Irish market. That places it 3rd in usage behind Facebook and Instagram.
This means that your brand&#8217;s messaging could in theory reach 1 in 3 people in Ireland if using TikTok both organically and its paid advertising features.
While growing rapidly, data sourced from TikTok&#8217;s Ads Manager platform shows the Irish TikTok user demographic breakdown as of July 2022 as below:
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-14159 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TikTok-Blog-Asset-2-1-700x482.png" alt="Irish TikTok User Demographics Ireland Infographic" width="700" height="482" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TikTok-Blog-Asset-2-1-700x482.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TikTok-Blog-Asset-2-1-250x172.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TikTok-Blog-Asset-2-1-768x529.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TikTok-Blog-Asset-2-1-1536x1058.png 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TikTok-Blog-Asset-2-1-2048x1411.png 2048w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TikTok-Blog-Asset-2-1-120x83.png 120w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
<h4>Is 2022 a good time to join TikTok?</h4>
2022 is definitely a good time to join TikTok, the sooner the better. TikTok is now 6 years old. Social platform years are almost like dog years so by those standards it&#8217;s quite a mature platform.
Since launching in 2016, TikTok has <a href="https://sensortower.com/blog/tiktok-downloads-2-billion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">grown rapidly</a>. The App has been downloaded globally more than 2 billion times. According to Cloudflare, in 2021 tiktok.com was <a href="https://blog.cloudflare.com/popular-domains-year-in-review-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the most popular domain</a> for users, beating even google.com for visitors.
There can be no argument, TikTok is here to stay.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-14129 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Organic-reach-and-growth-on-TikTok-700x467-1.jpeg" alt="Lake in the shape of an upwards tending arrow in the middle of a forrest representing organic growth on TikTok" width="700" height="467" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Organic-reach-and-growth-on-TikTok-700x467-1.jpeg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Organic-reach-and-growth-on-TikTok-700x467-1-250x167.jpeg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Organic-reach-and-growth-on-TikTok-700x467-1-120x80.jpeg 120w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
<h4>Organic growth on TikTok</h4>
When Social platforms first launch, there&#8217;s a period where they&#8217;re trying to gain as many users and as much content as possible before monetising the service with Ads. During this time, organic reach will be extended as your content will be pushed out by the platform to keep users engaged. That&#8217;s a golden time to join and invest in building a presence on a platform (if you believe it has a genuine future of course).
While that initial stage has passed as paid Ads are now available on TikTok and the organic reach is not as strong as it initially was, it&#8217;s still extremely strong. The <a href="https://www.marketingcharts.com/digital/social-media-225140" target="_blank" rel="noopener">engagement rates on TikTok</a> are much higher than on other Social Platforms and are likely to stay that way until the platform gets more crowded. Basically, it&#8217;s like Facebook used to be when you could reach your audience for free!
Smart brands are on TikTok already and doubling down both on organic content and paid Ads but there&#8217;s plenty of growth to be achieved for businesses only just getting started on TikTok in 2022.
<h4>TikTok is being used by younger audiences as a Search Engine</h4>
TikTok is not only taking some of Facebook&#8217;s audiences but even Google is feeling a little bit of a pinch though not a substantial threat. As mentioned above, tiktok.com was the most visited domain in 2021, usurping Google. This is no small feat.
Prabhakar Raghavan (Google senior vice president) <a href="https://fortune.com/videos/watch/Brainstorm-Tech-2022-Organizing-The-Worlds-Information/934585a6-7fb6-41a5-8ef3-e497f8ca2986" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told a recent Tech conference</a> that:
<blockquote>&#8220;something like almost 40% of young people when they&#8217;re looking for a place for lunch, they don&#8217;t go to Google Maps or Search, they go to TikTok or Instagram.&#8221;</blockquote>
While these local search terms from people looking for lunch spots only make up a very small portion of user Search volumes, Google is <a href="https://blog.google/products/search/search-io22/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adjusting its platform</a> to appeal to younger users to defend their dominance of Search terms with a local intent to convert. However, Google remains the number one platform to dial into real user intent to convert into a customer across many industries.
The reality is that TikTok will never take over from Google for user journeys that require real research, price and service level comparison. It&#8217;s an interesting development in the world of Search Marketing though and something businesses serving local customers should be keeping in mind.
As global users become less and less patient, they&#8217;re seeking more visual ways to learn rather than reading blog content. Younger users use TikTok&#8217;s search facility to find the guides they want in a short easy to understand video format.
Mental health advice is unsurprisingly a popular topic on TikTok and often a go-to source for younger users as is legal and medical advice for users of all ages. TikTok content can be excellent for delivering a concise visual answer to those &#8220;how to&#8221; questions we all have.
Despite the lack of the same veracity to the information available on TikTok when compared to Google results, this looks like <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/could-tiktok-be-a-search-engine-for-many-users-it-already-is/452871/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a trend that will continue</a>. To help SEO your brand&#8217;s TikTok content to be discovered in TikTok search results, be sure to use the auto-captions over your videos and relevant hashtags.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-14133 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TikTok-user-prepares-to-shoot-video-700x467-1.jpeg" alt="Irish TikTok user making video content with a smartphone and light ring" width="700" height="467" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TikTok-user-prepares-to-shoot-video-700x467-1.jpeg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TikTok-user-prepares-to-shoot-video-700x467-1-250x167.jpeg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TikTok-user-prepares-to-shoot-video-700x467-1-120x80.jpeg 120w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
<h4>Won&#8217;t I have to dance to create engaging content on TikTok?</h4>
No. While dance crazes certainly helped get TikTok to where it is today, the variety of content on it today is truly quite astounding. Users are on TikTok to learn, discover and also shop!
What&#8217;s important on TikTok is that your video content is creative, authentic and of course either helpful, visually engaging or funny. It&#8217;s not a place for any boring straightforward marketing creatives that have a strong sales approach. The users there will certainly let you know in the comments (if you leave them on) if they don&#8217;t like it. Your TikTok content needs to be made for TikTok.
One aspect of TikTok content is that it&#8217;s very much focused on trends and challenges. Keeping up on what your audience is engaging with and the topics they&#8217;re talking about will help make your content more relevant. TikTok encourages users to take on their content challenges. Targeting those challenges and using the memes and hashtags that your audience use will help you connect with the right people.
Some brands may initially struggle to conceive of what they might share but there are plenty of <a href="https://www.shopify.com/blog/tiktok-video-ideas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">great examples and ideas</a> out there to take a lead form.
<h4>What types of businesses can benefit from TikTok?</h4>
Pretty much any business that&#8217;s prepared to invest in producing fun and engaging video content will benefit from being on TikTok. Remember that needn&#8217;t be an expensive undertaking, all that&#8217;s needed is a bit of creativity, basic video editing skills, time and a smartphone.
If a brand is producing high-quality content around an area people want to gain knowledge in, they&#8217;ll quickly gather a following. From Lawyers to Doctors, there&#8217;s no shortage of smart professional service brands taking advantage of the free organic reach by producing helpful and engaging video content for their audiences.
More and more, <a href="https://www.shopify.com/enterprise/social-commerce-is-here-and-its-reshaping-how-we-buy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Social platforms are places where people shop</a>. Ecommerce brands will especially benefit from engaging with TikTok. Just take a look at <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/TikTokMadeMeBuyIt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#TikTokMadeMeBuyIt</a> and you&#8217;ll see users posting about the influence TikTok had on their latest purchase.
The potential for eCommerce brands to benefit from user-generated content (UGC) is huge on TikTok. Getting your products into the hands of your target audience and delighting them can see your product go viral.
There&#8217;s also a plethora of tools and features built into the platform that will let you engage directly with your audience. These include Q &amp; A&#8217;s and Live streams to answer buyer questions and demonstrate your product&#8217;s benefits, driving sales in real-time. TikTok Shop is not yet available in Ireland but once it arrives it will add a Shop tab to your business profile, similar to Facebook and Instagram Shops.
<a href="https://influencermarketinghub.com/live-shopping-tiktok/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Live Shopping</a> has conversion rates 10 times higher than other eCommerce placements and formats. It&#8217;s set to be a major trend in eCommerce going forward and TikTok really delivers here.
Partnering with relevant Influencers that have already amassed a strong engaged following can provide a shortcut to getting the exposure a brand needs with its target audience. It&#8217;s crucial to ensure good alignment here between audience and brand though, otherwise, it can lead to wasted spending. A good place to start with finding the right influencer to partner with is <a href="https://creatormarketplace.tiktok.com/home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok&#8217;s Creator Marketplace</a>.
Another very interesting offering for brands is <a href="https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/introducing-tiktok-branded-mission-inspiring-brand-and-creator-collaborations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok&#8217;s Branded Mission</a>. Essentially brands can crowdsource their creative needs to TikTok creators. Content creators supply their proposed TikTok creative for your brand which you can then choose to place media spend behind if you like what you see. This could prove to be an excellent option for brands struggling with their own creative production for the platform.
There&#8217;s a lot that can be achieved organically on the platform with the right resources put into producing content. However, it&#8217;s when brands add paid media to the mix that the numbers can really start to get interesting.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-14131 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Rocketship-departing-the-group-1st-mover-advantage-700x456-1.jpeg" alt="Rocket ship leaving the group of other rockets representing first mover advantage with Paid Ads on TikTok" width="700" height="456" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Rocketship-departing-the-group-1st-mover-advantage-700x456-1.jpeg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Rocketship-departing-the-group-1st-mover-advantage-700x456-1-250x163.jpeg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Rocketship-departing-the-group-1st-mover-advantage-700x456-1-120x78.jpeg 120w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
<h4>Paid Ads on TikTok &amp; first mover advantage</h4>
TikTok released its self-serve Ads platform in July 2020 and is very capable of delivering results for brands across many verticals. All the usual options are there that we&#8217;ve come to expect from a modern Ads platform making it suitable for driving on-site Conversions or App Installs as needed.
While large volumes of performance data are thin on the ground and of course it depends on each vertical, creative strength, the offer and many other factors including the friction of their user journeys, TikTok Ads can be a very strong option.
Media buying on TikTok is still relatively cheap when compared to Facebook &amp; Instagram. As with any Ad placement costs, supply and demand dictates pricing. TikTok still has a lot of supply of Ad space with less demand than on Facebook&#8217;s dwindling supply as not as many marketers are taking advantage of TikTok yet.
This presents yet another area of opportunity, as well as organic growth with TikTok, where there still remains a first mover advantage for businesses that act soon and start their TikTok journey both organic and paid.
If you&#8217;d like to take advantage of this exceptional marketing channel and engage an expert <a href="https://www.friday.ie/expertise/digital-marketing/social-media-advertising/">TikTok Ads agency</a>, talk with us today!

TikTok App symbol on smartphone screen with 99 notifications

TikTok’s demographics tell you why Irish businesses need to be there

When it comes to the metaverse there is a lot to unpack, so bear with me here&#8230;
Yes the metaverse is intriguing, but it&#8217;s not a new concept.
For a long time, people have been playing VR games and immersing themselves in life simulations like <a href="https://secondlife.com/">Second Life</a>, SIMs, and even fantasy role-playing realms like World of Warcraft.
In October, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the firm will undergo a rebranding that included a new name, logo, and ticker symbol. So this was a significant step, obviously.
The metaverse, according to some detractors, is just another failed effort at something that hasn&#8217;t succeeded before, largely by IT giants that didn&#8217;t provide enough uses for it to be of value to people.
There are many who believe it&#8217;s nothing more than an elaborate plot devised by the “powers that be” to control our lives and force us into the black hole of advertising. That&#8217;s a bit paranoid, really.
<h3>Wearable technology</h3>
Virtual reality gamers will know that the world of Ready Player One took some liberties in its depiction of the medium.
The technology just isn&#8217;t there to support what the characters were doing in the book or movie, and it might never be. Of course, this is science fiction, so it&#8217;s not a big deal.
However many people instantly connected this film to Facebook&#8217;s rebranding as Meta.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-13751 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/suit-up-suit.gif" alt="" width="498" height="320" />
Well I&#8217;m sorry to let you down, but that’s really not going to be the case.
Wearable technology is still not where it should be, but let&#8217;s hope that it grows in the right direction and provides us with some fun along the way too, because it won’t all be entertainment – monetisation is inevitable.
As part of their journey to make the metaverse more accessible to a wider audience, Meta is also developing it as a data-driven advertising platform.
<h3>Problematic</h3>
I&#8217;m not only referring to Mark Zuckerberg&#8217;s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIxPRwgXFQg">questionable presentation abilities</a> when I say that the metaverse&#8217;s debut was problematic from the start.
The timing was also less than ideal. They already had a bad reputation for privacy, and the promise of a more intimate platform has further exacerbated that.
In any case, let&#8217;s take a look at some of the most critical considerations.
<h3>So what is it?</h3>
To put it in simple terms, the metaverse is a virtual world where people can communicate, game and shop online, see virtual concerts, and meet virtually. This may eventually lead to virtual cinemas, competing in sports, and much more.
Instead of relying on its <a href="https://www.oculus.com/">Oculus</a> VR platform to unleash the metaverse, Facebook claims to be working on wearable body sensors that users will use to interact with the digital environment.
But there are a number of problems that must be answered before this &#8220;groundbreaking&#8221; notion can be considered a success.
Is our privacy at risk as a result of this? In terms of digital marketing, what is its significance?
<h3>Metaverse advertising</h3>
Since early 2021, when <a href="https://www.roblox.com/">Roblox</a> went public and <a href="https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/">Nvidia</a> said that the company&#8217;s next step was to establish a metaverse, the word &#8220;metaverse&#8221; has been increasingly searched on Google.
To put things in perspective, in the spring of 1998, the first studies on VR/internet addiction began to appear. So no, this is nothing new.
While some big corporations are only just now starting to really investigate the metaverse’s possibilities, the notion has been around for quite some time. &#8216;Virtual worlds&#8217; and &#8216;an all-encompassing digital playground&#8217; have been anticipated for the internet for decades now.
This forecast was based not just on speculative fiction, but also on technology that was already in the works.
Platforms and content like Roblox, <a href="https://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/en-US/home">Fortnite</a>, and <a href="https://decentraland.org/">Decentraland</a> are just a few of the numerous participants already in the metaverse ecosystem. They feature designers, avatar technology, social media, and VR technology, to name a few.
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) issued by brands like Gucci and Coca-Cola are now being sold on metaverse platforms such as Decentraland.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="810" height="524" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13748" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/supergucci-810x524-1.jpeg" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/supergucci-810x524-1.jpeg 810w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/supergucci-810x524-1-250x162.jpeg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/supergucci-810x524-1-700x453.jpeg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/supergucci-810x524-1-768x497.jpeg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/supergucci-810x524-1-120x78.jpeg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/supergucci-810x524-1-80x52.jpeg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 810px) 100vw, 810px" />
Small and big players are helping each other to develop a second world that mimics the actual world in the metaverse ecology, which is already taking shape. Again, this is nothing new.
From the perspective of advertising, it’s important to realise that just as the internet can’t be owned by a single business, the metaverse can’t be owned by a single brand or a small group of tech giants.
Of course Meta, on the other hand, would like you to believe differently right now.
Make no mistake about it, a large part of that re-naming was an attempt to become synonymous with &#8211; and attempt to own &#8211; a metaverse concept that already existed.
Advertising&#8217;s place in the metaverse hasn&#8217;t been thoroughly examined yet, at least not by a third party.
In the actual world, how will it perform? In the metaverse, can previous advertising research results and approaches be applied?
It&#8217;s not simply another new media like the internet; the metaverse has the potential to become a fully realised concept that changes the approach of advertising and marketing in profound ways.
The basic definitions of advertising may need to be revised to include consideration for avatars since the metaverse is interactive and incorporates embodied individuals via their avatars.
Metaverse concert merchandise will become more commonplace (this is already making artists millions!), firms like Meetings Booker may start supporting the platform that facilitates your team&#8217;s meetings… and these are just two examples of sponsorship advertising alternatives that will expand in the future.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="850" height="425" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13749" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Justin_Bieber_Make_Debut_Metaverse.jpeg" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Justin_Bieber_Make_Debut_Metaverse.jpeg 850w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Justin_Bieber_Make_Debut_Metaverse-250x125.jpeg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Justin_Bieber_Make_Debut_Metaverse-700x350.jpeg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Justin_Bieber_Make_Debut_Metaverse-768x384.jpeg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Justin_Bieber_Make_Debut_Metaverse-120x60.jpeg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Justin_Bieber_Make_Debut_Metaverse-80x40.jpeg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px" />
We need to test, reproduce, and expand existing advertising ideas in this new universe in order to understand how advertising will operate in the metaverse, but this hasn&#8217;t happened yet.
In order to test and construct theories that can explain and forecast how advertising in the metaverse works, we&#8217;ll need both qualitative observations and empirical data (i.e., data collected by humans and machines).
<h3>Our everyday life</h3>
As with the internet and smartphones, proponents of the metaverse believe it will have a huge influence on our everyday lives.
Many younger people will find it easy to join a console chat and play a game with pals, but not everyone will be able to.
While certain components of the metaverse currently exist, contemporary online worlds are predicted to swiftly evolve, allowing us to not only mirror the real world but also to be and do whatever we choose.
There is a growing consensus that we will soon be wearing glasses comparable to the virtual reality headsets now on the market, but with fewer drawbacks, to access the internet.
Many more types of virtual reality gadgets and equipment, such as cheaper omnidirectional treadmills, will be available in the future to enable people to experience the virtual environment as if they were truly there.
This is the point at which we begin to enter a virtual world that&#8217;s a tiny bit closer to Ready Player One.
Many roadblocks remain in the way of this completely immersive vision being achieved anytime soon, even among those who embrace the metaverse.
Significant technological advancements are required in order for a metaverse to properly imitate the actual world.
Even while cloud computing, 5G, and artificial intelligence (AI) have all been around for some time, they have only lately begun to take off.
Even if the metaverse has all the technology it needs right now, it would still need to become more inexpensive and more widely accessible if it is to reach its full potential.
<h3>Privacy</h3>
In addition to technological issues, the privacy and security of individuals must also be considered. Many people already worry about what digital platforms know about them, even if they don&#8217;t really know what the issue is (my biggest gripe with this!).
Early versions of the metaverse are already in existence, and they are gaining traction. Global AR and VR tech sales are projected to soar now, and not surprisingly, but not without consideration for blocking of personal information.
Technology firms are taking note of how many people, particularly the next generation of users, have already come to terms with a big portion of their future being located outside of the physical world entirely…
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="640" height="640" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13750" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/this-is-issue-about-trust-and-privacy-stan-marsh.gif" alt="" />
Microsoft has also announced intentions to deliver software and hardware tools relevant to the metaverse in the near future.
For their <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/hololens/hardware">HoloLens</a> mixed-reality device, they&#8217;ve created a platform called <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/mesh">Mesh</a> on which other companies can build apps.
A platform for shared virtual environments dubbed Omniverse Enterprise, developed by graphics chipmaker Nvidia again, will also be launched, allowing groups of users to merge parts they have generated elsewhere into a virtual entity they can then work on together.
An avatar must have some of the cognitive abilities of a human in order to be useful. In this, AI technologies like NLP, optical character recognition (OCR), reinforcement learning (RL), and conversational AI will play a key role.
Virtual characters that are more advanced (and will even learn over time) will encourage users to return to a virtual environment, making the experience more enjoyable. Because otherwise, it would be too &#8220;samey&#8221; to stand out.
For the metaverse to succeed, immersion will be as important as website engagement metrics are for user experience and SEO.
In order for the experience to be compelling, it has to be able to do all of these things.
<h3>The healthcare sector</h3>
Psychologists are increasingly using Zoom to communicate with their patients instead of meeting face-to-face, so the sector is no stranger to digital engagement.
Aside from the obvious financial and entertainment advantages of a metaverse, there are also concerns about the mental health of those who use it.
Usage and enjoyment of this new world will bring both issues and rewards.
For example, according to research from the University of Oxford, virtual reality may be beneficial for people with schizophrenia. The results of the research show that virtual reality immersion might be beneficial in regulated settings.
Furthermore, it can be used to alleviate the symptoms of phobias and other mental health issues.
<h3>More accessible</h3>
It&#8217;s reasonable to worry about things like data leaks and malfunctioning technologies, but remember that the advantages often exceed the negatives &#8211; as we&#8217;ve learned from earlier technological advancements such as, well, the internet itself!
For example, we often discuss the necessity of home care and making therapy more accessible to more people. Now that the ‘homes’ of patients will be in the metaverse, the possibilities for outreach and better treatment are endless.
Behavioral healthcare professionals and academics will play a critical role in shaping the metaverse as we advance toward a fully collaborative online environment, both by providing guidance in its creation and by performing impartial research on its impacts.
<h3>Keep an open mind</h3>
As with anything, you&#8217;ll need to keep up with the latest developments in this space – it&#8217;s coming no matter what we do.
So keep an open mind and engage in healthy dialogue with others whose views differ from your own, even if it is unpleasant at times, because it will bring good things with it too.
In general, we&#8217;ve never been known to be early adopters. With the metaverse, we have the chance to change that.
Don’t be scared, let’s have some fun with it.

The Metaverse Advertising Privacy and Everyday Life

Advertising, Privacy and Everyday Life in the Metaverse

I don’t think there is another industry that has embraced acronyms quite like marketing. A handy short-cut for those who understand them and for those who don’t (and are afraid to ask) they are beyond useless. When it comes to marketing and digital performance the 2 biggest acronyms in town these days are CRO and UX.
CRO (Conversion Rate Optimisation) and UX (User Experience) are two of the most important areas of focus that drive success online. These terms are used interchangeably, they work together with the same goals but it is important to note that they are not the same thing.
<h3 class="graf graf--h4">What is CRO?</h3>
CRO is a process that focuses on increasing the percentage of website visitors who take a specific action. This action can be anything from buying a product, signing up to a service, webinar or newsletter. CRO takes an holistic look at the full user or customer journey from first engagement all they way past the point of purchase or conversion and optimises for a better conversion rate.
To calculate your conversion rate, you simply divide the number of conversions by the total number of web page visitors. Lets say a web page gets 10,000 visits a month and on average 400 of these visitors end up buying a product, thats a 4% conversion rate — not bad for many industries.
<blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote">(400 ÷ 10,000) x 100 = 4%</blockquote>
There are hundreds, if not thousands of ways to improve your conversion rate. Every site needs a CRO strategy, you start by looking at the product or service you are offering, do people want it? Is there a value proposition? Is there a strong brand? You optimise and test your content &amp; messaging, user journeys, your ads and how they are targeted. Refine and test your calls to action, landing pages, SEO, SEM and your websites loading speed… the list is endless.
The foundation of any CRO activity is looking at analytics and user feedback. We explore website analytics and learn about the traffic, its performance and look for opportunities. Ideas are brainstormed, prioritised and turned into a roadmap that goes through a cycle of test and iterate where necessary. This is an ongoing process that UX will play a big part in.
<h3 class="graf graf--h4">What is UX?</h3>
Users don’t come away from an online purchase remembering how the funnel made them feel, they will recall the website and brand experience — this is where UX comes in.
UX is a supplement to CRO that aims at easing the user journey by improving the design of the website or App so that is intuitive, enjoyable, seamless and simple. UX removes the friction through research to find empathy with the user and understand the users perceptions and expectations, these insights give design direction from real users or customers, not assumption.
Where CRO will focus on the numbers and the business goals, UX will be an advocate of the user which will help drive the numbers and business goals by working to help the user achieve their goals. CRO tells you ‘what’ is happening, where UX helps explain ‘why’ it is happening and presents actionable solutions.
Gavin and I had a good chat to see if we could come up with an analogy to explain the difference between UX and CRO. This is what we mustered when applying the principles of CRO and UX to a glass of water.
<figure class="graf graf--figure"></figure>
<blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote">“CRO will bring you to the water and tell you that you need to drink it, while UX will make drinking the water as easy and enjoyable as possible.”</blockquote>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2121" height="917" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13645" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/water.png" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/water.png 2121w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/water-250x108.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/water-700x303.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/water-768x332.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/water-1536x664.png 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/water-2048x885.png 2048w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/water-120x52.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/water-80x35.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 2121px) 100vw, 2121px" />
Not perfect but hopefully you get the idea!
<h3 class="graf graf--h4">Hand in hand</h3>
CRO should not or cannot be carried out without UX and visa versa, each feeds and compliments the other. If you invest in CRO without investing in UX you may drive people to your website but risk driving them into a brick wall, they are less likely to convert if the experience is poor. Likewise, you can have great UX on your website but without good CRO few will get to experience it.
CRO and UX is an ongoing process, the world changes as does user behaviour and thats why a continuing cycle of analyse, test and iterate is needed for ongoing success.
At Friday, our digital performance team work alongside our UX team to get the most out of your campaigns and online presence. Talk to us today about how we can use CRO with UX to attract and convert customers for you.

CRO & UX  -  What’s the Difference?

We create messages every day in order to influence others, often without even knowing it.
It may be one of the hundreds of emails you send to your coworkers, acquaintances, or clients on a regular basis&#8230;
Alternatively, if you work in a digital agency like I do, you can be developing advertising, content, a web page, metadata, or meeting slides&#8230;
Most of these things require a lot of mental work and even time/money, so have you ever considered how effective all of these efforts are from the viewpoint of people&#8217;s minds?
What kind of attention can you really get? How likely is it that you&#8217;ll be able to rewire pre-existing attitudes and opinions? Can you persuade your targets to make a purchase or persuade them that they require something?
As digital marketers, it&#8217;s neuromarketing that&#8217;s going to get us to that place.
<h3>Digital communication</h3>
Web analytics and data are now so easy to produce in the digital marketing field that marketers frequently use them to identify the real impact of advertising without any further science &#8211; and this is very powerful.
But what we&#8217;re actually seeing here are outcomes, which are great for analysis and have their place, but are not genuine causes.
Google, Facebook, and Twitter have spent millions of dollars trying to persuade us that their algorithms can uncover and anticipate the quality of each digital communication you send. For them, it is a question of life and death. They&#8217;ve gotten pretty damn good at it, too.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-13620 size-medium" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ig-pilates-250x250.png" alt="" width="250" height="250" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ig-pilates-250x250.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ig-pilates-700x700.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ig-pilates-150x150.png 150w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ig-pilates-768x768.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ig-pilates-120x120.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ig-pilates-80x80.png 80w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ig-pilates.png 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" />
Recent events, however, have demonstrated how deceiving analytics may be. Worse, they frequently contain inaccurate definitions, dubious assumptions, and even mathematical mistakes.
They&#8217;re based on behavioral data that provides a skewed picture of how individuals react to messages. They are unconcerned with the unseen &#8216;unconscious&#8217; clicks that occur in people&#8217;s heads.
<h3>Precision targeting</h3>
Procter &amp; Gamble, the world&#8217;s largest marketer, curtailed its Facebook ad spend in 2016, arguing that targeting individual demographics was costly and did not result in a substantial impact.
Facebook (now Meta, of course) and Google both claim to be able to assist advertising in targeting specific audiences. P&amp;G, on the other hand, said that there was no proof that precision targeting was worthwhile.
We continue to see these platforms perform admirably as an agency. But, hey, to each their own.
Meanwhile, Facebook acknowledged in 2016 that it had been overestimating a key video statistic for at least two years. The average time of a video seen was calculated using only video views that lasted more than three seconds. As a result, advertisements&#8217; performance scores were greater than they should have been.
Many advertisers were furious, despite the fact that the social network stated it was a miscalculation of the average time users spent watching videos on its site.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="480" height="355" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13624" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/giphy.gif" alt="" />
Sure you do, Mark&#8230;
Google and Facebook don&#8217;t let outsiders evaluate their platforms, so they&#8217;re practically grading their own homework.
Without a doubt, Facebook&#8217;s error was an embarrassment. They issued an official apology and stated that the error in their algorithm will be corrected.
So be warned: online analytics are fantastic, but their utility is limited, and they can be inaccurate at times. However, they are frequently all we have.
<h3>Unseen decisions</h3>
In the near future, neuromarketing techniques will show the nature and effect of unseen decisions, making you a better buyer of digital advertising. As a result, the advertising industry&#8217;s big data players may not be as enthusiastic about neuromarketing as you should be.
And you most certainly should be.
Analytics does not provide a comprehensive picture of what happens when purchasers&#8217; minds are first exposed to advertisements; you must continually test headlines, change visuals, and generally adjust your message several times.
This makes it difficult to figure out why so much of your advertising isn&#8217;t paying off.
And, most significantly, you may choose an ad that is actually kind of unsuccessful but just happens to be the best performer in your test!
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="480" height="360" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13626" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/giphy-3.gif" alt="" />
&nbsp;
<h3>Brain persuasion</h3>
A/B testing is a trap that pays media networks billions without providing deeper knowledge of how ads influence the brain. The search for ideal messages through testing can get you to a better place but can also be inefficient, expensive, and contradicts the rules of brain persuasion.
When utilised to influence digital marketing initiatives, a lot of traditional marketing research falls short of its aims, especially when it comes to assessing the impact of the advertising message.
In their own right, surveys, interviews, and focus groups are powerful tools, but they don&#8217;t explain the neurophysiological mechanisms that underpin consumer behavior.
Nonetheless, our responses to most marketing stimuli are explained by the subconscious and preconscious regions of our brain.
That is why, when compared to traditional research methods, Neuromarketing may offer unique insights, a fact that is now widely recognised by marketing and advertising experts all over the world.
<h3>So what is it?</h3>
Neuromarketing employs a variety of methods, the most common of which being functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). It also utilises eye-tracking technologies, but most commonly in tandem with other technologies that read changes in brain functions.
The idea is to figure out which portion of the brain reacts to certain pictures, phrases, and slogans, and how that part of the brain reacts.
Integration of neuroscientific methodologies with digital advertising, in my opinion, will be one of the most crucial aspects of advertising and measurement of the same as things like the metaverse increase in usage.
It&#8217;s also known as Consumer Neuroscience and is the scientific study of how people&#8217;s brains react to advertising and other brand-related signals through the use of brain waves, eye tracking, and skin reactions.
It can employ brain imaging techniques like fMRI to show how the brain reacts unconsciously to what it perceives. This detects changes associated with blood flow. Basically, when an area of the brain is in use, blood flow to that region also increases.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-13623 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DSC_8594-re-700x350.jpeg" alt="" width="700" height="350" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DSC_8594-re-700x350.jpeg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DSC_8594-re-250x125.jpeg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DSC_8594-re-768x384.jpeg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DSC_8594-re-120x60.jpeg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DSC_8594-re-80x40.jpeg 80w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DSC_8594-re.jpeg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
<h3>Value and relevance</h3>
It is non-invasive and safe. Although there was some initial skepticism and opposition, the advertising industry has begun to realise the movement&#8217;s value and relevance.
Because neuromarketing technologies track the molecular, physiological, and neurological changes that occur in our brains in reaction to marketing, they go well beyond typical data collecting techniques.
These experimental settings will aid in the analysis of instinctual, emotional, and cognitive reactions without putting the interpretive weight on study participants.
You may not know it, but filling out a survey consumes a significant amount of your brain&#8217;s precious energy. Even getting paid to take surveys does not alleviate this stress.
<h3>Act like zombies</h3>
It is impossible to overestimate the value of cognitive energy. Using brain-based approaches eliminates the need for individuals&#8217; conscious and active engagement. You&#8217;re not asking them to act like zombies; all you&#8217;re asking them to do is relax and allow the messages to work their way into their heads.
There&#8217;s also no requirement for the subjects to say anything. The goal is for the stimulus to have an effect on their neurophysiology. The brain will activate and create its own narrative.
When was the last time you were asked what you thought of a movie you had just seen? It&#8217;s a simple question, but imagine how difficult it would be to respond if you had to use emotional measures to describe how pleased, sad, enthusiastic, anxious, concerned, intrigued, and so on you were.
The same may be said for how we react to digital advertising or even a website. We know these stimuli have an effect on us, but we can&#8217;t be sure how much of an emotional or cognitive influence they have on our brain.
<h3>Difficult to recognise</h3>
According to research, when people are asked to explain their moods on a daily basis, they use an average of three words, implying that emotions are difficult to recognise and express. This clouds user feedback.
There are a few essential research questions that only Neuromarketing can answer.
<ul>
<li>Will my message pique the interest of the brain&#8217;s subconscious?</li>
<li>Will that unintentional influence lead to a purchase or a brand interaction?</li>
<li>Is it possible for individuals to express their true feelings? (We have the ability to fool even ourselves!)</li>
<li>What emotions lead to decisions?</li>
<li>Which of your messages has the most impact on people&#8217;s minds, and why?</li>
<li>Can neuromarketing be used to demonstrate a product&#8217;s or solution&#8217;s unique value?</li>
</ul>
And, perhaps most crucially:
<ul>
<li>Can a brain-based persuasion model lead to improved Return on Investment?</li>
</ul>
fMRI scans have demonstrated that a variety of factors determine how and why customers accept specific brands and buy their items, even if they are more expensive than competitors.
It has little to do with logic or reasonable thought. Humans are sensory creatures that react to the way particular stimuli make them &#8220;feel&#8221;.
<h3>Added value</h3>
Its methodologies can investigate subconscious responses and monitor brain activity in persons as well as their reactions to advertisements that they are unaware of.
Ultimately it can also provide customers with added value.
There have been ethical concerns raised, with some referring to it as &#8220;mind-reading,&#8221; although in fact, it employs volunteer participants in a manner that is not fundamentally different at all from established research methodologies.
Furthermore, discoveries from this field are being utilised to investigate solutions and therapies for, among other things, compulsive online gambling and addictive shopping habits.
<h3>What&#8217;s Next?</h3>
Neuromarketing will become more accessible in time as datasets from earlier studies are utilised to develop tools that do not require the use of a lab or fMRI methodology.
Soon you&#8217;ll be able to submit an image of your ad, a video, product page, or piece of content, etc, and get immediate feedback on how it will affect the subconscious.
This technology has already begun to emerge. We have tested some and we&#8217;ll be first in line when these are more commercially available.

Neuromarketing: The Emotions Behind The Data

It&#8217;s obvious that consumers are now concerned about data privacy.
They are more aware of how their data is gathered, kept, and shared, and they want greater control.
This has somehow been accomplished without actually fully informing consumers about the risks of having their data exposed or exploited, and yet they have mostly decided to accept it. So here we are!
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="208" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13573" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/giphy-1.gif" alt="Consumer Rights" />
If you&#8217;re busy or simply decide not to read on then at least know this: you&#8217;re going to need some very compelling reasons for customers to give you their data.
Because data gathering has grown so inextricably linked to the current customer experience, brands now face a unique set of problems.
Would e-commerce have grown at the same rate without tailored ads and targeted promotions? Most likely not, because both customers and brands have grown to rely on customisation to improve the modern buying experience.
Could small and medium-sized enterprises have gained the same degree of awareness among their cohorts as the major spenders do without customised or targeted advertising? No, not really.
We <a href="https://friday.ie/blog/how-to-protect-facebook-marketing-performance-cookie-free-future/">recently discussed</a> how Apple has modified how it will manage customer data by strengthening privacy and safeguards for consumers&#8217; information. With such a global powerhouse embracing the trend towards enhanced data privacy, marketers must keep these developments in mind as they plan future initiatives.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-13570 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/imore-facebookprivacy_03-700x491.png" alt="Apple Privacy" width="700" height="491" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/imore-facebookprivacy_03-700x491.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/imore-facebookprivacy_03-250x175.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/imore-facebookprivacy_03-768x539.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/imore-facebookprivacy_03-120x84.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/imore-facebookprivacy_03-80x56.png 80w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/imore-facebookprivacy_03.png 812w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
Increased data restrictions will unavoidably limit the methods brands and marketers can use to get information about customers, altering how we design marketing campaigns and activities.
These obstacles can only be overcome if brands focus on the consumer&#8217;s unique and personal traits and make attempts to develop a meaningful relationship with them.
In many respects, these difficulties will benefit the marketing profession by encouraging innovation and adaptability.
<h3 class="p1">Personalisation in marketing</h3>
Aside from using the tech giants&#8217; aggregated predictive models to provide us with more detailed targeting like before, brands will need to focus more on personalised marketing, which is already gaining traction and has become a popular topic of discussion with the introduction of relevant and supportive technologies such as data management platforms, geotargeting, and varied forms of targeted e-mails.
Many individuals now feel that it is an unavoidable baseline for the future of marketing strategy and brand performance in competitive marketplaces.
Because the likes of Google and Facebook&#8217;s &#8220;workarounds&#8221; for data loss (due to fewer opt-ins) will be widely available to all companies, it will be your tailored advertising capabilities based on your earned datasets that will set you apart.
<h3 class="p1">Adapt to technological advancements</h3>
Companies will need to adapt to relevant technology if customised marketing is to operate as predicted.
They will need to get acquainted with new and popular forms of social media, data-gathering platforms, and other technology that not all existing employees and enterprises are likely to be familiar with or able to purchase.
AI is bringing predictive personalisation techniques closer than any other tech trend. Things like <a href="https://blog.hunchads.com/dynamic-creative">Dynamic Creative Optimisation</a> are already helping to relegate tasks like split A/B testing to the past.
Many companies that can afford it have already implemented machine learning, big data, and AI to automate customisation.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="480" height="480" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13572" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/giphy.gif" alt="Data Gathering" />
<h3 class="p1">Current business models are being restructured</h3>
Adopting a new marketing strategy customised to the most relevant technology needs budget, time and resources.
To successfully adopt customised marketing, companies will need to organise their planning and communication a lot better.
Some businesses will have to recognise that their present processes and marketing strategies will have to alter dramatically and often.
They will have to reassess how consumer data and information are distributed within the company and potentially beyond that.
Individuals&#8217; geographic locations, potential customers&#8217; prior purchases, and so on will be flooded into company databases, and there may be restraints in how that information is obtained, distributed internally and publicly, and used to improve revenues.
<h3 class="p1">Legal ramifications</h3>
Privacy is always a concern, and in certain places, it is more so than in others, so businesses must overcome any legal obstacles before implementing tailored marketing. In particular, the EU has established GDPR, and you’ll all have heard of that by now. 
GDPR limits the types of data that brands may gather on their customers and provides a means for them to sue companies for violating their privacy. In the United States, California followed suit and enacted the CCPA in 2018.
Now let&#8217;s discuss some of the first measures marketers and businesses must take in order to discover, contact and convert customers in the age of data security.
<h3 class="p1">Get to know your consumers better</h3>
We&#8217;ve all heard that the cookie is on its way out for quite some time. They have lost their charm as customers become more suspicious and privacy regulations become more stringent.
Consumers, in my opinion, have been far too ready to accept that cookies are evil, and yet here we are.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="480" height="384" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13574" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/giphy-3.gif" alt="Bad Cookies" />
However, this is beneficial in some respects since it will make some brands less lazy.
Many brands have traditionally depended extensively on background data collecting, which has produced some useful outcomes. With evolving data rules, we will need to get to know our consumers in new and deeper ways. This will have a huge impact on the marketing industry.
Brands and marketers must look beyond conventional third-party data, such as broad demographics or the amount of time visitors spend on a website, to understand their consumers&#8217; unique interests and objectives.
The next generation of marketing will be based on an intentional brand-to-consumer connection in which cooperation &#8211; most likely in the form of data sharing and incentives &#8211; will generate purchasing power.
Consumers want to have relationships with the brands they like, yet many businesses do not prioritise developing this sort of loyalty. Brands may build better consumer connections and loyalty if they strategise and accept these shifts in data privacy.
<h3 class="p1">Restore consumer power via customisation</h3>
Customers demand privacy from companies and advertising, but they also want goods and services that are tailored to their specific requirements. Because of this paradox, as well as new privacy regulations, marketers must understand their clients beyond their clicking and scrolling behaviours.
According to <a href="https://www.accenture.com/_acnmedia/pdf-77/accenture-pulse-survey.pdf">Accenture research</a>, 91% of consumers prefer to buy items from businesses that provide some level of personalisation. Marketers will find it more difficult to reach customers without third-party data than ever before, yet most consumers will still demand the same level of personalised suggestions, discounts, or promotions.
Personalisation is the answer. They will eventually have more power over which marketing activities they see or don&#8217;t see based on how they interact with a company as personalisation increases.
Brands will have to look for new ways to understand their customers, such as first-party or zero-party data collecting. These approaches will provide more focused insights than any third-party data source, but they will necessitate more effort on the side of brands.
<h3 class="p1">Make clever use of data and technology</h3>
Brands can solve data privacy issues if they use data wisely. They must utilise tools to understand and contact their customers as consumer data gets more difficult to access and marketing technology grows more expensive to use.
They will require technology that spans many channels, collects data in real-time, improves the user experience, and generates reliable data reports. More precise data (collected by first- or zero-party techniques) will necessitate a more sophisticated analysis.
Personalisation will be the bedrock of intelligent data utilisation. Segmentation will give way to direct engagement with the consumer, whether through an AI-powered platform or even things like simple quizzes, competitions or surveys.
Interactive material not only encourages increased involvement but also increases the user&#8217;s enjoyment. At the very least, it enhances the amount of time visitors spend engaging with you, which improves your shareability/linkability and possibly even your rankings.
People mostly want to be involved, therefore good interactive content nearly always enhances your user experience.
This move for interactive content will be part of a larger trend toward personalisation anyway; by allowing consumers to respond for themselves or have their opinions heard, they feel a more personal connection to the business.
Don&#8217;t forget that it may also be used to collect data about user preferences, for example, to enhance products or websites.
<h3 class="p1">Segmentation of customers</h3>
The concept is simple: rather than a limited number of major marketing efforts aimed at broad audiences, it is often preferable to have a large number of small marketing initiatives aimed at specialised consumers.
Customer segmentation is categorising your target customer based on specific characteristics or behaviours, such as demographics or purchasing patterns.
This allows you to more precisely tailor your material to their interests, such as having two separate email lists for large spenders and small spenders and sending various newsletters to each with different items.
You may segment your consumers anyway you choose, but the most frequent divisions are demographic, psychographic, geographic, behavioural, and customer journey.
This technique is excellent for customisation and consumer engagement because your followers will receive material that has been hand-picked just for them.
Aside from email lists, consumer segmentation may be applied to customised advertisements on other sites, categories of blog posts, and social media content for numerous different interests and communities.
<h3 class="p1">Start planning now</h3>
So despite the disruption of nasty and annoying cookie consent notifications, consumers increasingly believe that their data is one of their most valuable assets in the contemporary world, and they want to know that it will be handled properly. That’s not going anywhere.
So this barrier needs to be overcome by using personalisation to satisfy their remaining need for tailored advertising &#8211; and brands must start planning now.
Think about your overall content strategy, your e-mail marketing tactics, newsletter audiences, previous purchasers, social media audiences and website users… segment them all to start planning conversations that they will enjoy.

It’s Time to Get Personal

<h4>Whether you run a business that has an app or website that is either core to, or part of the sales process you will want to keep a close eye on the conversion rate on an ongoing basis. Is the software, content and interface doing its job? Can users find the content and functions they need and are they converting? How can it be improved?</h4>
It may be that you don’t know if your website or app needs minor updates or a major redesign, best not to make assumptions around this as it can be costly. There’s no such thing as a perfect user experience, there’s always room for improvement and discovering where the improvements can be made is where a UX audit can be invaluable.
Research carried out by Forester in 2017 shows that, on average, every €1 invested in UX brings €100 in return. They also found that a well-designed user interface could raise your website’s conversion rate by up to a 200%, and better UX design could increase conversion rates up to 400%.
<h3>The Process of a UX Audit</h3>
A UX audit will go through a series of steps that will help uncover any usability issues. This will provide actionable recommendations that will help eliminate any issues and improve the overall user experience and conversion rate. The process of a UX audit will vary depending on the goals, budget and time allotted. This could range from a day or two to several weeks. During a UX audit, the auditor uses a variety of tools, research methods and metrics to find out where the software is or is not working. The most effective UX audit would include quantitative and qualitative research that involves users, this would include usability testing, interviews or surveys.
As part of a UX audit, a UX professional would usually carry out what is known as a heuristic evaluation of the software. User experience pioneers Jakob Nielsen and Rolf Molich published an article in the early 1990’s which contained a set of principles, or heuristics, that industry specialists soon began to adopt as a benchmark to systematically determine the usability of an interface. In the absence of enough time or budget for user research, a heuristic evaluation may be central to the audit process.
&nbsp;
<h3>10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design</h3>
As experts, we go through a checklist of criteria to find flaws and areas that can be improved based on the following principles.
<h4>#1: Visibility of system status</h4>
The design should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within a reasonable amount of time.
<div id="attachment_12374" style="width: 799px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-12374" class="wp-image-12374 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image.png" alt="" width="789" height="272" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image.png 789w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-250x86.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-700x241.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-768x265.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-120x41.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-80x28.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 789px) 100vw, 789px" />A progress bar tells the user something is happening and indicates how long it might take. This builds trust and patients.</div>
&nbsp;
<h4>#2: Match between system and the real world</h4>
The design should speak the users’ language. Use words, phrases, and concepts familiar to the user, rather than internal jargon. Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order.
<div id="attachment_12381" style="width: 1404px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-12381" class="wp-image-12381 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/cal.png" alt="" width="1394" height="896" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/cal.png 1394w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/cal-250x161.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/cal-700x450.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/cal-768x494.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/cal-120x77.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/cal-80x51.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1394px) 100vw, 1394px" />Familiarity with something in the real world, the Mac calculator is not too far from the old Casio model we all used in school.</div>
&nbsp;
<h4>#3: User control and freedom</h4>
Users often perform actions by mistake. They need a clearly marked “emergency exit” to leave the unwanted action without having to go through an extended process, a bit like the undo command that is common on a PC.
<div id="attachment_12387" style="width: 1312px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-12387" class="wp-image-12387 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/undo.png" alt="" width="1302" height="699" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/undo.png 1302w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/undo-250x134.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/undo-700x376.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/undo-768x412.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/undo-120x64.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/undo-80x43.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1302px) 100vw, 1302px" />The undo feature Google added in Gmail gives the user 5 seconds to stop an email from sending (after they press send), might come in handy!</div>
&nbsp;
<h4>#4: Consistency and standards</h4>
Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. Follow platform and industry conventions and reduce learning.
<div id="attachment_12382" style="width: 1209px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-12382" class="wp-image-12382 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/jakobs-law-utility-nav.jpg" alt="" width="1199" height="525" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/jakobs-law-utility-nav.jpg 1199w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/jakobs-law-utility-nav-250x109.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/jakobs-law-utility-nav-700x307.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/jakobs-law-utility-nav-768x336.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/jakobs-law-utility-nav-120x53.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/jakobs-law-utility-nav-80x35.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1199px) 100vw, 1199px" />Don’t reinvent the wheel, users will find familiar interfaces that follow convention much easier to use.</div>
&nbsp;
<h4>#5: Error prevention</h4>
Good error messages are important, but the best designs carefully prevent problems from occurring in the first place. Either eliminate error-prone conditions, or check for them and present users with a confirmation option before they commit to the action.
<div id="attachment_12378" style="width: 3407px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-12378" class="wp-image-12378 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/5ccb5076df86e7441a9f761b_modal.png" alt="" width="3397" height="1704" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/5ccb5076df86e7441a9f761b_modal.png 3397w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/5ccb5076df86e7441a9f761b_modal-250x125.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/5ccb5076df86e7441a9f761b_modal-700x351.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/5ccb5076df86e7441a9f761b_modal-768x385.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/5ccb5076df86e7441a9f761b_modal-1536x770.png 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/5ccb5076df86e7441a9f761b_modal-2048x1027.png 2048w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/5ccb5076df86e7441a9f761b_modal-120x60.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/5ccb5076df86e7441a9f761b_modal-80x40.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 3397px) 100vw, 3397px" />Users need to fully understand the outcome of their actions.</div>
&nbsp;
<h4>#6: Recognition rather than recall</h4>
Minimise the user’s memory load by making elements, actions, and options visible. The user should not have to remember information from one part of the interface to another. Information required to use the design (e.g. field labels or menu items) should be visible or easily retrievable when needed.
<div id="attachment_12384" style="width: 2654px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-12384" class="wp-image-12384 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot-2021-07-28-at-09.37.08.png" alt="" width="2644" height="1468" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot-2021-07-28-at-09.37.08.png 2644w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot-2021-07-28-at-09.37.08-250x139.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot-2021-07-28-at-09.37.08-700x389.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot-2021-07-28-at-09.37.08-768x426.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot-2021-07-28-at-09.37.08-1536x853.png 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot-2021-07-28-at-09.37.08-2048x1137.png 2048w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot-2021-07-28-at-09.37.08-120x67.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot-2021-07-28-at-09.37.08-80x44.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 2644px) 100vw, 2644px" />In Phtoshop, Adobe present the users with a list of recently worked on files, this helps the user from having to go rooting for them.</div>
&nbsp;
<h4>#7: Flexibility and efficiency of use</h4>
Shortcuts — hidden from novice users — may speed up the interaction for the expert user such that the design can cater to both inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users to tailor frequent actions.
<div id="attachment_12379" style="width: 1210px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-12379" class="wp-image-12379 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/130870-phones-feature-what-is-apple-pay-and-how-does-it-work-image1-qjaxkx6zrb.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/130870-phones-feature-what-is-apple-pay-and-how-does-it-work-image1-qjaxkx6zrb.jpg 1200w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/130870-phones-feature-what-is-apple-pay-and-how-does-it-work-image1-qjaxkx6zrb-250x167.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/130870-phones-feature-what-is-apple-pay-and-how-does-it-work-image1-qjaxkx6zrb-700x467.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/130870-phones-feature-what-is-apple-pay-and-how-does-it-work-image1-qjaxkx6zrb-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/130870-phones-feature-what-is-apple-pay-and-how-does-it-work-image1-qjaxkx6zrb-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/130870-phones-feature-what-is-apple-pay-and-how-does-it-work-image1-qjaxkx6zrb-80x53.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" />Payment applications like ApplePay and Google Pay help users quickly pay for something online without having to enter their payment and personal details again and again.</div>
&nbsp;
<h4>#8: Aesthetic and minimalist design</h4>
Interfaces should not contain information which is irrelevant or rarely needed. Every extra unit of information in an interface competes with the relevant units of information and diminishes their relative visibility.
<div id="attachment_12380" style="width: 2040px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-12380" class="wp-image-12380 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Busy.png" alt="" width="2030" height="1035" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Busy.png 2030w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Busy-250x127.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Busy-700x357.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Busy-768x392.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Busy-1536x783.png 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Busy-120x61.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Busy-80x41.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 2030px) 100vw, 2030px" />Less is more. Users like consuming information at a glance. Clean design minimalist design helps with this.</div>
&nbsp;
<h4>#9: Help users recognise, diagnose, and recover from errors</h4>
Error messages should be expressed in plain language (no error codes), precisely indicate the problem, and constructively suggest a solution.
<div id="attachment_12386" style="width: 1210px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-12386" class="wp-image-12386 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/twitter_Eg3hXdQWoAI0Dgq.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="675" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/twitter_Eg3hXdQWoAI0Dgq.jpg 1200w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/twitter_Eg3hXdQWoAI0Dgq-250x141.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/twitter_Eg3hXdQWoAI0Dgq-700x394.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/twitter_Eg3hXdQWoAI0Dgq-768x432.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/twitter_Eg3hXdQWoAI0Dgq-120x68.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/twitter_Eg3hXdQWoAI0Dgq-80x45.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" />Help users solve a problem, give them as much informartion as posisble without technical jargon.</div>
&nbsp;
<h4>#10: Help and documentation</h4>
It’s best if the system doesn’t need any additional explanation. However, it may be necessary to provide documentation to help users understand how to complete their tasks.
<div id="attachment_12383" style="width: 1608px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-12383" class="wp-image-12383 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/monday.png" alt="" width="1598" height="989" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/monday.png 1598w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/monday-250x155.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/monday-700x433.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/monday-768x475.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/monday-1536x951.png 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/monday-120x74.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/monday-80x50.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1598px) 100vw, 1598px" />A smart, predictive search can help users find answers to their questions quickly.</div>
&nbsp;
<h3>The Output of a UX Audit</h3>
A UX audit should also take into account the content, layout and the user flow through the interface and uncover any blocks or hurdles that users may have to get past in order to complete a task. 
There is no universal format for a UX audit report, each one is tailored to the process employed for the project. It may consists of some or all of the following.
<ul>
<li>Usability review / heuristic evaluation</li>
<li>Information architecture review</li>
<li>Data analytics</li>
<li>Revised User flows</li>
<li>Review of language, clarity, and Calls to action</li>
<li>Conversion optimisation</li>
<li>Content review</li>
<li>Visual design review</li>
<li>Suggested updates mapped out in a priority matrix</li>
</ul>
At the end of a UX audit, you should receive a comprehensive report with clear and actionable recommendations and advice. The key suggestions from this audit can be mapped out in a priority matrix that will identify the quick wins or low hanging fruit that will have the highest impact on UX with lowest amount of design or development effort — we start from there and work our way through the findings to maximise ROI as quickly as possible.
<div id="attachment_12391" style="width: 1010px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-12391" class="wp-image-12391 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-1.png" alt="" width="1000" height="800" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-1.png 1000w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-1-250x200.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-1-700x560.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-1-768x614.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-1-120x96.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/image-1-80x64.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" />Priority Matrix</div>
A UX audit is an essential process for any software product, app or website. A well-executed review will help businesses fix problems quickly, improve retention and boost conversions.
<h4>Interested in running a UX audit on your app or website?</h4>
Please, get in touch to see how we can help.

What is a User Experience Audit and how is it Useful?

People can be fairly quick to criticise Google.
It usually comes down to concerns about privacy, company culture, or monopolisation… but they continue to use the search engine – almost every day.
Not just that, but people trust the results.
It&#8217;s not only that it provides you with the most relevant results. People value the importance of instant gratification, personalisation, and control.
When it comes to developing trust in the online world, the paradigm has altered. Trust can now be established by meeting the human urge for faster gratification.
And Google does this exceptionally well.
Their algorithms are always changing, using machine learning to understand what others like to engage with and, as a result, providing you with the finest results possible.
This is accomplished through the use of a variety of metrics, the most recent of which are click-through rates and your website&#8217;s dwell times. The longer a person remains on a website after clicking through, the more relevant it is seen to be, and hence the higher it will rank.
As a result, the value of <a href="https://friday.ie/expertise/user-experience/">UX</a> and a positive on-site experience cannot be overstated. But unless you want to <a href="https://friday.ie/contact/">talk about that right now</a>, that&#8217;s a discussion for another day.
<h3>Trustworthiness</h3>
According to a previous study, an established newspaper is trustworthy since it is physical and has a well-known brand. The first Google result, on the other hand, is probably now regarded with the same level of legitimacy and trustworthiness as The Irish Times&#8217; front page.
As a result, there has been a lot of debate regarding Google&#8217;s responsibility to serve not only the most relevant but also trustworthy websites in its rankings. This is why we now get things like <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-search-notice-warns-searchers-when-results-are-new-and-possibly-unreliable-349906">this</a>. Fake news has a lot to answer for.
With the change to a connected world, people want something digestible and easy to understand, such as a quick video, short article, or infographic &#8211; whatever it takes to scratch the itch. True or not, they&#8217;ll take it.
<h3>Information on human behaviour</h3>
Advertisers and psychologists now have access to a wealth of fresh behavioural data that they can use in personalised discussions and mass marketing campaigns.
Facebook, Apple, and Google, among other social media platforms and data collecting agencies, have been watching and sharing their users&#8217; activity with specifics of data input, text messages, location, camera, actual personal information, and other capabilities in order to understand more about them.
Researchers have discovered patterns in human behaviour using this unprecedented data, shedding light on the human judgment process and trust-building.
Advertising and marketing is the most sophisticated and researched field when it comes to trust-building.
This isn&#8217;t surprising given that academics have access to trillions of data points voluntarily donated by people like you, and the discipline is growing beyond traditional understandings of human psychology and trust-building strategies.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="340" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-12366" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/unnamed.jpeg" alt="Data Points" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/unnamed.jpeg 512w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/unnamed-250x166.jpeg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/unnamed-120x80.jpeg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/unnamed-80x53.jpeg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" />
Facebook, for example, analyses and tests people in a variety of emotional states in order to provide data about their decision-making.
Facebook has tailored each user&#8217;s experience based on their results and continues to learn about <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/111/24/8788">human behaviour</a>.
<h3>A deep understanding</h3>
This comprehensive knowledge of each user is shared with the advertiser with the aim of establishing a successful and mutually beneficial partnership. And it&#8217;s incredibly effective. It absolutely works for us as an agency.
In order to educate and benefit their product and, in turn, marketers, Mailchimp, and other email marketing platforms deliver consumer data based on millions of emails every day as well as their customers&#8217; behaviour.
Although it took some time, most people and businesses have come to regard the internet as an important part of their daily lives. This is also true with Google.
For quite some time, Google has been providing you with more relevant search results based on arguably personal information such as your location, previous purchases, search history, and interests, for example.
We&#8217;ve invested so much, and this wouldn&#8217;t be possible without trust. And this kind of trust is based on a fantastic, ever-evolving, and individualised product. All of this leads to instant gratification.
Mobile devices now give us instant results, or at the very least the capacity to search on demand.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-12359 size-medium" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/main-qimg-ea63bf2d15cef03052c769c20c05be33-c-250x248.png" alt="In Google You Trust" width="250" height="248" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/main-qimg-ea63bf2d15cef03052c769c20c05be33-c-250x248.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/main-qimg-ea63bf2d15cef03052c769c20c05be33-c-700x696.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/main-qimg-ea63bf2d15cef03052c769c20c05be33-c-150x150.png 150w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/main-qimg-ea63bf2d15cef03052c769c20c05be33-c-768x763.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/main-qimg-ea63bf2d15cef03052c769c20c05be33-c-120x119.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/main-qimg-ea63bf2d15cef03052c769c20c05be33-c-80x80.png 80w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/main-qimg-ea63bf2d15cef03052c769c20c05be33-c.png 966w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" />
<h3>New possibilities</h3>
This demand for rapid information fulfilment has made it easier to cancel plans and explore other opportunities. Questions are answered and arguments are resolved.
The ordering of search results is critical in online searching: users expect the best results to be displayed at the top of the page, and <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2012/03/09/search-engine-use-2012/">they trust search engines</a> to locate the best results and rank them appropriately.
When a search engine returns a result, there are four parties involved:
<ol>
<li>The search engine, obviously</li>
<li>The source of information</li>
<li>The SEO consultant or firm</li>
<li>The user</li>
</ol>
All of these factors have an impact on a search engine&#8217;s ranking. While it is evident that a search engine has an impact on its own results, these other aspects must also be considered.
Filtering enormous amounts of results can be difficult for search engine users. As a result, users must have faith in the search engine&#8217;s ability to rank results based on their relevancy to the query.
In addition, it is important to consider whether consumers&#8217; high levels of trust in search engines are justified, given the fact that no search engine has complete control over its results and that users have no other way of determining how good a search engine&#8217;s results are other than by looking at the results they find.
<h3>Positioning</h3>
People often believe Google&#8217;s positioning more than their own rational judgments, according to one eye-tracking study. It&#8217;s insane, yet true.
When you look at the data on privacy, you&#8217;ll see a contradiction&#8230;
<ul>
<li>65% of individuals do not want search engines to track their searches.</li>
<li>73% said they would be uneasy with a search engine keeping a tally of their requests and utilising that data to customise subsequent search results since they consider it is a privacy violation.</li>
</ul>
Despite all of this, Google still maintains a market share of 92.47% as of June 2021.
This is due to the fact that people place great value on search engines&#8217; effectiveness. As a result, they continue to trust them and use them.
This performance is largely dependent on your private data. If it wasn&#8217;t, your search results would be much more general and certainly less relevant.
We freely submit our data to social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and many others, but then believe we have the right to complain about confidentiality when these platforms provide us with a more personalised experience.
Your instant gratification comes at a price. It&#8217;s only a matter of deciding how much you&#8217;re willing to pay.

In Google You Trust

There are many cities around the world offering smart city solutions. Did you know that Dublin is one of them?
While driving to work may seem challenging at times, Artificial Intelligence is already making it less difficult with things like smart traffic lights and traffic management systems.
AI is actually improving the quality of life for everyone, often without our knowledge.
Advances in healthcare, research, education and other fields have benefited from it, which ultimately aim to boost economic prosperity and life expectancy. AI is a wonderful thing.
And yet there’s a certain level of fear out there about AI.
For example, a few years ago Facebook shut down two chatbots because they began talking to each other in a strange language that only they understood.
People freaked out about this.
But in fact, they merely malfunctioned and were not serving the purpose of supporting human conversations. That’s all. No panic required.
And then there’s those who think that The Terminator is more plausible than it actually is.
So let’s take a deep breath, a reality check, and look at what we’re actually dealing with here.
The Business Transformation Index 2021 <a href="https://expleogroup.com/bti/">report</a> compiled by Expleo shows that almost two-thirds of businesses in Ireland will be utilising AI or machine learning by the year 2023.
Compared to 22% of companies currently using the technology, this is a considerable increase.
Very strange for something that we’re supposed to be afraid of, right?!
<h3>Reducing costs</h3>
In response to the pandemic, 40% of businesses have managed to automate more processes, one out of five people have claimed that both AI and machine learning are important to ensure the success of their business, while 17% of them believe that automation can help to reduce the Covid-19 backlog.
Technology will have a major impact over the next three years on areas such as enabling employees to focus on their business-critical tasks, accelerating processes, and reducing costs, according to a TechPro survey conducted among 200 businesses and IT professionals on behalf of Expleo.
Digital marketing is one area of integration with AI that cannot be ignored, and it’s already happening.
Many of Google&#8217;s algorithm changes are already based on machine learning. Facebook Ads are already optimised this way.
Forget about that <a href="https://friday.ie/blog/how-to-protect-facebook-marketing-performance-cookie-free-future/">cookieless future</a> &#8211; AI predictors will know your behaviours anyway. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
<h3>Must be utilised</h3>
The concept of AI encompasses the use of computing devices and cloud computing in business processes, systems, and daily life operations, as well as the integration of robotics, computer and digital content production in various business processes, systems, and daily activities.
In order to benefit from future marketing efforts, AI must be utilised. The use of AI software is increasing every day as companies use it to optimise their processes, decrease overheads, and turnaround time, and augment productivity.
We are naturally worried that AI will eventually replace humans, but we must remember that AI systems are not yet capable of dealing with emotion, empathy, or critical thinking. There is a very real possibility that it never will.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="512" height="355" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-12115" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/unnamed.jpg" alt="robots replacing humans" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/unnamed.jpg 512w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/unnamed-250x173.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/unnamed-120x83.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/unnamed-80x55.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px" />
Those who become adept at marketing AI software will have a distinct advantage &#8212; technology is evolving at a rate that is unparalleled. One by one, AI is transforming industries. An obvious example is self-driving cars, and then there’s robotics in manufacturing. Very soon, elderly care will use personal assistant robots.
AI can be used to find patterns in data to identify market risks, to measure customer satisfaction by creating virtual assistants, or even to assess thousands of documents across an organization&#8217;s servers to identify compliance.
<h3>Self-learning</h3>
A self-learning system enables Artificial Intelligence to use tools such as pattern recognition, data mining, and natural language processing. Thus, AI has the advantage of being highly scalable in comparison to human intelligence, resulting in tremendous cost savings.
Through the use of browsers and applications, data is collected and manipulated by computer programs that generate and send personalised recommendations based on interests and behavior data recorded by the application. This is machine learning.
Digital marketing and advertising are also becoming increasingly reliant on AI, and this trend is also picking up speed.
Many CRM systems, such as <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/eu/products/platform/solutions/ai-services/">Salesforce</a>, require a high level of human intervention to be accurate and current – but they are AI-driven. A typical CRM system becomes an auto-updating, auto-correcting system when AI is applied to it, which manages your relationships on your behalf.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="770" height="404" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-12116" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Artifical-Intelligence1-770x404-1.jpg" alt="CRM AI" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Artifical-Intelligence1-770x404-1.jpg 770w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Artifical-Intelligence1-770x404-1-250x131.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Artifical-Intelligence1-770x404-1-700x367.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Artifical-Intelligence1-770x404-1-768x403.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Artifical-Intelligence1-770x404-1-120x63.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Artifical-Intelligence1-770x404-1-80x42.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px" />
Due to the enormous amount of information people leave behind intentionally and unintentionally in social media, AI can hold immense potential for the world of digital marketing.
AI is already saving companies money, providing targeted marketing, predictive analytics, and a better customer experience with enhanced ROI.
Marketing is characterised by rapid change. Digital marketing involves changes that happen in real-time.
<h3>Real-time marketing</h3>
With AI-driven data feeds, real-time marketing involves formulating a marketing strategy based on the most recent historical and current events.
AI will feed data to marketers’ real-time efforts as they leverage current trends and customer feedback to connect consumers with products and services they might be interested in.
Because social media provides businesses with real-time information on their target audiences, real-time marketing is becoming increasingly popular.
Marketing professionals have tapped into that data and turned it into messages and products that they believed their customers would enjoy. With real-time marketing, companies can now analyse all types of customer data to gain a better understanding of how customers behave.
With real-time personalisation, you can make your website visitors feel that they are receiving content that is both relevant and timely, and you will be delivering a more personalised experience to them.
When prospects feel valued, they develop brand loyalty more readily than those who feel like just another lead.
AI’s growth in the past has been stunted by limited data sets, data samples that represent real-life data rather than real-time data, and the inability to analyse massive amounts of data rapidly. However, that is no longer the case.
Look at self-driving cars again &#8211; learning from each other’s mistakes in real-time to prevent any future ones.
AI has also been used for sentiment analysis on social media to predict things like box office performance and election successes.
This real-time data is what gives you Netflix recommendations based on your viewing habits, and even those &#8216;because you also bought&#8217; Amazon impulse buys that you just can&#8217;t resist.
<h3>Relevant to marketing</h3>
This technology encompasses a wide range of capabilities, such as voice recognition, image recognition, machine learning, and semantic search – all relevant to marketing.
It is far harder to win and retain a customer today with traditional marketing or outbound marketing campaigns. The use of Artificial Intelligence is essential for marketers as they engage with customers continuously on an individual basis, delivering customised, insight-driven interactions that foster sustainable competitive advantage in an always-connected, real-time world.
AI, when taken seriously, allows brands to scale and take advantage of a competitive advantage that is very hard to replicate. Rather than focusing on technology, AI is about delivering the right content in the right context.
Of course, many consumer and business products today already utilise AI, including Apple&#8217;s Siri. Siri interprets voice commands using natural language processing (<a href="https://skywell.software/blog/how-does-siri-work-technology-and-algorithm/">NLP</a>).
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-12124 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/100-funny-things-to-say-to-siri-700x568.jpg" alt="Siri NLP" width="700" height="568" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/100-funny-things-to-say-to-siri-700x568.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/100-funny-things-to-say-to-siri-250x203.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/100-funny-things-to-say-to-siri-768x623.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/100-funny-things-to-say-to-siri-120x97.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/100-funny-things-to-say-to-siri-80x65.jpg 80w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/100-funny-things-to-say-to-siri.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
In the past, marketers were reluctant to use AI in marketing. However, marketers have recently become increasingly confident about its application. As a result, there is a reduction in ambiguity about the results since more and more sectors have already benefited from it.
The topic cannot be ignored any longer.
It is a fact that there is an abundance of data available, which makes process management more difficult if done manually. It creates a human tendency to ignore data and follow intuition instead.
In such scenarios, AI can prove to be a useful tool, since intuition isn&#8217;t always the best guide.
<h3>Create engagement</h3>
Digital marketers are constantly trying to call upon their intuition &#8211; Whom should I contact? Is there anything I should send? What is the best time to schedule my posts? Where will my posts be most effective?
By answering these questions, organisations can create engagement among customers, foster sales, and improve branding. Artificial intelligence can speed up your progress.
With AI, we will be able to do everything we do on a daily basis in a much more efficient, better and faster way. By implementing this, marketers will be able to measure and run campaigns differently from before.
Digital marketing will be shaped by AI now and in the future.
Digital marketing will learn from its own mistakes.
There are numerous platforms that collect and store customer analytics these days as part of analysing customer patterns and profile information to target certain markets and develop automated systems.
As new algorithms become available to analyse behavior and customer profiles, they will be able to design their own outreach strategies, to tailor copy to the needs of specific online customers based on their voice.
<h3>Predictive marketing</h3>
The use of Predictive Marketing will prove useful in this regard.
Marketers can gather more personal information about potential customers by using social media, which helps them to create more targeted campaigns.
New data is generated with every click.
Not only can AI help find your perfect customers by going through multiple piles of data, but it can also predict how hot the prospect is. The marketer can use this time and energy to do other things such as strategising.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-12118 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2018-02-19-at-10_14_41-AM-700x213.jpg" alt="Predictive Marketing" width="700" height="213" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2018-02-19-at-10_14_41-AM-700x213.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2018-02-19-at-10_14_41-AM-250x76.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2018-02-19-at-10_14_41-AM-768x234.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2018-02-19-at-10_14_41-AM-1536x467.jpg 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2018-02-19-at-10_14_41-AM-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2018-02-19-at-10_14_41-AM-120x36.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2018-02-19-at-10_14_41-AM-80x24.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
<h3>Chatbots</h3>
An AI-driven chatbot provides real-time interaction with users in a natural language, and it can be a very powerful sales and retention tool.
Marketing professionals are becoming increasingly interested in these programs as social media traffic has moved towards private messaging services such as WhatsApp and Facebook. It&#8217;s hard to ignore an engagement opportunity like that.
Chatbots are tangentially related to marketing, as opposed to direct relations. Many digital marketers view them as ways to offer personalised customer service at scale. A chatbot can also assist users in their journey to purchase.
In the long run, chatbots will never have true empathy, but they can be highly useful in certain circumstances if they are trained to prioritise human interaction over robot interaction.
<h3>Content creation</h3>
Artificial Intelligence is used by many brands to automate content creation. The creation of content is now faster and easier thanks to this technology. <a href="https://business.blogthinkbig.com/coca-colas-use-of-ai-to-stay-at-the-top-of-the-drinks-market/">Coca Cola</a> automates its advertising narratives through AI. Context-based logos and music scripts are automatically generated.
SEO and the place of artificially generated content within it is generating concerns and for good reason. Content in this category is typically non-emotional and can be difficult to relate to. A certain amount of human input is always necessary.
<h3>Campaigns</h3>
Digital ads and their delivery are also refined with AI. PPC campaigns on Google and Facebook dominate over 60% of all campaigns in the United States, according to <a href="https://www.digitalthirdcoast.com/blog/google-ads-statistics">some figures</a>. PPC advertisers can discover new advertising channels by using AI.
AI can give advertisers an advantage because competitors may not use these channels, at least not in this same sophisticated way.
<h3>Email marketing</h3>
Both marketers and their customers benefit from AI&#8217;s use in email marketing. You can use AI to create personalised emails for each member of your list based on how they have previously interacted with the brand.
The content they consume, what&#8217;s on their wish list, what pages they spend the most time on, and so on can be leveraged to fit their preferences.
AI could, for example, send two different emails with the most relevant links to each user if one visits links to product pages, but the other skips the links and goes straight for content. It&#8217;s real-time segmentation of email lists!
<h3>Where do we go from here?</h3>
Your digital agency is likely already using AI in many of its marketing tools in order to run your campaigns, so you are likely already interacting with it without even realising it.
Large media agencies have been using technology like this for a while now for buying purposes, but now smaller agencies and in-house marketers have started to adopt it as well across other channels.
Keep reading about it, because it isn&#8217;t going anywhere.
As always, we will keep you updated.

Artificial Intelligence and Digital Marketing

Artificial Intelligence: Changing digital marketing… and the world

Why design systems are important: A single source of truth

Protecting Facebook Marketing Performance From a Cookie Free Future & Apple’s iOS14

Imagine meeting someone for the first time, they found you confusing and had trouble understanding you and answering your questions. They might walk away from the engagement thinking you were complex, inarticulate, demanding and robot like. Not a great start, first impressions last.
Online forms are what connects many businesses to their customers. It’s often the first contact customers make, so we should make a good impression and keep the engagement simple, logical and as human as possible.
Form design is one of the cornerstones of UX and conversion rate optimisation (CRO). This is the point of conversion for many campaigns where marketing teams spend a lot of time and money on driving potential customers towards buying their product or service. If a user gets this far, the chance of conversion if high, so it’s important we remove as much friction as possible.
<h3>How can I make forms more effective?</h3>
A user will look at a form to see if the effort matches their motivation. A quick glance will tell them if the process is going to be easy or not. A poorly designed form will give the user a perception of complexity, even if this is not the case.
If there are a lot of fields, use multi-step forms to spread them over a number of pages, group related fields into logical sets like “your details’, ‘your booking’ and ‘payment’ — we call this chunking, or dividing fields into semantic groups.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1480" height="688" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11583" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage1.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage1.jpg 1480w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage1-250x116.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage1-700x325.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage1-768x357.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage1-120x56.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage1-80x37.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1480px) 100vw, 1480px" />
<h3>What information should I ask for on a form?</h3>
Only ask for the information you really need. Think about the data you are asking for, if it is all 100% necessary and within GDPR guidelines.
What you are asking for should make sense to the user based on what they are buying, they will already have an expectation of the data you need. Do you really need the users date of birth for them to buy a pair of socks?
If the user doesn’t understand why you are asking for personal information they may not complete the form. If you have to ask for sensitive or unexpected information, clearly explain the reasons why.
Reducing the amount of data you ask for will save users time and make them feel more comfortable.
<h3>What is best practice in form design?</h3>
There are dozens of best practice design conventions that make forms easier to fill out and increase conversions. I’ll cover some of the main ones below.
<h4>Use a single-column layout</h4>
Give your form a simple vertical flow, don’t have the users eyes zig zagging all over the screen. Multi-column form layouts can be prone to misinterpretation, users can skip fields where they actually have data to input because they do not notice them, especially on mobile.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1480" height="688" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11581" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage3.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage3.jpg 1480w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage3-250x116.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage3-700x325.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage3-768x357.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage3-120x56.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage3-80x37.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1480px) 100vw, 1480px" />
&nbsp;
<h4>Don’t ask users to repeat fields</h4>
We’ve all come across it, we’re asked to enter a new password twice to verify it and what we end up doing is copying and pasting the text into the second field, it defeats the purpose. Instead of asking users to confirm a password, let them see it, you can use a toggle to display the password as they type.
<h4><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1480" height="688" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11582" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage2.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage2.jpg 1480w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage2-250x116.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage2-700x325.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage2-768x357.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage2-120x56.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage2-80x37.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1480px) 100vw, 1480px" />Avoid Drop-down Menus</h4>
Through years of usability testing we have found that using drop-down menus for the wrong input types can lead to slower form completion time and validation errors which increase the likelihood of form abandonments. In general, avoid drop-downs when there are fewer than 5 or more than 10 options.
Radio buttons or checkboxes work well for less than 5 options and if you have over 10 options like a choice of country, try using an open text field with auto-complete, it saves the user time and frustration.
<h4>Use Placeholders</h4>
Don’t assume the users know what information you are asking for on each field, give them a hint, this should help with any questions that might arise.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1480" height="688" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11580" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage4.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage4.jpg 1480w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage4-250x116.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage4-700x325.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage4-768x357.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage4-120x56.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage4-80x37.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1480px) 100vw, 1480px" />
<h4>Try not to split fields</h4>
It should not be necessary to split fields like First name and Last name, one field for both will do, this will save the users time and clicks. If you need to split them later this should be easy enough to do in the database or even in Excel.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1480" height="463" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11578" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage7.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage7.jpg 1480w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage7-250x78.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage7-700x219.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage7-768x240.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage7-120x38.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage7-80x25.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1480px) 100vw, 1480px" />
<h4>Language</h4>
One area of UX design that often gets overlooked is copywriting, designers are usually not good copywriters (myself included). UX copywriting makes experiences more efficient, by helping readers navigate their way to their desired outcome. Copy should be concise, friendly and written in plain English. It’s UX design, but with words. When it comes to error messages and form validation don’t be a robot, help the user by keeping the copy clear and easy to understand. Help the user solve the problem.
I could go on —
<ul>
<li>always mark mandatory fields with an astrix</li>
<li>align labels top-left for best readability</li>
<li>don’t use CAPs</li>
<li>use conditional logic to shorten your forms</li>
<li>use autofocus on active fields…</li>
</ul>
<h3>What is good UX for submitting and providing form feedback?</h3>
If the user has gone to the trouble of completing your form, you need to give them good feedback, reassurance that it worked and be clear about what happens next.
<h4>Use clear and obvious action buttons</h4>
Don’t make the mistake of being a robot again by putting a label like ‘Submit’ or ‘Send’ on the action button, this tells the user nothing about what is going to happen. Set the expectation, tell them what they are about to do. This clarity is essential for great calls to action, they go a long way in making a form more compelling and trustworthy.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1480" height="688" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11577" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage5.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage5.jpg 1480w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage5-250x116.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage5-700x325.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage5-768x357.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage5-120x56.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage5-80x37.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1480px) 100vw, 1480px" />
<h4>No one enjoys waiting</h4>
When it comes to loading and submitting data, your form should be lightning fast. Make sure you have a well resourced server and use Google Lighthouse to check your forms performance and accessibility.
If you have to keep a user waiting after submission, provide some feedback to show them something is happening behind the scenes. A simple animation will do this while distracting them from the time passing. You can also use some clever animations to keep them amused and the time will pass quickly.
<h4>Celebrate success</h4>
When a form has been submitted, tell the user it worked (or not). Show them a message of success but also let them know what happens next. Will they get an email? Will their concert tickets be posted to them? — set the expectation.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1480" height="688" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11576" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage6.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage6.jpg 1480w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage6-250x116.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage6-700x325.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage6-768x357.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage6-120x56.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BlogImage6-80x37.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1480px) 100vw, 1480px" />
<h3>What is the number one thing I can do to improve the UX of my forms?</h3>
None of this is rocket science but all of it will go a long way to maximising your online conversions. You can take all of our advise but the one thing that all UX comes back to in the end is test, test, test! If you don’t carry out usability testing, you won’t know if a form is working to its full potential.

Form UX: Better Forms for More Conversions

You will know by now that your website needs to load fast.
You just need to Google it to remind yourself as to the many reasons why, so we will not do that again here.
In summary: happier users, better conversions rates and more conversions.
There&#8217;s no need to make it any more complicated because that’s all it is. Why else would you focus on it?
You don’t need another blog post about % of revenue loss for every % of extra second of load time. Zzzzzzzz. You’ve hit the snooze button on that a few times, so just turn off the alarm now.
Let’s look to the near future instead…
<h3>Great user experience</h3>
In May 2021 things will start to get very real when Google begin to label search results that have what they call a &#8220;great user experience&#8221;. They may begin testing this sooner, but that&#8217;s the official rollout date.
By ‘user experience’, we are not talking about UX in a traditional sense. We refer to ‘user experience’ in the way that Google defines it algorithmically – so, how fast and uninterrupted a web page is when loading.
In May, if yours is not up to scratch, then your click-through rates will decrease. There’s no question of that. It was probably already annoying users anyway.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="328" height="268" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11731" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/giphy-2.gif" alt="" />
This is the Google Page Experience Update.
An article on Search Engine Land <a href="https://searchengineland.com/google-page-experience-update-to-launch-in-may-2021-343581">last year</a> said of this update: “Many SEOs expect it will be relatively minor.”
Well, let me tell you that this will not be ‘minor’. You can be damn sure of that.
The impact on rankings will be direct, since Google themselves have called this an &#8220;upcoming Search ranking change&#8221; and also there&#8217;s the potential indirect ranking loss suffered as a result of your competitors being labelled as a ‘great user experience’ when you are not.
It&#8217;s already there in the code within Google Search Console, if you know where to look:
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="640" height="361" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11743" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/t-google-search-console-page-experience-appearance-filter-1612963427.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/t-google-search-console-page-experience-appearance-filter-1612963427.jpg 640w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/t-google-search-console-page-experience-appearance-filter-1612963427-250x141.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/t-google-search-console-page-experience-appearance-filter-1612963427-120x68.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/t-google-search-console-page-experience-appearance-filter-1612963427-80x45.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" />
Without investment, this is the beginning of the end for some websites. There are those that will, in a year or two, essentially end up on Google’s scrapheap as a result of this.
<h3>Something tangible</h3>
This very tangible thing, an actual visual signal in Google search results saying that your website is a &#8220;great user experience&#8221;, will be something that’s desired because it’s visual.
In-house marketers will have something tangible to tell their teams or agencies: “That’s what we want.” It will not be achievable in all cases, and if you do not have this label then your click-through rates (CTR) from search results may not suffer massively, but it will definitely be desirable.
What they won&#8217;t tell you is that this still remains slightly relative. If you are in a sector with just a few competitors then it may be okay at first to just have a faster web page than the others &#8211; but your end goal should still be to be fast by comparison to most others.
Before now, this discussion was usually held on the back of PageSpeed Insights scores (which are mostly bullsh*t and unreliable) and Lighthouse tests (a bit more detailed and sometimes useful, but not always accurate).
And then Google clearly stated that it’s the Core Web Vitals scores in Search Console that you need to pay most attention to, but many are still not listening.
<a href="https://web.dev/vitals/">Core Web Vitals</a> are a set of real-world, user-centred metrics that quantify key aspects of the user experience. They measure dimensions of web usability such as load time, interactivity, and the stability of content as it loads. For example, you can probably remember more than one time when your thumb clicked on the wrong thing while a page was loading and aligning. Not great if you&#8217;re anywhere near a one-click purchase.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-11725 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Search_Page_Experience_Graphic.jpg" alt="Google Page Experience Update" width="960" height="540" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Search_Page_Experience_Graphic.jpg 960w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Search_Page_Experience_Graphic-250x141.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Search_Page_Experience_Graphic-700x394.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Search_Page_Experience_Graphic-768x432.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Search_Page_Experience_Graphic-120x68.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Search_Page_Experience_Graphic-80x45.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" />
<h3>Actual Google Chrome users</h3>
The fact that these scores are based on actual Google Chrome users who visited your website should be all you need to know. The data comes from the Chrome User Experience Report and reflects actual usage data on your site from users around the world.
Well now, it’s Core Web Vitals that will help you to achieve this new label in search results. So it’s time to listen and stop running Page Speed tests on just your home page and sharing those results internally with a sigh of relief &#8211; they mean nothing now, they are just indicative at best.
Now here’s one of the toughest parts&#8230;
There are websites that use plugins and functionalities which are fundamental to how they have worked up until now. There are those that use page types and layouts that are heavy loading but they are what users have come to expect from that brand&#8230; websites like these may need a lot of work before they can achieve the status of being a ‘great user experience’ in Google’s eyes.
So if you haven’t begun to look at this now then you need to do so immediately. Some time, effort and investment will likely be needed.
<h3>Help your SEO</h3>
It is important to dispel the myth that better Page Speed scores instantly ‘help your SEO’. They can, but not always directly. Google is now looking for the complete user experience – great load times, strong click-through rates from search results, and strong engagement with the page itself.
To give an example: You can have a landing page that loads extremely quickly but if the content is sh*t and the user has no idea what to do next then they will bounce (leave your website) and your rankings will drop.
Google is not just a search engine, it is a suggestion engine. And they want to suggest websites that are not just fast but are also the perfect result for what the user searched for. They hate being wrong.
<h3>Fit for purpose</h3>
Don’t just take this time to focus only on Core Web Vitals and Page Speed. Take a fresh objective look at whether or not your website and core landing pages are even fit for purpose.
“Great page experiences enable people to get more done and engage more deeply,” Google say.
“In contrast, a bad page experience could stand in the way of a person being able to find valuable information on a page.
“By adding page experience to the hundreds of signals that Google considers when ranking search results, we aim to help people more easily access the information and web pages they&#8217;re looking for, and support site owners in providing an experience that users enjoy.”
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="244" height="182" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11732" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/tenor.gif" alt="" />
None of this should be news to digital marketing professionals. Google has previously had known and established factors influencing its mobile-first index.
Up to now, those have been mobile-friendliness, safe browsing, HTTPS/HSTS, popups, interstitials, and more. Until now, it has been very much a focus on ‘mobile-friendly’ and ‘mobile-first’, but now it’s very much ‘mobile-fast’.
<h3>Next steps</h3>
You must revisit your website&#8217;s performance, security, and mobile-friendliness. These are already important, but they&#8217;ll become even more so.
You should also:
<ul>
<li>Check that your hosting service is fast, reliable and responsive.</li>
<li>Check that your website is not overstuffed with visual content (videos, images) that are going to make your site slow. Use a <a href="https://www.cloudflare.com/en-gb/learning/cdn/what-is-a-cdn/">Content Delivery Network</a>, if possible.</li>
<li>If your website is not responsive and mobile-friendly by now, then you should be tearing it down to build it again.</li>
<li>Ensure that you have the correct security measures in place. HTTS/HSTS&#8230; Google may even begin to check your site for a firewall.</li>
<li>Avoid pop-up banners where possible. Nobody enjoys them. Cookie notices have already done enough damage.</li>
<li>Run some manual tests for loading, interactivity, and visual stability. So, do your pages load fast and look right?</li>
<li>Monitor Core Web Vitals data regularly.</li>
</ul>
As always, the most important next step is simple…
Get in touch with Friday Agency and let us show you <a href="https://friday.ie/expertise/" data-trid="267">what we can do</a>.

Google’s Page Experience Update is Almost Here

Google Analytics 4 Next Gen Machine Learning

Google Analytics 4: Featuring Next-Gen Machine Learning & Privacy Controls

Web accessibility is all about inclusivity. It’s the idea that everyone, regardless of limitations, should have the same opportunity to view content on the web like everyone else. These limitations include visual, auditory or physical disabilities. Making your website accessible will become ever more crucial in 2021.
Although building a site that fully caters to these limitations is a time-consuming process, there are a few easy wins we can do that will make using the website a bit easier for users with disabilities.
&#8220;The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect.&#8221;
&#8211; Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director and inventor of the World Wide Web.
<h2>Why Web Accessibility will be crucial in 2021</h2>
In 2019, Dominos lost a lawsuit to a blind man who was unable to order food on their website or mobile app even though he was using a screen reader. Although a huge win for disability advocates, it’s a warning sign for companies that if your digital platforms are not accessible enough then you could face legal repercussions.
<div id="attachment_11086" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-11086" class="wp-image-11086 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/the_dominos_effect.png" alt="Graph of The Dominos Effect on lawsuits regarding accessibility" width="1024" height="785" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/the_dominos_effect.png 1024w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/the_dominos_effect-250x192.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/the_dominos_effect-700x537.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/the_dominos_effect-768x589.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/the_dominos_effect-120x92.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/the_dominos_effect-80x61.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Web accessibility court cases slow on the lead up to the Dominos case, then quickly increases afterwards.</div>
Ireland, among other EU entities, currently only require public sector websites to meet a specific accessibility standard but this is likely to extend to other sectors in the coming years.
Regardless of the possible legal repercussions of your site not being accessible, you’re simply losing out on revenue by not including some level of accessibility.
In a survey, it was determined that 71% of web users with disabilities will leave your site if it’s too difficult for them to use. 82% are willing to pay more for the same products if the competitor’s site is more accessible. 
It can be very difficult to meet full compliance with all web accessibility rules unless a website is specifically designed to do so. However, following the points below can help your site reach some level of web accessibility.
<h2>Good Colour Contrast</h2>
When we talk about colour contrast in the context of a web page, we are talking about the colour difference between the colour of text and the background colour that appears behind it. Having good colour contrast on your web page ensures all users, even those who are visually impaired, will be able to read the page’s content with ease.
A classic example of good colour contrast, and one you will see most commonly around the web, is black text on a white background. An example of bad colour contrast is having light grey text over a white background.
As a general rule, you want a dark colour over a light colour or vice versa.
<div id="attachment_11090" style="width: 1210px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-11090" class="wp-image-11090 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/good-vs-bad-contrast.png" alt="Examples of good contrast versus bad contrast" width="1200" height="1200" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/good-vs-bad-contrast.png 1200w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/good-vs-bad-contrast-250x250.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/good-vs-bad-contrast-700x700.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/good-vs-bad-contrast-150x150.png 150w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/good-vs-bad-contrast-768x768.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/good-vs-bad-contrast-120x120.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/good-vs-bad-contrast-80x80.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" />Good contrast left VS Bad contrast right</div>
A common issue with colour contrast also arises when text is shown over an image. The background image could have all sorts of colours resulting in some words in the text having food contrast, and others having bad contrast.
You can check if two colours have good enough colour contrast for visually impaired users by using a comparison tool like the one on <a href="https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/">WebAIM (Web Accessibility in Mind).</a>
<h2>Add Alt Text on Images</h2>
Image alt text is used to describe an image on a web page. It’s the text equivalent of the image. Aside from some SEO benefits, alt text can also be read by screen readers which visually impaired users would be using to read out aloud content on a web page.
If an image does not have an alt text, screen readers cannot determine what the image represents which can be detrimental for visually impaired users if the image holds strong significance in the context of the webpage.
When a screen reader comes across an image without alt text it will either skip over the image entirely or try to read out the image URL, which wouldn’t be great if the image file was called something like my-image437829403728.jpg!
There are a few important points to take note of when writing alt text for images:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Alt text should be concise. Aside from a few rare cases, alt text should be no longer than a single sentence.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">If the image is purely decorative (like a background image) then alt text is not required as it holds no significance in relation to the content of the web page.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Avoid using phrases like “An image of…” or “A picture of&#8230;”. If it’s being added to alt text, the implication is that it’s being used to describe an image so adding that extra wording is redundant.</li>
</ul>
For example, in the image below we can see it’s a picture of an avocado. Simply setting the alt text as “Avocado” would be considered bad alt text. For good alt text, we’d need to describe the scene in more detail, something like “Avocado cut in half on a chopping board beside a knife, with oranges in the background”.
<div id="attachment_11089" style="width: 1930px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-11089" class="wp-image-11089 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/avocado.jpg" alt="Avocado cut in half on a chopping board beside a knife, with oranges in the background" width="1920" height="1280" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/avocado.jpg 1920w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/avocado-250x167.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/avocado-700x467.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/avocado-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/avocado-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/avocado-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/avocado-80x53.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px" />“Avocado cut in half on a chopping board beside a knife, with oranges in the background”</div>
<h2>Don’t Rely on Colours Alone to Convey Information</h2>
There are many types of colour blindness which can affect people&#8217;s ability to perceive low contrast colours, getting certain colours mixed up, or simply not being able to identify a colour at all.
If we rely too heavily on using only colour to convey information, we make it very difficult or impossible for a colour blind user to get that information. To get around this, it is best to use a combination of colour, text and icons to get our information across.
For example, on Google Maps Traffic map, non-colour blind users can clearly see the red and green lines which we would correlate with fast traffic and slow traffic. 
If we use <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sim-daltonism/id693112260?mt=12">Sim Daltonism</a>, a tool used to imitate how a colour blind user would view a webpage, trying to figure out the information the map is trying to tell is much more difficult to interpret.
What Google has done right is to add a legend to the bottom of the map. Now, even if a user can’t perceive the red and green lines, they can use the legend at the bottom of the map and determine which shades of contrast mean fast or slow traffic.
<div id="attachment_11088" style="width: 924px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-11088" class="wp-image-11088 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/color-blind-map.png" alt="Google Maps traffic with Protanopia colour blindness" width="914" height="649" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/color-blind-map.png 914w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/color-blind-map-250x178.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/color-blind-map-700x497.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/color-blind-map-768x545.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/color-blind-map-120x85.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/color-blind-map-80x57.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 914px) 100vw, 914px" />Google Maps traffic with Protanopia colour blindness</div>
<h2>Use Logical Page Headings</h2>
If you’ve ever used a text editor you may have noticed that in the text format dropdown there are a bunch of numbered headers, Header 1, Header 2, Header 3, etc… It may come as a surprise that those numbers mean more than applying different font sizes to text. Screen readers and assistive technologies use them to navigate around the page and to determine what the page is all about!
Because of this, it’s important that those headers are organised in a way that makes sense in the context of the web page.
The most important heading is the &lt;h1&gt; (Header 1) tag which should state the topic of the page. There should only be one &lt;h1&gt; tag per page.
Headings that are higher or the same tag level indicate a new section. Headings with a lower rank indicate a subsection. Skipping tag levels should be avoided if possible.
In the screenshot below we see the page is about Music Genres and a &lt;h1&gt; is used. We then have a section about Rock music (&lt;h2&gt;, Header 2) which also has subgenres of rock music, glam and blues (&lt;h3&gt;, Header 3).
The next title is Jazz, a &lt;h2&gt; tag and is higher than the previous &lt;h3&gt; title; it tells us that Rock section is finished.
<div id="attachment_11087" style="width: 492px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-11087" class="wp-image-11087 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screenshot-2020-08-31-at-17.15.01.png" alt="Example of heading hierarchy using Music Genres as an example" width="482" height="462" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screenshot-2020-08-31-at-17.15.01.png 482w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screenshot-2020-08-31-at-17.15.01-250x240.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screenshot-2020-08-31-at-17.15.01-120x115.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Screenshot-2020-08-31-at-17.15.01-80x77.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px" />Music genre header hierarchy</div>
<h2>Web Accessibility Benefits Everyone</h2>
It’s very likely you have, in some way, benefitted from something that was originally intended to cater specifically for people with disabilities. 
SMS texting was originally intended for deaf people to communicate in lieu of the telephone, automatic doors and stair ramps for people with physical disabilities, and typewriters (and in turn, keyboards) for blind people to write without having to scribe letters.
Good colour contrast can help reduce eye strain. Users with bad internet connections who can’t load that 2MB image benefit from alt text on images. Users who have monochrome screens to increase productivity and fight <a href="https://medium.com/better-humans/how-to-make-your-iphone-black-and-white-and-why-you-should-42e70deb92c7">screen addiction</a> benefit from conveying information with more than just colour. Logical page headers help with quick page comprehension. 
When designing for inclusivity, it doesn’t just benefit those with disabilities, it can benefit everyone.
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
According to the <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/#conformance-reqs">Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (AG WG)</a>, it is not recommended in general that a website meets the highest level of accessibility conformance as this greatly affects design and functionality, and in some cases may not even be possible. 
That being said, it’s still important to try to make the web a more accessible place and hit those accessibility conformance goals whenever possible. 
With the stricter accessibility requirements regime for the public sector being introduced in both <a href="https://www.levelaccess.com/blog/aoda-reporting-deadline-what-happens-if-your-website-isnt-compliant/">North America</a> and <a href="https://www.ics.ie/news/eu-accessibility-legislation-keeping-the-public-sector-accessible#:~:text=Existing%20websites%20will%20have%20to,such%20as%20hospitals%20or%20universities.">the EU</a>, no doubt similar requirements will eventually become the norm. 
In a survey by WebAIM, only <a href="https://webaim.org/projects/screenreadersurvey8/#progress">40% of 1224 users</a> think that web accessibility has improved. <a href="https://webaim.org/projects/screenreadersurvey8/#reasons">72% think this is due to a lack of awareness</a> or lack of accessibility skills/knowledge. In the 2019 Frontend Tooling Survey, of 3005 developers surveyed, <a href="https://www.ashleynolan.co.uk/blog/frontend-tooling-survey-2019-results.html#web-accessibility">63% don’t use any tools for accessibility testing</a>.
Although web accessibility has been gaining more awareness over recent years, it’s clear that in many cases, web accessibility is merely an afterthought or not considered at all. 
Research has shown that this can be a costly mistake as 82% of online shoppers with disabilities will happily pay more for products if your website is more easily accessible than cheaper alternatives. This doesn’t just increase revenue, it increases brand loyalty.
If a web user has any sort of disability, right now it’s a roll of the dice whether they’ll be able to fully or partially easily access the functionality or information of a website. As web accessibility awareness grows we’ll hopefully see the web becoming a more inclusive place.

Parking area allocated for wheelchair users

Web Accessibility & Why its Crucial in 2021

SEO - The Best Business Investment in a Recession & Beyond

SEO: The Best Business Investment in a Recession & Beyond

Dark user interfaces (UI) have become very popular with users over the last few years. We have seen some of the most popular apps and services like Android, MacOS, Spotify, Instagram, Gmail and Netflix that have been designed with a Dark mode in mind. Let&#8217;s talk about what factors should be considered when choosing between a dark UI vs a light UI and what is best for your users.
As designers, we face the dilemma of whether to use a dark UI or light UI not only when creating a product but also when using an application on your phone. We can all agree that a dark UI looks cool and stylish. However, using dark interfaces can be the wrong way to go for your users.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1864" height="1234" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10955" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Dark-vs-Light.png" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Dark-vs-Light.png 1864w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Dark-vs-Light-250x166.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Dark-vs-Light-700x463.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Dark-vs-Light-768x508.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Dark-vs-Light-1536x1017.png 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Dark-vs-Light-120x79.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Dark-vs-Light-80x53.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1864px) 100vw, 1864px" />
<h3>Things to consider when making a decision between a dark or light UI</h3>
Quite often, the decision to opt for a darker UI is based on personal preferences rather than a solid understanding of what is right for the product. But the decision to choose between a dark UI or light UI should be <a href="https://medium.com/@CanvasFlip/dark-ui-vs-light-ui-how-to-make-the-right-choice-5ddde9baabdb/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">well-thought-out</a>. Instead of assuming what might be good for your product, answering the following questions might be the right place to start: What is the purpose of your content? Is it going to be a more visual product or a text-heavy one?
The background you choose for your layouts will influence the readability of your product. Readability should be considered above all else, in particular, if the text is the most important part of the content on the website or the app you&#8217;re working on. Simply put, poor readability is one of the main reasons for bad usability.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2048" height="1109" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10967" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/better-to-read-01-scaled.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/better-to-read-01-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/better-to-read-01-250x135.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/better-to-read-01-700x379.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/better-to-read-01-768x416.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/better-to-read-01-1536x832.jpg 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/better-to-read-01-120x65.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/better-to-read-01-80x43.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" />
<h3>Is it harder to read on a dark UI?</h3>
The amount of text on a website is also a critical factor for your background decision. Lighter backgrounds are prefered for large bodies of text. Especially when users are likely to stay reading for a longer period of time. That&#8217;s why text-heavy news websites and blogs usually use a white background.
A dark UI can be a good option for highly visual projects that don&#8217;t involve a lot of reading. In this case, it&#8217;s preferable because such UI brings the focus to the visuals. For cases when you want users to focus on a particular area and admire its design, a dark background will allow you to create a distraction-free layout and keep user attention on the item.
<h3>Which is better for your eyes &#8211; light or dark UI?</h3>
Although dark mode can help minimize eye fatigue, the glare from your screen can still be a problem. Dark mode can be very helpful for people who are especially sensitive to light. Yet, for others, the setting can make it even more <a href="https://www.nngroup.com/articles/dark-mode/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">difficult to manage</a>.
Everyone&#8217;s eyes are different, people with certain kind of colour blindness may find it <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ywyqxw/apple-dark-mode-eye-strain-battery-life" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">harder to use</a>. It may also be more difficult for people with astigmatism (when your eyes do not focus light evenly, causing blurred vision from a certain distance). They may find it harder to read white text on black than the other way around, part of this has to do with the light levels.
The decision to use dark mode comes down to how it makes your eyes feel. If you feel it helps you, go for it.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1200" height="600" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11011" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/BlogHeader_DarkOrLightUI_1200x600.png" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/BlogHeader_DarkOrLightUI_1200x600.png 1200w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/BlogHeader_DarkOrLightUI_1200x600-250x125.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/BlogHeader_DarkOrLightUI_1200x600-700x350.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/BlogHeader_DarkOrLightUI_1200x600-768x384.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/BlogHeader_DarkOrLightUI_1200x600-120x60.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/BlogHeader_DarkOrLightUI_1200x600-80x40.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" />
<h3>User Environment</h3>
When we talk about the user environment, we&#8217;re not just talking about where the user is using the platform, but also when. As you would probably expect, dark interfaces are ideal for night-time or evening environments, whereas lighter ones are suited for the daytime. The harsh bright light of a smartphone can cause discomfort when viewed in a darkened room, and the muted aesthetic of a dark UI will not show up as well in brightly lit areas.
The vast majority of entertainment apps tend to opt for dark-themed UI designs and for a good reason. Most entertainment-related activities occur in the evening. Netflix or Amazon Prime is usually watched at night time so we can all say that a dark UI works well in dark environments. 
<h3>What style does your target audience prefer?</h3>
The first step in designing a UI for your product is to <a href="https://usabilitygeek.com/light-dark-ui-usability-perspective/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">know your users and their preferences</a>. Different users have different tastes and different expectations. It is essential to start with researching the competition. Research of close competitors will give you an understanding of which design solutions have already been applied by other players on the market, as well as the factors influencing design solutions.
<h3 id="toggling-themes">Toggling between dark and light mode</h3>
Some companies have adopted the approach of letting the system decide for you when to turn off and on the dark mode, basically, switching between the two when it thinks is best. Another approach is to let the user make up their own mind and have control with just the click of a button based on their needs. That said as a designer, there is already plenty to be done when it comes to designing a site in normal mode, without the addition of a whole new site too. While yes, the core elements are the same, it will still need to be re-worked and altered to sufficiently adapt to dark mode.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="600" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11012" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/daily-ui-day-15-on-off-switch-large.gif" alt="" />
<h3>When a dark UI works well</h3>
So here’s a shortlist of when a darker UI should be used:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Whenever there are more visuals/videos to watch and little text</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">When there are few elements on the design and there is a good bit of white space</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">When you want to watch a movie or play video games</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Apps that require less effort on reading</li>
</ul>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2048" height="1109" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10961" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/netflix-scaled.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/netflix-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/netflix-250x135.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/netflix-700x379.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/netflix-768x416.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/netflix-1536x832.jpg 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/netflix-120x65.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/netflix-80x43.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" />
<h3>When to stay away from a dark UI</h3>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">When your website will be used mostly in the daytime (This can be informed by your analytics and user research)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Products that most of the content is based on reading a lot of text websites or apps that include a lot of elements on the screens</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Whenever you need to use different colour elements throughout the website or product</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">B2B websites that include a lot of components, widgets and forms</li>
</ul>
<h3>Dark or light?</h3>
A simple question with a much more difficult answer. The decision to jump into the &#8216;dark side&#8217; should be approached with care. Before making a final decision, we should clearly understand not only the benefits but also the downsides of dark interfaces and whether or not it suits the content we would like to deliver. Even when we think that dark layouts can have a lot of benefits for products and websites, designers should understand their users and take them into consideration when designing.

Dark UI vs. Light UI – Which is best for your users?

Traditionally, list building was an e-mail marketing thing. It still is to an extent, but there’s so much more that you need to consider now.
Now you can use your customer lists to target subscribed (opted-in) users across multiple platforms including LinkedIn, Google Display Network, Google Search, Facebook and Instagram.
The term ‘list-building’ in itself even implies a list of email addresses that is, at best, sorted alphabetically.
A few years ago, it typically amounted to a ‘Sign Up For Our Newsletter’ field on a website, after which you may – nor may not – get some useful stuff.
Customer lists are a very powerful tool that is under-utilised. It&#8217;s like blindfolded archery &#8211; you don&#8217;t know what you&#8217;re missing! Many of you will know this, but there are VERY few brands doing this right.
We&#8217;ll get to that, but let&#8217;s first take a look at how to get started.
<h3>Target them later</h3>
I’m not concerned about signing up for newsletters and I’ll do so when I’m pretty sure that I might get something of value. Privacy is not usually a concern for me because I’m not &#8220;offended&#8221; when I&#8217;m targeted with relevant ads. Or an irrelevant one, for that matter.
I’m also comfortable enough to unsubscribe when the first e-mail I receive begins with ‘Dear [NAME]’, or if it&#8217;s just plain rubbish.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="525" height="408" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10925" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Screenshot-2020-07-08-at-09.55.03.png" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Screenshot-2020-07-08-at-09.55.03.png 525w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Screenshot-2020-07-08-at-09.55.03-250x194.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Screenshot-2020-07-08-at-09.55.03-120x93.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Screenshot-2020-07-08-at-09.55.03-80x62.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px" />
And given that I am happy to take personal responsibility for my own privacy, you can assume that I am not alone. Users are comfortable to sign up. So be good to them, and then you can target them later across multiple platforms with very specific advertising.
I have personally worked with clients who had up to a 5% conversion rate for newsletter signups, so 1 in 20 people were comfortable enough to do so. But beyond this, nothing was being done to segment and target those as they went about their everyday.
These are people who have explicitly said: “Yes, I want to hear more from you.” That&#8217;s the strongest audience that you can get. That’s something valuable for anyone to achieve and it’s also very powerful. Yes, many brands will e-mail them. But most are not nurturing that relationship by taking it out of their Inbox.
Typically, a good basic e-mail strategy will adhere to several simple things:
<ul>
<li>Give a taster of what to expect</li>
<li>Give clear reasons for them to sign up</li>
<li>Be clear about what they will receive</li>
<li>Compose a beautiful personalised welcome e-mail</li>
<li>Do not surprise them by pushing products or services unless expected</li>
<li>Give them some <a href="https://friday.ie/blog/where-has-all-the-good-content-gone/">interesting, original content</a></li>
<li>Always be honest and sincere in all your communications, and you will always make a good impression with customers.</li>
</ul>
What&#8217;s usually missing is that once they have signed up, you will want to segment them based on the information you have about them. There’s e-mail marketing software for doing this but there’s nothing to prevent SMEs from doing this manually and in a way that is GDPR-compliant. And then you can target them with relevant advertising.
You will have a location, gender and any other information that you have asked for at signup, and you should also have their website behaviours. So if you want to show ads on Facebook to female prospects aged 25-35 in Dublin who are interested in buying necklaces but haven&#8217;t done so yet &#8211; you can do it.
It’s important to note here that having a tickbox next to your signup does not make you <a href="https://friday.ie/blog/gdpr-consent-knowledge-is-no-longer-power-it-is-risk/">GDPR compliant</a>. Only good business practices can do that. A tickbox does not get you out of jail for free.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="400" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10926" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/56_say_gdpr_one_more_time_v2.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/56_say_gdpr_one_more_time_v2.jpg 600w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/56_say_gdpr_one_more_time_v2-250x167.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/56_say_gdpr_one_more_time_v2-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/56_say_gdpr_one_more_time_v2-80x53.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" />
That’s enough about e-mail marketing. Those are the basics, the requisites that you should absolutely be doing anyway. If you’re not, then give us a call before continuing on to the next part.
<h3>The next part</h3>
So now you’ve got your list of newsletter subscribers and online purchasers. You’ve got them segmented nicely. Let the fun begin.
Firstly, you can upload these lists to the Facebook/Instagram Ads platform. This will allow you to re-target them based on their interaction with your brand &#8211; recency of purchase, non-purchasers, etc. This can be a very powerful cross-selling tool.
Using these lists you can also create <a href="https://www.facebook.com/business/help/164749007013531?id=401668390442328">Lookalike Audiences</a>. Facebook will find users with similar interests and behaviours to those you have uploaded and you can then target them. For example, you can find people just like those who have recently purchased from you. We’ve done this. A lot. It works very well.
There are other ways in which this can be useful. If you have properly segmented your customer lists then you can also use these to exclude those that you do not wish to target. This can prove to be useful when you know what category of products a user is interested in, so you do not want to show it to those who are not.
LinkedIn has also improved this functionality within their platform. In this case, you can upload your contacts list – in the B2B space, this is commonly a prospects list – and specifically, target them with ads.
Using LinkedIn, you can also upload a list of company names. Which means that you can target every company in your sector while you exclude everyone in your own from seeing those ads.
We are currently using these tactics on LinkedIn for a global client and maintaining a very healthy 7% conversion rate.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="480" height="342" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10928" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/giphy-1.gif" alt="" />
<h3>Great opportunities</h3>
On Google’s platforms, you can have control over which audiences see your ads across YouTube, Gmail, Google Search, and the Google Display Network through remarketing campaigns – and this includes the e-mail lists that you upload. This presents some great opportunities, including:
<ul>
<li>The ability to bid higher and be front and centre for prospects who have been in touch but did not convert yet.</li>
<li>You can exclude current customers from all targeting if you wish.</li>
<li>Promote your new app to current customers.</li>
<li>Only pay for brand clicks from new customers (note: this one is great)</li>
</ul>
Using these techniques. You can, in short, better tailor your Google campaigns to target more qualified and valuable users who are already aware of you &#8211; and get them over the line.
Your mind may be coming full circle here back to GDPR and privacy because I&#8217;ve covered a lot about targeting individuals. Well, that might be because that’s a topic that has been often misinterpreted.
As I mentioned earlier, your business needs to be GDPR compliant (there, I said it again), not just your website. And furthermore, these platforms use encryption on the information that you upload. In Google’s case, they use something called SHA-256. (designed by the NSA, no less), and your customer is matched using the encrypted data, not the uploaded email or phone number.
To be clear, you can do everything I’ve just talked about and be compliant. So there’s nothing stopping you.
<h3>So, what now?</h3>
Have a clear and enticing call-out on your website for users to subscribe.
Give them reasons to.
Now what you need to do is think about your content and your promotions calendar. Think about lining up 6-12 months of activity so that you can give users a reason to stay engaged.
The next step is simple…
Get in touch with Friday Agency and let us show you <a href="https://friday.ie/expertise/">what we can do</a>.

You Might be Ignoring your Most Powerful Marketing Tool…

There are a multitude of UX myths out there and the pattern seems to be that many of them have been carried over from the 90’s and 00’s when our technology was very different. We didn’t have smartphones, internet speeds were slow and the number of people using the internet in 2000 was <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/internet" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">10% of what is is today</a>. Until Don Norman coined the term “user experience”, it was only adopted by a few of the big tech companies as something called Human–computer interaction (HCI).
Let me dispel some of these myths that cause so much debate, confusion and frankly waste time for clients, UX designers and software developers.
Time to take out the trash!
<h3 id="2304" class="ho hp ap bx bw hq hr hs ht hu hv hw hx hy hz ia ib">1. UX is expensive</h3>
There is a famous quote that sums up and obliterates this myth.
<blockquote class="ih ii ij">
“If you think good design is expensive, you should look at the cost of bad design.” 
— Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar
</blockquote>
Until recent times interfaces would be designed based on a designer and developers assumptions combined with the stakeholders opinions. Users were not consulted and testing was usually only carried out on the technical side.
Sure, in-depth user research and analysis can take time and effort but it’s almost always worthwhile. Budgets do not need to run high in order to carry out user research. It could be done in the form of a user survey, informal interviews and/or usability testing. A good UX designer will have the tools to match most budgets or project timelines. Skipping research and going straight to design should never be an option, your product will suffer and the time and effort to make it right will be multiples of the initial proposed user research costs. Numerous <a class="cm di il im in io" href="https://theamericangenius.com/tech-news/ux-critical-every-1-invested-ux-yields-2-100-return/" rel="noopener nofollow noreferrer">industry studies</a> have stated that every euro spent on UX brings in between €2 and €100 in return through performance optimisation and savings on design, content and development to fix a bad interface, not to mention the lost revenue due to user friction.
<h3 id="fd26" class="ho hp ap bx bw hq hr hs ht hu hv hw hx hy hz ia ib">2. Users don’t scroll</h3>
Another one from the ’90’s. Lets think about this, when was the last time you landed on a website and didn’t scroll? Scrolling is perfectly natural to us all, there is nothing unusual about it. The thinking that users do not scroll ends up producing websites and apps that have a very cluttered “above the fold” areas that look so busy, users will want to scroll past them, this is what we call a high cognitive load. User don&#8217;t deal well with too many choices. With so many screen sizes and devices ‘the fold’ is no longer possible to define.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-10883 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/tenor.gif" alt="" width="498" height="498" />
Chartbeat, a data analytics provider, <a class="cm di il im in io" href="https://blog.chartbeat.com/2016/08/10/scrolling-in-the-deep/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow noreferrer">found that</a> “The portion of the page below the fold is viewed for nearly three times as long as the top of the page.”
<h3 id="d7bd" class="ho hp ap bx bw hq hr hs ht hu hv hw hx hy hz ia ib">3. Users will read all your text</h3>
There is a little bit of ego in this one, some will make the assumption that users will enthusiastically read their lengthly mission statement with keen interest. Unfortunately not, most users have very short attention spans, they will land on a web page and quickly scan it for the headings that are relevant to them before they begin to read. If the copy below the heading does not satisfy them within a couple of lines they will stop reading and move on. Well structured and concise page content broken up into bite sized chunks with very clear headings perform best — see how this article is structured? Easy.
<h3 id="7815" class="ho hp ap bx bw hq hr hs ht hu hv hw hx hy hz ia ib">4. You don’t need content to start design</h3>
Content is the bricks and mortar of an interface. Content will shape the design, functionality and structure of the interface. Design should always be content led, the process of creating content will focus the mind on the goals and objectives of any interface and will cause the project direction to evolve organically. The process of content creation will inspire ideas for other content, it forces the team to really think about how the interface and how users engage with the content.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-10882 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/joshua-hoehne-8nOnIx4Mq64-unsplash-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2048" height="1365" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/joshua-hoehne-8nOnIx4Mq64-unsplash-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/joshua-hoehne-8nOnIx4Mq64-unsplash-250x167.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/joshua-hoehne-8nOnIx4Mq64-unsplash-700x467.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/joshua-hoehne-8nOnIx4Mq64-unsplash-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/joshua-hoehne-8nOnIx4Mq64-unsplash-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/joshua-hoehne-8nOnIx4Mq64-unsplash-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/joshua-hoehne-8nOnIx4Mq64-unsplash-80x53.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" />
We are often asked to use dummy or placeholder during design and development as waiting for content to be created can slow the process down. In theory this makes sense if the content structure is not going to change but in the two decades I have been working in interface design I have never been involved in a project where using dummy content resulted in no design or development changes.
Create your content first and the design and development stages of the project will run smoother. The results of this will mean less changes, lower costs, faster turnaround, less stress and a better product.
<h3 id="af70" class="ho hp ap bx bw hq hr hs ht hu hv hw hx hy hz ia ib">5. If it works for a competitor, it will work for you</h3>
There are a variety of proverbs I can insert here but I’ll leave you think of your own. Just because your very successful competitor is doing something does not mean it will work for you, it may not even be working for them. Sure, lift ideas from your competitors but make sure you test and validate their effectiveness first with your own user base.
<h3 id="2a14" class="ho hp ap bx bw hq hr hs ht hu hv hw hx hy hz ia ib">6. Icons enhance usability</h3>
Don’t get me wrong, icons are a great way of communicating something quickly and universally without users having to read but this only works if the icon is recognisable. If it&#8217;s not, we’ll need to add a text label to explain what it is. Now the user has to look at the icon and read the label which defeats the purpose of the icon and slows the user down. As Martin LeBlanc put it “A user interface is like a joke, if you have to explain it, it’s not very good.” The simple rule is, if an icon needs a label, don’t use an icon.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-10887 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/icons.png" alt="" width="1366" height="376" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/icons.png 1366w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/icons-250x69.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/icons-700x193.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/icons-768x211.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/icons-120x33.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/icons-80x22.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1366px) 100vw, 1366px" />
<h3 id="dd01" class="ho hp ap bx bw hq hr hs ht hu hv hw hx hy hz ia ib">7. Design has to be original</h3>
Most non-conventional interface designs usually carry usability issues. People like familiarity, an interface that is structured in a familiar way will perform better than one that is not. There are a lot of UX conventions that are repeated across websites and apps because they work, users understand them and they provide a good user experience. Don’t try and reinvent the wheel — colour, fonts and photography can usually provide the design originality you want.
<h3 id="51e1" class="ho hp ap bx bw hq hr hs ht hu hv hw hx hy hz ia ib">8. White space is wasted space</h3>
In the same way silence gives us time to think, focus and concentrate — white space in a design does something similar. It gives content room to breathe, to stand out in a way users can focus and comprehend it easily. This brings us back to cognitive load, if we throw too much at a user they will become confused and frustrated. White space is your friend, don’t be afraid to use it liberally. Look at the simplicity of this webpage, few distractions and lots of white space (especially on desktop where we can afford the space).
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-10888 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bad.png" alt="" width="1900" height="1153" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bad.png 1900w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bad-250x152.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bad-700x425.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bad-768x466.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bad-1536x932.png 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bad-120x73.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bad-80x49.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px" />
<h3 id="4a27" class="ho hp ap bx bw hq hr hs ht hu hv hw hx hy hz ia ib">9. UX design is the same as User Interface design</h3>
I wrote <a class="cm di il im in io" href="https://friday.ie/blog/whats-the-difference-between-ux-user-experience-and-ui-user-interface-design/" rel="noopener nofollow noreferrer">a piece about this</a> a while back as there is a lot of confusion around this both inside and outside the industry. First, let’s just define each.
UX or user experience design is grounded in research with the goal of understanding user behaviour in order to design an interface that will address the users goals, motivations and pain points. UX is the design of the how it feels to use something, the flow, the functionality, the wording all working together to create a smooth and clear experience.
UI design is design of the interfaces aesthetics &#8211; the colours, fonts, imagery and layouts. It sets the visual tone, style, look and feel.
While some UX designers may also do some UI design and visa versa, this is not always the case and less so as time goes on, they are both very different areas of expertise but collaborate very closely, one cannot work without the other.
<blockquote class="ih ii ij">
“UI is the saddle, the stirrups, &amp; the reins. UX is the feeling you get being able to ride the horse.” 
— Dain Miller, Web Developer
</blockquote>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1678" height="884" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10884" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/toptal-blog-image-1513007406573-201f3896bd3ec49768d7127ad2f96b6b.png" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/toptal-blog-image-1513007406573-201f3896bd3ec49768d7127ad2f96b6b.png 1678w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/toptal-blog-image-1513007406573-201f3896bd3ec49768d7127ad2f96b6b-250x132.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/toptal-blog-image-1513007406573-201f3896bd3ec49768d7127ad2f96b6b-700x369.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/toptal-blog-image-1513007406573-201f3896bd3ec49768d7127ad2f96b6b-768x405.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/toptal-blog-image-1513007406573-201f3896bd3ec49768d7127ad2f96b6b-1536x809.png 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/toptal-blog-image-1513007406573-201f3896bd3ec49768d7127ad2f96b6b-120x63.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/toptal-blog-image-1513007406573-201f3896bd3ec49768d7127ad2f96b6b-80x42.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1678px) 100vw, 1678px" />
<h3 id="812f" class="ho hp ap bx bw hq hr hs ht hu hv hw hx hy hz ia ib">10. Usability Testing is not always necessary</h3>
If just one user research method is going to employed in a project it should be usability testing. It will probably reveal why you should have done more pre-design user research.
Observational is the most powerful user research method we have, watching users interact with your interface usually brings up all kinds of surprises and exposes any assumptions. It doesn’t have to always be carried out under lab conditions, it can be done casually over a cup of coffee with a few friends or colleagues that have not been exposed to the project. I wrote <a class="cm di il im in io" href="https://friday.ie/blog/time-spoke-importance-usability-testing/" rel="noopener nofollow noreferrer">another piece</a> about this a couple of years ago.
<hr />
There are many other UX myths and more will be revealed as technology and UX practice evolves, I&#8217;ll come back and update this in a couple of year and see where are at with &#8216;the fold&#8217;!
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10 UX Myths – Time to take out the trash!

Adapting Your Business to a Pandemic

<h3>Help us to connect the Goodwill of the people of Ireland with those who need help and support!</h3>
We need your help to spread the word about a website that we&#8217;ve built to aid the COVID-19 response.
<a href="https://www.goodwill.ie/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Goodwill.ie</a> is a website where people and businesses can list their offers of help for emergency workers, the elderly or vulnerable.
<h4>Lend a helping hand</h4>
Whether you&#8217;re someone willing to help a neighbour with their shopping, or a business looking to lend a helping hand to your community or front line workers &#8211; there&#8217;s a place for you here!
Now is your chance to help those in need or find someone to help you!
We&#8217;ve had quite a response from those who have become aware of the initiative and the site has gained a substantial number of offers of help &#8211; but we need more!
<h4>Promote or share</h4>
We&#8217;d appreciate if you could promote or share this so that you too could help get the aid to those that need it. Every little helps in these times.
We&#8217;re also looking for any media outlets who would be willing to give some free advertising space or sponsorship for this initiative &#8211; we&#8217;re sure you&#8217;ll agree it&#8217;s a good one!
Visit <a href="https://www.goodwill.ie/">Goodwill.ie</a>. Get help or give help today.

Help us to spread the Goodwill

Covid-19 Coronavirus Business Supports for Irish SMEs

COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Business Support for Irish SMEs

It goes without saying that it’s crazy times for digital marketing, but not uncertain times.
Because one thing is certain. If you turn the lights off, nobody will know that you’re still home.
Today I saw a very interesting piece of research by the <a href="https://cxl.com/institute/">CXL Institute</a> in Atlanta, which goes to prove that in the midst of any recession (which this is becoming, without question), those who survive and flourish are the ones who were first out of the gate.
<h2>Past recessions</h2>
Their data looked at past recessions and what separated the survivors from the thrivers &#8211; and it’s very interesting.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="752" height="669" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10742" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/recession.gif" alt="" />
Some may question if it is a selfish response for digital agencies to recommend that you keep your activity running to some extent. For us, it’s not. It really isn’t.
When the government announces (and they will) that the current social and other restrictions are over, you do not want to be on the back foot while your competitors are ready to hit &#8216;go&#8217;. You just don’t.
Thinking in pure &#8220;recession&#8221; terms could be the worst thing to do right now. As morbid as it is to say, there are opportunities in this.
Business owners should be surrounding themselves with information from positive CEOs that are looking for ways to grow leaner and stronger in these tough times.
Businesses could be priming themselves with topical messaging and offerings on social media currently, and seeking SEO gains. They should be engaging long term thinking to rapidly grow when everything returns to normal.
<h2>Bounce back</h2>
Those who bounce back and thrive are right now:
<ul>
<li class="p1">Maintaining some level of brand presence through display/social/search/SEO/content.</li>
<li class="p1">Keeping customers (including potential ones) informed of what’s happening.</li>
<li class="p1">Currently strategizing their activity for re-entry.</li>
<li class="p1">Watching competitor activity.</li>
<li class="p1">Aligning all channels including paid, creative, content and SEO to be ready to hit ‘go’.</li>
<li class="p1">Ensuring your website’s robust performance for when consumers are transactional again.</li>
</ul>
You don’t need to wait for that Government announcement to rebound. It will be reactionary, just like yours. Your own business data, industry trends, search trends, as well as your digital agency can help to advise when and how this is best to do. Some common sense will apply too.
In short, be ready.
Now is the time to use your digital agency to be prepared for when (not if) this passes.
If you have already switched off your digital marketing activity then that’s understandable too, it really is. But don’t forget that this time can be used to reflect, improve, strategise and be ready.
If you need sound and practical advice in the shadow of COVID-19, we&#8217;re still here. And we always will be.

Practical COVID-19 Advice For Crazy Times

We are delighted to announce that Friday has won gold for the Best Small Agency (15 or fewer employees) at the 2020 DMA Awards. This is a great testament to all the hard work from our marketing, design and development teams here at the agency as well as the close collaboration with our amazing clients who put their trust in us. We are truly proud of everyone involved.
The 2020 DMAs took place at Dublin’s Clarion Hotel on February 21st where the agency also won bronze in the best website category for their work on the <a href="https://www.urbana.ie" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Urbana website</a>.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-10722 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IMG_7908-700x525.jpeg" alt="" width="700" height="525" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IMG_7908-700x525.jpeg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IMG_7908-250x188.jpeg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IMG_7908-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IMG_7908-120x90.jpeg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IMG_7908-80x60.jpeg 80w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IMG_7908.jpeg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
2019 was a great year for the Friday Agency, winning awards for UX and e-commerce as well as the <a href="https://www.friday.ie/blog/friday-wins-the-much-coveted-best-website-award-at-the-spiders/">best website at the Spiders</a> for our work with <a href="https://www.friday.ie/work/rkd/">RKD Architects</a>. 
Well done to everyone involved, well deserved, we are looking forward to more gongs when awards season starts up again towards the end of the year.

Friday wins Gold for Best Agency at the 2020 DMA Awards

Surprisingly, this is my first post to mention toasters more than once, you’ll see why later. In my last post, I discussed <a href="https://friday.ie/blog/how-to-be-persuasive-the-6-principles-of-influence/">How to be Persuasive and The 6 Principles of Influence.</a> Being persuasive is one thing, but how do we actually change behaviour and influence someone to do something and take the action to convert?
The focus of UX design can often be centred around user research and the usability of an interface, how simple and intuitive it is to use. This ultimately increases the user&#8217;s ability to complete a task but just because a user has the ability to do something, doesn’t mean they’ll do it.
In 2009, B.J. Fogg, a social science research associate at Stanford University developed a very simple behaviour model that illustrates the three elements that need to be present at the same time in order to persuade someone to do something. 
I’m going to get a little bit geeky here but bare with me, its very simple. Behavioural change requires a sufficient amount of ability and motivation along with a prompt in order to persuade someone to do something. It is only when all 3 elements of the model are present at the same time that the behaviour can happen.
<h4>1. Motivation</h4>
Motivation is what makes the user want to complete a task. This is the background story, what drives them to do something. This could be something as simple as a user who loves to eat toast needing a new toaster because their old one has broken.
<h4>2. Ability </h4>
In order for a user to perform a task they must have the required ability, the easier the task the higher the ability they’ll have. Ability can range from the user requiring time, money, mental or physical capacity to complete a task. In UX it can be the ability to fill in a form easily or when it comes to the toaster, does the user have enough money (ability) to buy the toaster?
<h4>3. Prompt</h4>
Without an appropriate prompt, the behaviour will not occur, even if high ability and motivation are present. A prompt or trigger can be something that reminds or reveals an opportunity for the user to carry out the desired behaviour at an appropriate time.
A prompt can also help with motivation. Let’s say a user is in the market for a new toaster but they don’t have enough money to buy one. Then, they see a social media ad for half price toasters, this is the prompt that motivates them to buy the toaster because the prompt reveals that they now have the financial ability to buy the toaster. 
Fogg’s Behaviour Model can be used to quickly test the effectiveness of any desired behaviour by asking three simple questions:
<ol>
<li>Is the user motivated enough to do what you want them to?</li>
<li>Does the user have the required ability to carry out the task?</li>
<li>Has the user been reminded to perform the desired behaviour at the right time?</li>
</ol>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-10700 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/graph-700x595.png" alt="" width="700" height="595" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/graph-700x595.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/graph-250x213.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/graph-768x653.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/graph-1536x1306.png 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/graph-120x102.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/graph-80x68.png 80w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/graph.png 2014w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
Any call to action can be checked against this model to predict its effectiveness, be they toaster ads or otherwise. Remember, for a behaviour to happen, the three elements have to happen at the same time: motivation, ability, and trigger. 
<h2>B = MAP</h2>
Graham recently gave a talk at the <a href="http://3xedigital.com">3XE Digital</a> UX Conference in Dublin around this very topic. He gave some good examples of Fogg&#8217;s behaviour model in practice.
<h4>Prompt with low motivation</h4>
In this example a user is prompted to signup for a newsletter, while the ability is high, motivation is low due to lack of any value being offered. Why would a user want to signup to this newsletter?
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-10702 size-gallery-panel" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Graham-Carroll-3XE-Digital-CRO-UX.001-1260x620.jpeg" alt="" width="1260" height="620" />
<h4>Prompt with high motivation but low ability</h4>
This example creates motivation by offering users a 20% discount on their next order if they signup for the newsletter, great! However, the ability is low as users are asked to enter their date of birth without a reason and it does not tell the user what format the date of birth should be in. Ability will be low because of this.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-10703 size-gallery-panel" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Graham-Carroll-3XE-Digital-CRO-UX.002-1260x620.jpeg" alt="" width="1260" height="620" />
The following error message doesn&#8217;t help either!
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-10704 size-gallery-panel" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Graham-Carroll-3XE-Digital-CRO-UX.003-1260x620.jpeg" alt="" width="1260" height="620" />
<h4>Prompt with high motivation and high ability</h4>
This is what a successful prompt looks like, motivation is high because of the value on offer in return for signing up and ability is high because the user simply has to enter their email address.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-10705 size-gallery-panel" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Graham-Carroll-3XE-Digital-CRO-UX.004-1260x620.jpeg" alt="" width="1260" height="620" />
This is all very simple and obvious stuff but you&#8217;d be surprised how many marketers overlook testing calls to action against this model.
The great man himself, BJ Fogg, explains the simple formula for the behaviour model in this 2 and half minute video if you’d like a quick recap:
<div class="youtube-responsive-container"><iframe id="myFrame" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jsbF9z6adAo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>

Persuasive design: How to make shit happen

Have you ever longed to share a romantic cocktail with Leo Varadkar or Mary Lou? Let’s face it, we all have. Well now’s your chance to turn these fantasies into reality.
Re-introducing <a href="https://www.tder.ie" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TDer</a> – the website that lets you get up close and personal with the gorgeous men and women of Dail Eireann. Created in 2016 and improved and updated for 2020. 
With all the serious talk about policies and coalition, we wanted to put out a piece on the election and have a bit of a laugh at the same time by marrying it with online dating. Jokes aside, please do exercise your vote on Saturday the 8th.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-10680 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/tder2-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2048" height="1443" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/tder2-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/tder2-250x176.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/tder2-700x493.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/tder2-768x541.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/tder2-1536x1082.jpg 1536w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/tder2-120x85.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/tder2-80x56.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" />

Introducing TDer for #GE2020

2019 was a great year for Friday on the awards front, we received multiple trophies for our UX and e-commerce projects as well as winning the much-coveted Best Website Award at the Spiders for the <a href="https://friday.ie/work/rkd-2/">RKD Architects website</a>. 
2020 has kicked off with a bang and <a href="https://digitalmedia.ie/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">4 DMA Award nominations</a>.
<h3>Best Website</h3>
We have a total of 3 nominations in the best website category all competing against each other. This category recognises websites that enhance user experience and those that consumers think are the most useful. 
The first of our nominations is the new <a href="https://friday.ie/work/dublinzoo/">Dublin Zoo</a> website which we launched late last year and has already been a huge success in terms of performance, conversions and engagement. <a href="https://www.urbana.ie" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Urbana</a> is the second in the category, this website won 2 awards last year at the UX and eCommerce awards. Finally, winner of the 2019 Best Website Spider Award &#8211; <a href="http://www.rkd.ie">RKD Architects</a> has been recognised again.
<h3>Best Small Agency</h3>
Friday Agency has also been nominated in the best small agency category. We are up against entries from other agencies that employ 15 or fewer employees.
This is a great testament to the talent and hard work by our team well as our clients who collaborate closely and put their trust in our people and process.
The event takes place on Friday, 21st February in the Clayton Hotel. We’ll be dusting off the ball gowns and monkey suits. Fingers crossed!

Friday with 4 nominations in this years DMA Awards, including Best Agency

The art of effective persuasion in humans is a fairly rare quality. Those who possess it often have a natural balance of charisma, charm and authority. This generation has been brought up to question everything so effective persuasion is getting more and more challenging with time.
Fortunately innate powers of persuasion are not required for effective marketing or UX design, just a little bit of psychology. Persuasive design uses communication and design methods to influence human behaviour and increase motivation. When combined with good usability this can maximise potential conversions in a very powerful way.
All the way back in 1984 when Tina Turner was asking us ‘What’s love got to do with it?’ and Freddy Kruger was freaking us all out in the first Nightmare on Elm Street movie, Dr Robert Cialdini wrote a booked called Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. This is widely hailed as seminal book on conversion optimisation in marketing. In the book, Cialdini outlined the 6 Principles of Influence that are more relevant today than they were 36 years ago. Let’s run through them briefly.
1. Liking
Most of the time we like people who like us — we react positively to genuine praise, rapport and common ground. A good brand that is honest, respectful, seeks empathy and is well presented will form relationships with its customers and have more perceived credibility.
2. Scarcity
We all understand FOMO or fear of missing out, this can be a powerful motivator. Research has found that loss language is far more effective than highlighting potential gains. This could be in the form of a time limited offer or limited product availability.
<div id="attachment_10550" style="width: 786px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10550" class="wp-image-10550 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1dFJz5tQ6JzDcKkXnUoCoTw.png" alt="" width="776" height="866" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1dFJz5tQ6JzDcKkXnUoCoTw.png 776w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1dFJz5tQ6JzDcKkXnUoCoTw-250x279.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1dFJz5tQ6JzDcKkXnUoCoTw-700x781.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1dFJz5tQ6JzDcKkXnUoCoTw-768x857.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1dFJz5tQ6JzDcKkXnUoCoTw-120x134.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1dFJz5tQ6JzDcKkXnUoCoTw-72x80.png 72w" sizes="(max-width: 776px) 100vw, 776px" />Limited time online offer creating scarcity</div>
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3. Reciprocity
This one is the simple principle of giving what you want to receive. There are many ways to have reciprocity work for you. Small acts of kindness will be remembered, be it treating others with respect, going the extra mile and doing a good deed can all win you points with other individuals.
As an organisation you could enhance the customer experience by giving customers a discount, gift, free shipping, being environmentally aware or not having limiting return policies.
<div id="attachment_10549" style="width: 1420px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10549" class="wp-image-10549 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1oA6fDZ_ovju3Sbs8tBY5bQ.png" alt="" width="1410" height="734" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1oA6fDZ_ovju3Sbs8tBY5bQ.png 1410w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1oA6fDZ_ovju3Sbs8tBY5bQ-250x130.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1oA6fDZ_ovju3Sbs8tBY5bQ-700x364.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1oA6fDZ_ovju3Sbs8tBY5bQ-768x400.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1oA6fDZ_ovju3Sbs8tBY5bQ-120x62.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1oA6fDZ_ovju3Sbs8tBY5bQ-80x42.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1410px) 100vw, 1410px" />Reciprocity is demonstrated for those who are environmentally aware.</div>
4. Social Proof / Consensus
We are usually open to things that have been tried and tested by those we trust — friends, family, media or the influencers that we respect. One of the most powerful persuasive techniques online comes in the form of social influence…because it works.
<div id="attachment_10548" style="width: 1344px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10548" class="wp-image-10548 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1HRp4-NNkXmcPOez0ze3Leg.png" alt="" width="1334" height="1174" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1HRp4-NNkXmcPOez0ze3Leg.png 1334w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1HRp4-NNkXmcPOez0ze3Leg-250x220.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1HRp4-NNkXmcPOez0ze3Leg-700x616.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1HRp4-NNkXmcPOez0ze3Leg-768x676.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1HRp4-NNkXmcPOez0ze3Leg-120x106.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/1HRp4-NNkXmcPOez0ze3Leg-80x70.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1334px) 100vw, 1334px" />Independent reviews provide social proof.</div>
5. Consistency
Customer loyalty is hugely important, if a customer has made a commitment to consistently do something with you there is a good chance they will stick to it as they will need to make a counter decision to stop doing it. Look at a service like Spotify, users signup and in a lot of cases unless they have a very good reason and make the effort they are unlikely to cancel the contract.
6. Authority
When it comes to convincing someone about something it’s important to establish yourself as an expert or reference someone who is when making a statement. You can see this in a lot of online marketing with headlines that include phrases like “research shows”, “experts say”, or “scientifically proven”.
After all, these 6 principles have been developed by Dr Robert Cialdini, the Regents’ Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University!
Let’s not forget about ethics, Cialdini is clear that these principles should come from a place of good, with influence being authentic, genuine, and leading others to making positive decisions, not only for themselves, but for everyone else. Use these principles the right way and reap the rewards.

How to be Persuasive: The 6 Principles of Influence

Our award-winning team here at Friday are proud to announce that we have won the much-coveted ‘Best Website’ Award at the annual Spider Awards. The award went to our work for the <a href="https://friday.ie/work/rkd-2/">RKD Architects</a> website that launched earlier this year.
This year marks the 24th anniversary of the prestigious Spider Awards. As the longest-running digital awards programme in Ireland, dedicated to recognising companies and individuals driving digital excellence in every aspect of their ethos.
RKD is one of Ireland’s largest and leading architectural firms. They employ design as a strategic tool, creating impeccably versatile spaces that work hard to meet the needs of the people who use them.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-10344 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/spidersFriday-e1574771593193.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="522" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/spidersFriday-e1574771593193.jpg 900w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/spidersFriday-e1574771593193-250x145.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/spidersFriday-e1574771593193-768x445.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/spidersFriday-e1574771593193-700x406.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/spidersFriday-e1574771593193-120x70.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/spidersFriday-e1574771593193-80x46.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />
Our website brief was to represent the new RKD brand digitally by bringing the user into a new experience of simplicity through visual communication. Our aim was to tell RKD’s story by showing the incredible work that they do and the talented people who do it.
There is no need to choose between creating an informative or aesthetically pleasing design—both can be achieved simultaneously. Key to this is keeping rich content concise as well as visual. 
<blockquote>“Friday’s research-driven approach and their ability to creatively and constructively challenge helped us to identify assumptions early on and to maintain our focus on the user experience.”
Barra Heavey, Director of Marketing, RKD Architects.</blockquote>

Friday wins much coveted Best Website Award at the Spiders

In April this year Friday turned 5 and to celebrate, the whole team travelled out to Sandyford and had a blast shooting a couple of hundred zombies at <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://zerolatencyvr.ie/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://zerolatencyvr.ie/">Zero Latency</a>.
Now the reality is of course that we didn’t shoot anything, but it certainly felt like we did. In reality, we were all running around a large empty room with headsets on looking fairly ridiculous, but in Virtual Reality we were all 100% engrossed in an abandoned factory, being attacked by zombies.
That got us all chatting about VR / AR in general and whether there was any practical application on the web or in advertising that we could apply it to right now.
With the recent release of the Aero App by Adobe, the AR banter intensified.
&#8220;What is it? Can we use it right now? Is there anything cool we can try it out with?&#8221;
A few of us in the studio got together and tried to figure out some of the most important questions in (AR) life.
&nbsp;
<h2 class="graf graf--h3">What is AR?</h2>
For those completely new to the term, AR stands for Augmented Reality. In simple terms, Augmented Reality is when a computer-generated image is super-imposed as a layer on a user’s real world view, in live 3D space, via the camera on a mobile device.
<div id="attachment_10327" style="width: 1030px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10327" class="wp-image-10327 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/pokemon-go-ar.png" alt="" width="1020" height="576" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/pokemon-go-ar.png 1020w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/pokemon-go-ar-250x141.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/pokemon-go-ar-768x434.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/pokemon-go-ar-700x395.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/pokemon-go-ar-120x68.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/pokemon-go-ar-80x45.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px" />Pokémon Go - arguably the most talked-about AR application in recent years.</div>
In comparison, Virtual Reality (VR) is where the user is completely immersed in a computer-simulated environment, and there is no link between what the user sees and the real world — usually through the use of a headset.
<div id="attachment_10330" style="width: 710px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10330" class="wp-image-10330 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/vr-example-700x394.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="394" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/vr-example-700x394.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/vr-example-250x141.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/vr-example-768x432.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/vr-example-120x68.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/vr-example-80x45.jpg 80w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/vr-example.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />The VR experience at Zero Latency, Dublin.</div>
So VR is feeling like you are immersed in a room full of zombies where you might actually be in an empty room. AR is Using your headset or mobile device to superimpose a zombie into your live environment — e.g. a zombie on your desk at work.
<div style="width: 986px;" class="wp-video"><video class="wp-video-shortcode" id="video-10325-3" width="986" height="456" poster="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/desk-zombie-poster.png" loop="1" preload="metadata" controls="controls"><source type="video/mp4" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/zombie-on-desk.mp4?_=3" /><a href="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/zombie-on-desk.mp4">https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/zombie-on-desk.mp4</a></video></div>
Virtual Reality is a more intensive experience, requiring hardware (a headset) and depending on the experience, space and safety concerns come into play.
AR is physically much more accessible in that it doesn’t need a headset to work (although headsets can be used for a more immersive experience). Most modern mobile devices have some sort of AR support built-in, and it looks like it won’t be too far in the future before AR becomes mainstream and accessible to all.
It has huge potential in terms of informational/educational/directional information, and of course advertising. There’s been a big surge in investment and interest in AR technologies in recent years.
Google has completely abandoned it’s VR offering, <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://arvr.google.com/daydream/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://arvr.google.com/daydream/">Daydream</a>, in favour of AR. With Daydream, they had hoped to bring VR to the mainstream via a smartphone-powered affordable headset. However, due to low consumer and developer interest, they have <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-discontinues-daydream-virtual-reality-view-headset-2019-10?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-discontinues-daydream-virtual-reality-view-headset-2019-10?r=US&amp;IR=T">abandoned the project</a> in favour of focusing on developing a Google powered AR platform.
&nbsp;
<h2 class="graf graf--h3">Can we use it right now?</h2>
It’s relatively easy to explain what AR is, but much more difficult to explain what we can do with current AR platforms in 2019. As it stands, the 3 main players in the ring (for developers) with regards to web AR right now are ARCore, ARKit, and AR.js.
Google’s ARCore
As noted already, Google is working on its own AR offering. <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://lens.google.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://lens.google.com/">Google Lens</a> uses the principles of AR for translation and search features. Google Chrome now has the capacity to allow a user to place 3D objects from Chrome search results <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://arvr.google.com/ar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://arvr.google.com/ar/">directly into their environment using AR</a>. AR features are built directly into the Pixel camera and <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/7/18535715/google-ar-maps-walking-directions-pixel-phones-augmented-reality-io-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/7/18535715/google-ar-maps-walking-directions-pixel-phones-augmented-reality-io-2019">Google Maps</a>. Google’s AR offering is called <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://developers.google.com/ar" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://developers.google.com/ar">ARCore</a>, and availability for use on the web is currently limited to Android devices running ARCore 1.9 or later.
Apple’s ARKit
Apple has also been investing heavily in its equivalent offering <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://developer.apple.com/augmented-reality/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://developer.apple.com/augmented-reality/">ARKit</a>. While SR experience is easily embedded on the web using ARKit, it’s currently limited to iOS devices. Adobe has been developing apps with ARkit in mind, namely Dimension and Aero, and these are focused more on the creative applications of AR rather than the practical implementations that Google has already adopted.
Adobes Aero app is free to all and allows users to use a simple UI to place 3D assets, either from a predefined set of stock assets, or to upload custom ones via a Creative Cloud account — add simple interactivity and share with friends.
Ar.js
So ArCore is currently limited to Android. ARKit is currently limited to iOS. is there any way to use AR on the web across Android and iOS? Enter AR.js.
AR.js is an open-source javascript library that allows you to integrate AR into any web page and will be supported by Android and iOS. The downside? Yup, there is one. AR/js can only trigger an AR experience using a marker or a specific location. Whereas ARKit and ARCore can respond to any environment, AR.js needs a specific location or image to trigger the AR environment.
Depending on your needs, this may not be a drawback at all, however, and there are plenty of applications where you might need/want to trigger AR from a specific image or Location co-ordinates. Imagine someone scanning an ad with their phone for example via a dedicated webpage, triggering an AR experience that shows the product in question in 3D space.
&nbsp;
<h2 class="graf graf--h3">But I want AR and I want it now!</h2>
No worries! Companies like <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://www.8thwall.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://www.8thwall.com/">8th Wall</a> and <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://seekxr.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://seekxr.com/">Seek</a> are offering cross-platform AR integration for the web right now, but for a steep price tag. And that price tag just covers the ability to display AR on your site. The 3d assets you’ll require to make the experience worthwhile will likely cost a lot more.
Say you want all of the products in your shop to be viewable in AR, in the same way, that Ikea does for example — well you’re going to need good quality 3D renders of every product in your shop first — but hey, maybe cross-platform AR on the web will be much more easily achieved by the time you’re done with that.
Right now, AR is a nifty feature to play around with, but the resources and budget it would require to implement in a practical sense put it outside the reach of most SME’s.
However the potential with AR is limitless and we’ll certainly be keeping an eye on developments within the industry, ready to pounce once it becomes stable and viable for all.
Thanks for reading. Watch this space.
&nbsp;

The state of AR on the Web in 2019

Whether you’re looking at food recipes on a blog, shopping for a new jacket or booking a holiday, imagery has become significantly important for our everyday use on the web. It should be no surprise that images are typically the largest asset a website serves to its users.
If we can reduce the size of those images as much as we can without affecting their overall quality, it will greatly improve the user’s experience and page speed on your website. Converting your images to a next-gen image format, like WebP, is one of the best ways to achieve this.
<h2>What&#8217;s WebP?</h2>
WebP is an image format created by Google way back in 2010. It is an alternative to image formats like JPG and PNG by serving much smaller file sizes without losing too much image quality.
<div id="attachment_9749" style="width: 1270px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-9749" class="wp-image-9749 size-gallery-panel" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/webp-jpg-2-1260x620.png" alt="" width="1260" height="620" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/webp-jpg-2-1260x620.png 1260w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/webp-jpg-2-120x60.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/webp-jpg-2-80x40.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1260px) 100vw, 1260px" />WebP 59KB vs. JPG 167KB</div>
Have a look at the two cat images above and see if you can notice any differences between them (I couldn’t anyway).
The image on the left is a 59KB WebP and the image on the right is a 167KB JPG. That doesn’t sound like much, it’s only a few KB but that’s a 95% difference in file size. If your website is particularly reliant on imagery, those few KB quickly add up!
<h2>Why Use WebP?</h2>
From the reduced image file sizes you get from WebP you can expect a number of benefits:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Improved page load speed will allow your users to navigate through and interact with your website with ease. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Meeting user’s expectations of how fast your website should load also enhances user engagement. The longer you keep a user waiting the more frustrated they will become, increasing the chance they will leave your website.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Google likes websites that serve images in next-gen formats as they offer “faster downloads and less data consumption”. So having WebP images is one way in which Google will reward your website with an improved SEO ranking.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Can we use WebP now?</h2>
At the time of writing this article, about <a href="https://caniuse.com/#feat=webp">80% of all web users, and most modern browsers, will be able to benefit from WebP images.</a>
Internet Explorer and Safari are the main browsers that still don’t support WebP. As WebP is a product of Google, Apple seem reluctant or unable to support it on Safari. There was a <a href="https://twitter.com/html5test/status/752434454061322240">tweet back in 2017</a> that Safari on iOS 10 was going support WebP but it was scrapped before final release.
It is also extremely unlikely WebP will see support on Internet Explorer as Microsoft has since abandoned support in favour of their new browser, Edge.
<div id="attachment_9751" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-9751" class="wp-image-9751 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/bye-bye-ie.gif" alt="" width="500" height="281" />Protip: Stop using Internet Explorer</div>
So yes, we can use WebP now but there&#8217;s a catch. Two sets of images need to be provided: the WebP image and a JPG/PNG fallback in case the user’s browser doesn’t support WebP. However the advantages definitely outweigh the disadvantages so it is well worth your time to implement WebP images.
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
For huge reductions on image file sizes, WebP can be used in place of PNG and JPG images. Smaller image file sizes has many benefits such as better page load speed, improved SEO ranking and enhanced user engagement.
Despite Safari and Internet Explorer not supporting WebP, the reduced image file sizes are too great not to implement on websites.
Smaller image file sizes means less data, less data means faster pages, and faster pages makes for a happier web.
<hr />
Why not check out some of my other articles <a href="https://friday.ie/blog/author/jonathan/">here</a>?

Next-gen Images: Page Speed’s New Best Friend

Have you ever worn the same thing as someone else to a party?
What if you went to a party and when you got there, over 100,000 people had the same idea?
That’s what would happen if you write a blog post called “how to optimise my blog post for SEO”.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="786" height="511" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9696" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/blog-image-1.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/blog-image-1.jpg 786w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/blog-image-1-250x163.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/blog-image-1-768x499.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/blog-image-1-700x455.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/blog-image-1-120x78.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/blog-image-1-80x52.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 786px) 100vw, 786px" />
What’s happening everywhere is that original thought and compelling content is being threatened (or at least drowned out) by those who:
<ol>
<li class="p1">write just to rank</li>
<li class="p1">are too conservative</li>
<li class="p1">have no strategy</li>
<li class="p1">have little to say about their product, service or industry</li>
<li class="p1">have little to say about their company</li>
<li class="p1">are just plain lazy</li>
<li class="p1">fall under all of the above&#8230;</li>
</ol>
Personally, I have a real problem with the overabundance of what’s called “topic cluster content”. This is pushed by the likes of HubSpot, the <a href="https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2018/10/topic-cluster-content/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Content Marketing Institute</a>, and many more. To explain this concept: you simply find your core topic (that people are searching for) and then you write more blog posts about related sub-topics (that people are searching for).
<blockquote>&#8220;The internet is being flooded by content that has absolutely no value. Content for the sake of content. And it must stop.&#8221;</blockquote>
<h3>Kind of Boring</h3>
So for example, if I was to write about how to optimise a blog post for SEO, then I might proceed to write a piece a week later about how to build relevant link to said blog post. Logical, right? Yes, but isn’t it kind of boring?
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="480" height="240" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9712" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/giphy.gif" alt="" />
Writing for SEO is okay to a point, but far too many brands are picking up on this technique and creating content that has little to no value. And it&#8217;s sort of all the same. At best, it might be slightly useful &#8211; but it’s probably been written over 100,000 times before. And much of it ends up in TL;DR territory.
Let’s get to the point of what is considered to be poor quality content, and then stay where you are so that we can discuss what to do about it&#8230;
According to Google&#8217;s own guidelines, your content is of poor quality if:
<ul class="ul1">
<li>It&#8217;s lacking in purpose</li>
<li>It is harmful or offensive</li>
<li>Presents unsubstantiated conspiracy theories</li>
<li>Promotes hate or violence</li>
<li>The page is just a copy of an idea already present on the internet</li>
<li>There are numerous grammatical errors or misspellings</li>
<li>and many more&#8230;</li>
</ul>
And hidden somewhere within their documentation if you look closely enough, there is also this key piece:
<ul>
<li>Little to no time, effort, expertise, manual curation, or added value for users</li>
</ul>
Now that&#8217;s the real problem right there. They do not like lazy content.
Google has felt the need to create guidelines like <a href="https://www.semrush.com/blog/eat-and-ymyl-new-google-search-guidelines-acronyms-of-quality-content/">E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) </a>because most people simply cannot follow their advice by writing with honesty&#8230; and for the user.
<h3>Getting away with it</h3>
The internet is being flooded and, over time, ruined by those creating content time and again that has absolutely no value. Content for the sake of content. And it must stop.
The mere suggestion that you should have an opinion can be met with, &#8220;Yeah maybe if we were Ryanair or Paddy Power then we could get away with that.&#8221; A knowing guffaw will usually follow. Well, guess what &#8211; those brands are getting away with it and it&#8217;s getting them a lot of exposure. Their content is often original, has a supporting strategy, dares to create debate&#8230; and come on, they&#8217;re having fun.
Brands who create content with honesty don&#8217;t give much of a sh*t about what people are searching for, or what they will write about next week based on, well, what people are searching for again. They will write with authority, they will have an opinion, an original piece of thought, a tone of voice, a strategy&#8230; all of the core elements that are missing from most content.
<h3>Not just Storytelling</h3>
The next time you sit down and strategise content, think about all of this. And very importantly, if you have a topic then Google it before you write so that you can ascertain if it&#8217;s already been done a million times or not. And if it has then you&#8217;d better make it bloody good or else don&#8217;t bother. Good content is not just storytelling, it&#8217;s telling your story well.
And don&#8217;t be afraid to have an opinion. If it doesn&#8217;t work then life will go on (assuming you haven&#8217;t said something completely ignorant or offensive). But you MUST have an opinion or a voice, or your content will not stand out. It just won&#8217;t.
Furthermore, there are so many blogs that are chock full of articles about products or services and you&#8217;ve got to wonder why these are not just given a logical/permanent home on their website. Your blog is your place to have an opinion or a voice, not to shove a product benefit down someone&#8217;s neck&#8230; again. Let your product pages be great at doing that.
Don&#8217;t focus on what everyone else is saying and then try to say it better. Instead, focus on trying to say what nobody has said yet. Now that&#8217;s something of value. That&#8217;s something I&#8217;ll read. And so will many others&#8230;
<h3>Where to Start</h3>
We know that this is not easy&#8230; you do need to research your audiences, engage with them and better understand their needs, you need a direct line to those with the authority to greenlight and/or produce this content and have the opinion, you need the resources to produce something compelling.
So if you&#8217;re wondering where to start with often limited resources, then:
<ul>
<li>Look at your own industry &#8211; there are surely developments that you (or someone in your organisation) can have an opinion on. Everyone between four office walls has an opinion so be bold, back that up and talk about it.</li>
<li>Read a lot &#8211; If you are not keeping pace with your industry then you may have an opinion that is out-dated &#8211; or that someone has already had.</li>
<li>Do NOT immediately look for what users are searching on Google for. Most searches do NOT end in a purchase, remember? Instead, use informed <a href="https://friday.ie/expertise/strategy/research/">research</a> and ask them what they&#8217;d like to see from you.</li>
<li>Is there any industry experts who would be willing to write for you? They will be less afraid of judgment and might even have some credibility to lend.</li>
<li>Weigh up the risks and rewards and maybe just do something cheap but fun. Like that time Friday created TDer, which is still <a href="https://www.tder.ie/">worth a look</a>.</li>
</ul>
With the right amount of effort and willingness, you&#8217;ll not just be creating content that delights your audiences.. but also your audience&#8217;s audiences.
Now go and take risks with your content, because the answer is always no if you&#8217;re never even asked. Don&#8217;t just be like the rest.
Fancy taking a risk with your content? <a href="https://friday.ie/contact/">Get in touch.</a>

Where Has All The Good Content Gone?

After working in UX design for many years (do I sound old?), you start to see patterns emerge. Mistakes, misconceptions, assumptions and bad processes employed by design professionals, project managers, developers and clients alike. So if I was to give some tips to someone starting out building a new website I would base these tips around the common mistakes I see being made. This list is not exclusive or ranked in terms of importance but it’s a good basis for starting a new web project.
&nbsp;
<h4 style="padding-left: 40px;">1. Research is Key</h4>
Until you intimately know your users and their goals, motivations, situations and frustrations, you won’t be able to deliver a great and effective user experience. Ultimately, user research is the difference between designing based on guesswork and assumptions, and creating something that solves an actual real user problem. Without research, there is no UX design.
<h4 style="padding-left: 40px;">2. Challenge Assumptions</h4>
You know your customers but don’t fall into the trap of making design decisions based on your own assumptions that have not been challenged or validated, this brings us back to research being key. You are not your user. Spend a little research time early on in the project rather than risk releasing something that may not meet your users needs. Fixing a problem in development costs 10 times as much as fixing it in design, and 100 times as much if you’re trying to fix the problem in a product that’s already been released.
<h4 style="padding-left: 40px;">3. Understand the Difference Between UX and UI Design</h4>
UX is how it feels to use your website, UX design is to create the experience. UI design is to design how it looks &#8211; colours, shapes, photography. They are closely linked but UI design is part of the UX design process. <a href="https://friday.ie/blog/whats-the-difference-between-ux-user-experience-and-ui-user-interface-design/">More about this here.</a>
<h4 style="padding-left: 40px;">4. Create your Content First 
</h4>
Form follows function. Your content will shape the design and functionality of your website, don’t start design until you have your content ready.
<h4 style="padding-left: 40px;">5. Focus on the first 80% of users 
</h4>
If you aim to create a product that fits the needs of everyone who uses it you will more than likely fail, first you need to focus on the common needs of the first 80% of your users, everyone after that is an edge case and trying to fulfil the needs of edge cases will often have a negative effect on the experience of the first 80%. We call it feature bloat, historically Microsoft Word is a good example of software that has lacked simplicity because it was trying to be all things to all users. This is not to say we ignore the edge cases, we just need to get things right for the majority of users first.
<h4 style="padding-left: 40px;">6. Put Mobile First</h4>
Too often business owners spend all their time judging websites on a big screen when the majority of their users will be using a smartphone. We always design for mobile-first.
<h4 style="padding-left: 40px;">7. Optimise Readability</h4>
Less is more &#8211; keep content concise, use headings and sub-headings so users can quickly scan your website for the content that is relevant to them. All content and functionality needs to add value and have a clear purpose. Users are time poor with low attention spans so cut down the waffle and get to the point quickly. The days of welcome messages, mission statements and long introductions are long gone. Concise well-structured content makes for a much more efficient, effective and enjoyable user experience.
<h4 style="padding-left: 40px;">8. Avoid Relying on a Mobile Burger Navigation</h4>
Discoverability is cut by 50% when a websites key navigation elements are hidden behind a burger navigation. Burger menus can be hard to avoid but key calls to action should be front and centre on your mobile website and not just behind a burger menu. <a href="https://friday.ie/blog/not-such-a-tasty-burger%E2%80%8A-%E2%80%8Athe-case-against-hidden-menus-in-web-design/">Mary has lots more to say on this here.</a>
<h4 style="padding-left: 40px;">9. Focus on Performance</h4>
You may not link the two but website performance is user experience. Think of the last time a website you visited was too slow to load, you may have closed the tab after a few seconds and moved on. This is where good developers come in, they may not make the best UX designers but a good developer will build a website that is optimised to run fast and ensures the server it&#8217;s hosted on is managed to be fast and secure. Your users will thank you and Google will also thank you by taking performance into account when they are ranking your website.
<h4 style="padding-left: 40px;">10. Give Users Feedback</h4>
Users need to know that your site works, when a user does something like click a button, add a product to the cart or submit a form you need to tell them it worked. Give the user feedback via subtle animations, colour changes and simple text notifications to tell them it worked. Micro-interactions communicate to the user that everything is ok.
<h4 style="padding-left: 40px;">11. Create Calls to Action That Set Expectations</h4>
A button with the title ‘Click Here’ tells a user nothing about what happens when they click the button. Try and set expectations with button labels like ‘Add to Cart’, ‘Book now’ or ‘Register today’.
<h4 style="padding-left: 40px;">12. Test, Test and Test again 
</h4>
After research, <a href="https://friday.ie/blog/time-spoke-importance-usability-testing/">testing is the most important aspect of the UX lifecycle</a>. Test, iterate and test everything again from your ideas, prototypes, designs, betas to your live product &#8211; the cycle never ends but the road leads to success.
UX design is all about having an open mind, listening to your users and avoiding assumptions in order to gain real user empathy. If we understand exactly how our users feel then we are well placed to come up with a design solution that meets their needs and therefore is a success.

12 UX Design Tips to Help you Build a Better Website

If this headline caught your attention and you’ve come here looking for the answer, you’ll be disappointed.
But don’t go anywhere, this is still relevant…
The question you should be asking instead is “How good should my blog posts be?”
<h3>It&#8217;s not about length</h3>
Too often in discussion around content, this question is asked. “How long does it need to be?”. If you’re asking this, your approach is all wrong.
There’s nothing new to say here that we haven’t already been trying to drill home. It’s not about length, it’s about the <a href="https://friday.ie/blog/user-centric-content/">user</a>.
It’s about relevance, originality, quality, and engagement. And if it can be entertaining, informative, controversial or opinionated, then even better &#8211; people might actually share it.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="477" height="158" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9584" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screenshot-2019-07-25-at-15.29.57.png" alt="Share my content" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screenshot-2019-07-25-at-15.29.57.png 477w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screenshot-2019-07-25-at-15.29.57-250x83.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screenshot-2019-07-25-at-15.29.57-120x40.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Screenshot-2019-07-25-at-15.29.57-80x26.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 477px) 100vw, 477px" />
You may have seen studies out there suggesting that the longer your piece of content is the higher it will rank on Google. And yes, this is true in many cases. But not in every case. Let me explain…
I just searched on Google for “how long should a meta description be?” and this page ranked first &#8211; <a href="https://blog.spotibo.com/meta-description-length/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://blog.spotibo.com/meta-description-length/</a>
You know why? It’s rich content, its original, it’s got the length checker tool, there’s a useful image and then appropriate text length. That’s the key here &#8211; “appropriate”. It’s not two thousand words long but it certainly goes a long way towards answering my query.
Now, if my question instead had been “why do I need meta descriptions?” Then there’s an argument for writing more in order to give background, context and actionable value. Now that’s one I could easily write 2,000 words on. Not that length matters&#8230;
<h3>One core question</h3>
There is 1 core question you need to ask yourself at 3 key points while creating a blog post. And that question is: “Why should someone read this content and not someone else’s?”
And you should ask it:
<ol class="ol1">
<li class="li1">Before you create your piece of content</li>
<li class="li1">While you write it</li>
<li class="li1">When you review it for publishing</li>
</ol>
So, at every point.
If you cannot answer that question, then start again.
You should ask yourself the same about your brand, product, service, website… it should be a part of everything that you do. But that’s another day’s discussion, and that could easily be 10,000 words&#8230; or whatever is appropriate.
<h3>Keeping things simple</h3>
There’s a lot to be said for keeping things simple. As I write this, that is exactly what I’m aiming to do. This blog post is not for the purpose of making Friday Agency seem smart &#8211; it’s to show that we can make sense with minimal effort.
On this topic, even some very well-known websites have been getting it wrong from time to time. Take Search Engine Journal for example, which states <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/rank-higher-than-your-competitor/309929/">here</a> that: “Your content has to communicate your company’s unique selling proposition using the words that people who are looking for your goods and services are most likely to type into a search engine.”
Sorry, but this is b*llshit.
You do not need to broadcast your USP in every communication &#8211; this is a trap that far too many brands have fallen into. As a result, their blogs become catalogs, or About pages with added tumbleweed. It also leads to word count for the sake of length comparison.
Here is another <a href="https://searchengineland.com/tf-idf-the-best-content-optimization-tool-seos-arent-using-319122">article</a> on TF-IDF, which would have you believe that if you can analyse who ranks in the top 10 on Google and emulate the keywords/topics that they use then you can do the same &#8211; and, boom! you’ll be there too.
Not true.
But it will help you to maintain a certain level of unoriginality.
Covering related topics is fine, but don&#8217;t solely rely on tools and competitors to suggest these for you. You&#8217;re the expert.
<h3>Rank without copying your competitors</h3>
Your content can rank for what you want it to rank for, even without using the exact keywords. It can rank without copying your competitors. Google’s algorithm is smarter than mere comparison. It doesn’t require that you repeat yourself, state the obvious or be a collection of the thoughts of your competitors.
I stumbled upon another quote recently: “Analysing the top ranking content for LSI keywords, sub-topics they’ve included, who they link out to, what kind of media they use, etc. can be really effective at helping you understand how Google wants to answer the searcher’s query.”
Now, this is fine up to a point. But guess what &#8211; it’s not Google answering the query &#8211; it’s you. For your user. So write for them, and don’t spend the term of your natural life analysing what others are doing. Certainly take a look, but it’s not everything.
Spending all of your research time looking at what competitors are doing is about as useful as a pogo stick in a minefield.
The same goes for your word count. Do not be over-concerned about the length of your competitors’ blog posts. Answer the user’s query with honesty and expertise, and then send it out into the wild. You&#8217;ll know fairly soon if it&#8217;s good enough.
<h3>A final thought</h3>
There are so many factors involved that influence your blog post’s ranking position, and word count is just a very small part of it.
Here’s a final thought &#8211; how about you try to be the brand who are first to use certain engaging keywords and topics within your article? Say things that your competitors are not saying.
Have an opinion. Suddenly, you’re authentic.
Hey, you won&#8217;t find another blog post like this one on this topic!
Even if this very blog post doesn&#8217;t go on to rank no.1 for &#8220;How Long Should My Blog Posts Be?&#8221;, then at least it&#8217;s original.
Struggling with original content? <a href="https://friday.ie/contact/">Get in touch.</a>

How Long Should My Blog Posts Be?

SEO & UX: The Perfect Partners

I’m Dave, the UX director at the Friday Agency. Sitting beside me is Gavin and Martin, good guys and both very experienced digital marketing professionals. Naturally, we work very closely together and like to have the occasional laugh at the expense of each other! They provide me with a wealth of statistical information around user behaviour. I like to think I provide them with more attitudinal research-based user insights. This brings up all kinds of great discussions around usability. While we interpret data differently from our own perspectives, we all have the same goal in mind — to gain user empathy through research and not assumptions.
<h4 class="graf graf--h4">Office banter</h4>
A good discussion started last week about the use of title case vs sentence case in both digital marketing and UX design. Before I go into how I think the lads are wrong let me explain a couple of things.
Title case means that the first letter of each word is capitalised, except for certain small words such as articles and short prepositions. With sentence case, only the first word and proper nouns have initial capitals, the Queens English so to speak!
Title case: 
Gavin and Martin Think They are Right, Dave has Other Ideas.
Sentence case: 
Gavin and Martin think they are right, Dave has other ideas.
Spending a lot of time working in Google Ads, Gavin and Martin need to write attention-grabbing headlines in 30 characters or less. Research has found that using title case for Google Ads is more effective for getting users attention, fair enough. The issue I have is that the lads seem to apply the same logic to almost all titles, subtitles, headings and sub-headings, lists and bullet points. This willy nilly approach upsets me, its all over the place — no rules, no control — it&#8217;s literary anarchy!
There is no doubt that title case works well online for headings, it gives a visual hierarchy to different text elements and helps guide the reader. You don’t want users starting with a sub-heading. My feeling is that title case works when there is less than 10–12 words, after that it just gets messy and hard to read. To my horror Gavin suggested that sub-titles should also be in title case, this is where I draw the line. There is no way the sub-text legibility in the Google Ad below benefits from being in title case… no way, sorry Gav!
&nbsp;
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="750" height="143" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9342" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/1gKbN40Wahe3K0qkQJo0ZmA.png" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/1gKbN40Wahe3K0qkQJo0ZmA.png 750w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/1gKbN40Wahe3K0qkQJo0ZmA-250x48.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/1gKbN40Wahe3K0qkQJo0ZmA-700x133.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/1gKbN40Wahe3K0qkQJo0ZmA-120x23.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/1gKbN40Wahe3K0qkQJo0ZmA-80x15.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" />
<figure class="graf graf--figure"></figure>
<h4 class="graf graf--h4">A/B testing</h4>
So, being the research nerds that we are, we decided to do some A/B testing around this. We created 2 almost identical Google Ads for our UX services. The only difference was that the sub-title was title case in one and sentence case in the other. We wanted to see which ad had the highest click-thru rate.
<div id="attachment_9340" style="width: 610px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-9340" class="wp-image-9340 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/1jYvY4FzLSVSihw5qZN0MtA.png" alt="" width="600" height="78" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/1jYvY4FzLSVSihw5qZN0MtA.png 600w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/1jYvY4FzLSVSihw5qZN0MtA-250x33.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/1jYvY4FzLSVSihw5qZN0MtA-120x16.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/1jYvY4FzLSVSihw5qZN0MtA-80x10.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" />Sub-title in title case</div>
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_9340" style="width: 610px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-9340" class="wp-image-9340 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/1jYvY4FzLSVSihw5qZN0MtA.png" alt="" width="600" height="78" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/1jYvY4FzLSVSihw5qZN0MtA.png 600w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/1jYvY4FzLSVSihw5qZN0MtA-250x33.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/1jYvY4FzLSVSihw5qZN0MtA-120x16.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/1jYvY4FzLSVSihw5qZN0MtA-80x10.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" />Sub-title in sentence case</div>
<figure class="graf graf--figure"><figcaption class="imageCaption"></figcaption></figure>
<figure class="graf graf--figure"><figcaption class="imageCaption"></figcaption></figure>
To our surprise, there was only a 0.5% difference in performance between the two ads in favour of title case, marginal and inconclusive for most but huge for the likes of Amazon. This may hint that title case will grab slightly more attention but doesn’t offer us any insights into legibility. To be fair to Gav and Martin, we do it not because everyone else does — but because it gets higher click-through-rates and therefore more revenue for our clients!
This got me thinking about what the ‘rules’ are around this for marketing or UX. I did a bit of reading on the subject and it seems there are no rules. It’s highly subjective. There is a general consensus that titles do get more attention in title case but the jury is out on whether longer titles or sub-titles in title case are easier to read. Studies have found the difference in reading efficiency between title and sentence case is actually quite minimal. My views might be based on aesthetics, it looks choppy and for me it is harder to read but you may not agree.
<h4 class="graf graf--h4">Laying down the law</h4>
The hypothesis that I offer is that title case has a high level of prominence but the legibility suffers as a result, you’d never read a full book in title case, would you? The use case depends on what you want to achieve, do you want attention or have easy to read text.
I found a great example below. These are different notification popups on iOS and Android screens. As you can see on the left Apple have a policy of title case on titles while Google uses sentence case throughout. While they are different messages, you can’t tell me the iOS message is easier to read, can you?
<figure class="graf graf--figure"></figure>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="735" height="604" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9339" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/1JK5LEHfHgufxivS9AMmD0w.png" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/1JK5LEHfHgufxivS9AMmD0w.png 735w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/1JK5LEHfHgufxivS9AMmD0w-250x205.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/1JK5LEHfHgufxivS9AMmD0w-700x575.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/1JK5LEHfHgufxivS9AMmD0w-120x99.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/1JK5LEHfHgufxivS9AMmD0w-80x66.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px" />
While there are plenty of well-established rules for how to use title case, there are few rules about when to use it. Everything seems to be subjective and based on assumption. It’s the wild west out there! Somebody needs to take charge and make decisions.
I am going to do what no UX designer should ever do, I’m going to make the rules based on my own opinions and assumptions. From this day forward I will be known as the self-appointed Sheriff of sentence capitalisation.
<h4 class="graf graf--h4">Sheriff Dave’s 4 Golden Rules for Sentence Capitalisation</h4>
<ol class="postList">
<li class="graf graf--li">Only use in main titles</li>
<li class="graf graf--li">Only use in titles shorter than 12 words</li>
<li class="graf graf--li">Never use in sub-titles, lists, bullets or anything that is not a main title (see point 1)</li>
<li class="graf graf--li">Digital marketers may not be the best guide on the appropriate use of title case</li>
</ol>
Take it or leave it.
What do you think? Am I the Sheriff or are Gavin and Martin entitled to put a bounty on my head?
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="400" height="308" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9347" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/giphy.gif" alt="" />

Making the Case for Using Title Case or sentence case in UX Design and Digital Marketing

<section class="section section--body section--first">
<div class="section-content">
<div class="section-inner sectionLayout--insetColumn">
When it comes to prototyping there is a range of different methods available to UX designers. From sketches on paper to fully interactive digital designs, it&#8217;s important to know which methods are suitable for different project types and the benefits they offer.
So, let&#8217;s take a look at different prototyping methods, their benefits, and how using smart collaboration they can significantly speed up the design process.
<h4 id="9e38" class="graf graf--p graf-after--figure graf--trailing">Wait, what are Prototypes?</h4>
</div>
</div>
</section>
A prototype is basically an early version of a product, app or website, designed for usability testing, collecting user feedback, and making fast design iterations based on this feedback.
The fidelity of a prototype refers to the visual appearance, the functionality, and amount of interactions included in the prototype. When choosing the correct fidelity prototype for a project its important to consider how this will affect time and cost, and the type of user feedback you want to collect.
<h4 class="graf graf--h3">Why are Prototypes important?</h4>
Prototyping is a key practice in the design process, it allows designers to explore their design ideas and gain empathy for the users of the product or website with the goal of improving the user experience.
Prototyping should be implemented early during the design stage to collect user feedback, highlight user flows and potential pain points early on. Changes made early in the design stage are much easier and cheaper to implement than during development which can cost significantly more to implement.
With the clients and stakeholders involved from the start, we can begin to ensure the design decisions are fully understood and approved by everyone, avoiding unnecessary delays and costs at development stage due to misunderstandings and lack of clarity.
<blockquote>“If a picture is worth 1000 words, a prototype is worth 1000 meetings.”</blockquote>
<a href="https://uxdworld.com/2018/05/20/a-prototype-is-worth-1000-meetings/">Tom &amp; David Kelley</a>
<h2><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-9067 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Paper-prototype-700x442.jpg" alt="prototyping" width="700" height="442" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Paper-prototype-700x442.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Paper-prototype-250x158.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Paper-prototype-768x485.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Paper-prototype-120x76.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Paper-prototype-80x50.jpg 80w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Paper-prototype.jpg 862w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></h2>
<h4 class="graf graf--h3">Paper Prototyping</h4>
<a href="https://www.creativebloq.com/ux/how-prototype-websites-paper-31514246">Paper Prototyping</a> is a great low-cost way to iterate designs simply and quickly. The process typically involves sketching layouts and wireframes using device templates to create basic representations of screens for usability testing. Although primitive in appearance and not interactive, participants will begin to understand the user journeys, flows and expectations without the interactivity.
Paper prototyping is fast, flexible, and a great collaborative team process, allowing everyone to participate in the design process and focus on concepts and ideation. In a quick workshop, a team can accumulate a large number of design ideas and iterations. It can also be much easier to make decisions, give critical feedback, and erase or change parts of the design when working with sketches.
<blockquote>&#8220;With a paper prototype, you can user test early design ideas at an extremely low cost. Doing so lets you fix usability problems before you waste money implementing something that doesn’t work.&#8221;</blockquote>
<a href="https://www.nngroup.com/articles/paper-prototyping/">Jakob Nielsen</a>
<h4 class="graf graf--h4">Paper Benefits</h4>
<ul class="postList">
<li class="graf graf--li">Easy to create with pen and paper</li>
<li class="graf graf--li">Quick to iterate</li>
<li class="graf graf--li">Low cost and affordable</li>
<li class="graf graf--li">Highly collaborative</li>
<li>Test user flows through simulating interactions</li>
</ul>
<h4></h4>
<h4>Making Prototypes Interactive</h4>
Making designs into interactive prototypes can be a quick and easy process using top industry prototyping tools such as <a href="https://www.uxpin.com/prototyping">UX Pin</a>, <a href="https://marvelapp.com/features/prototyping">Marvel</a>, <a class="markup--anchor markup--li-anchor" href="https://proto.io/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://proto.io/">Proto.io</a> or <a href="https://www.invisionapp.com/">InVision</a> to name a few, that allow you to simply import designs and start applying hotspots and transitions.
Here at Friday, we use InVision for its easy to use interface, rapid prototyping ability and library of predefined page transitions that allow us to create interactive prototypes for usability testings and iteration quickly. It&#8217;s also a cloud-based platform, allowing access and collaboration with the client from any machine anywhere.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-9179 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Screen-Recording-2018-08-23-at-08.47-AM-700x390.gif" alt="" width="700" height="390" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Screen-Recording-2018-08-23-at-08.47-AM-700x390.gif 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Screen-Recording-2018-08-23-at-08.47-AM-250x139.gif 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Screen-Recording-2018-08-23-at-08.47-AM-768x428.gif 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Screen-Recording-2018-08-23-at-08.47-AM-120x67.gif 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Screen-Recording-2018-08-23-at-08.47-AM-80x45.gif 80w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
<a href="https://support.invisionapp.com/hc/en-us/articles/115000634946">Via invisionapp.com</a>
<h4 class="graf graf--h3">Medium-Fidelity</h4>
Medium-fidelity prototypes are interactive but with basic styling and limited functionality, typically just clickable hotspots that navigate the user through static pages. This method is highly valuable for identifying user flows and pain points, understanding user patterns, expectations and validating designs through basic interactions.
When user testing with medium-fidelity prototypes we can begin to target more insightful feedback, by creating tasks and scenarios for users to complete we can focus on better understanding how users are influenced by designs and how they interact with specific features.
<h4 class="graf graf--h4">Medium-Fidelity Benefits</h4>
<ul class="postList">
<li class="graf graf--li">A basic functioning version of an interface</li>
<li class="graf graf--li">Validate designs through user testing</li>
<li class="graf graf--li">Understand user patterns and expectations</li>
<li class="graf graf--li">Allows clients to interact with the product at an early stage</li>
<li class="graf graf--li">User test with a wider audience</li>
<li class="graf graf--li">Target specific areas of website or app using tasks and scenarios</li>
</ul>
<h4></h4>
<h4 class="graf graf--h3">High-Fidelity</h4>
A high-fidelity prototype has the appearance of the finished website or app as it would look when live. With much higher levels of detail, the prototype allows testing of UI elements, information hierarchy, layouts and interactions that are not achievable in low or medium-fidelity prototypes.
High-fidelity prototypes can generally be more accurate for collecting user testing data as users are able to interact more naturally with the site or app compared to low-fidelity prototypes. This might include testing specific areas or features such as navigation, button engagement, user flows and time to complete a task.
There are however downsides to hi-fi prototypes, the time required to produce and update designs at this level can be time consuming and make quick user testing feedback fixes hard to implement. User testing with high-fidelity prototypes can also potentially make participants feel less comfortable giving critical feedback due to the high-level look of the designs.
<h4 class="graf graf--h4">Hi-Fidelity Benefits</h4>
<ul class="postList">
<li class="graf graf--li">An exact representation of the final website or app</li>
<li class="graf graf--li">Validate designs through user testing</li>
<li class="graf graf--li">More accurate for collecting user data</li>
<li>Understand user patterns and expectations</li>
<li>Target specific areas of website or app using tasks and scenarios</li>
<li>Can be used for presentation and pitches</li>
</ul>
<h4></h4>
<h4 class="graf graf--h3">Choosing the Prototype Fidelity for you</h4>
When it comes to choosing the correct prototyping fidelity for your project there isn’t a &#8216;blanket solution&#8217; that suits everyone. It’s important to note that each type has its benefits and should be evaluated based on your needs.
If you are undertaking design sprints or just looking for a fast and collaborative solution, then low-fidelity would be best. If you already have designs and user feedback, medium-fidelity would be a good solution for validating your designs and identifying user flows and pain points through basic interaction. If your project has sufficient budget and a long time frame then you may look to evolve your prototype into high-fidelity for testing interactions, animations, or for presentations and pitches.
If you have a project we can help with and considering using prototyping as part of the process? <a href="https://friday.ie/contact/">Get in touch.</a>

Prototyping Methods for a better User Experience

It&#8217;s Time to Step Away &amp; Put Your Users at the Centre of Your Content Strategy
For many businesses, creating content can be an arduous task. Usually this is because in-house resources are rather tight when it comes to creating content on a regular basis. Or sometimes, the skillset simply isn’t there. However, another barrier I come up against, or more slows the process down in the beginning, is the lack of understanding in the value of creating content. When I say “value” I do mean revenue!
For an Ecommerce business, for example, the primary goal is transactions and revenue generated. It’s totally understandable. You’re in business to make money!
Where’s the value in creating content? Oh yeah, for SEO. I did that in the beginning, but it took up too much time and I didn’t see the return I wanted.
If you have been creating content (or none at all in many cases), with the sole purpose of your business revenue goals in mind, rather than the user, you could be in for a bumpy ride down the rankings.
Graham said it perfectly in his blog “<a href="https://friday.ie/blog/building-trust-into-the-customer-experience/">your customer’s goals should be your goals</a>.”
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0; padding-bottom: 75%; position: relative;"><iframe loading="lazy" class="giphy-embed" style="position: absolute;" src="https://giphy.com/embed/xUNd9GIay1fKQTSWIM" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
<a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/soultrain-soul-train-don-cornelius-xUNd9GIay1fKQTSWIM">via GIPHY</a>
<h2>Google’s Algorithm Update (March 2019)</h2>
On March 12th Google confirmed that it had made an <a href="https://searchengineland.com/googles-march-2019-core-quality-update-stories-of-recovery-314347">update to its core algorithm</a>. Targeting predominantly those that fall under the Your Money Your Life (YMYL) category, essentially websites that fall under the health segment. As a result a lot of websites saw their traffic deteriorate dramatically. Phew! I hear you say. But wait there’s more.
The algorithm update seemed to favour and reward websites that had content optimised to Google&#8217;s E-A-T standards. These standards put an emphasis on the overall Expertise, Authority and Trustworthiness of a site. The higher Google scores you in these areas, the greater the reward.
Although many of the websites initially affected were health centric, there were a large number of other sites across a variety of industries affected by the update. I think it’s important to read between the lines here. Google’s goal, from a user point of view, is to return the most relevant search results to a user’s query. It’s that simple. With artificial intelligence becoming more advanced and user’s expectations of search evolving, your content has to go beyond trying to rank just for those high volume, high value keywords.
<h2>Content Experiences</h2>
Content marketing, it’s about simply creating &amp; distributing, right? Unfortunately not. It’s about creating an experience. A <a href="https://hub.uberflip.com/blog/what-is-content-experience-definition">content experience can be defined as</a>, the environment in which it lives, and how it engages users to take action on your site. 
In layman&#8217;s terms, it is the experience you get, both good and bad, when you interact with a piece of content.
<h3>What’s A Content Environment?</h3>
The environment in which it lives. Essentially the aesthetics of the content. It relates to the overall presentation of the content. Is it structured in a digestible and easy to navigate format? Is it in line with the brand? It’s all about creating attractive content that users want to consume and engage with and ultimately give them a positive user experience. It is about integrating relevant copy, image and video with good quality UX.
<h3>Engaging Users</h3>
You want your content to serve a purpose, for both you and the user. It is important to create content that is as relevant as can be to the user’s query. Once you’ve given them a positive user experience, the next step is for them to engage with you (all going well). 
The more personal the experience the better. User’s want to feel as if the messaging has been tailored to them. If you want to bring your user on a content journey, or simply want to generate leads, then make sure your CTA’s are relevant and natural. Think about what is relevant, and better yet, what fits contextually.
<h2>Creating A Content Experience</h2>
Creating incredible content isn’t about finding high volume keywords and churning out a long-form blog once a month. To create an experience, you need to begin by diving deep into that particular topic and consider all the possible needs your potential customers may have related to that topic.
Remember, you don’t have one type of customer. Your content has to satisfy a wide range of user needs. These needs can be transactional, but also informational.
For me, a content experience doesn&#8217;t have to begin when a user visits your site. It can now begin on the search engine results pages. With SERP features like Featured Snippets, it gives businesses an opportunity to entice and engage users before they even click. As users enter the top of the funnel and begin their research, you can seize the opportunity to be top of mind.
Consider an online retailer selling laptops. Now consider all the different types of information a user might search for around the keyword “laptops”.
They may be interested in;
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Brands</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Software</li>
<li>Comparisons</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Reviews</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Storage</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Speed</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Use cases &#8211; for designers, college students</li>
</ul>
User research is a crucial part of developing a content strategy. There are numerous data sources you can use to help research what type of content to create. It’s about thinking outside the box. 
<ul>
<li>Focus Groups</li>
<li>Customer Personas</li>
<li>Your Employees</li>
<li>Keyword Research</li>
<li>Forums</li>
</ul>
<h3>Focus Groups</h3>
If you can, start with a research focus group. This is particularly beneficial in highly competitive, niche markets where there might not be many product or service variations. Getting your customers in front of you can reveal a lot about their needs.
At Friday, one of the first steps we take in the beginning of any project is carrying out user research. Whether it’s driving a UX project, a new web build or a content strategy, research helps create that roadmap. 
<a href="https://friday.ie/blog/importance-of-ux-research/">Don’t base your decisions on assumptions</a>, it’s far more beneficial to just ask.
<h3>Customer Personas</h3>
If you can’t access a focus group, then try and get into the minds of your customer personas. What way do they think? What needs do each of them have? It’s not just about providing a product or service that they need. They may have had a particular thought process justifying why they need it. They may have gone through a series of events which led them to come looking for your product. Whatever the needs, each user has their own unique situation.
<h3>Employees</h3>
Talk to the people that deal with your customers on a daily basis. They will have a wealth of insights into what your customers needs are. 
<h3>Keyword Research</h3>
This should all be supported with in-depth keyword research. In particular, more long-tail keywords and queries. As long as it makes contextual sense. Start with your core keywords and work out. 
Gathering, grouping and categorising all of this data can then help mapping out your content pillars and calendar. The real work begins when it comes to creating and publishing.
<h3>Forums</h3>
Get on to forums relevant to your industry. See what everyone is talking about. They can be a goldmine of information. If you can&#8217;t get in front of your customer&#8217;s this is the next best thing.
<h2>Expertise + Brand = Trust (A Winning Formula)</h2>
When you gain trust, you build valuable, long-lasting relationships. 
Creating content that covers the length and breadth of a particular topic showcases your knowledge, experience and expertise. When your content is in-depth and consistently provides users with exactly what they want, it will positively effects for your brand
When you build your brand and establish yourself as the expert, you’re not only gaining the trust of the user, but you’re also gaining the trust of Google. 
From an SEO perspective, even if you’re not appearing in first position, if your brand is strong enough, and recognised as an authority in a particular field, users are more likely to click on your search result. Why click on a result from a brand you know nothing about, when you know you’ll get exactly what you want from the link in position 3?
<h2>User Intent</h2>
Does your page solve the user’s problem? Does it meet, and hopefully, go beyond their expectations? When you’re content matches the intent of the user, you’re providing them with positive user experiences. 
We don’t just love positive user experiences, Google loves them too. Positive user experiences translate to positive user signals. It’s these <a href="https://www.searchmetrics.com/glossary/user-signals/">user signals</a> that can benefit your organic visibility. Examples of these signals are; 
<ul>
<li>Click Through Rates</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Length of Time on Site</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Lower Bounce Rates</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Number of Pages Visited</li>
</ul>
Of course, these metrics are case dependent. Sometimes a user gets what they need and leaves. There’s no need for any further action. For example, looking for the contact number of a business.
<h2>So What Next?</h2>
Making the shift to creating high quality, user-centric content will pay dividends in the long-run. We’re living in a digital world saturated with advertisements and what sometimes feels like too many options.
Why would you want lots of options, when there could be one choice that solves everything?
If you want to avoid slugging it out in the trenches with growing numbers of competitors and rise to the top, then you need to put your efforts into positively strengthening your brand. You need to gain the trust of your target audience. Once you have that, a lot of the work is done for you in terms of consumers deciding whether to choose you or your competitors.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-9153 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/the-cream-always-rises-to-the-top.jpg" alt="the-cream-always-rises-to-the-top" width="642" height="361" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/the-cream-always-rises-to-the-top.jpg 642w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/the-cream-always-rises-to-the-top-250x141.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/the-cream-always-rises-to-the-top-120x67.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/the-cream-always-rises-to-the-top-80x45.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 642px) 100vw, 642px" />
How do you get there? Start by giving your users exactly what they want, and then give them more. There’s potential customers out there, that you didn’t even know you had. Give them positive, unforgettable experiences and become ‘the’ expert in what you do.
If you&#8217;re curious about creating a user-centric content strategy or would like to know more, then feel free to <a href="https://friday.ie/contact/">get in touch with the team at Friday</a>.

It’s Time To Start Creating User-Centric Content

“We’ll go with the website but we can’t afford the SEO right now…”
I still hear this. Often. And realistically, if you can&#8217;t afford to invest in SEO, you can’t afford a website.
This post could have been written ten years ago, but sadly, for some, things haven’t changed so it still needs to be written today.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="320" height="240" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9037" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/O1Lp.gif" alt="" />
What’s happening far too often is that businesses ultimately have a website that is not a sales tool. And it’s because they think SEO is not important, that it’s optional, or that they can invest modestly and still expect to see results. Hell, some even think it’s a scam. And in a way, you can’t blame them if you <a href="https://friday.ie/blog/seo-if-you-think-best-expensive-wait-hire-bad-one/">look at how</a> some so-called ‘professionals’ behave.
SEO drives visibility amongst those who have potentially not heard about your brand. Without it, your website is mostly getting traffic from those who already have.
Without an ongoing investment in Search Engine Optimisation, you might as well just walk out on to the street and show your new website to strangers on a laptop. Because that’s probably the only way they’ll ever see it. And they might be the only people to see it.
<h3>Your First Website</h3>
So, there are two scenarios here. First is that you’re a new brand, perhaps a start-up. You need your first website. You get a few quotes from a few agencies or developers. And hey, you’re a start-up so you go with the cheapest one. Seems like a reasonable thing to do, right?
Well no, it’s really not. It’s wrong on so many levels.
You need to ensure that this website is being built with SEO in mind. They might tell you that your website will be “SEO friendly”, but actually there’s no such thing because you cannot launch a website and expect it to eventually rank highly on Google unless there has been a strategic approach to SEO and content.
A strategic approach to SEO include: getting to know your business and audiences, keyword research, competitor research, a content gap analysis, backed up by a content strategy and calendar… and it should be informed by research too.
And by research, we&#8217;re not talking about clipboards on Grafton Street (in Dublin) here… this is surveys of your actual audiences, focus groups and so much more.
From this information, you can then better understand what your potential audiences want, certainly content-wise.
And of course, there’s that little important part of finding out who they are and what makes them tick, where they engage online and how. This ALL informs SEO.
So if you are launching your first website, and none of the above has been discussed, then no, it is not “SEO-friendly” at all.
<h3>A New Website</h3>
Many websites will go through a complete overhaul, re-design or re-development. They will change their URLs and structure. If you do not factor in SEO at this stage, then you WILL lose traffic. There is no question of that.
So this is where I come back to SEO not being optional…
If you are requesting quotes from agencies for a new website, and they have returned a quote without a recommended investment for SEO &#8211; then tear it up, or delete the e-mail.
If you are disqualifying agencies or developers because SEO is included but you think it’s too expensive, then stop and think. Don’t do that. It’s essential. Without it, you WILL lose traffic and revenue.
If you are migrating to a new website, then allow us to explain WHY it’s so important. But do remember that this is just top-line stuff. There’s a lot more to it&#8230;
If you are changing your URLs, even slightly, then your previous ones all become broken pages. This also means that any website that previously linked to you, and was likely helping your rankings, now points to a broken page.
Also, If URLs change then your referral traffic that has historically sent leads or revenue will also be pointing to broken pages. That’s revenue lost.
This is the ideal time to revise your core SEO elements, so page titles, descriptions, rich snippets, for example. However, if SEO is not included then do not expect this work to be done.
Furthermore, if it’s not in scope then you might end up with some peculiar-looking search results. As an agency, we would never allow small things like this to happen, but some might&#8230;
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="582" height="422" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9032" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Screen-Shot-2019-03-22-at-10.11.09.png" alt="no meta data" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Screen-Shot-2019-03-22-at-10.11.09.png 582w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Screen-Shot-2019-03-22-at-10.11.09-250x181.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Screen-Shot-2019-03-22-at-10.11.09-120x87.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Screen-Shot-2019-03-22-at-10.11.09-80x58.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 582px) 100vw, 582px" />
Website migration is also the ideal time to begin introducing new research-based content. Some of this will come from your overall research initiatives and even <a href="https://friday.ie/expertise/user-experience/usability-testing/">usability testing</a>, but then can also be guided by keyword research specific to the audiences we have identified.
So, this can be done right. And a website migration should be seen as a way to correct those past wrongs, and actually, increase your traffic as opposed to just protect what you had before.
We built a new website for a client at the end of 2017. Look at the increase in SEO Users to the website since then.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="456" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9034" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Screen-Shot-2019-03-22-at-10.19.02.png" alt="seo success graph" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Screen-Shot-2019-03-22-at-10.19.02.png 800w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Screen-Shot-2019-03-22-at-10.19.02-250x143.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Screen-Shot-2019-03-22-at-10.19.02-768x438.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Screen-Shot-2019-03-22-at-10.19.02-700x399.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Screen-Shot-2019-03-22-at-10.19.02-120x68.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Screen-Shot-2019-03-22-at-10.19.02-80x46.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />
It’s not bad, eh?
It’s good to note that the increases above were not just down to SEO. It was a perfect mix of all digital disciplines coming together &#8211; research, content, architecture, design, build… and SEO. It was the result of a brand who know of the importance of SEO as a part of an entirely new website and migration.
So, is SEO optional? No.
Can it ever be? No.
Without it, a brand new website will hardly ever be found. Without it, a new website migration can, and likely will, have catastrophic results.
With it, you should see some great results and that’s all that we’ve seen on our watch.
<a href="https://friday.ie/contact/">Get in touch</a> with Friday if you’re planning a new user experience or if you want to improve your SEO. You&#8217;d be in safe hands.

Enough is Enough: SEO is Not Optional

Gutenberg. The name may sound familiar to you if you’re a historian. Johannes Gutenberg is the lovely fella who invented a printing press with movable type. It may sound familiar for another reason; WordPress has recently released a page builder that allows users to create pages with movable “blocks”, named Gutenberg (Get it? Movable type? Moveable blocks? Same same but different?).
Gutenberg aims to replace the old CMS text editor WordPress user’s have come to know and love with these new movable blocks. Unfortunately, it has been met with resistance and poor reviews from the get-go.
Let’s take a look at what went wrong, if it deserves the hate it has been receiving, and if there’s any hope for Gutenberg&#8217;s future.
<h2>What is Gutenberg and how does it work</h2>
Gutenberg is a visual content editor which aims to give WordPress users greater control over the layout of pages and posts. A user can choose from a variety of block elements (Text blocks, image blocks, things like that) to arrange and order them on the page.
If you are familiar with site builders like <a href="https://www.squarespace.com/">SquareSpace</a>, <a href="https://www.wix.com/">Wix</a> or even similar WordPress plugins like <a href="https://visualcomposer.com/">Visual Composer</a>, then it works kind of like them.
<h2>What does the community think?</h2>
Okay, a built-in page builder on WordPress sounds great! Let’s go take a look at what other people think about… Oh, dear…
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-8932 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/overall-review.jpg" alt="" width="330" height="246" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/overall-review.jpg 330w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/overall-review-250x186.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/overall-review-120x89.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/overall-review-80x60.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 330px) 100vw, 330px" />
Please no…
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-8930 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/bad-review-03.png" alt="" width="635" height="140" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/bad-review-03.png 635w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/bad-review-03-250x55.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/bad-review-03-120x26.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/bad-review-03-80x18.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 635px) 100vw, 635px" />
That’s enough!
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="628" height="271" class="size-full wp-image-8929 aligncenter" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/bad-review-02.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/bad-review-02.jpg 628w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/bad-review-02-250x108.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/bad-review-02-120x52.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/bad-review-02-80x35.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 628px) 100vw, 628px" />
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-8934 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/stop-hes-already-dead.gif" alt="" width="411" height="308" />
You may think I’ve cherry-picked these reviews but just take a look at <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/gutenberg/#reviews">Gutenberg’s review page</a>, it’s a bloodbath of bad reviews. At least it was at the time of writing this article but hopefully, that will change.
As Gutenberg is now standard on WordPress versions 5+, plugins that disable it have become extremely popular. The two top plugins that remove Gutenberg, <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/classic-editor/">Classic Editor</a> and <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/disable-gutenberg/">Disable Gutenberg</a>, and replace it with the old text editor have over 3.2 million active downloads. It’s also worth noting that many people are simply not updating their WordPress site to version 5 to avoid using Gutenberg.
After testing it out myself, I don’t think Gutenberg is in a usable state the way it is now. WordPress developers are releasing improvements with each WordPress version update but it will be a few more months minimum before it reaches a point where it could be feasible to add it to existing sites.
The positives I take away from Gutenberg is that it provides much more functionality and control over pages in WordPress compared to the current editor. There is more of a learning curve but once you learn your way around the new interface, it’s not actually so bad to use.
I can see how newer, or less tech-savvy users would find it intimidating to use. Although there is more functionality, a lot of the new blocks are an edge case and wouldn’t be used for most sites. What you’re left with is menus being cluttered with blocks that will, in most cases, not be used.
There’s a test site for Gutenberg which lets users play around with the editor. You can find the <a href="https://testgutenberg.com/">Gutenberg Test Site here</a>.
<h2>Why do people hate it so much?</h2>
<h3>Compatibility</h3>
Unfortunately, Gutenberg has compatibility issues with frameworks, plugins and any software that is directly related to the old text editor. If your site has a plugin, that’s related to the text editor, that hasn’t been updated by their developer to play well with Gutenberg then it’s not going to work.
<h3>Difficult for users</h3>
As one of the bad reviews stated above, Gutenberg is more difficult to use than the standard text editor. One of the core reasons to use WordPress was due to its ease of use. The text editor was extremely simple to use. Just click in the editor and start typing away. Easy.
Gutenberg now requires users to drag, drop, change element blocks and go through lists of blocks to find what they need. Of course, these new blocks add a lot of new possibilities of how pages can look and function but for someone using WordPress for the first time, it is an overwhelming amount to take in.
<h3>Forced upon users</h3>
Gutenberg was standardised into WordPress versions 5+. If you were to download WordPress now, Gutenberg will be there instead of the text editor. If you updated your existing WordPress site past version 4.9 to 5, Gutenberg will be there. 
Naturally, a lot of people weren’t happy with being forced to give up the text editor for Gutenberg. Especially when it breaks their website because it doesn’t work with lots of plugins…
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="450" height="253" class="size-full wp-image-8933 aligncenter" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/sammy-baby.gif" alt="" />
<h2>Is there hope for the future of Gutenberg?</h2>
In fairness, a lot of the reviews on the <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/gutenberg/#reviews">Gutenberg plugin page</a> would have been written back when Gutenberg was still in beta. However, even two months after the official release of Gutenberg, there are still lots of compatibility issues and bugs, and negative reviews are still being submitted.
In WordPress, most recent release, version 5.1, Gutenberg has been given performance improvements so “The editor should feel quicker to start, and typing should feel smoother”. They also state that more performance improvements are due in the next few releases.
Although 5.1 improves performance, it may be a while still until Gutenberg is compatible with most WordPress sites and bug-free.
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
Gutenberg, a native page builder for WordPress would be a great improvement on the old text editor but due to being highly incompatible with numerous WordPress sites and being forced upon users, it has received a lot of negativity from WordPress users and developers alike.
The good people at WordPress are still going to be releasing improvements to Gutenberg but it may be a while before it’s at an acceptable standard to be used for all WordPress sites.
For now, it seems the best course of action is to stick with the conventional WordPress text editor.

WordPress: The Gutenberg Controversy

You may hear some talk this week about Domain Authority, and how it&#8217;s changing.
Domain Authority (DA) is a score out of 100 that is assigned to your website by an SEO tool called Moz. It is created to predict how well a website will rank on search engines. And it&#8217;s mainly based on the links to your website. Yes, it’s that simple. But it&#8217;s a big deal in the SEO community.
Honestly though, it never meant that much&#8230; and in our experience, it rarely correlated very closely with a website ranking highly. But we’re talking about it here because you may hear more about it. And it might be about to become slightly more useful.
<h3>Very fundamental changes</h3>
On March 5th 2019, Moz made some very fundamental changes to how this is calculated. They have more link data, it’s more recent, and their engineers have defined ways to interpret it better.
Previously, spammy domains and useless websites were getting high scores, usually based on the number of links that they have, as well as the criteria behind those linking to them.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="620" height="424" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-8916" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/RESPECT-MY-DOMAIN-AUTHORITY.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/RESPECT-MY-DOMAIN-AUTHORITY.jpg 620w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/RESPECT-MY-DOMAIN-AUTHORITY-250x171.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/RESPECT-MY-DOMAIN-AUTHORITY-120x82.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/RESPECT-MY-DOMAIN-AUTHORITY-80x55.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px" />
So even those who were up to no good &#8211; buying links, etc &#8211; were in the past being given a high Domain Authority score. It still didn’t mean that they ranked anywhere, but this enabled them to do one thing &#8211; e-mail tonnes of people and try to sell these domains to you based on that score.
In a <a href="https://friday.ie/blog/another-day-another-seo-email/">previous post</a>, we did discuss how you should completely ignore these e-mails.
But from now, you may start to receive less of them &#8211; because Domain Authority will have decreased. If you receive an e-mail offering to sell you domains then you can check <a href="https://analytics.moz.com/pro/link-explorer/home">here</a> to see if the scores are indeed correct. But honestly, just do it for fun. And delete the e-mail anyway.
<h3>What exactly is a good Domain Authority</h3>
We’re often asked the question “What exactly is a good Domain Authority score out of 100?” Well, the answer is that it’s all relative. You need to compare yours to your competitors in your market. It’s really not a case of an Irish company saying ‘Well those guys in the US do the same thing as us so we want the same score as them!’. They’re in the US, so of course they have more links.
If you monitor your site’s Domain Authority, you can expect to notice some changes. For some sites, DA scores may be higher; for others, they may be lower.
If you’ve been a bit naughty in terms of your link building techniques, then I can guarantee you that it will now be lower.
<h3>Increase across the board</h3>
We ran a check on our own clients’ Domain Authority scores and we have seen a 13% increase across the board. And that’s because we do it ethically and effectively.
One client’s website’s Domain Authority, which was only launched at the end of 2017, increased by 50% on the back of the link building we carried out in the right way over the course of that time.
There are some points to note here:
<ul>
<li>If your agency tell you that your Domain Authority has increased, then ask them if this is because Moz simply updated it – don’t be sold this as something they have achieved for you.</li>
<li>If your score has increased then this will not necessarily mean that your rankings suddenly will. This is independent of Google. But it does mean that you can give yourself a pat on the back for not being too spammy with your link building.</li>
<li>DO ask your agency if your Domain Authority has changed since March 5th. If it has dropped then you need to ask them what sort of links they’ve been building for you all this time. In fact, ask to see them.</li>
<li>Never expect to get a Domain Authority score of 100. It’s all relative. To give perspective, the NASA website has a score of 94. It’s unlikely that you’re in that space&#8230; pun intended.</li>
</ul>
So as you hear things about Domain Authority this month, this will hopefully help to demystify some of that.
In short, if your score has decreased then ask some questions about the type of links you have. If it increased then you’ve probably been doing either very little, or lots of the right things.
But it will NOT mean that from March 5th 2019 your rankings will increase if your score increased. As we said, it is nothing to do with Google. But it’s a useful indicative tool for showing where the gaps are vs. your competitors when it comes to link building.
Read more about our SEO services <a href="https://friday.ie/expertise/digital-marketing/search-engine-optimisation/">here</a>. We know link building, and we do it very well.

What The Hell is Domain Authority? And What’s Changed?

We’re keenly aware of how important mobile layout is when focussing on the key content and end goal users want to experience. To help with this we have gradually adopted the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://friday.ie/blog/mobile-first-thinking/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://www.api.friday.ie/blog/mobile-first-thinking/">mobile-first strategy</a> in our approach to wire-framing and UI design, and, in particular, mobile navigation.
<a href="https://dribbble.com/shots/2454262-Ham-Burger-Menu-Experiment" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-8875 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/menu-bar.gif" alt="Burger Menus" width="800" height="600" /></a>
For the past few years, it feels like the accepted solution to handling the main website navigation on mobile has been to hide it with what’s called a “burger menu” typically 3 lines or three dots that indicate a hidden menu. We create a nice burger icon, a slick animation to reveal the full menu… lovely stuff! It looks clean and tidy, and all of the “messy” stuff is hidden away in a drawer.
<blockquote>&#8220;a combo navigation is 1.5 times more likely to be interacted with than a fully hidden menu&#8221;</blockquote>
However, as we’ve been focussing more and more on <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://www.api.friday.ie/expertise/user-experience/ux-design-dublin/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://www.api.friday.ie/expertise/user-experience/ux-design-dublin/">UX principles</a> here in the studio, and the science behind users actions, we’ve zeroed in somewhat on the specifics of a mobile navigation, and the best way to handle it from a user experience perspective rather than an aesthetic perspective.
<h2 class="graf graf--h3">Out of Sight, Out of Mind.</h2>
Studies show that hidden navigations are far less discoverable than visible ones. Sounds obvious, but it is critical.
On a mobile view, unless your main site navigation is very concise (2/3 links), it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to have a fully visible navigation. The usual design pattern here would be a combination of visible and hidden, i.e. showing your key navigation items at all times, hiding secondary navigation items under a “more” menu.
Statistics show that a combo navigation is <a href="https://www.nngroup.com/articles/hamburger-menus/">1.5 times more likely to be interacted with</a> than a fully hidden menu.
&nbsp;
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="500" height="495" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-8876" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/charts.gif" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.nngroup.com/articles/hamburger-menus/">Source</a>.
We wouldn’t recommend a hidden/burger navigation on desktop screens (you should have enough screen real estate to accommodate a visible menu here), but stats show that hidden menus are half as likely to be interacted with on Desktop than visible navigations.
<h3 class="graf graf--h3 graf--empty"></h3>
<h2 class="graf graf--h3">In Practice.</h2>
Taking these statistics and the best way to address them will depend on your use case. While it’s unavoidable that hiding the navigation will have detrimental effects on its usability, perhaps the design already accounts for this, and CTA’s for the main areas of your site are clearly visible within page content.
In fact, if your user needs to access the menu in order to access a key area of your site, then that’s a problem in itself. Your website content should allow for multiple entry points into key areas of your site.
Take an e-commerce site as an example. The end goal here would be to guide the user through a purchase seamlessly. To that end, the homepage should have products displayed, and/or a clear CTA to the shop, outside of the navigation entirely.
So once you’ve made sure that your main site sections are accessible by other means, it’s time to look at the menu. As it’s unlikely you’ll fit everything in, how do you choose what to show and what to hide?
If your website isn’t task orientated (i.e. e-commerce/register etc.), your site&#8217;s analytics would be a great place to start. What pages get the most traffic? The most conversions? Let the users tell you what areas they want access to quickly and fuss-free.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="338" height="589" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-8877" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/friday_menu.gif" alt="" />
On this site, for example, we identified that our <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://friday.ie/work/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://www.api.friday.ie/work/">Work</a> and <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://friday.ie/contact/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://www.api.friday.ie/contact/">Contact</a> pages were the most visited, and where most time was spent. So we’ve included those in our visible navigation. It was also felt that <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://friday.ie/expertise/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://www.api.friday.ie/expertise/">Expertise</a> was a key site section that we wanted users to be able to access without fuss, so Expertise was added to the visible navigation also.
This combo navigation appears on 320px screens and below, so small / older handsets (<a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="http://gs.statcounter.com/screen-resolution-stats/mobile/worldwide" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="http://gs.statcounter.com/screen-resolution-stats/mobile/worldwide">less than 10%</a> of today’s mobile users). As our Main navigation contains 5 links, we chose to make all links visible where space allowed on larger handsets.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="373" height="649" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-8878" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/visible_menu.png" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/visible_menu.png 373w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/visible_menu-250x435.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/visible_menu-120x209.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/visible_menu-46x80.png 46w" sizes="(max-width: 373px) 100vw, 373px" />
We’ve noticed positive results since changing from a fully hidden mobile navigation to a combo nav. Comparison year on year, within a 3 month period, we have recorded a 10.4% increase in users visiting the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://friday.ie/expertise/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://www.api.friday.ie/expertise/">Expertise page </a>from our homepage since we switched to using a visible mobile navigation.
If you feel your mobile navigation isn’t performing as well as it could, let us perform a <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://friday.ie/expertise/user-experience/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://www.api.friday.ie/expertise/user-experience/">usability audit</a> and guide you on how to improve it. Get in touch <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://friday.ie/contact/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://www.api.friday.ie/contact">here</a>.

Not Such a Tasty Burger - The case against hidden menus in UX Design.

Trust is critical to creating a positive user or customer experience, particularly on digital channels. But it takes trust to create trust — and that’s not always easy…
The level of trust we hold in society, in general, is always changing. There’s been a collapse of trust in many places — governments, the media, fake news, advertising, Brexit, etc.
Edelman has just published their 2019 <a href="https://www.edelman.com/trust/trust-barometer">Trust Barometer</a>, and it reveals some pretty interesting data in that people’s trust has shifted most notably towards their employers.
Here’s a stat for you to chew on from the report:
<blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote">“Globally, 75% of people trust “my employer” to do what is right — significantly more than NGOs (57%), business (56%) and media (47%)”</blockquote>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-8797 size-full" title="trust barometer" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/ezgif.com-resize.gif" alt="trust barometer" width="738" height="417" /> 
There&#8217;s a 16-point gap between the more trusting &#8216;Informed Public&#8217; and the far-more-sceptical Mass Population, marking a return to record highs of trust differences.
<figure class="graf graf--figure"></figure>
<h3 class="graf graf--p"> Building Trust with your Customers</h3>
So how does this relate to creating trust with our customers?
In business, there’s been a rebalancing of the relationship between organisations and their customers for some time. Customers now hold knowledge and power in their hands — simply by what they say about their experience of your product, and we see this play out in real time on review sites and social media posts.
We say here that ‘your customer&#8217;s goals should be your goals’. Think about that for a moment&#8230; if your commercial objectives don’t take account of your customer’s needs then you’ve got a problem.
<blockquote class="graf graf--pullquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote">“It takes Trust to establish Trust”</blockquote>
High on the list of trusted sources is the good old word-of-mouth referral. By focussing more of your attention on existing customers and users, there is an opportunity for them to become your advocates &#8211; doing this will, in turn, add more power to your marketing.
How do we re-establish that trust? What are the things that allow us to measure trust?
In the digital world, here are some of the things that count most:
<ul class="postList">
<li class="graf graf--li">Promoting positive online reviews and testimonials.</li>
<li class="graf graf--li">Clear communication: show you’ve thought of the user, use language that you know resonates with them.</li>
<li class="graf graf--li">Your website: it should be fast, well designed, secure, and easy to find information.</li>
<li class="graf graf--li">Highlight the key People involved in the business.</li>
<li class="graf graf--li">Be consistent with your service and product design.</li>
<li class="graf graf--li">Open and transparent privacy — a good opportunity to earn trust.</li>
<li class="graf graf--li">Advertise your work and who you work with.</li>
</ul>
Of course, there’s nothing new here and we’ve been banging the drum on these things for some time.
Ease-of-use, speed, convenience, accuracy and honesty all play a part in creating a positive user experience. But we need to engage much more with the customer and look to improve their experience based on insights and regular feedback.
And therein lies the constant challenge for us as UX practitioners — making the case for the work and process that is necessary to find out what customers really want, and then asking our clients to trust in us to answer those needs.
<h3 class="graf graf--p">Building Trust in the UX Process</h3>
As UX designers, our job is to create trust with your customers.
We do this by finding out what they actually want; using research, data analytics, sample surveys and focus groups. (<a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://friday.ie/blog/importance-of-ux-research/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-href="https://www.api.friday.ie/blog/importance-of-ux-research/">Read Dave’s post on why research is so important</a>).
The hard part is convincing our own customers and clients first. For example, we are often invited to closed tenders that don&#8217;t include scope for research, or we are pitching for projects where we’re asked for creative without having access to an audience or user information.
Too often businesses make sweeping assumptions on what their customers really want, and this is largely led by commercial objectives and exec level opinions. But in reality, it’s almost impossible to effectively connect with your customers when you don’t actually fully understand what their needs are.
Our answer to overcoming these challenges lies in us providing education and fact-based evidence to challenge our customers, and then work to get that buy-in (trust) from their stakeholders.
Building trust takes effort — creating a good user experience isn’t just about boosting sales and winning design awards. It’s about building a real relationship with your customers where you deliver value that will endure beyond what you simply say, or whatever channels and platforms you build.
Maintaining trust demands a commitment from businesses to keep earning it from their customers across all touch points.
So for our clients, it’s our responsibility to educate them on the advantage of good UX, and the evidence and process they need to trust and engage in. Watch what happens when you build a customer-centric approach into your strategy.
Remember, it takes trust to create trust.
Thanks for reading.
I’ll be talking more about trust and UX at the 3XE User Experience Design Thinking conference in Dublin on May 16th 2019. <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://3xedigital.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-href="https://3xedigital.com/">Check it out here</a>. 
You can download the Edelman 2019 Trust Barometer directly <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://www.edelman.com/trust-barometer" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-href="https://www.edelman.com/trust-barometer">here</a> (very interesting geopolitical metrics).

Building Trust into the Customer Experience

Whether you’re going through a rebrand, developing a new digital strategy or investing in one for the first time, it’s safe to say that social media will have a part to play.
Before you start to implement your Social Strategy, there are a number of things you will need to consider and our checklist below will help to get you started.
<h2>1. Review Your Current Social Setup</h2>
You can’t create a strong strategy without having a strong foundation to build upon.
Whatever networks you’re focusing your efforts, make sure your social bios are all up to date.
It might sound obvious, but you’d be surprised how often it is overlooked.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="image-border--black aligncenter wp-image-8703 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screenshot-2019-01-21-at-09.36.37.png" alt="social-bio-example" width="411" height="389" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screenshot-2019-01-21-at-09.36.37.png 411w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screenshot-2019-01-21-at-09.36.37-250x237.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screenshot-2019-01-21-at-09.36.37-120x114.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screenshot-2019-01-21-at-09.36.37-80x76.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 411px) 100vw, 411px" />
Update all of your locations and contact details. Depending on the size of your organisation, you may have multiple social pages to edit.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="image-border--black aligncenter wp-image-8706 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screenshot-2019-01-21-at-09.45.31.png" alt="social-profiles-locations-example" width="412" height="255" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screenshot-2019-01-21-at-09.45.31.png 412w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screenshot-2019-01-21-at-09.45.31-250x155.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screenshot-2019-01-21-at-09.45.31-120x74.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screenshot-2019-01-21-at-09.45.31-80x50.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 412px) 100vw, 412px" />
Make sure all links are up to date and pointing to the correct pages. I’ve seen this on numerous occasions, particularly when there are a number of older pages that have been forgotten about. Maybe there was a previous subdomain used for a specific area of the business that’s no longer in use, but has now merged under the parent domain or simply non-existent anymore.
Use consistent and “on-brand” imagery across all networks for your profile images and wallpaper. There may be variants of your logo that have evolved over time, so make sure everything is consistent and in line with your current strategy.
<h2>2. What have you learned from previous efforts?</h2>
It’s important to assess what has been working up until now. Analysing the performance of previous strategies &amp; tactics is essential. This can involve collating a lot of numbers if there is a lot of historical data, but it is worth the effort. Diving down and getting dirty with your data will pay dividends when done correctly.
Being critical of your efforts can be difficult, especially for smaller organisations, as there can be an emotional investment. The numbers don’t lie, but it is important to remember the overall objective. Here are a few questions you should look at answering to help you understand performance to date.
<h3>What content has been getting the most engagement?</h3>
Review all of your previous posts and ads across all your networks. You should start to see some sort of a trend. What posts did people like, comment on or share?
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="image-border--black aligncenter wp-image-8707 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screenshot-2019-01-21-at-09.56.24.png" alt="social-engagement-metrics" width="726" height="296" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screenshot-2019-01-21-at-09.56.24.png 726w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screenshot-2019-01-21-at-09.56.24-250x102.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screenshot-2019-01-21-at-09.56.24-700x285.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screenshot-2019-01-21-at-09.56.24-120x49.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screenshot-2019-01-21-at-09.56.24-80x33.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 726px) 100vw, 726px" />
<h3>What content has been driving the most traffic to your website?</h3>
Similar to above, analyse the posts and ads that drove the most traffic to your site. Depending on the content, you may start to notice some differences between content that is good for overall brand awareness and content that is better at driving traffic….and hopefully conversions.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="image-border--black aligncenter wp-image-8716 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screenshot-2019-01-21-at-10.07.28.png" alt="social-posts-driving-most-traffic" width="662" height="302" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screenshot-2019-01-21-at-10.07.28.png 662w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screenshot-2019-01-21-at-10.07.28-250x114.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screenshot-2019-01-21-at-10.07.28-120x55.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screenshot-2019-01-21-at-10.07.28-80x36.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 662px) 100vw, 662px" />
<h3>What messaging has been engaging audiences?</h3>
From the data already collected, you could dive down a little deeper to assess was there particular messaging that differentiated those that performed well and those that didn’t. Was it the tone of voice or a particular call-to-action.
<h3>Which media is most effective? Images, Video, Blogs etc.</h3>
Were there particular media that performed better than others? Did your video posts have better engagement than static images? It is important to be honest with yourself as well. Has your media creation up until now done your brand and product offering justice? Did enough thought go into it? You may have tasked the new intern with creating a video for an ad-hoc campaign, and it never lived up to everyone’s expectations. If this is the case, don’t let it deter you from video content.
It doesn’t have to cost a fortune or need a full film crew, but it does need time to plan and to execute correctly. If the recent trends are anything to go by, then you should be investing in video content. According to a report by Cisco, <a href="https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/collateral/service-provider/visual-networking-index-vni/white-paper-c11-741490.html">by 2020 82% of both business &amp; consumer web traffic will be from video content</a>. Focusing solely on the benefits of video in your social strategy &#8211; video <a href="https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2017/03/08/video-marketing-statistics">generates 1200% more shares than text and images combined</a>.
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="width: 382px;" class="wp-video"><video class="wp-video-shortcode" id="video-8696-4" width="382" height="746" autoplay="1" preload="metadata" controls="controls"><source type="video/mp4" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/martin_fb_.mp4?_=4" /><a href="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/martin_fb_.mp4">https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/martin_fb_.mp4</a></video></div>
</div>
<h2>3. Who are your audiences?</h2>
This question can sometimes cause divide&#8230;hopefully not too much. As an established organisation you will have a lot of existing customer data you can assess.
&#8220;Differentiating your audiences is crucial. When you start to create your messaging, you’ll need to tailor it to each audience&#8221;
You may have a CRM which has a wealth of information on who your existing customers are. You may have existing intelligence from previous <a href="https://friday.ie/expertise/strategy/research/">market research</a> initiatives. Use this! You could start to see clusters of information that make up several audience groups. Differentiating your audiences is crucial. When you start to create your messaging, you’ll need to tailor it to each audience.
Not all businesses have to a CRM database. Either way, you should be diving into your analytics (and layering this on top of your CRM data if you have can). I’m a big advocate of combining as many data sources as possible.
Use Google Analytics to give you insight into demographics, locations, devices, referrals, interests etc. Combine this with your social analytics data. If you have advertised previously, you could break down the various targeting attributes of the ads that performed best. Dive into this further to see what pages these users like as well.
Sometimes this is just a reaffirming exercise if you feel you have a good grasp on who your target audience is, but you can find some golden nuggets from time to time.
If you don’t have a lot of historical data, you can play around with insight tools based on the knowledge you have obtained, and start getting creative. Combining both cookie-based and user-based data can give you a bit more clarity. Rather than relying on a single data source.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="image-border--black aligncenter wp-image-8732 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/6-Things-to-Keep-in-Mind-When-Researching-Your-Audience-on-Social-Media-760x400.png" alt="social-media-audience" width="760" height="400" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/6-Things-to-Keep-in-Mind-When-Researching-Your-Audience-on-Social-Media-760x400.png 760w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/6-Things-to-Keep-in-Mind-When-Researching-Your-Audience-on-Social-Media-760x400-250x132.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/6-Things-to-Keep-in-Mind-When-Researching-Your-Audience-on-Social-Media-760x400-700x368.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/6-Things-to-Keep-in-Mind-When-Researching-Your-Audience-on-Social-Media-760x400-120x63.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/6-Things-to-Keep-in-Mind-When-Researching-Your-Audience-on-Social-Media-760x400-80x42.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px" />
<h2>4. What Social networks should we invest in?</h2>
It’s easy to dive straight in and start creating profiles across as many networks as possible. After all, you need omnipresent in an omnichannel world, right? Using your audience research, you should have a better idea of where they like to hang out. If you have been active on numerous networks already, assess which ones have been driving the most traffic or have contributed the most conversions. If you have enough data in analytics, you should be able to get some clarity on this.
Your product offering or service will also play a part in this decision. Perhaps your target market is young, but maybe Snapchat isn’t the best platform to consume your content. It also could be simply down to resources. Do you have the team, the time and the content to publish across all the platforms you’d like?
<h2>5. What are your competitors doing?</h2>
It goes without saying, but it’s important to be aware of what your competitors are doing. It’s not about following their shadow. It’s about taking note of what they’re doing or more importantly what they are not doing. You can both be on Instagram and Facebook, but using their advertising features completely differently. For example, rather than showcasing your product lines in a carousel ad, why not offer an immersive experience with Instant Experience ads. Bring those potential customers on a journey, rather than showing them static images that they’ll forget by the next ad.
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="width: 346px;" class="wp-video"><video class="wp-video-shortcode" id="video-8696-5" width="346" height="670" autoplay="1" preload="metadata" controls="controls"><source type="video/mp4" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/martin_fb_jeep.mp4?_=5" /><a href="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/martin_fb_jeep.mp4">https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/martin_fb_jeep.mp4</a></video></div>
</div>
Better yet, why not bring that customer-centric, personal marketing approach up a notch and start using chatbots in your Facebook ads.
<h2>6. What are your goals? What should you be measuring?</h2>
Your social marketing goals should be aligned with your overall business goals. These goals can vary greatly depending on your product or service offering, the industry you operate in, competition etc.
Goals can be split between Branding and Revenue-based. In many cases, you will be combining both. Of course, you will want to see a positive ROI and ROAS, but you will want to see your brand grow.
Examples of Branding-based goals include;
<ul>
<li>Awareness</li>
<li>Sentiment</li>
<li>Loyalty</li>
</ul>
Examples of Revenue-based goals include;
<ul>
<li>Sign-ups</li>
<li>Leads</li>
<li>Sales</li>
</ul>
Now that you’ve decided on what goals align best with your overall marketing objectives, you need to decide what metrics you should be analysed in order to measure success. One thing to note is that you will more than likely be analysing data from multiple data sources. For example, Google Analytics and Facebook. There can be discrepancies when comparing both data sets. Google Analytics by default will report last non-direct, while Facebook&#8217;s UI will be solely reporting on Facebook data. In other words, Facebook will report on a conversion, even if the user interacted with one of your search ads after the initial social interaction. Make sure you&#8217;re set up correctly for this otherwise your numbers won&#8217;t add up.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="image-border--black aligncenter wp-image-8737 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/important-social-media-metrics-min-1138x493.png" alt="social-media-metrics" width="1138" height="493" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/important-social-media-metrics-min-1138x493.png 1138w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/important-social-media-metrics-min-1138x493-250x108.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/important-social-media-metrics-min-1138x493-768x333.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/important-social-media-metrics-min-1138x493-700x303.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/important-social-media-metrics-min-1138x493-120x52.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/important-social-media-metrics-min-1138x493-80x35.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1138px) 100vw, 1138px" />
Some basic metrics you will be most likely analysing will include;
<ul>
<li>Reach &#8211; The number of users that saw one of your ads. It’s a great way of measuring awareness.</li>
<li>Engagements &#8211; These can be anything from Likes, Shares and Comments.</li>
<li>Traffic &#8211; Number of sessions, number of new users and bounce rate.</li>
<li>Revenue metrics &#8211; sales, leads, Cost per Acquisition (cost per sale, cost per lead etc). ROAS is hugely important in an ecommerce setting.</li>
</ul>
If you are tracking sales or other conversions, you should also be mindful of the attribution windows that are set up. For example, will you be giving a 30-day attribution window to Facebook ads or 7 days? This will depend on the complexities of your overall campaigns.
When analysing the performance of your campaigns you want your data to tell a story. Understanding this story will help you understand your audience, understand what worked and what didn’t.
Tip: To really understand your customer’s journey and to get a better insight into your marketing spend, play around with your attribution models. They can reveal some incredible insights&#8230;and in some cases justify that spend when everyone else doubted it. You will also benefit by ensuring your channel groupings are customised so that everything can be tracked and measured as accurately as possible.
<h2>7. What are your capabilities? What’s your capacity?</h2>
Now that your research is done, and the foundations are laid, you’ll probably start having a few ideas on the approach to your strategy. You need to be realistic. You may have the passion and the determination to get it started, but does your team mirror this? Are the time, resources and skill-set available?
Before you go getting budget sign-off, you need to factor in content creation. You may have a hefty monthly advertising budget to spend, but do you have the content to stand-out and get noticed in a user’s, already saturated, feed? Your targeting may be close to perfect, but if your content isn’t, then the horse may fall flat before even reaching the water.

Laying The Foundations For A Successful Social Media Strategy

<h4 id="66c8" class="graf graf--h4 graf-after--figure">Without research, there is no UX</h4>
Design is a solution based around an interpretation of a problem. Before design work begins we must identify, define and validate the problems that need to be solved. Problems that are highlighted to a designer are often from the clients own perspective and may not always reflect the end users views.
In other cases, the designer will interpret a problem, but this is only their own point of view and may not match the users&#8217; feelings. Clients and designers, regardless of their viewpoint or experience do not have assumed empathy with users.
<h4 id="59ed" class="graf graf--h4 graf-after--p">Who are the UX experts?</h4>
We have studied and been working in UX design for many years. Recently there has been an increase in the awareness of the benefits good UX can bring to a product or service. As UX professionals we find the biggest pushback regarding UX research is usually down to time and/or budget constraints. Quite often there can be presumptions that as UX experts we can perfect the UX of their interface while working in a vacuum. If only this was the case.
There is no such thing as a UX expert. If anything the only UX expert is the user of a particular product or service, they know what works for them and what they want. A good UX professional will be an expert on the process, techniques and research required in order to find out what the user wants from a particular UI. They will have mastered how to gain user empathy and the key to this is research, it is the foundation of any good UX lifecycle.
<h4 id="c8d6" class="graf graf--h4 graf-after--p">Assumptions can be the enemy of good UX</h4>
An assumption is an informed guess. It might be biased and is definitively unproven. We all make assumptions every day, we have to. Assumptions are based on our own experience of the world and the more experience of the world we have the more accurate our assumptions might be. Most ideas for a business start life as a solution to a problem, this business idea stems out of the assumption that others will have the same problem.
Assumptions are good and are often the birthplace of creativity. Where an assumption can be bad is when it is not properly challenged or validated, not everyone perceives the world in the same way.
<blockquote>“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.” 
― Isaac Asimov</blockquote>
A client may come to us with the assumption that they need us to create a new website with an improved design to drive more online sales. Through research, we might discover that the brand messaging is misleading or that the client has been targeting the wrong market demographics. All projects need to start with an open mind. Our design goal is to create a solution that is truly relevant to its users.
A mantra that we use within the Friday Agency and with our clients is “we don’t care what you think!”. All input is valuable, but the only assumption made throughout the UX research stage of a project is that nobody on the project team including the client is the end user.
<h4 id="c43e" class="graf graf--h4 graf-after--p">UX Research</h4>
There is no one size fits all UX research process. Every project requires a different approach and set of tools that are tailored around the product/service and overall project goals. In all cases, we need to gain empathy for the client and more importantly their user base. Research doesn’t have to be extensive or expensive but should never be avoided.
Client empathy: First off we need to understand the business behind the product or service, who the team is behind it and what their motivations are. We need to understand the brief we have been given and what the clients&#8217; expectation is. We need to understand the product or service ‘as-is’. The problems it is designed to solve, how it works and how effective it is.
User empathy: User empathy is the key to creating a good user experience. In order to gain empathy, we must understand our target audience intimately; what makes them tick, their goals, motivations and frustrations. It’s time to forget everything we know and listen. UX research encompasses a variety of qualitative and quantitate research methods to identify issues, requirements and add context, focus and insight into the design process.
<blockquote id="1bb7" class="graf graf--blockquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote graf-after--p">“Research is formalised curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.” 
― Zora Neale Hurston</blockquote>
Here are some of the research techniques we use at the Friday Agency throughout the UX lifecycle. They are a mix of attitudinal and behavioural as well as qualitative and quantitative research methods. These are crossed checked against each other for better validation.
<ol class="postList">
<li id="7fc8" class="graf graf--li graf-after--p">Heuristic Evaluation</li>
<li id="1b51" class="graf graf--li graf-after--li">Stakeholder Interviews</li>
<li id="8785" class="graf graf--li graf-after--li">Competitor Analysis</li>
<li id="2085" class="graf graf--li graf-after--li">User Interviews</li>
<li id="f772" class="graf graf--li graf-after--li">Focus groups</li>
<li id="4bb3" class="graf graf--li graf-after--li">Analysis of analytics</li>
<li id="0ef0" class="graf graf--li graf-after--li">Analysis of reviews</li>
<li id="50a2" class="graf graf--li graf-after--li">Online Surveys</li>
<li id="8c2d" class="graf graf--li graf-after--li">Usability testing</li>
<li id="ffdb" class="graf graf--li graf-after--li">A/B Testing</li>
<li id="4c27" class="graf graf--li graf-after--li">Personas &amp; scenarios</li>
<li id="12cb" class="graf graf--li graf-after--li">Card sorting &amp; affinity diagrams</li>
</ol>
<h4 id="2f14" class="graf graf--h4 graf-after--li">Tales of the unexpected</h4>
It’s well documented that in medicine, some of the biggest discoveries have been made while monitoring the unexpected side effects of the testing of new drugs. Viagra surfaced during clinical trials of a cardiovascular drug in the early 1990s. Looking for a solution to one problem can uncover an unexpected solution to another.
One of the greatest things that can come out of UX research is the unexpected, what we were not looking for. This can sometimes be terrifying to clients but is always both enlightening and positive. We have been involved in projects where a clients entire business strategy has changed as a result of UX research, something came to light that may have been overlooked or assumed and the new knowledge helped transform their business for the better.
We’ve all heard that knowledge is power but don’t forget that research is an investment in knowledge.

Why research is essential to the UX lifecycle

I got a phone call recently from a very well-known website. If you work in SEO, you’ll know them. They had a question that can only mean one thing &#8211; it’s that time of year again…
“What are your SEO predictions for 2019?”
And so it begins, a barrage of articles about this very thing.
The contradiction is that these articles are usually written purely to rank highly for queries related to just that, so they are sort of missing the point.
I&#8217;m writing this for our readers, our clients, and anyone who wants something more engaging. And for that reason, this article will be read more than 95% of those junk articles out there &#8211; because, we hope, it&#8217;s a little different.
Lists of SEO predictions usually mention some of the same topics every year. They throw the same shit at the wall and hope that when it sticks they can say &#8216;Aha, we were right!&#8217;.
Most of these lists are about as useful as asking a crystal ball for the winning lottery numbers.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-8385 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/SEO_Crystal_Ball-750x400-700x373.gif" alt="" width="700" height="373" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/SEO_Crystal_Ball-750x400-700x373.gif 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/SEO_Crystal_Ball-750x400-250x133.gif 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/SEO_Crystal_Ball-750x400-120x64.gif 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/SEO_Crystal_Ball-750x400-80x43.gif 80w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
Many of these predictions also appear over and over again because people often give Google too much credit. Their <a href="https://twitter.com/FridayAgency/status/1058120268936372226">underdeveloped algorithms</a> can&#8217;t keep up with the needs and wishes of SEO professionals. They just can&#8217;t.
If I was to follow suit and mention the usual generic predictions, then I&#8217;d look at the following&#8230;
Voice search. No, not yet. Perhaps not ever, at least not in the form that it’s been sold to you. It won&#8217;t change the world of SEO in 2019. Don’t believe <a href="https://friday.ie/blog/voice-search-simplified/">what you’ve heard</a>.
Visual search. Yes, it might grow. But it’s niche, so get over it.
VR/AR. I’ve seen this in lists of predictions. It has nothing to do with SEO, only the resulting experience of a search, just like content.
GDPR. This is not relevant, so the conversations about how GDPR impacts on SEO need to end now. If you have been ethical all along then it shouldn&#8217;t impact anything, including link building.
Mobile search / Mobile first. Give me a break… we saw that coming fifteen years ago, and that time has already come.
So that’s a taste of the usual predictions and an admittedly very cynical view on them. But this article results from having already seen a multitude of these articles since early in 2018, all with a view to just ranking on Google.
What’s more important to me is what should and realistically could happen. This is where we become predictive rather than pre-emptive for the sake of ranking, something that other agencies fail to do.
If you’ve stumbled upon this article then congratulations, it may provide more insight than those others.
Those other types of &#8216;listicle&#8217; articles, every year, will include very little that surprises you. It&#8217;s content for the sake of ranking for it… it’s clickbait. As <a href="https://sparktoro.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rand Fishkin</a> nicely illustrated for us here.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-8375 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-09-at-11.05.49-700x385.png" alt="" width="700" height="385" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-09-at-11.05.49-700x385.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-09-at-11.05.49-250x138.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-09-at-11.05.49-768x423.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-09-at-11.05.49-120x66.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-09-at-11.05.49-80x44.png 80w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-09-at-11.05.49.png 1273w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
Instead, here&#8217;s some realistic advice for the next 12 months&#8230;
Sentiment. This should come as no surprise. Google made the switch some time ago from monitoring keyword repetition and usage to instead looking at synonyms… and then, context… and then, engagement. This year, they will begin to better algorithmically determine your content’s sentiment/intent in as much as that’s possible for an algorithm to do, and you will rank better based on how users interact with it. So it&#8217;s goodbye to content for the sake of content&#8230;
Goodbye Spam. In November 2018, Google spokesperson Danny Sullivan himself reached out to the SEO community to publicly ask for their opinion about what Google can do better in their search results. Responses varied from harsh to <a href="https://twitter.com/FridayAgency/status/1058120268936372226">obvious</a>. But this is definitely a signal that in some shape or form public feedback will begin to matter more. Google knows that their algorithm is not good enough, and robots ain&#8217;t fixing it all.
A Reality Check. SEO professionals will finally realise that Google is all about the user. This has always been the case, they are just getting better at it now. So your bullsh*t spammy techniques will stop working in 2019. Completely. You’ll wonder why. You’ll blame Google. I won’t because I played by the rules all along. Ethical SEO practices should, if Google’s engineers have any sense, finally reap their rewards across all core markets in 2019.
AI. Yes, Artificial Intelligence will change the way in which we conduct keyword research and it will change the way in which Google serve results. So you can expect your rankings to change in the next 12 month. A lot. If you ever wanted to know who decides what content ranks and where, or what gets lost in that sea of generic predictions lists, well that&#8217;s AI.
So there you have it. It&#8217;s not a detailed list of predictions but at least it&#8217;s not generic either.
So don&#8217;t be spammy in 2019, this will catch up on you even more. Be smarter than that. Watch your rankings closely because they will fluctuate a lot more. And create original, compelling content that will engage rather than be skimmed.
If you want to take your <a href="https://friday.ie/expertise/digital-marketing/search-engine-optimisation/">SEO</a> and <a href="https://friday.ie/expertise/strategy/content-strategy/">Content Strategy</a> into 2019 and beyond in the best possible way, then <a href="https://friday.ie/contact/">get in touch</a>. There are no crystal balls, we just stay ahead of the curve, and that keeps you ahead of your competitors&#8230; and that drives revenue.

What Are Your SEO Predictions for 2019?

The role of the marketer is becoming increasingly challenging. Customers no longer take notice of push advertising and will only engage with a company when, where and how it suits them. People aren’t just buying products or services, they are buying an experience. Unless you have a store presence, these ‘experiences’ are more often than not, online.
As a marketer you are, no doubt aware that the website is still the most important marketing channel for the majority of businesses today and the competition for the customers&#8217; ever-decreasing attention span is cut throat. So the online experience for your customer must be top notch.
<h3 class="graf graf--p">What is User Experience Design?</h3>
The goal of <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://www.usertesting.com/blog/what-is-ux-design-15-user-experience-experts-weigh-in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-href="https://www.usertesting.com/blog/what-is-ux-design-15-user-experience-experts-weigh-in/">User experience design</a> (UX) in business is to “improve customer satisfaction and loyalty through the utility, ease of use and pleasure provided in the interaction with a product.” To put it another way, if your website doesn’t provide an easy and pleasurable experience for your customers or potential customers then they’ll be gone in two clicks. Don’t make it so easy for your competitors.
<h3 class="graf graf--p">The ROI of UX</h3>
Some interesting stats: <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://www.forrester.com/report/The+Six+Steps+For+Justifying+Better+UX/-/E-RES117708" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-href="https://www.forrester.com/report/The+Six+Steps+For+Justifying+Better+UX/-/E-RES117708">Forester</a> Research (paid report) shows that, on average, every dollar invested in UX brings 100 dollars in return. That’s an ROI of a whopping 9,900 percent. The <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://www.dmi.org/blogpost/1093220/182956/design-driven-companies-outperform-s-p-by-228-over-ten-years--the-dmi-design-value-index" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-href="https://www.dmi.org/blogpost/1093220/182956/design-driven-companies-outperform-s-p-by-228-over-ten-years--the-dmi-design-value-index">Design Management Institute</a> has found that design-centric companies (such as Apple, Coca-Cola, and IBM) outperformed the S&amp;P index (which indicates the industry’s average performance) by 228% over a 10-year period from 2003 to 2013.
OK, so your business is not going to be the next Apple but there is clear statistical evidence to prove that a well-executed website will yield a very positive return on investment.
<blockquote>
“UX design is an investment, not an overhead.”
</blockquote>
So maybe you know your website is totally outdated and hampering business. You have some ideas that could fix it, but how should you approach getting the website a UX overhaul. Who do you need to convince?
The people in your organisation who are concerned with sales and with making financial decisions are a good audience for your UX idea. Before you start the conversation and possibly suffering the indignity of having your bright idea of investing in UX being shot down in a meeting, follow these tips.
<h4 class="graf graf--p">1. Web analytics</h4>
You can back up your argument with stats from your <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_analytics" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_analytics">web analytics</a>. Especially look at what’s happening when people reach a critical point — perhaps a conversion — and see if people are dropping off. This drop off suggests the user has encountered a problem and are not carrying through. It’s the job of the user experience designer to find out what the problem is.
<h4 class="graf graf--p">2. Research</h4>
There is a wealth of untapped information in every organisation about their websites’ users, i.e. the customers. People such as front-line sales or customer service staff probably have a litany of comments from customers about the problems with your company’s website. Truth be known, everyone in the company probably has an opinion of things that are wrong with it.
Tap into this and record all these issues in your research. Essentially, anything that makes the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_journey" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_journey">user journey</a> (eg. from homepage to checkout page) a bad experience.
If you can get to talk to your customers first hand then that&#8217;s even better. This is your strongest weapon against any dissenters. Whatever people think about what you have to say, this isn’t just your opinion, this is what the customer is saying.
Anything that makes this customer journey difficult, frustrating or simply doesn’t work, is costing you money and losing revenue opportunities.
<blockquote>
&#8220;Design isn’t finished until somebody is using it.&#8221; 
— Brenda Laurel, PhD, Independent Scholar
</blockquote>
<h4 class="graf graf--p">3. Testing the users</h4>
Taking this one step further would be employing what is known as <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usability_testing" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usability_testing">usability testing</a> to drive your point home. This involves putting real users in front of your website and ask them to complete a couple of simple tasks like e.g, ‘buy a shovel’. This will require them to make the journey from home page, locating the product page, finding the earth-moving category, picking out a shovel and completing the transaction at checkout. Ask your testers to talk you through their journey as they do it live. You want them to tell you what they’re thinking, what are they looking for, what they expect to see, what they’re trying to find but can’t. It’s a good idea to write a usability test script so that all your testers are answering the same questions making it easier for your statistical analysis.
<h4 class="graf graf--p">4. Competition</h4>
Look at what your competitors are doing. Analyse how they present themselves and their products online. Take the customer journey yourself and see how it compares to yours. Is it easier, clearer to follow? Slick design, great images and an altogether better look &amp; feel can indicate that a competitor has engaged UX design in developing their website. Remember, people are basically just like Magpies. We like bright shiny new things and will make a judgment about a company within seconds of visiting their website. Your competitor could be attracting better clients because of their cool new website that is just a pleasure to visit. It delights the user.
<h4 class="graf graf--p">5. Getting management support</h4>
According to Jared Spool, one of the foremost thinkers in UX today says, “you need to find out what your bosses are already convinced of. If they are good at what they do, they likely have something they want to improve. It’s likely to be related to improving revenue, reducing cost, growing customer numbers….or increasing shareholder value.
Good UX can help with all those things.”
Once you know what that is, frame your work within that context.
<blockquote>
“For every dollar invested in UX yields a return of $2 to $100.&#8221;
</blockquote>
<h3 class="graf graf--p">What next?</h3>
So you’ve identified the problems with your website and you’ve validated these insights with research and data. What next?
Present your findings to key stakeholders outlining your research findings and how the analytics is showing resultant loss of opportunities. Give examples of where the issues and the pain points on the customer’s journey lie. You will need to be able to demonstrate how solving <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_usability" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_usability">usability</a> problems will lead to measurable improvements in return on investment. There are numerous other benefits to improving your websites’ usability. Think of the possibility of reducing support calls, converting, retaining customers and improving the response to customer inquiries.
<h3 class="graf graf--p">Show don’t tell.</h3>
All your arguments need to be backed up with data. Data from your analytics, user feedback from testing, stats from online sources, comparable case studies. There’s a wealth of information out there you can use to back up your argument. You may find yourself in a room with people who think they know what’s best for the website or brand because they are more senior. Remember, data should overrule opinions no matter who has them.
<h3 class="graf graf--h3">Scare them, Inspire them, Start small.</h3>
In his book, <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://www.amazon.com/User-Experience-Revolution-Smashing-eBooks-ebook/dp/B06XZZQ38R" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-href="https://www.amazon.com/User-Experience-Revolution-Smashing-eBooks-ebook/dp/B06XZZQ38R">User Experience Revolution</a>, Paul Boag outlined steps to help to get management buy-in.
<h4 class="graf graf--p">1. Scare your management</h4>
Nothing motivates people more the threat of something being taken away. The most obvious being loss of business to competition. Don’t just scare them, offer a solution otherwise they’ll feel overwhelmed.
<h4 class="graf graf--p">2. Inspire Management </h4>
Give them some idea of what the future looks like. inspire them to what is possible. It could be a series of workshops before a big flash event. A big relaunch.
<h4 class="graf graf--p">3. Give management a simple next step</h4>
The greatest of journey’s starts with a single step. The harder the journey, the greater resistance you’ll get. Ask them to take a small step towards the bigger project and they will be far more likely to say yes.
<h3 class="graf graf--p">Thumbs Up from The Board</h3>
So everybody liked your presentation and you’ve been given the green light, what are your options?
You may be given the option to fix the issues in-house or to engage a UX design agency to do it for you. Coming from an agency I’m always going to recommend the agency route but budget, resource and time constraints don’t always make that a viable option. But look, the ultimate aim is to delight customers. You won’t find too many bosses not wanting to make their customers happy. They may be willing to loosen the purse strings if you’ve adequately demonstrated that UX design is an investment, not an overhead.
<h3 class="graf graf--p">Outsource to a UX Designer/Agency</h3>
Engaging with a specialist UX agency or UX designer is one route. Keeping it in-house is another. The work you’ve already done on research will inform the UX designer/agency but it is always a good idea to have them independently conduct <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usability_testing" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usability_testing">usability testing</a> with real users which will involve having users follow customer journey whilst recording the issues and pain points encountered.
<h3 class="graf graf--h4">The UX Process</h3>
<figure class="graf graf--figure"><img decoding="async" class="graf-image aligncenter" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*nLMKSk-ZTZa6rhAqAP13eg.png" data-image-id="1*nLMKSk-ZTZa6rhAqAP13eg.png" data-width="792" data-height="306" /></figure>
<a href="https://friday.ie/blog/importance-of-ux-research/">Armed with the research</a>, the UX agency will usually follow a process similar to the illustration above.
<h3 class="graf graf--p">Go It Alone</h3>
If you have a list of basic, easy to fix UX problems that need to be solved, you could have some in-house techie or employ a freelance guy to do it on the cheap. This is not an option I’d recommend as it may not yield the results you’d promised management. Or the young techie in the beanie who skateboards to work has just wrecked your website and compromised customer’s data security. Not a good look for you.
If you have no budget to engage a UX designer/agency, there are always some low hanging fruit in terms of quick fixes you can focus your attention on. These are the quick fixes that are straightforward enough to implement and should provide some results.
<h3 class="graf graf--p">Fix The Copy</h3>
For example, many companies design for themselves rather than their users. Often words that make sense to the company don’t make sense to their customers and these can end up causing confusion. If you happen to sell spades, call a spade a spade and not an excavation solution even if, as a marketer, you think the latter description makes you product sound more sophisticated.
<h3 class="graf graf--p">The agency route</h3>
If the entire website needs to be dragged out into the backyard and set alight with a match then find a UX agency who will take a far deeper, more strategic approach to designing your new website. As with most good UX agencies, We at <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://friday.ie/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-href="https://www.api.friday.ie/">Friday</a> follow a process and collaborate closely with our clients with the goal of providing a best-in-class web experience for their customers.
The investment in UX design can dramatically improve the image of a company and yield a major return.
If you plan to invest in your website, <a href="https://friday.ie/contact/">Talk to us</a>
You may even sell more spades.

How To Convince Your Boss To Invest in User Experience (UX) Design

I got another e-mail today offering SEO services. And yesterday, too. And the day before that.
They usually offer: SEO services, guest blogging, ‘high Domain Authority links’, an SEO ‘Partnership’, Super Ranking Services (yes, I’ve seen this) and a multitude of other things.
You probably know the ones, and I hope that you’ve deleted them. Here’s a recent one. It’s just great:
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="250" height="166" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-6599" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Screen-Shot-2018-08-09-at-09.40.44-250x166.png" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Screen-Shot-2018-08-09-at-09.40.44-250x166.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Screen-Shot-2018-08-09-at-09.40.44-120x80.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Screen-Shot-2018-08-09-at-09.40.44-80x53.png 80w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Screen-Shot-2018-08-09-at-09.40.44.png 553w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" />
Please just make it stop!
This sort of activity is useless at best and usually pretty harmful.
But it’s not stopping. And unfortunately, these e-mails are only a part of the problem…
After just a few random Google searches, I’m still seeing it everywhere. I’m seeing the problem with SEO that has been around for quite some time and seems to be going nowhere.
What problem, you might ask?
The fact that most of them don’t have any idea what they’re talking about.
A few minutes of research will uncover bizarre claims even from Ireland-based companies who could otherwise appear as reputable and might even draw you in because, hey, they’re local!
<h4>Statements That Make No Sense</h4>
There are claims that cannot be backed up, statements that make no sense… all designed to make you part with your cash to pay for SEO services that will do NOTHING. And if they do anything, they’ll do damage.
“We are the number one company for link building.”
Em, says who?
“The more websites that link back to your website, the higher your website ranks on search engines.”
You’ve got to be kidding me…
“Pick the best link building packages to expand your business and increase your ROI.”
A package? Really? What year is this??
“Our link building campaign packages start at €1000 per month.”
Great, take my credit card.
Always remember: In the wrong hands, most marketing disciplines are just a wasted investment. In the wrong hands, SEO can be dangerous.
<h4>They’ll Try To Confuse You</h4>
SEO is a discipline that can require a lot of technical knowledge to get it right, and a lot of experience to make it work.
It’s also quite complicated, and that’s why it’s very easy for so-called practitioners to hide behind things that they can talk about, and sound knowledgeable in, but they do not truly understand it or even have the aptitude for it.
They’ll try to confuse you into believing that they’re the experts, and that you need them.
<h4>Let’s Talk Some Sense</h4>
I could go on and on about this, but let’s talk some sense instead. If you missed it, then give my Podcast a listen below. It’s on this very topic and discusses the multitude of SEO b*llshitters out there – and how not to get burned by one.
&nbsp;
<iframe loading="lazy" style="border: none;" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/6286674/height/90/theme/custom/autoplay/no/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/backward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/87A93A/" width="100%" height="90" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
And once you&#8217;re done listening, delete those SEO e-mails. Then consider <a href="https://friday.ie/contact/">getting in touch</a>, and getting it done right.

Another Day, Another SEO Email

Every year, companies are leaving millions of Euros on the table by not creating well thought out information architecture. Money is lost because customers are not able to navigate around their websites and leave unsatisfied and go elsewhere to find the services they need elsewhere.
<h3>What is Website Navigation?</h3>
Moving from page to page through a website, you are using the website navigation. It’s not something people think too much about but getting the navigation wrong is like expecting someone to find their Hotel in a new city without a map.
Users can easily get lost trying to find what they are looking for. Frustration sets in and in two clicks they’re gone to your competitor&#8217;s website. There are graveyards full of abandoned shopping carts.
Website Information Architecture is important in helping you design a site such that the user can achieve their goals and get where they are going with as little effort as possible.
<h3>So what is Information Architecture?</h3>
<a href="https://www.iainstitute.org/what-is-ia" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Information architecture </a>(IA) is the creation of a structure for a website, application, or another project, that allows us to understand where we are as users, and where the information or content we want is in relation to our position.
Much like the architectural plans of a building, IA describes the skeleton of the project. Content, Visual elements, functionality, interaction and navigation are built according to IA principles. IA principles are the guides to good IA such as the principle of front doors.
This principle states that one must assume at least half of the website’s visitors will come through some page other than the home page. Learn more about IA principles <a href="https://www.designprinciplesftw.com/collections/eight-principles-of-information-architecture" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">here</a>.
<blockquote>“Every year, companies are leaving millions of Euros on the table by not creating well thought out information architecture.”</blockquote>
From the point of view of the team or teams designing and building of a website, the IA provides the important role of keeping everyone on the same page during development.
Much like you find on a building site where all the contractors be they builders, plumbers or electricians, everyone needs a blueprint to follow. The AI informs the client, the project manager, the UI designer, the developer and the content creator what information goes where.
<h3>IA as part of the Design Process</h3>
Here at <a href="https://friday.ie/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Friday</a>, IA fits into our process as follows:
<ol>
<li>Client brief</li>
<li>Discovery / research</li>
<li>Information Architecture</li>
<li>Wireframes</li>
<li>Prototyping</li>
<li>Design</li>
<li>Build</li>
</ol>
It’s important to note that throughout the process the IA is a fluid document and may change to make improvements to the overall user experience. When changes are made, it is vital to make amendments to the original IA document so that designers, content creators and developers are kept abreast of any changes.
<blockquote>“Getting navigation wrong is like expecting a person to find their Hotel in a new city without a map”</blockquote>
The structure depends on a number of factors. First of all, the specific needs of the target audience are paramount as user satisfaction is the priority of IA. If you are considering a redesign then a look at traffic stats will give you an indication of how people are using the site and what path they take to get to where they are going.
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_map" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Heat mapping</a> can also help by offering you a visual image of where users are moving around the site.
You have to think about the user journey and consider how you can simplify it. Consolidating pages such as products and services might shorten the user&#8217;s journey. Also, consider how you label menus and buttons.
Your users shouldn’t have to think about what’s behind the next click, it should be intuitive.
<h3>Are IA and UX the same thing?</h3>
AI would be best described as a particular part of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_experience" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">User Experience</a> (UX) process. IA is the description the content structure of the design which will then produce a wired skeletal frame or blueprint (known as wireframes) of the project.
These are the basic building materials on which a UX designer builds the project.
Good IA makes a product easy to use providing its combined with good design thinking. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_thinking" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Design thinking</a> is a method for the practical, creative resolution of problems using the strategies designers use during the process of designing.
The two together will give the product a strong user experience.
IA is the content and information plans on which UX is built. UX design takes the plans to another level, providing a useful, relevant, meaningful and enjoyable experience. Achieving these goals and meeting business goals is the difference between apps and websites that succeed and those that fail.
And remember, if you fail, try two more times to show failure is statistically significant.
If you&#8217;re looking to invest in web design, <a href="https://friday.ie/contact/">talk to us.</a>

No Information Architecture? You’re Wasting Money.

A website&#8217;s cookie notice is something that is often overlooked during the design process and tends to be a last minute quick design addition.
This can lead to them being too disruptive, poorly functioning, not in line with your website&#8217;s look and feel, or just plain ugly. But they don&#8217;t need to be.
By law, all websites owned in the EU or targeted towards EU citizens are expected to display a cookie notice, failing to comply risks enforcement action from regulators or even a fine.
<blockquote>
The Cookie Law is a piece of privacy legislation that requires websites to get consent from visitors to store or retrieve any information on a computer, smartphone or tablet.
It was designed to protect online privacy, by making consumers aware of how information about them is collected and used online, and give them a choice to allow it or not.
<a href="https://www.cookielaw.org/the-cookie-law/">www.cookielaw.org/the-cookie-law/</a>
</blockquote>
GDPR brought this to the forefront in very unnecessary ways, with many websites clamoring to ensure that their users know that they &#8216;use cookies&#8217;.
Much of the point of GDPR may have been missed here, and it threw up some horrendously intrusive (and unnecessary) cookie notices. We&#8217;d go so far as to say that some of them have even ruined the website&#8217;s experience.
Here’s a look at some different approaches for implementing a Cookie Notice into your website.
<h3>Header Notice</h3>
Klarna uses a prominent solid colour bar anchored to the top of the page with a simple but clear message and a bold button.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-4797 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Klarna-1024x578.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="578" />
Nando&#8217;s also kept the message and button minimal, the cookie notice is incorporated into the page by using red to match the logo making it feel less intrusive.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-4798 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Nandos-1024x578.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="578" />
Filippobello delivers a text-heavy message set in an imposing black bar that commands the user&#8217;s attention immediately when they land on the site.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-4799 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Filippobello-1024x578.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="578" />
<h3>Footer Notice</h3>
Adidas have used a transparent footer bar and lots of text. The &#8216;close&#8217; button stands out against the small font size of the text, most users will simply close the notice without reading the copy.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-6869 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Adidas.jpg" alt="" width="1434" height="809" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Adidas.jpg 1434w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Adidas-250x141.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Adidas-768x433.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Adidas-700x395.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Adidas-120x68.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Adidas-80x45.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1434px) 100vw, 1434px" />
Selfridges has a bold and bright notice splashed across the footer of its home page, with a light-hearted cookies reference to their food hall.
<a href="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Selfridges.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-4802 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Selfridges-1024x578.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="578" /></a>
Hem have opted for a minimal footer notice that blends in with the colour scheme of the site, the copy is short and simple.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1434" height="809" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6864" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Hem.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Hem.jpg 1434w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Hem-250x141.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Hem-768x433.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Hem-700x395.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Hem-120x68.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Hem-80x45.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1434px) 100vw, 1434px" />
<h3>Floating Box Notice</h3>
Puma, the user is greeted with a pop-up notice box that requires immediate action, the user can either agree or just close the panel.
<a href="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Puma.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-4804 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Puma-1024x578.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="578" /></a>
QCTerme uses a subtle hover box that doesn&#8217;t have a close button but allows the user to either accept or view the cookie policy.
<a href="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/QCTerme.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-4806 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/QCTerme-1024x578.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="578" /></a>Interword uses a similar approach to QCTerme but has incorporated the style of the box into the page design.
<a href="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Interword.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-4807 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Interword-1024x578.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="578" /></a>
<h3>Subtle Notice</h3>
Buzzfeed&#8217;s cookie notice commands no attention and is easy to miss set against the white background of the site. Its been given no importance on the page, it&#8217;s simply added as a box-ticking exercise to meet EU Cookie Laws.
<a href="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Buzzfeed.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-4809 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Buzzfeed-1024x578.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="578" /></a>
Linkedin&#8217;s cookie policy is very easy to miss, its incorporated into the sign-up window above the &#8216;Join now&#8217; button. When the user clicks join now they also agree to the cookie policy.
<a href="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/LinkedIn.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-4810 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/LinkedIn-1024x578.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="578" /></a>
Apple&#8217;s implementation is very subtle, a simple hyperlink in the footer.
<a href="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Apple.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-4812 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Apple-1024x578.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="578" /></a>
<h3>In-page Notice</h3>
Barclaycard has interestingly incorporated the cookie notice into the hero image below the navigation. The notice is in a prominent location but is blended into the hero image using a matching colour bar.
<a href="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Barclaycard.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-4813 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Barclaycard-1024x578.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="578" /></a>
Guinness uses a similar tactic to LinkedIn, they get the user to consent to cookies at the same time as logging in, on the Guinness website it&#8217;s when the user enters their ID.
<a href="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Guinness.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-4814 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Guinness-1024x578.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="578" /></a>
Zurich has done similar to Barclaycard by placing the notice below the navigation but kept the message simple and placed it within a bold blue horizontal bar.
<a href="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Zurich.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-4815 alignleft" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Zurich-1024x578.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="578" /></a>
Summary&#8230; are cookie notices a necessary evil?
Necessary? Yes. Evil? No, they don&#8217;t need to be.
With the right considerations, they can become a natural part of the website&#8217;s design and they don&#8217;t need to distract from the overall experience.

Design Trends for Cookie Policy Notices

Fast cars, fast money, fast….websites?
More and more users are browsing the web from their mobile devices rather than their desktops.
Mobile users generally won’t have access to high-speed broadband when they’re on the move meaning it will be more difficult for them to load websites which have been poorly optimised for page speed, so it has become increasingly important for websites to deliver their content to cater to these users.
Unfortunately, it’s going to take a bit more work than just jamming lots of speed holes into your website.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter" title="Page Speed" src="https://i.imgur.com/zll6M.gif" alt="" width="395" height="304" />
There are tools to assist in identifying ways to improve a website’s load speed which provide a checklist of optimisations you can perform on your website which should decrease page load speeds.
There are plenty of tools on the web that will do this, but here we&#8217;re looking at <a href="https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/">Google PageSpeed Insights</a>.
<h3>What Is Google Page Insights?</h3>
<a href="https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/">Google PageSpeed Insights</a> is a tool that analyzes a website’s load speed optimization and provides suggestions on how to make improvements to your website and make it load quicker.
These suggestions include reducing image sizes, compressing and minifying files, enabling browser caching and improving your server.
There are lots of other page insight tools available, such as <a href="https://gtmetrix.com/">GTMetrix</a> and <a href="https://tools.pingdom.com/">Pingdom Tools</a>, but since page load times directly affect a website’s rankings in Google’s search results, we’ll be using <a href="https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/">Google PageSpeed Insights</a>.
<h3>Why it is Important to Aim for a High Page Speed</h3>
Before we get into the why, let’s get into the what. Page Insights measures your Speed Score and Optimisation Score.
Speed Score uses two real-world metrics to compare your site speed against other sites across the web, First Contentful Paint (How fast the first piece on content loads) and DOMContentLoaded(How fast for all content to load):
<ul>
<li>Fast: The site’s average metric value is in the top third of all page loads.</li>
<li>Average: The site’s average metric value is in the middle third of all page loads.</li>
<li>Slow: The site’s average metric value is in the bottom third of all page loads.</li>
</ul>
Optimization Score determines how well a website follows common performance best practices and evaluates the site giving it a score between 0 and 100:
<ul>
<li>Good: The page score is 80 or over. Awesome! Your website follows many best performance practices and there’s little room for improvement.</li>
<li>Medium: The page score is between 60 and 79. Your website follows some of the best performance practices and there is a moderate amount of room for improvement.</li>
<li>Low: The page speed is between 0 and 59. Your website does not follow best performance practices and there is a lot of room for improvement (Ie. it NEEDS improvement).</li>
</ul>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="350" height="134" class="size-full wp-image-6814 aligncenter" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/speed-optimization-good.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/speed-optimization-good.jpg 350w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/speed-optimization-good-250x96.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/speed-optimization-good-120x46.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/speed-optimization-good-80x31.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px" />
Looking good! (and fast!)
Keynote: Some sites will have the “Speed” section unavailable. This is because Google doesn’t have enough data to measure your site’s page speed yet. So if your site has light traffic, you will not be able to view this statistic until an undisclosed amount of data is available. Not particularly helpful for smaller sites, unfortunately.
“My website’s optimisation score isn’t up to 100, it needs to be 100!” Em&#8230; no, it doesn’t.
Page Speed Insights is simply a checklist for your site to help you achieve better page speeds, it should not be biblically followed. It is possible to get your site to 100 but in the vast majority of cases, checking off those final optimizations usually involves sacrificing site functionality.
Don’t stress about not achieving 100/100. If your site is above 80 then you have nothing to be worrying about. Even so, depending on the size of your website and it’s functionality, achieving a score of 80 might be a far-off pipe dream.
If you have performed as many optimisations as you can on your site and you still haven’t gotten a score of 80 then there’s no need to lose sleep at night over your score, you’ve done all that you can.
<h3>Search Engine Optimisation</h3>
First and foremost, your website&#8217;s Page Speed directly affects your users. Your users will have a poor experience with your website and this will affect your dwell time &#8211; which will impact on your positioning in search results. A higher score will potentially raise your position while a poor score will lower it.
From July 2018, mobile page speed will officially be a ranking factor. Google said so. It&#8217;s already been a factor for quite some time, but it will be official.
For example, let’s say that you and your competitor have identical websites. Your website has a respectable score of 70 but your competitor has put in the extra effort for optimisation and has a score of 85. In this case, it&#8217;s likely that your competitor is going to rank higher in the search results than you.
Of course, you and your competitor won’t have identical sites (hopefully!) and there are many other factors affecting <a href="https://friday.ie/expertise/digital-marketing/search-engine-optimisation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SEO</a> such as content, technical SEO and strong/relevant links, but improving your Page Speed is something you can work on improving yourself without having to rely on outside influences.
<h3>User Experience</h3>
User Experience is how easy and usable your site is to those who visit it. According to a <a href="https://adsense.googleblog.com/2017/01/the-ultimate-mobile-page-speed-infographic.html">Google Adsense blog on page speed statistics</a>, 50% of users expect a website to load within 2 seconds and 53% of mobile users are likely to leave your site if it doesn’t load within 3 seconds. As Page Speed directly correlates with how fast your website loads and studies show that most users are very impatient, then it is expected that a low Page Speed will deliver a poor user experience to visitors on your site.
<h3>Understanding the Lingo</h3>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="600" class="size-full wp-image-6815 aligncenter" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/wordcloud.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/wordcloud.jpg 800w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/wordcloud-250x188.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/wordcloud-768x576.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/wordcloud-700x525.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/wordcloud-120x90.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/wordcloud-80x60.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />
<h3>Page Stats</h3>
This section details some general statistics on the page speed of your site; the round trips needed to load the page render-blocking resources (The resources that stop the pages HTML from loading), how many bytes were needed to load the page, and how it compares to the median of all other sites statistics.
<h3>Optimisation Suggestions</h3>
<a href="https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/">Google Page Insights</a> has a plethora of optimisation suggestions. If your site is built reasonably well then you probably haven’t even heard of some of them!
<h4>Avoid Landing Page Redirects</h4>
Every time the page gets redirected, page loading stops and has to start again on a new page.
That’s bad.
As a result, redirects have the potential to add many more seconds to your page load speed. This isn’t so common nowadays as the bog standard for optimisations have increased in recent years but it is an issue that would plague a lot of older sites.
<h4>Optimise Images</h4>
Large image sizes can demolish a page’s load speed. Unoptimised, poorly sized image can add megabytes of data to a page. Generally, if an image’s size is over 1MB then there are optimisations that need to be done. According to the <a href="http://gs.statcounter.com/screen-resolution-stats">Screen Resolution Stats Worldwide</a> (At the time of writing this), only 8% of users are viewing the web on a browser size of 1920 x 1080. If your images are any larger than that, then you should strongly consider cropping or resize the image.
Image files contain lots of unnecessary data that is not needed to display images on the web. You can use an image optimisation tool, such as <a href="http://optimizilla.com/">Optimizilla</a>, to automatically remove the data which can drastically reduce the file size of your image without the loss of quality.
<h4>Eliminate render-blocking JavaScript and CSS in above-the-fold content</h4>
This optimisation is one you will most commonly see. Depending on your site’s functionality requirements, you won’t be able to fix this. JavaScript is all about delivering functionality to your website.
Render-blocking JavaScript is JavaScript that prevents the page from being loaded before it has finished loaded itself. In many cases, JavaScript needs to be loaded before the page loads to function and sometimes there just isn’t a way around that.
In the same vein as JavaScript, “CSS in above-the-fold content” is warning that the page won’t finish loading until the CSS files mentioned have been loaded.
<h4>Minifying HTML, CSS and JavaScript</h4>
Google PageSpeed Insights suggests minifying files when it detects that the size of HTML, CSS or JavaScript files can be reduced. During site development, web developers have one major fault: They need files in a readable format to understand what’s going on.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="984" height="1006" class="size-full wp-image-6816 aligncenter" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/javascript-unminified.png" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/javascript-unminified.png 984w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/javascript-unminified-250x256.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/javascript-unminified-768x785.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/javascript-unminified-700x716.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/javascript-unminified-120x123.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/javascript-unminified-78x80.png 78w" sizes="(max-width: 984px) 100vw, 984px" />
Even if you aren’t a developer, you can probably hazard a guess as to what this does.
The image above shows un-minified content. It’s easy to read but as you can see on the left of the screenshot, we’re 380 lines deep into the file, with hundreds of more lines to go before we reach the end of the file. This makes the file size quite large in comparison to it’s minified counterpart.
Now let&#8217;s see what happens when the file is minified:
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1808" height="984" class="size-full wp-image-6817 aligncenter" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/javascript-minified.png" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/javascript-minified.png 1808w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/javascript-minified-250x136.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/javascript-minified-768x418.png 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/javascript-minified-700x381.png 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/javascript-minified-120x65.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/javascript-minified-80x44.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1808px) 100vw, 1808px" />
This is the same file but instead of things like single brackets taking up entire lines, the entirety of the file&#8217;s contents are smushed up together into an incomprehensible mess (for humans anyway). Since the computer doesn’t need to have things all nice and tidy like us humans, it has no problem reading the minified file.
<h4>Leverage Browser Caching</h4>
Caching allows the web browser to remember elements of a web page from previous visits.
For example; let&#8217;s say you visit <a href="https://friday.ie">www.friday.ie</a> on Monday for the first time. The site loads pretty quickly but there’s obvious load in for images and the logo. A few days later, we think to ourselves
“Wow, that Friday site was super cool! I want to visit it again!”. 
Since the site has browser caching enabled, those images that had obvious load issues now load very quickly, almost instantaneously, why? Your browser has remembered those images from your previous visit so it doesn’t need to request the images from the site’s server, it just loads it directly from your browser&#8217;s cache memory.
There is also server cache, which works the same as browser caching but the site elements are remembered by the server the site is hosted on.
<h4>Reduce Server Response Time</h4>
The server response time is how quickly your server can begin loading in the HTML of your site to the user accessing it. Any time your website needs to connect to the server to retrieve or send data is time added on to the server response time.
Google lists off some potential factors; Slow application logic, slow database queries, slow routing, frameworks, libraries, resource CPU starvation or memory starvation. Basically, Google is saying if your site is built poorly, is too bloated with data or is on a cheap server, then your server response time is going to suffer.
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
<a href="https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/">Google PageSpeed Insights</a> is a useful tool for obtaining information about the speed of your website and offers optimisation suggestions to help improve that speed and helps your site fall in line with optimisation best practices. If the optimisations Page Insights suggests are easily achievable, then you should definitely try to apply them to your site.
However, achieving a perfect 100/100 score shouldn’t take priority over your site’s design or functionality. In many cases, getting a score of 100 just is not possible depending on how your site is set up and you should not worry about not being able to reach that score. All you can do is make sure you have performed any realistic optimisations on your site that Page Insights have suggested and don’t stress about it.
Hopefully, this article has shed some light on what Google PageSpeed Insights does and what it’s suggested optimisations mean.
Why not check out some of my other articles <a href="https://friday.ie/blog/author/jonathan/">here</a>?

Understanding Google PageSpeed Insights

I&#8217;m going to bring it back to basics for my blog post this week, being so immersed in the world of design and development I sometimes forget that what comes out of my mouth can sound like a load of jargon to some people. The general misunderstanding around the difference between UX (user experience) and UI (user interface) both inside and outside the industry is something that has bugged me for a while. People seem to use these terms interchangeably, without trying to distinguish them in any way. So its time to set the record straight.
<h3>User Experience (UX)</h3>
To most, user experience or UX is a bit of buzzword. It&#8217;s a relatively new phrase for something that has been around for longer than its name. Wikipedia put it well &#8211; &#8216;user experience design is the process of enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty by improving the usability, ease of use, and pleasure provided in the interaction between the customer and the product.&#8217;
User experience comes first in the design process for almost anything displayed on a computer screen. The goal for a user experience designer is to eliminate friction and pain points users may come across when trying to complete a task on a website or App. The process for the user should be as clear, smooth and simple as possible.
As an example, let&#8217;s say we are redesigning an e-commerce website, we identify through website stats that people are having difficulty completing a purchase at the checkout stage and are leaving the website before they pay for anything. Users have given us feedback that they are confused about what they should enter into the checkout form and the wording it displays. This tells us that the checkout process has a poor user experience resulting in abandoned shopping carts.
A user experience designer will spend a lot of time working on strategic planning, competitor analysis, customer analysis, content development, wire-framing, prototyping and usability testing to ensure that the interface works for the user. This process all takes place before a UI designer begins using colour, fonts, photography and design elements to create what the final interface will look like.
Starting UI design without first carrying out UX design would be like starting construction of a building without any well-thought-out blueprints.
<h3>User Interface (UI)</h3>
If user UX design is the creation of how something will work, UI design is the creation of where something works. Its the design of the actual interface users will see when they are using a website or app.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="990" height="320" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6875" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/UIvsUX2.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/UIvsUX2.jpg 990w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/UIvsUX2-250x81.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/UIvsUX2-768x248.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/UIvsUX2-700x226.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/UIvsUX2-120x39.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/UIvsUX2-80x26.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 990px) 100vw, 990px" />
UI design is carried out after the UX process has been completed. This is where we take sketches from the UX process along with a style brief and start applying graphic design techniques to apply look and feel and create finished artwork of what the interface would look like. We design compositions of buttons, headings, borders, links and shapes using colour, photography, brand elements, typography and styling that result in a finished artwork of the user interface.
<blockquote>
UI — “What should be the colour of this button?”
UX — “Do we need this button? If yes, why? What should be the position of this button?”
</blockquote>
<h3>Designers</h3>
I still see job listings by agencies looking for UX designers to create finished artwork or UI designers to design prototypes. Generally speaking, in the same way that web designers tend not to write code, UX designers would usually not style and UI designers would not usually plan an interface (there are exceptions to that rule). Instead, the two would usually work very closely together sharing ideas and knowledge to deliver the best possible finished result for the user.
It&#8217;s like Doctors and Nurses or Builders and Architects.
I hope that makes sense, if not let me know in the comments below, I might be too close to this to explain it well.

Whats the difference between UX and UI design?

<h3>Consent, Compliance &amp; the GDPR. What&#8217;s going on?</h3>
With the GDPR&#8217;s arrival, there was still plenty of confusion out there about marketing consent and handling customer data.
And with the recent scandals at Facebook and Independent Newspapers, businesses and marketers are freaked that they&#8217;ll have their pants pulled down for non-compliance. Or worse, a hefty fine.
I met with MB Donnelly, Head of GDPR Awareness &amp; Training with the Data Protection Commissioner (Ireland) to help get clarity, and give some of our own guidance around consent.
<h3>Confused.com?</h3>
At Friday there is one question we were being asked all the time: &#8220;What&#8217;s going on &#8211; are we compliant with GDPR?&#8221;
That was usually followed by &#8220;Can you help us get compliant?&#8221; and finally; &#8220;I hear we&#8217;ll need to get opt-in consent for all of our mailing lists.&#8221;
So there&#8217;s plenty of confusion. And with some experts directing marketers to seek consent or throw up crazy opt-in pop-ups, that confusion is natural and understandable.
<blockquote>
&#8220;If you&#8217;re not following existing regulation you are breaking the law now, so you don&#8217;t need to wait until May 25th to panic.&#8221;
</blockquote>
The GDPR is not just about consent, granted, but consent and how to handle it is the area where we see the most misinformation.
In short, what GDPR relates to is a set of rules for organisations on how they collect, use and store personal data. Organisations must now be fully transparent about how they are using and safeguarding personal data and must demonstrate accountability for their data processing activities, particularly for marketing communications.
Assuming that you are doing the above correctly at the moment, you only need to move from compliance with the 1988 and 2003 Data Protection (Ireland) acts, to GDPR compliance by updating your Privacy and Data Retention policies.
If not, you are already breaking the law now, and you don&#8217;t need to wait until May 25th to panic.
<h3>Some Clarity on GDPR</h3>
I met with MB Donnelly, the Head of GDPR Awareness &amp; Training at the Data Protection Commissioner Office in Ireland.
We&#8217;ve delivered a number of marketing and engagement campaigns for the Commissioner&#8217;s office over the past couple of years, particularly aimed at driving awareness on the GDPR in Ireland for individuals, and we knew she could help bring some clarity.
What&#8217;s the most popular question that you&#8217;re asked in relation to the GDPR and consent?
The question I am most asked is &#8220;Does the GDPR really apply to me?&#8221; The simple answer is that it does, for every business.
Personal data, and in particular &#8216;special category&#8217; &#8211; i.e. race, gender, medical records, sexual orientation &#8211; require special obligations. And if you rely on consent, you need to be very careful that you have the correct obligations.
If there is one simple piece of advice you would give businesses on GDPR, what would that be?
Knowing your data. People need to know their own data and understand where it is stored and what it is used for.
Knowledge is not power, it&#8217;s actually a risk. Review your data, know what you keep and why, and be able to show proof of how you came to hold it. There is a handy downloadable checklist on the <a href="http://gdprandyou.ie/resources/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GDPRandYou.ie</a> website.
When people hear words like &#8216;risk&#8217; and the penalties that can be imposed for non-compliance they take notice. But do you think that the GDPR initiative will ultimately have the impact it is designed for?
Absolutely I do. There are risks and penalties for non-compliance of course, but organisations should actually see the GDPR as a genuine opportunity.
We are living in a generation of digital (and now privacy) natives. Generally, today’s consumers are more informed about the risks of digital life and, where that trust has been hurt, we see a knock-on effect in terms of falling customer numbers.
So it is in every business&#8217;s interest to demonstrate that they care about their customers&#8217; information and how it&#8217;s used.
Trust the thing that you&#8217;re building. And it&#8217;s those who are pushing the trust and demonstrating that they take consent and privacy seriously that will ultimately stand out.
&nbsp;
<iframe loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mCpUS-wpxAk" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
A video we produced as part of our GDPR Awareness Campaign.
<h3>Audit your Data</h3>
A big part of the drama is that many marketers don&#8217;t have the information needed to make a call on the correct (and compliant) reasons for having and processing customer data.
Getting to that point might take a bit of work, but the process is pretty straightforward &#8211; you need to perform an audit.
Doing a data audit:
<ul>
<li>What personally identifiable information do you hold, and what is it used for?</li>
<li>Do you keep that information longer than is necessary?</li>
<li>Do you hold more information than is necessary?</li>
<li>Can you demonstrate that the user asked or expects that it will be used in the way that you are using it?</li>
</ul>
At least you will know why you are making the decision, which will help you in updating your privacy notices and consent statements. Whatever basis you choose at this point will need to be applied to your current data as well as new data added to your database.
Legitimate Interest 
In the case of legitimate interest, you will need to communicate to your current customers that you have new privacy and data retention policies and give them the opportunity to object to marketing. These should be included on your website and also highlighted on your news or social media channels.
You will need to record what you sent, to whom and when. You should only use data that you have permission to market to, this is a marketing communication, not a service one, so choose the right channel to reflect the permissions you have.
<h3>Getting Consent</h3>
If you know that you cannot demonstrate that all or some of your existing customers have given consent, then you will need to get them to opt in. That will mean advising them of the reasons you&#8217;re using their personal information so that they can then be fully informed before they opt in.
You can use a layered approach, where the communication content (e.g. email), or the website landing page they&#8217;re sent to includes the full detail of the marketing comms. Then direct them to your Privacy and Data Retention pages which should set out your comprehensive policy details.
It&#8217;s important to make sure that people are given enough information to help them to make an informed decision on what they are signing up for, and what marketing comms they&#8217;re likely to receive from you.
You do need to record who opted in, and what they were informed of at the time they opted in, and include a form of verification (e.g. double opt-in) so that you have an audit trail.
<h3>SO</h3>
You need to decide which way suits you best. If consent is the right way for your organisation, it should be because your use of information presents a risk to the rights of the individual.
You don&#8217;t need to put your business or your customers through unnecessary hassle if you don&#8217;t need to. But do an audit, get informed and take the opportunity to show that you take data privacy and consent seriously.
For more concrete detail on the GDPR, have a look at <a href="http://gdprandyou.ie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GDPRandYou.ie</a> which has a lot of helpful information and resources.
Graham is the Head of Strategy and a Co-Founder at Friday Agency. 
If you want to check out more of his posts go <a href="https://friday.ie/blog/author/graham/">here</a>.
&nbsp;

GDPR & Consent: Knowledge is no longer power, it is Risk.

Display advertising has come a very long way since it was seen as the online equivalent of a print ad. But not everybody has moved with the times.
In the past few years, I’ve seen many display advertising plans for my clients, and they’re not cheap.
Your brand will be on some very popular and respected websites. That&#8217;s great.
It looks good for your brand to be there. It looks great internally that you’ve secured these placements. Your brand, product or campaign will be out there with one million eyeballs on it.
It&#8217;s sort of like this, except you&#8217;re on a great website:<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5390" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/billboard-advertisement-1.jpg" alt="" width="494" height="363" />
Everyone knows about you. Job done.
But&#8230;
Then it doesn’t convert.
And you don’t get a report that’s in any way useful or insightful.
So what happened?
The plan was lazy. In fact, it wasn&#8217;t a plan. It was just an outline of who you&#8217;re going to spend your money with and how many times your ad will be shown.
Your agency did what was promised. They managed to “deliver 1 million impressions to all online readership at the lowest CPM possible.” And to be fair, perhaps you hadn&#8217;t asked for more than that.
There was no strategy.
<h2 class="graf graf--h3">Your money has been spent poorly</h2>
When your campaign didn&#8217;t have the desired impact, your response might have been “But who were these readers and what’s a low CPM? Wait, you never even asked me exactly who we were trying to reach!”
But it’s all hindsight. Your money has been spent, and spent poorly.
To put this in perspective, let’s remind ourselves of some facts. Click-through rates for display advertising are relatively low. Most users don’t think they are relevant. Display ads are more ignored than TV, radio and newspaper ads. Many users don’t trust display ads.
So to put it simply, you need: engaging creative, audience relevance, impact, and trust.
<h2 class="graf graf--h3">Knowing your audiences</h2>
A good display advertising plan is not enough, you need a strong display advertising strategy. It&#8217;s about knowing your audiences; where they are, what they are doing, what they’re interested in, at what stage of the cycle they are in, what life events are affecting them, and much more. Through knowing this, you can create relevancy.
By looking at your own business and customer base, you can create profiles. And research helps too.
Then, by knowing who you are targeting you can produce creative that’s engaging. You can show creative that speaks to them.
You will now also know where their playground is. If it’s Facebook, Twitter… then video may be a good choice because short, succinct, relevant and engaging video can be very powerful if targeted to the right people. And on Facebook and Twitter, it’s not hard to find the right people.
Segmenting your audiences is not a far cry from psychographic segmentation, as used for election campaigns.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5399" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/pyschographic-segmentation.png" alt="" width="698" height="400" />
When you do find the right people, you will need to know your Goals. What, exactly, do you want users to do when they get to your website? It may sound simple, but tracking even the smallest of engagements can be beneficial.
<h2 class="graf graf--h3">Be better equipped to ask the right questions</h2>
Know your website. Is it fit for purpose? Where will they first land, and is the journey to conversion up to scratch? This is hopefully a conversation that you’ve had well before you’ve even considered paying for display advertising.
If you want broad impact, like placements on a major newspaper website for example, then that serves its purpose. But you need to be better equipped to ask the right questions before agreeing your budget, and even your campaign dates:
<ul>
<li class="p1">Who is most likely to be on that website on those dates?</li>
<li class="p1">Within the ABC1 18+ audience, have they done further research into how engaged they are by site section, how more likely they are to be engaged by advertising by site section, therefore affording you more value?</li>
<li class="p1">Is there anything happening offline that may drive more visitors to that website on those dates, so that you might expect extra visibility and value for your investment?</li>
</ul>
<h2 class="graf graf--h3">&#8220;Won&#8217;t that just annoy people?&#8221;</h2>
I’d hate to not give retargeting a mention here. It’s a very powerful support to any campaign.
If you’re spending this money and sending users to your website, then you should be increasing the size of your retargeting audiences and lists with relevant people.
Retargeting is often referred to in negative ways. For example “Oh, it’s those ads that follow me around…” or “Won’t that just annoy people..?”
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5392" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/retargeting-ads.png" alt="" width="550" height="395" />
But if done right and creatively, this is still a highly effective technique that can provide ancillary revenue, particularly if your creative is consistent with your campaign.
It’s not just a matter of placing a tag on your website and following people around with ads. I’ll admit that if done that way, it could be just plain annoying. There’s a strategy needed here.
Firstly, segment your audiences by how they have interacted with your website, either throughout the year or while in campaign.
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">If someone has only viewed the home page, then serve them ads displaying a rotation of the different products or services that you offer.</li>
<li class="li1">If someone has viewed a specific service or product, then remarket them with ads specific to that.</li>
<li class="li1">If they’ve added a particular product to their cart then show them this product &#8211; and if you can fulfill it, you could even offer a discount on that product if they return to purchase.</li>
</ul>
All of this depends on one core thing &#8211; you need to know when a user has converted. Without this, you’re serving them ads for a service they’ve already engaged with you for.
And very importantly, you may be serving them an ad offering a discount on a product that they’ve already bought!
<h2 class="graf graf--h3">Remarketing and cross-selling go hand-in-hand</h2>
But the journey doesn’t end when someone has purchased.
So, you’re Carphone Warehouse. Consider someone who has purchased the latest mobile phone from you &#8211; perhaps they may also consider complementary add-ons such as wireless charging pads, a cube speaker, headphones… or even broadband. Remarketing and cross-selling go hand-in-hand.
Even at that, your journey is still not over. If you can tie this into a user’s account data and their upgrade eligibility, then you may be able to eventually sell them a new mobile phone.
Another common myth is that you can only retarget users who have clicked on your Google AdWords ads. Not true &#8211; you can remarket anyone who has visited your website.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-5384 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/retargeting-1024x697.png" alt="" width="1024" height="697" />
Lastly, remember your custom audiences. Create a matrix of those users who have visited one page or site section but NOT another.
For example in the B2B space, you may have website visitors who have read all about what you do, they may have even looked at your pricing. These are keen potential customers. So the next time you have a Webinar, use retargeting to let them know about it!
See? We told you it’s come a long way. So, the next time you see a display advertising plan, read this again. You may notice a few gaps.
<a href="https://friday.ie/contact/">Get in touch</a> if you’d like to see how we can help create an engaging campaign for you.

We Need to Talk About Strategic Display Advertising

It’s time we all took a good long look at our backends. Of course, I’m referring to your website’s backend development here (I can’t help with the other one, although I hear lunges are good).
We all know that fresh content is critical for your website&#8217;s SEO ranking. Google loves frequent content, as long as it&#8217;s informative, useful and relevant. If your website is difficult or clunky to update then the task of keeping content fresh becomes a chore. By applying the basics of UX to your website&#8217;s backend, we can lessen the task.
I’m going to focus on WordPress backends here, although the broad principles below could apply to any CMS system.
I’ve come across some unsightly WordPress backends in my time, where it wasn’t obvious, or was outright difficult to find where or how to update content. With plenty of WordPress experience under my belt, I can only imagine how a client would feel facing a complex backend and trying to manage content on a regular basis on a backend that isn’t intuitive.
Fortunately, there are some simple ways we can make the backend experience a little smoother, and less daunting, especially for the novice WordPress user.
So let’s look at some simple strategies we use at Friday to make sure that our clients&#8217; website backends are in ship shape order, and they can manage their content with ease.
<h3 class="graf graf--h3">1. Make Use of Custom Post Types</h3>
It’s been a long time since I’ve built a site where I didn’t include at least one custom post type. WordPress users will know that by default WordPress has 2 content types &#8211; Posts and Pages.
Keep Pages for your standard page content, and Posts for your Blog. Most sites will have requirements for more than that though. For example, a shop will have a Custom Post Type called “Products”. A site may have a requirement to display team members, testimonials, recipes etc.
Trying to maintain different types of content within the limitation of Posts and Pages alone will get messy — fast. Organising the content into post types in the backend makes it quick and easy for content editors to access content types quickly from the main Dashboard Menu.
Use relevant icons for your Custom Post type menu items, and name them logically.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="208" height="156" class="size-full wp-image-6887 aligncenter" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/mary14_cpt.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/mary14_cpt.jpg 208w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/mary14_cpt-120x90.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/mary14_cpt-80x60.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 208px) 100vw, 208px" />
<h3 class="graf graf--h3">2. Organise the content editor to reflect front-end display.</h3>
Unless your site is quite simple, you’re going to have some custom fields and custom content areas in your content area that expand beyond the default Title and Editor field. By taking a little time in development to organise the content editor to reflect as closely as possible the front end display, it makes it easier for editors to update content on each page/post in a visual manner.
Custom Field labels and instructions should be informative and logical.
<a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://www.advancedcustomfields.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-href="https://www.advancedcustomfields.com/">Advanced Custom Fields </a>is our go-to plugin for creating custom fields and it makes all of the above a breeze.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="986" height="650" class="size-full wp-image-6889 aligncenter" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/mary14_mirror_backend.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/mary14_mirror_backend.jpg 986w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/mary14_mirror_backend-250x165.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/mary14_mirror_backend-768x506.jpg 768w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/mary14_mirror_backend-700x461.jpg 700w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/mary14_mirror_backend-120x79.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/mary14_mirror_backend-80x53.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 986px) 100vw, 986px" />
<h3 class="graf graf--h3">3. Flexible Layouts / Content</h3>
Flexible content layouts are a great solution for sites where content and layout will need to change regularly depending on changing needs. This feature requires extra forward planning in the wireframe stages, and extra time needs to be allowed in the design and development stages — but the payoff is that the content in your posts and pages is much more flexible and not limited to a set defined layout.
Content creators aren’t designers and shouldn’t be expected to do so. If there is a possibility editors will need to add more than the standard text/image content in the WordPress editor, it’s best to accommodate this early in the website project, so that the designer and developer can create a variety of modules that can be used and re-organised on a case by case basis.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="625" height="581" class="size-full wp-image-6892 aligncenter" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/mary14_flexible_content.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/mary14_flexible_content.jpg 625w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/mary14_flexible_content-250x232.jpg 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/mary14_flexible_content-120x112.jpg 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/mary14_flexible_content-80x74.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px" />
<h3 class="graf graf--h3">4. Get Rid of unnecessary noise</h3>
WordPress has a set defined range of user roles, with appropriate permissions for each. Each user will see a different version of the WordPress Dashboard based on their role/capabilities.
Beyond the default, user roles can be created or modified to further customise the admin area to suit particular users. There are plugins available to do this, but it is best managed by your developer through code. A big part of reducing backend clutter is to keep the number of third-party plugins in use to an absolute minimum, so we want to avoid adding any extra ones where possible.
Say, for example, you have a content editor that is in charge solely of your blog and events. We can limit the Dashboard so that they only have access to those sections. This reduces clutter for the user and ensures they can’t accidentally modify or break sections that they shouldn’t have access to.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="646" height="301" class="size-full wp-image-6893 aligncenter" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/mary14_reduce_noise.png" alt="" srcset="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/mary14_reduce_noise.png 646w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/mary14_reduce_noise-250x116.png 250w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/mary14_reduce_noise-120x56.png 120w, https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/mary14_reduce_noise-80x37.png 80w" sizes="(max-width: 646px) 100vw, 646px" />
<h3 class="graf graf--h3">5. Customise the Dashboard</h3>
By default the WordPress Dashboard contains a lot of information, that may not be useful to every client. For example, the “Welcome to WordPress” and “WordPress Events and News” sections can generally be binned.
The customisation that can be done here will depend on the purpose of your site and your own requirements. For example, if you’re running an eCommerce site you’ll want to see your latest sales figures and top-selling products here.
Form entries are handy to see on the Dashboard, to make sure you don’t miss any contact from customers or potential customers. A Google analytics overview is also a handy panel to display.
<a href="https://friday.ie/contact/">Get in touch</a> if you’d like to see how we can help make updating your website a quicker and more enjoyable experience.

5 Ways To Get a Better Backend

WordPress is currently powering 29% of all websites, making it the most popular Content Management System going. As a result, hackers are constantly looking for new ways to get around WordPress’ security so they can hack as many sites as possible. 
This has generated accusations that WordPress isn’t a secure option for brand and businesses to use to build their sites and has spurred on a phobia of being hacked. Sure, sites do get hacked but typically if a site has been hacked the owner has been lackadaisical with managing the site’s security and software updates. 
In this article, the most common WordPress security vulnerabilities will be detailed as well as ways to prevent your site from getting hacked, which will hopefully clear up that hack-phobia and put your mind at ease. Although the article is primarily focused on keeping WordPress sites safe, most of the security tips mentioned are relevant to websites and online applications of all sorts.
<h3>Why Do Hackers Hack?</h3>
If you’re operating an eCommerce site, the motivation of a hacker is obvious. The hacker was likely after your user’s credit card information. However, the motivation of a hacker is not always so clear. If you own a small personal website or a brochure site that holds no sensitive information, then why would anyone bother hacking your site? What could they possibly get out of it?
Botnet: A hacker may be looking to add your website and server to their botnet. A botnet is a collection of hacked machines/servers, which hackers would use to perform DDOS attacks. Distributed Denial of Server (DDOS) attack is an attempt to bring down a website or online service by overwhelming its traffic from multiple sources. The more hacked machines the hacker has in their botnet, the more capable they become in bringing down larger websites and services.
Email Spam: The hacker may be after your email server, using it to send out spam emails by piggybacking on your server’s good reputation to ensure the spam is successfully received by mailboxes.
Vandalism: A hacker may be looking to alter the site&#8217;s content to spread their own agenda or political message, which would generally be too extreme or controversial to be posted on conventionally. They may also be just looking to deface the website with inappropriate content, purely for their own enjoyment. 
Ransom: Taking a website ransom is a common reason a site may be hacked. The hacker will remove or encrypt the site’s content and replace it with a ransom message, stating they will only restore the website if their demands are met. Money is the prime motivation for the ransom.
E-Commerce: Some may just be trying to piggyback on your website&#8217;s visibility in order to sell their products. If you&#8217;ve ever seen pages on a trusted website that appear to be selling prescription medications or viagra then, guess what, they&#8217;ve been hacked.
Phishing: Phishing involves tricking people into giving out their personal information to what they think is a trusted source. Hackers may look to use your sites good reputation to bait users into giving away personal details by creating dummy forms that send users credentials to their server instead of yours. They may also pepper the site’s content with links to other websites, tricking users away from your site onto their site.
<h3>WordPress Security Vulnerabilities</h3>
Hackers very rarely personally hack a website themselves, as in, they almost certainly haven’t found your website themselves and thought, “I’m going to hack this site! Mwahahaha!”. The vast majority of hacks are performed automatically by bots.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4468" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/blog-robots.jpg" alt="" width="1600" height="900" />
These bots crawl the web searching for sites and attempt to execute malicious code on these sites. When your site has been hacked, one of the scripts the bot has executed ran successfully because it found a security vulnerability on the site allowing it access to core file and/or the database.
So preventing these bots from hacking your site is a matter of ensuring there are no conditions in which the scripts it executes can run successfully. There are four primary ways in which a bot will be given the opportunity to hack a WordPress website:
<h3>Insecure Theme</h3>
A Theme is a code that gives a WordPress website it&#8217;s structure, styling, and functionality. Old or unmaintained themes pose a security threat to WordPress sites. Typically, a theme owner will release an update to plug the security vulnerability. However, if a theme has been abandoned by the owner or it hasn’t been kept up to date on your site then you will be more at risk of being hacked.
The best way to prevent this is to ensure your theme comes from a reliable source. Buying a random theme can be risky as you never know when the creator will just stop supporting the theme. 
You can also see when a theme was last updated. If it looks like the theme hasn’t been updated in over a year, then that’s a good sign to avoid it. Additionally, try to avoid themes with poor reviews, low star ratings or that have very few reviews and star ratings.
Better yet, have a custom theme built by an agency! It will ensure that your site is well maintained and built to your exact specifications.
<h3>Out of Date / Abandoned Plugins</h3>
A Plugin is an additional piece of coded functionality that is &#8220;Plugged in&#8221; to a Theme. There are thousands of plugins available to download and it can be tempting to download plugins on a whim. However, this is unwise as the more plugins a site has, the slower the site becomes and more potential security vulnerabilities emerge. It also makes a site more difficult to maintain since each plugin relies on their creator to update, then you become more reliant on these creators to keep the plugin&#8217;s code up to date. If these plugins aren&#8217;t kept up to date, you put your site&#8217;s security and functionality at risk which is why it is important to not rely on plugins too heavily for general site functionality. 
 Plugins come in all shapes and sizes, and the amount of access they have to your site can vary from minimal access to full administrative access. This is why it’s very important to keep plugins updated. 
Updates to plugins typically won’t include new full-blown features, they are usually bug fixes and security updates and changes to ensure the plugin will function correctly with the most up to date WordPress version.
<h3>Out of Date Core WordPress Files</h3>
Same as plugin updates, the core WordPress updates include security updates to protect your site against newly discovered security vulnerabilities. For example, at the time of writing this article, the most recent core update (at the time of writing this article) was version 4.9.2. This update included no new features but plugged an XSS vulnerability (Cross-Site Script, which allows hackers to inject malicious code into a site that is viewable by other users). The update also included 21 other bug fixes.
<h3>Bad Usernames and Weak Passwords</h3>
When a bot finds a login form, it has the ability the make a large number of login attempts in a short amount of time. The bot will typically have a list of the most common usernames and a list of the most common passwords and will attempt to find a valid combination to gain access to your site’s administrative dashboard. This is known as a Dictionary Attack. 
If your site has a firewall with the correct configurations, the bot will be limited in the number of login attempts it can perform but it will still be able to perform a few attempts before being blocked. If you have a bad username and weak password, those attempts may be enough to hack your site.
If you see a password you use on this list for ANYTHING then it is highly recommended to change it immediately. Some of the most common passwords include:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">123456</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Password</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Qwerty</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Football</li>
</ul>
The site <a href="https://www.f-secure.com/en/home/free-tools/password-generator" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.f-secure.com/</a> will automatically generate a strong password for you to use, just be sure to keep note of the password in a secure place.
Same as passwords, using a common username will increase the chance of your site being breached by a Dictionary attack. Common usernames to avoid include:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">User</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Business</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Admin</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Support</li>
</ul>
<h3>Vulnerability Statistics</h3>
Statistics from the <a href="https://www.wpwhitesecurity.com/wordpress-security/statistics-highlight-main-source-wordpress-vulnerabilities/">WPScan Vulnerability</a> database show that plugins account for 54% of all WordPress security vulnerabilities, themes account for 14.5% and the core files account for 31.5%. 
This may look like that WordPress is extremely insecure, but preventing these vulnerabilities is simply a matter of keeping your WordPress version, plugins and themes updated. When a hack occurs through these vulnerabilities, it is vastly due to the site’s software not being kept up to date.
<h3>Ways to Keep Your WordPress Site Safe</h3>
<h3>01 Keep Regular Backups of your Site</h3>
Keeping regular backups of your site can ensure that in the event your site is hacked, there is a clean version you can revert back to. Once the site is reverted, it is vital to update all the site’s software and change user’s passwords to ensure the site is not hacked in the same way again.
<h3>02 Keep all your Themes, Plugins and Core WordPress Files Updated</h3>
Keeping your themes, plugins and WordPress version updated will drastically reduce the chance of your site being hacked. For additional security, remove any unused themes and plugins. If they are not being used then they are dead weight as they take up memory and are another unnecessary security vulnerability.
<h3>03 Use Secure Usernames and Strong Passwords</h3>
Avoid using a weak password and common usernames to reduce the chance your site will be hacked by a Dictionary attack. Some firewalls have the ability to instantly block IP addresses that try to login with common usernames, ensuring malicious bots are instantly blocked from performing more login attempts.
<a href="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/chained-keyboard.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4532" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/chained-keyboard.jpg" alt="" width="1600" height="900" /></a>
<h3>04 Add Two-Factor Authentication</h3>
Two-Factor Authentication adds an additional step to the login process. After the correct username and password combination are used, a code will be sent to your phone via text message. After entering the code sent to your phone into the login screen, only then will you be able to access the site. 
<h3>05 Limit Login Attempts</h3>
You can reduce the number of times users and bots can attempt to login after a certain amount of failed attempts. This can typically be configured in most firewalls configurations or is applied automatically.
<h3>06 Install an SSL Certificate</h3>
An SSL (Secure Socket Layer) Certificate is an online certificate that authenticates a website and allows it to pass sensitive information safely across the Internet. To learn more about SSL certificates, why not check out our article (written by one of the coolest guys I know!) dedicated to teaching you about SSL Certificates <a href="https://www.api.friday.ie/blog/understanding-ssl-certificates/">here</a>.
<h3>07 Changing the Database Prefix</h3>
When a WordPress site is set up, there are default configuration options that prefix database names with ‘wp_’. So the options table would be called ‘wp_options’. Any default options on a site are what bots will target first. Changing the default wp_ database prefix to something unique is a quick and easy way to increase your site’s security.
<h3>08 Removing Inactive Administrative User Accounts</h3>
Not removing an administrative user that is no longer in use is just adding on to the chances of your site being hacked, especially if the user has a weak password and bad username.
<h3>09 Install a Firewall</h3>
Having a reliable firewall installed on your site is key to keeping your site safe from hackers. Firewalls will intercept traffic to your site before it reaches the site’s code. If the traffic looks like it’s up to no good, the firewall will block it.
<h3>10 Use Google Search Console</h3>
By monitoring Google Search Console you will receive alerts if Google detects that your website is hacked. This could negatively impact on your search engine visibility (SEO) in a big way. Without this, you may lose rankings and your website will appear in search results with a ‘<a href="https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/190597?hl=en">This site may be hacked</a>’ warning, discouraging users from even clicking through.
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
Any website holds some value to a hacker, even if your site is not managing thousands of user’s credit card details. They may want to add your site to their botnet, hold your site ransom, use your good reputation to trick your users into giving up personal information or deface your site with vulgar or controversial messages. 
Preventing hacker’s bots from exploiting your site is a matter of keeping your site’s software up to date, having a reliable firewall installed and using good usernames and strong passwords. Meeting these requirements will drastically reduce the possibility of your site being hacked.
Here at Friday, we aim to keep our client&#8217;s sites safe by providing a highly secure, comprehensive SLA. The SLA is a monthly audit of the site where we perform updates on the core WordPress version and any plugins that have an update available, a review of the site to ensure the site is functioning correctly after the updates have been executed, the installation of <a href="https://sucuri.net/">Sucuri</a> (a top-notch security system), as well as taking daily backups of the site&#8217;s code and database so should any unforeseen failures occur then the site can be rolled back to a working version without any major loss in data.

Security, Hackers, WordPress, and You

Before I start &#8211; upon proofreading this post, Graham pointed out that I made an assumption that people reading this post would understand what usability testing is, he was right. Usability testing is a technique used in UX design to evaluate a product by testing it on users before it is launched. Users are asked to complete tasks on an app or website, typically while they are being observed by a researcher, to see where they encounter problems or confusion. Makes sense?
A big part of our process is discovery, we spend a lot of time getting under the skin of our clients and their customers so we can work out how we can create something really effective &#8211; be it a website, app or marketing campaign. Our approach is centred around what works under the client&#8217;s customers as this in turn usually works for the client.
As an agency, we are advocates for the end user. Our goal is to make everything we create as easy to use as possible and a big part of this is talking to the users about what they want, how they perceive what we have created and if they find it easy to use. The user&#8217;s opinion usually takes priority and ignoring their input is a mistake that is still made too often.
<h4 id="b16b" class="graf graf--h4 graf-after--p">Making Assumptions</h4>
At Friday we work hard to align marketing and user experience. Marketing gives the user a push in the direction of a product or service and good user experience makes sure the user&#8217;s journey is as smooth as possible, they both need to be sharp and working together as they rely on each other. The only way to know if the journey is smooth is to ask the user — we try not to make assumptions and we always keep an open mind. Assumptions can be the enemy of good marketing and UX if they are not properly validated.
Often the people working on a project can be working in a vacuum of familiarity being guided by the opinions of the people with the loudest voices or most influence. This can create a false reality and the focus moves away from what the end user actually wants.
We have seen it time and time again, a client is so sure about what they are offering that they skip asking for input from the only people who matter, the customers. This is a big mistake and can be a very costly one.
<h4 id="aa1d" class="graf graf--h4 graf-after--p">Usability Testing</h4>
Usability testing would usually be carried out on a working prototype and/or a beta version of a website or app. We start by writing up a usability testing script where questions and key tasks are mapped out to ask the user to navigate through. We then recruit 5–7 users from a targeted demographic that is aligned with the client&#8217;s customer base.
Each user would join us for a 30–40 minute session where we watch them interact with the material, complete tasks while asking them to articulate what they are seeing, what they think and what they expect. We record their face, the screen and take notes on any pain points they have throughout the user journey.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-4459 size-large" title="unislim usability testing" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/uni-1-1024x640.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="640" />
You would be amazed how valuable this exercise can be to any digital project, we have discovered problems in key areas of websites and apps that everyone presumed were perfect. It can be a real eye-opener and only when you see it in action can you fully realise its value and how fundamental it is to the UX process.
<h4 id="06aa" class="graf graf--h4 graf-after--p">A False Economy</h4>
Some level of usability testing is essential to the success of any digital project but unfortunately it can and has been overlooked in the past. There are 3 main reasons some clients have given us for wanting to skip usability testing, the first is that they say they already know the product works (we have just addressed this), the second is that it takes time and will slow the project down and the 3rd is the cost of usability testing.
The truth is that usability testing is actually designed to avoid overruns of cost and time as well as ensure what is created actually works at launch. Making changes at the design stage is much easier than after development has been completed, you will save both time and money here.
<blockquote>
It doesn’t make any sense to wait for your actual customers to find problems with your website or app?
</blockquote>
In a lot of cases you have one opportunity to make a sale or conversion online, if there is an issue with UX the user will probably turn away, never to return. <a href="http://whatusersdo.com/blog/12-fascinating-ux-user-testing-stats-to-help-your-business-case/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Recent research</a> has found that 92% of consumers have had a poor customer experience online – one-third of these people will abandon a purchase because they couldn’t find the information they needed. Not only do you run the risk of missing a sale or conversion but a poor or frustrating experience can cause reputational damage, people talk, especially online.
You can probably tell by now that <a href="https://friday.ie/expertise/user-experience/usability-testing/">usability testing</a> is something we feel very strongly about, it is a fundamental part of our process and I know we can’t do the best job possible without users contributing to the end results. Imagine if drug companies didn’t run clinical trials on drugs before doctors started prescribing them or if automobile manufacturers didn’t test drive their cars before releasing them into the forecourts. Madness, right?
&nbsp;

It’s time we spoke about the importance of usability testing!

I spoke before about the right <a href="https://friday.ie/blog/mixing-a-great-content-marketing-strategy/">content marketing strategy</a> being key to winning online, and in particular for inbound ‘intent-led’ search.
In this post, I want to talk about the &#8216;digital customer experience&#8217; and how one of our clients is creating smart content in their space to get in front of and engage with their customers digitally.
<h3>INSURANCE</h3>
Insurance is one of those necessary evils in life for most consumers. Car insurance, health insurance — when we think of them, words like ‘expensive’, and ‘poor value’ might come to mind.
We’ve been working with a smart independent online life insurance broker Nick McGowan of <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="http://www.lion.ie" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="http://www.lion.ie">Lion.ie</a>.
With life insurance, being covered is important but isn’t mandatory (outside of mortgage protection). But it is very confusing for consumers, there’s a lot to get your head around which makes it difficult to sell, particularly online.
The challenge for Nick in communicating with his consumers is big — and being online, he is competing against the might and budgets of the insurance giants.
<blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote graf--startsWithDoubleQuote">“the win that feeds the clients they service comes through the quality of content they produce and their commitment to producing it.”</blockquote>
<h2 class="graf graf--p">Designing a digital customer experience.</h2>
Lion’s primary goal is simple: grow online enquiries for their services.
But how do you go up against the giants in your industry with limited resources?
The answer lies in what it is that you can do to differentiate your business in your space. Your offering, knowledge, how you work, your content.
In Nick’s case, Lion is an independent broker meaning they are not tied to any one insurance provider. This gave them an advantage in that they could talk openly about the market.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4045" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/lion-life-advice.png" alt="lion-life-advice" width="1024" height="512" />
So the strategy was also simple:
use content to answer the questions and problems that people have with life insurance and serious illness. And in a way that is informative, easy to understand and often funny and engaging.
Here are 3 simple things that work so effectively:
Informative: the content explains and demystifies life insurance. It answers broad and specific problems that people may have. An automated email series gives you a free ‘mini-course’ on the subject.
Easy to understand: content is written in honest, plain English — no mystery. This helps create trust with the reader. There are also handy audio versions of many posts.
Humour: content is light-hearted, and witty which helps make it even more engaging. This post on <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://lion.ie/life-insurance/how-do-life-insurance-brokers-get-paid/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://lion.ie/life-insurance/how-do-life-insurance-brokers-get-paid/">how brokers get paid</a> — is a nice example. It uses humour (and mild profanity) to help inform and demystify this subject in a way that again, helps connect with the user and create trust.
The result of this strategy sees Lion.ie ranking in the top 5 or 6 search results for ‘life insurance’ queries in one of the most competitive sectors — a real-life David and Goliath story.
<h2 class="graf graf--p">Essential components of Digital Customer Experience</h2>
This is how we describe what user experience means in simple terms— it’s what it feels like to use a service, a product, or a system.
There are 3 parts to a comprehensive user experience:
Aesthetic experience 
This is what it looks like to engage with your organisation. Your brand, your product design — the quality of your website’s design and layout for example.
Functional experience 
How well does your service work? Again, on a digital channel— does your website load fast, can I make contact, make an application online, make a purchase, etc.
Experience Design 
Experience design is a critical part that most organisations miss.
It isn’t enough anymore to just look good (aesthetic) and work well (functional). Experience design is emotive — it is where we consider what it feels like to engage in a product or service.
In a digital scenario, this can be a challenge, as you can’t touch or smell the experience. How is your product or service described on digital channels? What do others say about what you do?
The clearest evidence of what it feels like to work with Lion is in the testimony of their customers through online reviews and feedback — this is key to the digital customer experience.
This feedback creates trust and makes it easier for customers to make a decision to choose Lion when they’re looking for their services.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4046" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/content.png" alt="content marketing" width="2168" height="1122" />
Lion.ie have been picking up awards all over for the quality of the service they provide, but the first win that allows them to service those clients comes through the quality of content they produce and their commitment to producing it.
As this writer will confess, committing time and effort to produce quality, relevant content is not easy — but it is an essential ingredient in building a digital customer experience and with the right strategy, the results will come.
If you are serious about creating a strategy for your customer experience, talk to us, we’d love to help.
To learn more about Lion’s content, have a look at their Blog: <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://lion.ie/blog/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://lion.ie/blog/">www.lion.ie/blog</a>.
Thank you for reading.

Creating a smart Digital Customer Experience through Content

You’ve probably heard a lot about Voice Search by now. Percentages, stats and predictions about the rise of voice-enabled devices. Let’s ignore that for a moment and discuss the practicalities&#8230;
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3830" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/mugatu-voice-search.jpg" alt="" width="574" height="459" />
Firstly, let’s all calm down.
No, Voice Search is not going to change the world as we know it. But yes, it does have an impact.
Voice Search on mobile phones has been around for many years. It&#8217;s voice assistants such as Google Home and Amazon Echo that are now causing more and more people to pay attention.
It’s likely that voice search on assistants will not be saturated by shorter commercial searches like &#8220;Cheapest iPhones&#8221; for some time.
Mobile and desktop will still be used to actually see a product, engage with product photos and video, compare price and satisfy the need to read more.
And also, Voice Search is just not built for that type of query because it must be seen as impartial.
Voice Search on assistants lends itself well to research-driven queries. For that reason, it&#8217;s more likely to receive and satisfy a query like &#8220;Which version of the iPhone can&#8230; do X?&#8221;
<h3>&#8220;What is important&#8221;</h3>
The instant gratification of getting the right answer to a question on these devices will rarely, for now anyway, lead to a direct sale.
What is important though, is positioning yourself as the one who&#8217;s best able to answer these questions, primarily through <a href="https://searchenginewatch.com/2017/09/04/how-to-optimize-featured-snippets-for-voice-search/">Rich Snippets</a>.
Voice Search on assistants, otherwise known as “eyes-free”, is at present most effective for those interacting with apps, making calls, home automation, playing music, solving a problem, just seeking an answer to a general question, and much more.
Hell, some people may even just be using it to settle a bet or just have a bit of <a href="https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/funny-things-to-ask-google-assistant/">fun</a>!
So some of the more popular voice searches are for things such as finding a location, instructional content like “How do I remove my HUAWEI Mate 10 Pro battery?”, basic information like “How do I find the number for…?” and endless random queries like “How old is Liam Neeson?” … and much more.
Just for the record, sometimes Google Home is wrong &#8211; Liam Neeson is immortal.
If it helps, we also recently analysed over 83,000 voice searches on Google to give a steer on this. People seem hesitant to ask Google about the &#8216;Who&#8217;, &#8216;Why&#8217; and &#8216;When&#8217;&#8230;
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-3826" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/voice-searches-1.jpg" alt="Google Voice Search" width="538" height="448" />
<h3>&#8220;There is a &#8216;Needs Met&#8217; Rating&#8221;</h3>
One thing that most articles seem to ignore is that Google themselves have recently published guidelines on this (keep reading for the link), and they’re surprisingly straight-forward. There is a “Needs Met Rating”.
This is similar to how they already factor in dwell-time; in other words, how long a user stays on your website to consume your content as opposed to hitting the back button and returning to the search results.
So, basically: is the user happy with the answer that Google has given them? Has it met their needs?
It’s simple: Google doesn’t want to give shitty voice answers. Unlike traditional search whereby the answer ultimately comes from your website, this is being delivered as if from Google themselves &#8211; they really don’t want to mess this one up.
<h3>&#8220;Consider this when you write content&#8221;</h3>
So what answers do they like to use?
Very importantly, they take into account the length of a worded audio response. If it’s long enough to satisfy a query, then it’s likely you’ll score high. Consider this when you write content with voice search in mind &#8211; or any content, for that matter.
This does not mean that longer is better. Don’t elaborate too much in your response to a short, succinct question and don’t be too concise for a query that needs a more detailed answer.
Grammar is also taken into account. As with any content, this will be seen by Google’s algorithm as lazy and of low quality, and therefore less likely to be chosen as the best response.
<h3>&#8220;Some Initial Steps&#8221;</h3>
If you’re wondering how to dip your toes in the water here, let&#8217;s suggest some initial steps.
<ul>
<li class="p1">First, take a look first at your website’s blog, FAQ and support content. Is the correct markup in place so that it can also be used in response to a voice search?</li>
<li class="p1">Do your product pages contain content that references the solutions you provide to a user’s problem? This is not a new concept. It should address any queries or concerns that users have about what you offer, even about your sector. It could also call out the nice benefits of what you provide &#8211; how will it make their lives easier or better?</li>
<li class="p1">Have you spoken to the frontline of your customer support? Or, those who best understand the queries that people have about your product, service or even broad queries relevant to your sector? This can help you to formulate content that answers these questions.</li>
<li>Keep your content as non-biased and non-commercial as you can. Google Home is unlikely to use your answer if it says &#8220;We are the best because&#8230;&#8221;</li>
<li class="p1">Lastly, and it’s tougher than it sounds, just put yourself in the mindset of someone who has a voice assistant. What would YOU realistically use it for? What kind of answers would YOU be satisfied with?</li>
</ul>
&#8220;Eyes-free” devices will also take into consideration a user’s location, time of day, their own preferences, search history and more. It has much of this in common with mobile and some desktop searches. Location is important because &#8220;near me&#8221; searches are on the rise due to users assuming that their location is a given.
<h3>&#8220;You need to be cautious&#8221;</h3>
Approaches to optimising for voice search will differ depending on your product, sector, offering, and geographic location. But first and foremost, take a read of what Google themselves have to say <a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/guidelines-eyesfree/evaluation_of_search_speech_guidelines_v1.0.pdf">here</a> and really let the examples sink in.
And remember: like search in general, you don’t want to over-do it. Google has stated that you need to be cautious about rushing out to create tonnes of single-page Q&amp;As to try and dominate voice search. Don’t do it, it’ll be too obvious.
So, there you have it.
If you want to know what impact Voice Search may have on your business then <a href="https://friday.ie/contact/">get in touch</a> and we&#8217;d be glad to chat.

Voice Search Simplified

<blockquote>In this ever-changing digital world, creating websites, apps and content with a slick user experience is a constant challenge.</blockquote>
Yes, in our ever-changing world of smartphones, laptops and other devices, creating a beautiful user experience that works seamlessly in the latest web browsers, whilst also functioning in older ones is a constant challenge.
A lot has been discussed about this topic, but, in short, &#8216;Graceful Degradation&#8216; and &#8216;Progressive Enhancement&#8216; both target the same goal in the user experience; they just approach that goal (literally) from opposite directions.
This is a nice quick post which explains the two and they each can help deliver smarter UX:
<h2 class="graf graf--h3">Graceful Degradation</h2>
<a href="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Graceful-Degredation-100.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-3163 size-large alignleft" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Graceful-Degredation-100-1024x480.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="480" /></a>
The graceful degradation approach begins with a website at its largest size, using the full functionality of modern browsers, and then removes features as the site shrinks responsively for smaller, older browsers and devices.
The aim of this process is to allow access to the basic content of the site whilst ensuring an optimal user experience on less capable devices.
Accessibility is key, ensuring all users can view your website regardless of what browser they use, the more devices and screen sizes your website works on the larger user reach it will have.
<blockquote>&#8220;&#8230;within the next few years, <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="http://thedigitalgrowthlab.com/connecting-the-next-billion-internet-users" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-href="http://thedigitalgrowthlab.com/connecting-the-next-billion-internet-users">over 4 billion people</a> will be connected to the internet via mobile and smartphone devices. Blimey.&#8221;</blockquote>
<h2 class="graf graf--h3">Progressive Enhancement</h2>
<a href="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Progressive-Enhancement-100.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft wp-image-3164 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Progressive-Enhancement-100-1024x480.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="480" /></a>
The progressive enhancement approach builds upwards, by starting with a base level of features that work on all browsers, then adding more advanced features and functionality supported by newer browsers.
<h2 class="graf graf--h3">Choosing One</h2>
As a designer, wireframing and designing using the progressive enhancement method allows you to highlight the most important content that needs to be accessible on all browsers and builds a clear vision of how the site should look on all size devices.
Granted, this might not be the correct method for every job since every client’s goals and needs are different.
But remember, <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="http://gs.statcounter.com/press/mobile-and-tablet-internet-usage-exceeds-desktop-for-first-time-worldwide" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-href="http://gs.statcounter.com/press/mobile-and-tablet-internet-usage-exceeds-desktop-for-first-time-worldwide">Mobile and Tablet internet usage</a> exceeded Desktop for the first time worldwide in October 2016, so there&#8217;s a strong case for it to be considered the more relevant method.
It&#8217;s also expected that, within the next few years, <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="http://thedigitalgrowthlab.com/connecting-the-next-billion-internet-users" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-href="http://thedigitalgrowthlab.com/connecting-the-next-billion-internet-users">over 4 billion people</a> will be connected to the internet via mobile and smartphone devices. Blimey.
<h2 class="graf graf--h3">Summary</h2>
So:
<ul>
<li>Graceful Degradation &#8211; Designing with a baseline that takes advantage of the functionality available in modern web browsers, and then removes features as necessary, ensuring a functional solution for older browsers.</li>
<li>Progressive Enhancement &#8211; Designing from a baseline of basic features supported by all web browsers, then adding more features as and when newer browsers support those features.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Jamie Geoghan is a Senior UX and Digital Designer at Friday. He&#8217;s from London and he&#8217;s a proud Millwall fan.
Catch more of Jamie&#8217;s posts <a href="https://friday.ie/blog/author/jamie/">here</a>.

Intelligent UX: Graceful Degradation vs Progressive Enhancement

When it comes to User Experience (UX), most people will already know what a micro-interaction is, without knowing what a micro-interaction is. When you hover over the title of an article on a blog and the text changes colour, you know, or assume, it is a link that can be clicked. Similarly, when you hover over a button on a website and it changes colour, you know that when you click the button, something will happen. It&#8217;s these little visual cues, as well as many other subtle indicators, that make up the wonderful world of micro-interactions.
Consider the following scenario; you&#8217;re trying to log in to your favourite website, you have typed in your username and password and you&#8217;ve clicked the &#8220;Log In&#8221; button. What now? In most cases, you will see some indication that you are currently being logged in or an error warning to say you&#8217;ve entered the incorrect login details. These indicators are also examples of micro-interactions.
<h3>What are micro-interactions?</h3>
The term micro-interactions was coined by Dan Saffer, who subsequently wrote a book on them called <a href="http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920032496.do" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Microinteractions, Designing with Details</a> which is well worth a read.
Micro-interactions are the functional, interactive details of a product. These details can greatly enhance the UX when using a product or can be terribly detrimental to the users&#8217; experience. In the example of the website login above, if there is no indication that the user has entered their details correctly or incorrectly, how will they know what action to take next and how will they know whether they can complete the task they planned to work on? Micro-interactions are not necessarily features, but they definitely matter.
Saffer defines the four main components of micro-interactions as:
<ol>
<li>Trigger &#8211; What starts the micro-interaction. This can be the click of a mouse by the user, something that happens automatically within the system or something that is caused by an external interaction.</li>
<li>The Rules &#8211; When the interaction begins, something happens and the rules define what that is.</li>
<li>Feedback &#8211; This provides an indication to the user that something has happened and what the outcome of that action is.</li>
<li>Loops and Modes &#8211; These define the nature of the interaction; does it repeat, what happens over time?</li>
</ol>
<h3>Where to use them?</h3>
Micro-interactions are everywhere. From logging into a website or adding a product to your online shopping cart to switching on an appliance or when your bread has finished toasting. All of these examples of human interactions with a system and feedback being provided can be considered micro-interactions.
With regard to micro-interactions specifically on websites and mobile apps, there are many instances where a well-implemented micro-interaction can greatly improve the UX. One of the more important instances is when building forms on the web.
It is imperative that the end user knows what details they are required to input and that they are given easily-digested feedback once they have entered information or submitted the form. Feedback such as email address or date format and allowable characters in a password should always be made clear to the user, and not just after they have entered their details and clicked &#8220;Submit&#8221;.
Aside from entering information into forms, another vitally important use of micro-interactions is when a user has clicked a button. In most, if not all instances, when a user has clicked a button an action will take place. When the user has clicked a button, or before that, when they have hovered over a button, they should be given some feedback to indicate if there is an action taking place or if an action has finished.
The below buttons show possible designs for some of the different states of a button. The states shown are the default, hover, active, error and success.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-3198 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/button-states.png" alt="" width="1100" height="60" />
Some examples of both well implemented and poorly implemented micro-interactions are outlined below.
<h3>The Good</h3>
One website I particularly like when it comes to UX and their use of micro-interactions is Amazon. When making a purchase of any item on Amazon the user is given feedback at every step in the process and it&#8217;s perfectly clear what information is required from the user at the address entry and checkout stages.
Once an item has been added to the user&#8217;s cart, there is a very clear and concise message displayed to confirm the user&#8217;s action.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-3183 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/added-to-cart.png" alt="" width="1179" height="92" />
&nbsp;
When adding a new shipping address placeholders are used within the form input fields to indicate to the user what information would be suitable.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-3184 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/address-security-access-code.png" alt="" width="489" height="68" />
&nbsp;
If the user enters incorrect details or omits required details, a message is displayed showing what details are missing and the form fields that require the user&#8217;s attention are highlighted.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-3182 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/add-card-validation.png" alt="" width="799" height="314" />
<h3>And The Bad</h3>
Up until November of last year, Twitter displayed a character count when a user was composing a new Tweet. The indicator was a number showing how many characters had been entered and the colour of this number would change to red when the user approached the character limit. Most users knew that a Tweet has a maximum of 140 characters so they knew when they had reached the character limit. It didn&#8217;t seem like it would make a huge difference to users if this was changed so as part of an update to their platform, which allowed users to enter 280 characters in a Tweet, they also changed the character counter to a circle that would fill with a blue line as characters were entered. Again this indicator changed colour to red when the user approached the 280 character limit.
The new circular indicator took away the instant feedback that users had become accustomed to when writing a tweet. They no longer knew how many characters they had available before reaching the character limit.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-3185 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/tweet-character-count-circle.png" alt="" width="592" height="205" />
As a result of this seemingly small change, there was a huge backlash among the Twitter community which was well documented both on the Twitter platform and among online publishers, such as <a href="http://mashable.com/2017/11/07/twitter-character-count-circle/#K.x7fXORcOqj" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mashable</a>. This example shows that not only can a micro-interaction help to provide feedback to the user but these micro-interactions can become an element of consistency that users demand when using a website or an app.
<h3>In conclusion: Why micro-interactions are important for UX</h3>
Micro-interactions play an essential role in a user&#8217;s understanding of computer systems. They give the user feedback, both good and bad, on what the current status of the system is, what the result of their actions will be or what has already happened as a result of their action and tells them what they should do next.
This feedback can add an element of personality to a user&#8217;s experience when interacting with a website or app. They can be used to take away the dull, negligible aspect of using computer systems and make it far more enjoyable and memorable. This is their greatest contribution to User Experience.

Micro-Interactions And Their Role in UX

I first wrote a post covering this topic in 2015 but things have changed a lot in terms of technology and our process has evolved accordingly, so I wanted to revisit my article and update it for 2018.
It’s not easy starting a new web development project if it&#8217;s not an industry you already work in, most people who create websites are usually not web designers or developers. It can be a minefield of technical and marketing jargon and there is a long list of things to consider throughout the project as well as after the website goes live.
If you don’t have a lot of experience in creating websites the chances are you haven’t considered everything that needs to be done in order to make sure you get the best possible results and the process to use. It is important to choose the right team to collaborate with and develop the right <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://friday.ie/blog/web-design-process" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">process</a>, not just for design and development of your website but in marketing and support when the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://medium.com/r/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.friday.ie%2blog%2Fwordpress-websites-10-things-to-do-before-going-live%2F" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">website is live</a>. Good website development planning is key to successful project delivery.
The aim of this list is to make sure you are informed and have realistic expectations of what’s ahead. These steps form part of what we do for any web development project at The Friday Agency but if you can start considering this stuff it will go a long way in helping you get an informed proposal and quote to help you get the best possible results.
<h4 id="e019" class="graf graf--h4 graf-after--p">1. Research</h4>
No matter how confident you are about what you are creating, you need to back it up with research. First off you need to sense check and find out if there is a market for your product or service. How will users want to engage with it online and when you have planned and designed your website? You will want real users to give you feedback (especially if you are selling directly online), more about this later.
<h4 id="4912" class="graf graf--h4 graf-after--p">2. If you have an idea, then have a plan</h4>
Planning is everything in this business. The more attention given to the detail before design and development are carried out, the faster it can become a reality and it will show in the quality of the execution. We would spend roughly 30–40% of our time on a website project in the planning stages.
Give your website careful thought, create a roadmap and establish your goals and objectives. If you are selling online make sure your offering has a unique selling point.
<h4 id="f279" class="graf graf--h4 graf-after--p">2. Create a sitemap</h4>
Create a sitemap, this can just be a list of the web pages or sections showing a hierarchy of content and functionality, a bit like a family tree with the homepage on the top. Also think about the user journey, how they will navigate through the website and the experience you want them to have.
<h4 id="aaad" class="graf graf--h4 graf-after--p">3. Think about content</h4>
Your sitemap will give you an idea of the <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://medium.com/r/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.friday.ie%2blog%2Fmixing-a-great-content-marketing-strategy%2F" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">content</a> you need to create but when you start to drill down into it you may find gaps or it will spark a great idea for something you didn’t consider before. Content should always be created before any wireframe or design is looked at, see my post about this <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://friday.ie/blog/content-first-approach-creating-website" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">here</a>. Also, think about who is going to create the content — be it text, <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://friday.ie/blog/photography-web-design" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">photography</a> or video, will you do it yourself or will you need your agency to help with this? Also, have you considered <a href="https://friday.ie/blog/seo-if-you-think-best-expensive-wait-hire-bad-one/">SEO</a> as an integral part of your content plan?
<h4 id="5c04" class="graf graf--h4 graf-after--p">4. Listen to your audience</h4>
Too many times we have seen websites or apps created on what the business owner(s) think will work, the reality is that they, and even the web development agency, will be too close to the project to see some of the most obvious issues in terms of the offering, user experience and messaging. Try to avoid making assumptions, in the end it doesn’t really matter what you think, it only matters what the end user thinks. Usability testing on any project is essential. Real users in front of the actual interface will tell you so much and will often surprise the creators, its well worth the time and effort &#8211; I can’t stress this enough. More about usability testing <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://friday.ie/blog/usability-testing-fancy-why-should-we" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">here</a>.
<h4 id="4531" class="graf graf--h4 graf-after--p">4. Marketing</h4>
&#8220;If you build it they will come&#8221; — unfortunately, it doesn’t always work like this, there is a lot of noise out there and, like anything, you need to shout for attention. Any website launch should be coupled with <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://friday.ie/blog/the-digital-strategy-battlefield" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">marketing activity</a> — social media, SEO, PPC, online display, email marketing, press releases, sponsorship…and that&#8217;s just the off-site activity you should look at. We’d advise you to also have an on-site content creation strategy — it doesn’t have to be a big deal but some activity with regular website updates will help keep the site fresh for your users as well as the search engines (they love active websites). If you don’t tell people about your website it won’t get any traffic and that would ultimately be a waste of time and money. Marketing your website is as important as building it so talk to us about how we can help you drive traffic to your new creation.
<h4 id="4688" class="graf graf--h4 graf-after--p">5. Ongoing website management</h4>
Your website is live, what now? Web development isn’t just for Christmas, its for life! The software will need to be updated, backups made, security scanning and hosting will need to be managed, and that’s just on the technical side. <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://medium.com/r/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.friday.ie%2blog%2Fmixing-a-great-content-marketing-strategy%2F" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Content</a> will need to be freshened up, products updated, QA testing, enquiries responded to and regular activity to promote good SEO is also very important for your website&#8217;s visibility in the long term. Take all of this into account in terms of time, resources and budget.
<h4 id="4234" class="graf graf--h4 graf-after--p">6. Have a timeline</h4>
When does your website need to be live? We can guide you on this based on the brief but it helps if we know your expectations at the start. Try to avoid rushing a project. We would usually split a website project into 4 main stages (with sub-stages within each). Planning, design, development and testing.
<h4 id="4909" class="graf graf--h4 graf-after--p">7. Establish your budget</h4>
Which comes first, budget or brief? Well both, you need a brief in order to get a quote but keep in mind how much you want to spend. If you have a budget, make sure it meets your ambition — for example, a budget of €2,000 for a custom e-commerce website is unrealistic, if you can communicate this within the brief it can help save a lot of time. However, if you have no idea, that&#8217;s ok too &#8211; we can help to guide you.
<h4 id="63cc" class="graf graf--h4 graf-after--p">8. Write a brief</h4>
If you have followed the steps above, well done — you are organised and ready to write or discuss a concise yet detailed brief that any digital agency can read and get a really good insight into your requirements. This will also start the collaboration process, when there is no confusion the ideas will flow and your project can only benefit from this. Showing this level of thinking and organisation may also bring your costs down, often when everything is laid out clearly the task at hand looks easier.
The Friday Agency is here to help if you need any advice or assistance in creating a brief or collaborating on a website project, <a href="https://friday.ie/contact/">talk to us</a>, we’d be delighted to add real value to what you have in mind.

The Essential Website Development Planning Checklist

In recent months you may have heard about SSL certificates and how important it is that your website has one installed, but it can be difficult to validate the purchase of one of these certificates without really understanding what they do and why they are crucial. This article will outline the main aspects of SSL certificates and help you get a better understanding of what exactly they provide.
<h3>What is an SSL Certificate?</h3>
An SSL (Secure Socket Layer) Certificate is an online certificate that authenticates a website and allows it to pass sensitive information safely across the Internet. Even if your website does not accept credit card details, having an SSL certificate installed on your site greatly increases the security and privacy of the site by not only protecting user data but by ensuring that users are connecting to the correct website and not an imposter site.
<h3>How Does an SSL Certificate Work?</h3>
To protect sensitive data that a website sends across the Internet, an SSL certificate will encrypt and authenticate that data. That’s great, but what does that actually mean?
<h4>Encryption</h4>
When data sent across the Internet is encrypted, it is scrambled into an undecipherable mess which can only be read and understood by the web server with the correct encryption key. The information you send via the Internet is typically passed along multiple computers to get to its destination web server. 
Without an SSL certificate, the information sent through can intercept and be read by those computers. That includes credit card details, usernames, passwords and any other sensitive information you send to the web server. However, when an SSL certificate has been installed on a website, the information sent becomes unreadable to everyone except the web server (which has the encryption key) you are sending the data to.
<h4>Authentication</h4>
As well as encryption, an SSL provides authentication so you can be sure the sensitive information is being sent to the correct server. This helps prevent users from sending sensitive information to a server posing as the correct server. SSL providers which are trusted will only issue an SSL certificate to companies who have gone through various checks to confirm the company&#8217;s identity. 
So how do you know if an SSL provider is trusted? Web browsers verify that the SSL providers follow certain rules that ensure that the SSL certificates they provide are fit for use on the Internet. If an SSL certificate is installed on the site that is from an untrusted SSL provider, then your browser typically won’t actually let you onto the site at all or provide warnings that the site is unsafe.
<h3>How Can I Tell if a Site has an SSL Certificate Installed?</h3>
Depending on the web browser you use, there are slight variations that let you know that a site uses an SSL certificate. Typically, in the URL bar in your browser, the website will be prefixed with “https://”. So “www.google.ie” would be in the URL bar as “https://www.google.ie”. Additionally, there will be a small padlock icon beside the URL address. The image below shows how Google Chrome lets users know that a site has an SSL certificate installed.
<a href="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/https-chrome.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-3135" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/https-chrome-300x48.png" alt="" width="300" height="48" /></a>
<h3>Why Should I Have an SSL Certificate Installed on my Site?</h3>
If you are running an eCommerce site or a site that accepts credit card details, an SSL certificate is a requirement. This is because when a website accepts credit card details, it must show that it is following the Payment Card Industry (PCI) standard. 
The PCI standards are a set of security rules that apply to any business that stores, processes, accepts and transmits credit card information and ensures that information is handled in a secure environment. One of the checks of the PCI standard is that an eCommerce website is using a valid SSL certificate.
Google has announced that sites that are using a valid SSL certificate will be given a ranking boost over sites that do not have an SSL certificate installed. Google also have future plans for marking sites without a valid SSL certificate with a “Site not secure” warning. This will largely impact site web traffic and performance by not only ranking the site lower in search results but also affecting user trust.
<h3>Are there any Disadvantages to Installing an SSL Certificate?</h3>
The pros of having an SSL certificate installed on a website vastly outweigh the cons, this gap will only become greater as time goes on when Google starts to penalise non-SSL sites. The cost of an SSL certificate would be the main disadvantage. Depending on your site set up and the type of SSL certificate the site requires, the price for an SSL certificate can potentially become quite steep.
Performance can become a disadvantage for very large sites, but generally is not a problem for smaller sites. This is because since the data being sent has to be encrypted by the server, it takes up more of the server’s resources compared to if the data was not encrypted. However, even with larger sites, if the server has enough resources allocated to it then performance will not be an issue.
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
Overall, it is highly recommended to invest in an SSL certificate no matter what type of website you have. The vast increase in site security and privacy for users and their data is an important web standard to uphold. Having an SSL certificate installed will also likely increase the site’s Google search results ranking and will also help ensure user trust is kept as Google will be marking all sites without an SSL installed as unsafe in the future.
The cost of the SSL is the only real disadvantage but given that the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages, there is no real reason for a site to not have an SSL certificate. They’re simply not optional any more.

Understanding SSL Certificates

The most common browsers in use in Ireland <a class="markup--anchor markup--h4-anchor" href="http://gs.statcounter.com/browser-market-share/all/ireland" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-href="http://gs.statcounter.com/browser-market-share/all/ireland">at this time</a>, and shortcuts for clearing your browser cache, listed below.
<h4 class="graf graf--h3">Chrome: Desktop</h4>
On your browser Toolbar, click More &gt; More Tools &gt; Clear Browsing Data. 
Check Cached images and files and then click Clear Browsing Data.
PC Shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+Delete (To Open Settings) 
Mac Shortcut: Shift+⌘+Delete (To Open Settings)<a href="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/chrome.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-3101" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/chrome.png" alt="" width="400" height="535" /></a>
<h4 class="graf graf--h3">Chrome: Mobile</h4>
On your browser toolbar, tap More (⋮). Tap History, and then tap Clear browsing data.
<a href="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/chrome-mobile.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-3103" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/chrome-mobile.png" alt="" width="400" height="711" /></a>
<h4 class="graf graf--h3">Safari: Desktop</h4>
Safari &gt; Clear history.
Although poorly named “Clear History” this command actually clears all caches and cookies from the browser as well as the browsing History.
<h4><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-3109 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/safari-e1511446904155.png" alt="" width="290" height="359" />Safari: Mobile (iOS)</h4>
Open the Settings app and navigate to Safari &gt; Clear History and Website Data.
&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/iOS_safari.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-3107" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/iOS_safari.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="711" /></a>
<h4 class="graf graf--h3">Firefox</h4>
Click the menu button and choose Preferences. 
Select the Privacy &amp; Security panel. 
In the Cached Web Content section, click Clear Now.
PC Shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+Delete 
Mac Shortcut: Shift+⌘+Delete
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3105" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/firefox.png" alt="" width="867" height="440" />
<h4 class="graf graf--h3">Internet Explorer</h4>
Tools (via the Gear Icon) &gt; Safety &gt; Delete browsing history.
PC Shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + Delete
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3106" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/IE.png" alt="" width="678" height="352" />
<h4 class="graf graf--h3">Android</h4>
Tap the menu icon &gt; Settings. Tap Privacy or Privacy and security. Tap Delete Personal Data. Select Cache and Cookies and tap Delete.
If you have an older device or version of the app, you should see options to Clear cache and Clear history here. Tap them to clear them.
Note that this process will vary slightly between devices and operating systems.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-3102" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/android.png" alt="" width="400" height="715" />
<h4 class="graf graf--h3">Edge</h4>
Click on the menu button situated in the upper right corner. Click Settings &gt; Clear Browsing Data. Check Cached Data and Files, and Cookies, click Clear.
PC Shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + Delete
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-3104 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/edge-e1511445984395.png" alt="" width="357" height="588" />
<h4 class="graf graf--h3">Opera</h4>
On a PC click on the Opera button in the top left corner &gt; Settings &gt; Delete Private Data.
On Mac, from the Opera drop-down menu, select Clear private data.
&nbsp;
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3108" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/opera.png" alt="" width="239" height="282" />
<h3>WTF is caching?</h3>
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Have you tried turning it off and on again" width="500" height="375" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p85xwZ_OLX0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Often when a client calls with an issue on their site, particularly one that’s undergoing development, I feel like Roy from <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0487831/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0487831/">The IT Crowd</a> — except instead of saying “Have you tried switching it off and on again” my line is “Have you tried clearing your cache?”
Sometimes I feel like a broken record, but this can definitely be frustrating for a client who is calling with an issue and the first thing I‘m telling them is that it’s an issue with their browser and not the website.
The reason for this is that we need to rule out the simplest potential causes for an issue first, before digging deeper. Sometimes the issue is caused by caching, sometimes not, but taking the relatively short amount of time to do this will rule out caching as a potential issue, potentially saving a lot of time down the line.
Without getting into too much fine detail, we can break caching down into two broad types; Browser Caching and Server Caching. When I ask a client to clear their cache, I’m referring to the Browser cache — while they&#8217;re doing that I’ll check and clear the server cache in the background. Let’s get a sense of both:
<h4 class="graf graf--h3">1. Browser Caching</h4>
Your browser is the software application you use to access the internet, e.g. Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer.)
When you first visit a website through your browser, your browser will download all of the necessary assets needed for that website to function, this will generally consist of stylesheets, fonts, javascript files, etc. The types of assets will vary greatly between individual sites.
Your browser will save and remember these types of files locally for a while, so that when you revisit or browse to different pages on the site, that these assets aren’t downloaded every single time. The result? Much faster load times for repeat visitors.
<h4 class="graf graf--h3">2. Server Caching</h4>
Server caching is a much more complex beast when you break it down, but essentially the goal is the same — to speed up load times for users.
Instead of being specific to your local machine, these caches run on the website server, so instead of saving data for individual users via their browser, they save and remember requests for all users. Leveraging Server caches (to improve performance) can be done in various ways, but if done properly can lead to much faster load times for your website.
We leverage server caching on a number of sites we manage here using Firewalls. Firewalls work to protect your site from a security point of view, protecting from unauthorised access. Enabling caching further strengthens the resilience.
By default, our servers clear their caches in intervals of 3 hours. So making a change on your website may not be visible for this time period. It will however take effect effect once the server caches have cleared either automatically, or manually.
Depending on your set-up you may be able to clear server caches in the admin area of your website, but this will vary from website to website.
Happy Caching!

How Do I Clear My Cache?

Search Engine Optimisation has gotten a bad name. It’s often called a Black Art, something I’m growing weary of because it’s too big and important to dismiss it as such. SEO professionals or agencies are often answerable to this, and in some cases rightfully so&#8230;
There are some very bad SEO practitioners out there, opportunists who saw it as an easy sell for something non-quantifiable.
How can even the most reputable SEOs convince someone that we’re not like the rest, especially when someone has already been ‘burned’ by one, sometimes more than once? SEO is not regulated or audited, so it’s difficult to find the best. Many will opt for the cheapest because, well, “they’re all the same”. Well, they’re not. Some are actually very, very good.
<blockquote>&#8220;Perhaps You Didn’t Ask The Right Questions&#8221;</blockquote>
A friend recently told me that she was about to engage with the services of a wedding planner and really wanted to work with her, but she was unsure as to how reputable or effective she is. Sure, there was positive word-of-mouth, even some good reviews on her website. But in an industry where excellent results are subjective, it can be easy to convince clients that you will do, and have done, the best job possible.
It’s relatively easy to use emotional or other triggers to convince them that what they got in return for their hard earned, (supposedly) well-invested money was to the best standard available. You take their word for it, after all, what do you have to compare it to?
Most people only get one shot at a wedding, and in the wrong hands, this can lead to a life-long regret. “Of course hiccups happen”, they may say, and then you’ll convince yourself that this is true and move on. Perhaps the problem was that you didn’t ask the right questions to begin with.
<blockquote>&#8220;So-Called SEO Experts Who Don’t Give a Shit&#8221;</blockquote>
Now let’s bring it back to SEO. If you’re thinking of engaging with an SEO professional or agency then there are some pertinent things to ask before doing so.
SEO has a bad name in some circles and if we’re honest with ourselves then it’s down to the bad practice of many so-called SEO experts who don’t give a shit about your business or its performance.
They want your money, plain and simple. They’ve seen the business opportunity that innately comes from offering a service for which results can be subjective and someone else might even be responsible: “But Google changes all the time!”.
Over the past few years, I’ve acquired new clients or pitched SEO services to potential clients who were very unaware of what SEO truly is or what an effective SEO strategy should be. They know they need it, but they don’t truly know what it is.
My job has been to cut through the bullshit, talk specifically about their business goals and what this channel (or channels) can do to increase their bottom line and visibility. I want to know that they&#8217;re comfortable they are seeing a return on their investment, even if it’s not always 100% measurable. Agencies and marketing professionals, in general, have their own reputation to think of, but it’s those who are also truly dedicated to yours that really stand out.
Also over the past few years, I’ve taken on SEO for clients who had engaged in previous services and some of my findings were worrying, to put it politely. Having been given a ballpark figure as to how much was being paid on a monthly basis so that &#8220;SEO is taken care of&#8221;, clearly no attention had been paid to some of what we know to be core ranking factors.
In one client’s case, there were sponsorships, charity initiatives, public speaking events, memberships, partnerships. conferences, and much more in the previous six months that could have very clearly lent themselves to relevant and effective links. None of this was ever even mentioned. The previous reports showed rankings for keywords that were misspelled, irrelevant, unachievable… and those that were relevant had no strategy in place in order to achieve higher ranking for them.
<blockquote>&#8220;In the Wrong Hands SEO is Not Just Done Badly &#8211; It Can Be Dangerous&#8221;</blockquote>
And then there’s the very bad…. clients who have worked with an agency who have built links of no value across multiple countries and platforms, and even links that are potentially damaging to their Google visibility. Let’s make one thing clear: if you are an online-only business then in the wrong hands SEO is not just done badly &#8211; it can be dangerous.
If you are not a well-established domain with some good historical links to counter-act spammy activity, then you can be removed from search results. It might only be temporary, but it means that for a period of time your largest online channel is gone, and that’s Google organic search.
<blockquote>&#8220;If you think it&#8217;s expensive to hire the best, then wait until you&#8217;ve hired a bad one.&#8221;</blockquote>
In some instances, I have contacted previous agencies and specifically asked for my client’s historical link building reports so that I can reverse the damage that was done. This can be rectified, but of course it’s best avoided.
Unlike Google AdWords Partner status, there is seemingly no way to make a complaint about an SEO professional or agency who have taken your money to knowingly employ tactics that have no impact or can seriously damage your businesses’ online visibility and reputation. When I say there’s ‘seemingly’ no way, I refer to the assumption that nobody cares, you’ve just got to move on and fix it.
However, if you look at Google’s own Webmasters content, they are subtly pointing you in the right direction <a href="https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/35291?hl=en">here</a>. The suggestion is that you report this wrongdoing to the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network. There’s even a specific journey for those who have been sold ad space or directory listings.
<blockquote>&#8220;They Are Knowingly Putting Your Business at Risk&#8221;</blockquote>
I’ve already done this on numerous occasions, in particular, last year with regard to a Dublin-based digital agency (who shall be un-named) who have three different names, three different websites, all at the same address &#8211; who purposely, and perhaps still do, build harmful links.
Unless they have no internet access, they’ll be aware that these tactics are not just dangerous, but have been redundant for at least 10 years. Bottom line: they are knowingly putting your business at risk &#8211; and you’re paying them to do so.
My advice to those who are in doubt is to first speak to someone impartial so, in other words, someone who comes with strong recommendations. If they feel that you have been treated unethically then you should report it. With this, <a href="https://friday.ie/expertise/digital-marketing/search-engine-optimisation/">we can help</a>.
So, it’s about asking the right questions. Not just if you are looking for SEO services, but you should also ask those of your current agency or provider. For example…
<ul>
<li>Can you show me some examples of strong relevant links that you have influenced for other clients?</li>
<li>How will your SEO strategy fit in with our business goals?</li>
<li>What do you report on? Note: If reporting amounts to just monthly rankings and traffic then forget it because finding valuable data can be even easier than hiding it.</li>
<li>How much have you learned about our business?</li>
<li>How will you audit our content and how do you propose coming up with a detailed approach to our content for the next 12 months?</li>
<li>How much will this cost?</li>
</ul>
There are so many more questions, and it’s important to note that it’s highly likely that choosing SEO services based on lowest cost alone will lead to the wrong decision. If you think it&#8217;s expensive to hire the best, then wait until you&#8217;ve hired a bad one.
SEO takes time, effort, creative thought, marketing know-how &#8211; it’s not just about keywords, meta tags, fixing broken links and making new shiny ones.
So if you ever need a wedding planner then feel free to use the cheapest provider. Just be sure that they understand your requirements and wishes, be sure that they won’t send invites to people in other countries who have never heard of you and have no interest in attending, do not let them build you a Wix &#8216;bride and groom&#8217; website and promise you #1 on Google for “best wedding”… or better still, annoy the hell out of your venue owners so that the whole party is called off.
If you want it done right then you may not get the cheapest option, but it may turn out to be the best decision.
Treat it like you&#8217;ll only ever get one shot at it.

SEO: If You Think The Best Are Expensive, Wait ‘Til You Hire a Bad One

Over the years I have written a post or two about our process for planning, designing and developing a website or app. It’s always evolving as technology changes, we learn new techniques and come across fresh challenges. I find looking back at how I used to do things is a bit like looking at old photos of myself &#8211; cringe! Time highlights how experience has given us new tools, expertise and knowledge that we didn’t have before, such as the content first approach.
While the core of our process hasn’t changed dramatically, what is always changing is what’s happening inside each of the main stages. What I find is that the sequence of events is critical to the success of a web project. Each stage feeds the next and working ahead without completing a previous step can often have a negative effect on the project and the quality of the output.
<h2 class="graf graf--h3">Prioritise Content First</h2>
Content is the life blood of a website or app, it’s what your audience come for, whether it&#8217;s a brochure, eCommerce, data capture, information or entertainment. Content creates the design, functionality and purpose of your website or app. Form follows function and the function is usually based on the content.
It’s not uncommon for us to be asked by some clients to begin the UX and design process before the content is ready, a requirement usually created by project time constraints. The problem with this is that we are creating the information architecture, wireframes and design by guessing what the content might be and how much of it there is. Using “lorem ipsum” as placeholder text and through wireframes and dummy images in design is no substitute for actual content. In fact its not uncommon to still see placeholder text go unchecked on a live website. It&#8217;s a mistake to create content to fit a design. You make a shoe that fits the foot, not find a foot that fits the shoe.
From experience the design first approach will usually result in multiple design changes being required after the website or app has been built. This is a counter productive way of working and can effect the project timings and the budget. We also find that if the design is not tailored to suit the content it can often end up looking less bespoke, more generic and not fit for purpose.
<h2 class="graf graf--h3">Why Content First?</h2>
When we use a content first process we are taking the content centre stage, this ensures we consider the opportunities, constraints and implications of content on our designs. We can think about how to display the actual content so it’s easy to digest, especially on mobile. The content will inform and drive the design and that’s when good UX design takes the delivery and communication of content to the next level of experience.
Content creators should be closely involved in the planning stages of any project and they should work closely with the UX designers, project managers and developers. It’s key that everyone understands what is expected and what the common vision is.
<h2 class="graf graf--h3">Jamie&#8217;s Story</h2>
Jamie, one of our UX designers here in the studio told me a story about a client he was working with when he was in a previous company, the client had a new product they wanted to launch online and he asked Jamie to work with him on creating a promotional landing page for the product. Their initial conversation went something like this.
<blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote">Client: 
“I need a design for a web page that explains how our new subscription product works, I want to put it live next week.”</blockquote>
<blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote">Jamie: 
“No problem, can we get together and look at your content. I can sketch a wireframe and then I’ll come up with a first draft of the design.”</blockquote>
<blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote">Client: 
“I don’t have any content yet, I was hoping you could design something that I could look at before I work on the content.”</blockquote>
<blockquote class="graf graf--blockquote">Jamie: 
“But if I don’t know what the content and functionality is, how can I create a design for it?”</blockquote>
I have heard people suggest that the choice between content or design first is an eternal question, like &#8220;which came first, the chicken or the egg&#8221;? This simply isn’t the case, it&#8217;s always content first, there is no debate.
<h2 class="graf graf--h3">Best Practice</h2>
Copy should be written with an idea of how it will be displayed on-screen. It should be written with many questions in mind — should there be a more concise version of the content for mobile devices? Does it need accompanying graphics or icons to get the point across? How will a piece of content work with the other content on the rest of the page? When it comes to images, if we are supplied images after the site has been designed are they going to work and fit into our layout and will they work across responsive screens?
All this detail needs to be worked out through close collaboration between the UX designers and the content creators and the final wireframes should always feature content that is as close to approved as possible in order for a final design to begin in earnest.
Timings can be a challenge for any project, it may sound like a good idea to work on content and design in parallel and in isolation to save time but from experience the opposite is true, it&#8217;s simply counter-productive. Using actual content (both text and images) throughout the design process will inform and guide design decisions and result in designs that scale well and communicate effectively as the content intends. Everybody wants the best possible output.
What is your process? How do you handle content creation in the mix of UX, design and development? Let us know in the comments below.

The “Content First” Approach to Creating Your Website

We are delighted to have picked up an award at the 2017 IIA Net Visionary Awards for Best use of Video in Digital Marketing.
The award went to the &#8216;Know your Rights&#8217; video and campaign we created for the Data Protection Commissioner.
<h3>The Campaign</h3>
The campaign was launched to create awareness amongst individuals and businesses in Ireland around rights in relation to electronic marketing messages and the opt-in / opt-out system.
The campaign was a huge success, with our video reaching 350k watches in the first 4 weeks of it&#8217;s release.
A big thanks in particular go to Robin and Mary who put a lot of work into the production of the video. Watch below.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Data Protection Commission Ireland - Know Your Rights" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CMsfK-G6AFM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Friday is has been working closely with the Data Protection office on a number of new digital marketing campaigns, including the upcoming General Data Protection Regulation (<a href="http://gdprandyou.ie/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GDPR</a>) which will come into force across Europe in May 2018.
The GDPR is the most important change in data privacy regulation in 20 years and brings significant changes for B2C marketing.

Friday lands award for Best use of Video in Digital Marketing

While shopping online recently I found myself on the <a href="https://www.kilkennyshop.com/">Kilkenny Shop</a> website. I decided to make a list of 8 UX design improvements that I think could help enhance their customer experience.
So this isn&#8217;t a website roast. Granted, the Kilkenny Shop hasn&#8217;t got the experience you&#8217;ll find at some of the biggest eTailers such as ASOS.com or Amazon, but it does have a solid content structure and it&#8217;s easy to navigate.
<h3 class="graf graf--h4" style="text-align: center;">1. Increase Column Width</h3>
Show me more! First off, the 3 column grid is narrow and accommodates some lovely sized products shots, but it&#8217;s restricting the number of products I can see, especially on smaller screen sizes.
Since there is no side bar filter, the content could be expanded to 4 columns, while adding the ability to switch the grid size between more or less products on show in the results bar, <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="http://www.asos.com/?ic=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="http://www.asos.com/?ic=1">ASOS</a> have implemented this perfectly.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-2945 aligncenter" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Shop-example.png" alt="" width="1280" height="1185" />
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-2946 aligncenter" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/ASOS-example.png" alt="" width="1280" height="1185" />
<h3 class="graf graf--h4" style="text-align: center;">2. Filter by Brand</h3>
Since each department contains multiple brands with up to 100 product results, it&#8217;s not enough to just have a ‘sort by name’ filter. The user needs the ability to filter by brand. This addition would greatly improve the speed it takes users to narrow down their search and buy.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-2947 aligncenter" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Name-filter.png" alt="" width="1280" height="290" />
<h3 class="graf graf--h4" style="text-align: center;">3. Clearer Information</h3>
Important information that should be clear and stand out on this results page are the product name, price, and the ‘buy now’ button. Although the button is prominent, it’s completely overpowering the more important element &#8211; the price.
The price is actually the smallest detail and is almost completely lost &#8211; it should be much clearer for the user. An easy fix.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-2948 aligncenter" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Samll-price.png" alt="" width="1280" height="450" />
<h3 class="graf graf--h4" style="text-align: center;">4. Categorise by Alphabetical Order</h3>
Pet hate of mine this one &#8211; when the product navigation isn’t categorised alphabetically.
When you have a large inventory of product types this is even more important. The faster people can find what they want, the quicker you can move them through to the checkout process.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-2949 aligncenter" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/A.png" alt="" width="1099" height="508" />
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-2950 aligncenter" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Alphabetical.png" alt="" width="1099" height="508" />
<h3 class="graf graf--h4" style="text-align: center;">5. ‘Buy Now’ Button Redirect</h3>
This is very annoying! Yes I added the product to my cart, but I want to keep shopping! Stop dragging me to the checkout, I&#8217;ll pay when I’m ready.
This button should be called ‘Add to Basket’, leaving the user satisfied that it&#8217;s in the basket and free to continue shopping.
It&#8217;s a frustrating process as a user, having to keep clicking ‘continue shopping’ after being rushed to the checkout page, and as the seller you risk missing an opportunity to sell more.
Let the user shop till their hearts content and they’ll decide when its time to checkout.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-2952 aligncenter" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Redirect-to-basket.png" alt="" width="1280" height="594" />
<h3 class="graf graf--h4" style="text-align: center;">6. Better Content Visibility</h3>
Hidden away in the thin header bar is the cart and promotion message, granted its where you would expect to find it on the page, but it needs to be bigger and clearer.
Users will become impatient if they have to stop and think to find links as this slows buyers down.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-2953 aligncenter" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Small-header-bar.png" alt="" width="1280" height="192" />
Firstly, the users basket is squashed between the Sign in, Wishlist and Currency buttons, it doesn’t stand out at all and the white text against the grey bar can be difficult to read, especially for visually impaired users.
The basket could be swapped with the social media icons as they have been give slightly more prominence they need.
Additionally, a nice feature that could also be added is a colour change or a dropdown widget to the basket text, making it absolutely clear when the basket area has updated when the user clicks ‘buy now’, let them know they&#8217;ve “Successfully added” a product.
Secondly, why is the Free Delivery promotion so small? This could be largely improved by adding colour or even pulling it out in a slightly larger bar that sits below the navigation, you are trying to encourage the user to spend more money, shout it! See how <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://www.size.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://www.size.co.uk/">Size</a> do this below.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-2954 aligncenter" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Promo-bar.png" alt="" width="1280" height="835" />
<h3 class="graf graf--h4" style="text-align: center;">7. Better Page Structure</h3>
The product page is a just mass of unstructured content and is suffering from information overload.
The page has a good balance of product information and caters for the quick shopper and also the shopper who needs every last product detail with other options, it just needs a better structure.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-2955 aligncenter" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Product-example.png" alt="" width="1280" height="1185" />
The first thing you notice is that there is no space between the top navigation bar and the product area. This would be a perfect place to pull out the ‘Free Delivery’ promotion, creating a clear break area in the content whilst giving the user that added incentive to add more to their basket.
Make the photo bigger. Users love large photos with the ability to zoom in, it&#8217;s the closest they can get without physically holding the product. Bigger, better product images can increase conversions.
The ‘You may also like’ section has also been given too much prominence on this page and can be relegated below the product information or the fold, it automatically rotates through products and is just a distraction.
<h4 class="graf graf--h4"></h4>
<h3 class="graf graf--h4" style="text-align: center;">8. Pop-ups</h3>
Pop-ups on websites can be particularly annoying.
This pop out window appears when you are inactive on the site for a while. The content isn&#8217;t relative to anything I&#8217;ve recently clicked on or based on anything I&#8217;ve searched on the site, so its irrelevant to me and there is no ‘don’t show this again’ button.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-2956 aligncenter" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Pop-out-example.png" alt="" width="1280" height="1185" />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">The Solution</h3>
So, lets see what all this looks like when put into practice. I&#8217;ve quickly mocked up some new layouts below.
This one shows the department landing page reworked using the existing content with the additional filters.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-2957 aligncenter" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/NEW-Shop.png" alt="" width="1280" height="1473" />
The next design shows an improved purchase process, the product being added to the basket is clear, and the user remains on the shop page offering a more seamless shopping experience.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-2958 aligncenter" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/NEW-Shop-added-to-basket.png" alt="" width="1280" height="1473" />
The final visual shows the revised product page, the layout has been re-structured to improve the reading order and moving secondary content below the page fold.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-2959 aligncenter" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/NEW-Product-page.png" alt="" width="1280" height="1473" />

8 UX Design Improvements for the Kilkenny Shop

Great design isn’t just about simple aesthetics or about pleasing the client, but rather it’s about pleasing the end user. User experience invokes emotion and happy users make happy customers, which in turn makes happy and successful clients.
UX as a discipline is a massive field that industry leaders have been investing in for some time now, often hiring teams of UX specialists to work alongside their designers and developers to advance their digital products.
Whether you’re running a large online presence such as Amazon or Apple, or a much smaller one, we at Friday believe that the same principles of UX theory should be applied and scaled to benefit even the smallest online presence.
UX design is a core service provided by Friday, and a vital component of that offering is usability testing.
There are a plethora of UX research methods that are well documented and proven to give solid results. The range of methods can be divided into two broad categories; Qualitative and Quantitative.
Quantitative Research refers to statistical or numerical analysis of data obtained through surveys, card sorting exercises, or the analysis of existing data such as Google Analytics and/or A/B testing.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-2919" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/fr-election.jpg" alt="" width="610" height="407" /> 
Quantitative data from an Exit Poll during the 2017 French Presidential Election. Source CNBC.
Qualitative Research is essentially exploratory research, including interviews, focus groups, eye-tracking, and of course Usability testing. To simplify the key differences, Qualitative tells us the “What?” and Quantitative gives the “Why?”.
It’s best to employ as many research methods as possible, the restraints will be budget and resources. There really is no excuse not to perform any level of user research on your website.
Here we will focus on the Quantitative method of Usability testing, which is a relatively quick and cheap method, but one that we’ve seen first hand can generate incredibly useful and often surprising results.
It will often highlight the issues that may be preventing your app or website from reaching its full potential with your user base.
<blockquote>
Simply put, usability testing always pays off. We&#8217;ve never experienced a situation that hasn&#8217;t benefited from it.
</blockquote>
<h3 class="graf graf--h3">Usability Testing Process</h3>
When we perform a usability test, first we will gather a group of people who match the profile of the target audience, (for example this might be women between the ages of 30 and 55 who shop online regularly ), and ask them to perform a specific action on the website.
Each user will perform the test in a controlled and monitored environment. They will be asked some background questions first to identify their position in the target market, age/gender/ occupation/internet usage etc.
They will then be made aware that they will be recorded for the purpose of the test and that this recording will not be shared with anybody outside of the project. We will explain that we are testing a product and not the testers themselves, and we will ask them to articulate their thought process as they navigate through the process. This will often mean progressing through a website slower than they might normally do in order to articulate each step of the process.
Clear impartial objectives will be given, which will vary depending on the product being tested and the particular component of the website that the test needs to focus on. For example, this might be to find a certain product on the site and complete the checkout process in order to test the organisation of products on a site and the ease of the checkout process.
While the user is performing this task, we will record both the screen and their facial expression, and take detailed notes on each step and pain point encountered by the tester. This will often uncover interesting issues in the process that might not have been noticed by a client or designer that are very familiar with the product being tested.
It&#8217;s important that the user is not steered or asked any leading or rhetorical questions.
As a general rule, 5 separate usability tests are enough to provide accurate test data for comparison (<a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-many-test-users/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-many-test-users/">source</a>). Once the tests have been performed and compiled, patterns can be identified where issues are present. For example perhaps 4 of the 5 users had clear difficulty finding the product on the site, indicating that the product organisation and presentation would need to be looked at.
Information can then be gathered and pooled using methods such as card sorting which helps to group and prioritise issues.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-2922 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/card-sorting-ux-friday-1024x768.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="768" /> 
A Card Sorting session in action at Friday Agency studios.
<h3 class="graf graf--h3">Cost</h3>
Usability costs can be low if you can gather 5 friends or colleagues unfamiliar with the product to volunteer their time. You can also recruit existing customers by offering them a reward or voucher for their time. A usability test generally takes about an hour per tester.
In terms of the invaluable results that usability testing produces the investment is really quite small and should be considered as a key component of a digital product rather than an additional cost.
<h3 class="graf graf--h3">Benefits</h3>
Simply put, usability testing always pays off. We&#8217;ve never experienced a situation that hasn&#8217;t benefited from it.
Without usability testing, the design of a website will be dictated by a collaboration between designer and client. Both will approach the project with bias, be they aesthetic or assumptions on how the user will understand the product.
The only sure fire way to ensure that you can understand how your user is experiencing your service is to perform usability testing.
Analysing users behaviour, assumptions and pain points will reveal issues that you may not know existed, or didn’t think were relevant enough to warrant attention. Actually seeing a user&#8217;s frustration as they struggle to perform a task on the website can be a real eye-opener. If people are frustrated by your website they’re unlikely to proceed, and you could be losing customers because of some basic (and often easily fixed) usability issues.
We recently performed a usability test where users actually got so frustrated with the unclear pricing information on a website that they said they would abandon their cart in a real-life scenario. Seeing real-life users articulating such frustration gave us the undeniable proof that something needed to change here. In the end, it was a simple re-wording of the pricing information that completely transformed the user&#8217;s attitudes.
Usability testing will always indicate patterns and pinpoint the pain points of a users experience. That, in turn, will lead to solutions to resolve these pain points and ultimately lead to a good user experience for your customers.

Usability Testing. Sounds fancy, why should we?

Over the years we have approached UX design using a variety of different processes and techniques in order to perfect our service. That’s the beauty of working in a relatively new and fast-moving industry, to a certain extent you need to learn through trial and error, you learn from how other people work and take away what you think will work for you, your clients and their users. We are never finished learning and developing our process, we are always improving how we work.
<h3>Not to be confused with content first design</h3>
Before I launch into an article about content led responsive website design I want to be clear that this is not about content first design. Content first is a methodology that sits alongside form follows function. The structure and layout of a website or app will be determined by the content it is going to display. Designing software without content is a flawed process, if the content comes first then the layout and UX will flow from this. All clear? Great, let&#8217;s get to the topic in question.
<h3>Mistakes of the past (and present)</h3>
It was about 6 or 7 years ago when responsive web design became the standard. For us, the process of creating a great user experience across the variety of devices and screens sizes has improved dramatically. New technology has helped along the way with better usability testing, responsive grids, frameworks and a more fine-tuned process. Designers are getting better at this by working more closely with developers but there are 2 issues I am seeing come up again and again. The first is that there are UX designers still not designing for mobile first, I continue to be stunned by this fact and you can read my rant about this <a href="https://friday.ie/blog/designing-websites-mobile-first-for-a-better-user-experience/">here</a>. The only time you should start designing desktop first is when the majority of your users are using desktop PC’s and in most cases, this is a very small amount of websites.
The other key mistake I see UX designers making is designing websites using the same 3 fixed size templates for mobile, tablet and desktop. Mobile sizes have changed since the days of the 4&#8243; phones, there are phones the size of small tablets and tablets the size of big phones, tablets range from 7.9&#8243; all the way up to 12&#8243;, this is around where laptops and desktop screen begin and they can go beyond 80&#8243;. So in terms of pixels, you can be sure your website will be viewed on screens with any width from about 320 pixels all the way up to desktop monitors with 5,000 pixels running across the screen. Designing for 3 fixed sizes of mobile, tablet and desktop simply isn’t good enough anymore.
<h3>What screen sizes do we design for?</h3>
The answer is that you shouldn’t design for any screen size. The layout should be fluid and the content should decide the layout of the screen. When the content needs space, give it space. When the content won’t fit, change the layout. When the content is breaking, add a breakpoint. Start by designing for the smallest mobile (320 px) and see how the content adapts by quickly testing your designs with a wider and wider canvas until it reaches a point where it needs a new layout to adapt to the increase in screen space. Pick 3–4 break points from the smallest up to your max screen size. Using this technique your website will look good on all devices now and into the future. Use the screens real estate but also use the white space to highlight the content and calls to action.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2898" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/all.png" alt="" width="620" height="313" />
The website examples above are displayed on a large 5.5&#8243; iPhone 7 Plus. The phones here are displaying website content that was designed for a much smaller 4&#8243; phone that was more popular maybe 3 or 4 years ago. You can see the content sits in a narrow single column where in some cases there is only about 50% of the screens real estate being utilised. If they let the content decide the layout you would have a much richer and more engaging user experience with less scrolling.
<h3>Bootstrap and other frameworks</h3>
Some developers have become reliant on frameworks with older pre-defined breakpoints like Bootstrap and Foundation. Unfortunately, these frameworks can age and become obsolete very quickly. You can change the breakpoints but people are lazy and tend to use the defaults that were set maybe 3 or 4 years ago. Good testing will highlight the issues very quickly and you will be found out but with little effort and good collaboration between designers and developers you can future proof a website in a way that won’t come back to haunt you.
Your clients probably won’t thank you, they probably won’t even notice but at least they won’t come back to you in 3 years time complaining that their website looks crap on the brand new 24 ft holographic cinema screen that they just set up in their back garden.
Let us know what you think, what&#8217;s your process and how do you work?

Responsive UX Design: Let the content lead the layout

So you’ve got an online shop, it’s tipping along nicely. Great stuff. Let’s make it better… and by better, I mean let’s get it making more money.
The tips below apply to all eCommerce sites, if you’ve already got them all up and running well then congratulations, the pints are on you!
<h3 class="graf graf--h3">1. Think about your categories</h3>
Perhaps the simplest but most often overlooked &#8216;must-do&#8217; is how you categorise your products on site for users. The more products you are selling, the more important this becomes. As a shop manager you will be intimately familiar with the product range, but the way you categorise products may not be as evident to your new potential customers.
User testing is the best way to pin point any issues. You can also analyse your analytics reports to see how users navigate the site, and address areas that could be improved. Is there a drop off when users hit certain categories? Perhaps they didn’t find what they expected to see there.
Analyse user journeys to see if users are taking the most logical route through the site, if not, then perhaps your website’s UX needs to be looked at. Don’t be afraid to place products in more than one category if it makes sense.
Keep your categories relatively broad, and then use filtering options to allow users to pin point the products they are looking for.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-2844 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/babyElegance_cats.png" alt="The Furniture category on babyelegance.ie" width="620" height="1183" />
<h3 class="graf graf--h3">2. Online Chat</h3>
If you have the capability to manage an online chat facility then this can be a great way to gain users trust, answer any questions they have about your products, and increase your conversion rate.
Online chat can also act as a long term form of user testing. Keeping records and analysing chat queries can highlight questions that keep arising (pain points), and point you towards areas of your site that might need attention and clarification. The main point to note here is that <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://blog.kissmetrics.com/live-chat/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-href="https://blog.kissmetrics.com/live-chat/">studies show</a> that having a live chat facility on your website will directly influence sales, if managed properly.
<h3 class="graf graf--h3">3. Instant search / predictive search</h3>
Make sure users who come to your site knowing exactly what they want can find it easily and as quickly as possible. Instant and predictive search will guide the user straight to the product their looking for.
<a href="http://www.ikea.com/ie/en/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-2846 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/ikea_search.png" alt="Predictive search on ikea.ie" width="326" height="491" /></a>
<h3 class="graf graf--h3"></h3>
<h3 class="graf graf--h3">4. Display Related / Bestsellers / Featured Products</h3>
Your eCommerce homepage should show at least Featured products if not all of the above. You need to hook users from the get go, so showing a selection of the most in demand products, or seasonal items will encourage clickthroughs.
<a href="http://www.oasis-stores.com/ie/homepage"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-2847 size-large" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/oasis1-1024x280.png" alt="Featured Products on the Oasis homepage" width="1024" height="280" /></a>
The product that a user navigates to should never be a “dead end”. Always show related items / suggested items. This can create up-sells on what may have been a single sale otherwise. I can tell you that it’s worked on me more than once. (OK, a LOT more than once).
<a href="http://www.oasis-stores.com/ie/homepage"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-2848 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/oasis2.png" alt="Cross sells and upsells" width="1093" height="433" /></a>
The bottom line? Product recommendations are responsible for 10–30% or eCommerce site revenue. Not one to be ignored.
<h3 class="graf graf--h3">5. Customer Accounts and Wishlists for easy re-purchasing</h3>
While every eCommerce site should allow guest checkouts (22% of users will abandon a cart if they’re forced to sign up — <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://vwo.com/blog/vwo-ecommerce-cart-abandonment-report-2016/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-href="https://vwo.com/blog/vwo-ecommerce-cart-abandonment-report-2016/">source</a>), you should also allow users to save their details for easy repurchasing. This benefits the customer in that they might be mores inclined to repeat purchase if they don’t have to complete all of their details again, and allows you to contact them via email (assuming they agreed to follow up contact).
It also allows them the ability to save a wishlist of products that they are interested in but not ready to purchase right now. If they register and save their Wishlist, you can send them an email when an item on their wishlist is on sale for example, incentivising them back to your store. Wishlists can also be created by guest users, and can be stored using cookies for up to 30 days, so that their Wishlist items are visible when they return to the site within that time. Make sure your design allows for the Wishlist items to be displayed prominently to the user, and fallback gracefully if no Wishlist items have been saved.
You now have some audience information that you can use going forward to target the customer with direct advertising, or tailored mails. Be clever with the information collected from your user (without being obtrusive or asking for too much of their time) and you can develop a wealth of knowledge on your consumer base that can be used in future marketing strategies.
<h3 class="graf graf--h3">6. Create scarcity to create demand.</h3>
Showing stock quantities, or low stock indicators can drive sales.
I know from experience. I recently was trying to book a room in Clonakilty for a friends wedding and panic booked a B&amp;B a few km outside the town due to the indication that no rooms were available in the main hotels in the town at the time. Lo and behold I input the same search terms today and see that rooms are available.
While I’m currently kicking myself that I didn’t contact the hotels directly, or do more research, it shows that time-poor consumers can be persuaded to purchase based on the indication that they won’t have the chance again.
<h3 class="graf graf--h3"></h3>
<a href="http://www.booking.com/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-2852 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/booking.png" alt="Scarcity creates demand" width="800" height="645" /></a>
<h3 class="graf graf--h3"></h3>
<h3 class="graf graf--h3">7. Shipping</h3>
One of the biggest reasons for abandoned carts? Shipping Costs. Specifically, customers are shocked by the price increase when they get to the checkout and see shipping costs added to the basket subtotal. With regard the customers abandoning their carts before checkout have been <a href="http://rejoiner.com/abandoned-cart-email-guide#chapter1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported to be as high as 56%</a>. So offering free shipping will increase conversions straight off the bat, but statistics show that it can also <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/49379910" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/49379910">dramatically increase sales</a>.
The solution? Offer free shipping options when possible. According to a Wharton study conducted in 2014, shoppers tend to spend nearly 30% more if free shipping is included. The feasibility of offering free shipping will vary on a case by case basis, but the potential sales increase should be noted.
You should consider some or all of the below if you aren’t ready to offer outright free shipping just yet:
<ul class="postList">
<li class="graf graf--li">Free shipping over a certain amount</li>
<li class="graf graf--li">Offer free shipping on products with higher margins</li>
<li class="graf graf--li">Offer free shipping across the board, with an optional “Express Shipping” option at a higher margin. Customers who cannot wait can make up the difference in shopping costs.</li>
<li class="graf graf--li">Make shipping free for account holders. This encourages sign ups, which allows you to target your customers effectively and increase long-terms customer loyalty and repeat business.</li>
</ul>
<h3 class="graf graf--h3">8. Emails — talk to your audience</h3>
Assuming you have permission to contact your customers, (by integrating an explicit permission field in the checkout form, or an implied consent through T’s and C’s), you can use your knowledge of the market to target them directly. The success of your email marketing will depend on how well you know your audience, their likes and dislikes and shopping habits. You’ll also need to get the tone of voice right.
Make sure to get your brand personality across in a personal way. Don’t just mail out a list of products that you want to sell, you need to speak to your customer and highlight items that they might want to buy based on previous buying habits, age range, gender etc. Segment your email database as best you can so that your messaging can be as relevant and engaging as possible.
This is something that iClothing do very well. For example the email I received last week below, (on International Women’s Day).
This is a good example of keeping your customer interactions personal and relevant. The Primary message calls out International Women’s day, the supporting message offers you 20% off all orders for that day only.
&nbsp;
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-2851 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/iClothing.png" alt="iClothing direct Mail" width="672" height="1148" />
You should also use emails to specifically target customers who Abandoned their carts, sending a friendly reminder that the items are still in stock, or offering a discount on one or all of the products to convert the sale. As mentioned earlier, Wishlist reminder mails can also increase conversions.
You can refine and improve your email marketing strategy by conducting A/B testing, adjusting your send times to see if you get better open rates in the morning vs the afternoon, etc.
<h3 class="graf graf--h3">9. Leverage customer reviews</h3>
Enabling product reviews can generate content for you to use in marketing campaigns or on site. Reviews from previous customers will create a sense of trust and a personal touch that users will appreciate. We’ve displayed customer reviews prominently on the homepage of <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="http://www.thebabybox.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-href="http://www.thebabybox.com/">The Baby Box</a>.
<a href="http://thebabybox.com/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-2850 size-full" src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/babybox_review.png" alt="Babybox Reviews" width="582" height="431" /></a>
<h3 class="graf graf--h3"></h3>
<h3 class="graf graf--h3">10. Get social!</h3>
The majority of social media eCommerce conversions come from Facebook. If you want to drive sales through social media, this is where you should be concentrating. Coming up behind Facebook are the other visual channels, Instagram, Pinterest, and Polyvore.
Your Social Media strategy should be well considered. Share quality images of your product, and make sure your brand is recognisable. Again, you’ll need to think about your target audience here and what they’ll want to see, not just memes that you find funny…
Your brand should have a real personality, make one up if you need to! Give him / her a name, personality traits, even a picture, whatever helps you understand the personality that you should consistency be portraying across social media.
This means that even if you have a team of people managing your social media channels, they all do so with a clear and consistent tone of voice.
Make sure you have the time and people power to manage your social media presence properly. Too often it becomes an afterthought to “real work”. Interacting with your customers online can drive sales, increase customer loyalty, and add a “human” face to your brand. Keep it friendly and helpful and you can’t go too far wrong.
Don’t put a chat bot in charge. ASOS <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/05/25/does-asos-have-bots-running-its-facebook-page/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/05/25/does-asos-have-bots-running-its-facebook-page/">were embarrassed back in May last year</a> when they were accused of having automated bots running their Facebook page…
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-2849 " src="https://www.api.friday.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/asos_fb.png" alt="Asos Bot Social scandal" width="508" height="199" />