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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Assumptions made in the boardroom using outdated demographic data or a hunch someone on the marketing team has is no longer a way to create a successful product or service.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.

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" width="400" height="208" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13573" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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" class="aligncenter wp-image-13570 size-large" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/imore-facebookprivacy_03-700x491.png" alt="Apple Privacy" width="700" height="491" srcset="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/imore-facebookprivacy_03-700x491.png 700w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/imore-facebookprivacy_03-250x175.png 250w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/imore-facebookprivacy_03-768x539.png 768w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/imore-facebookprivacy_03-120x84.png 120w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/imore-facebookprivacy_03-80x56.png 80w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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" width="480" height="480" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13572" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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" width="480" height="384" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-13574" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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

Why design systems are important: A single source of truth

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" class="aligncenter wp-image-10883 size-full" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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" class="aligncenter wp-image-10882 size-full" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/joshua-hoehne-8nOnIx4Mq64-unsplash-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2048" height="1365" srcset="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/joshua-hoehne-8nOnIx4Mq64-unsplash-scaled.jpg 2048w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/joshua-hoehne-8nOnIx4Mq64-unsplash-250x167.jpg 250w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/joshua-hoehne-8nOnIx4Mq64-unsplash-700x467.jpg 700w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/joshua-hoehne-8nOnIx4Mq64-unsplash-768x512.jpg 768w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/joshua-hoehne-8nOnIx4Mq64-unsplash-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/joshua-hoehne-8nOnIx4Mq64-unsplash-120x80.jpg 120w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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" class="aligncenter wp-image-10887 size-full" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/icons.png" alt="" width="1366" height="376" srcset="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/icons.png 1366w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/icons-250x69.png 250w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/icons-700x193.png 700w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/icons-768x211.png 768w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/icons-120x33.png 120w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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" class="aligncenter wp-image-10888 size-full" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bad.png" alt="" width="1900" height="1153" srcset="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bad.png 1900w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bad-250x152.png 250w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bad-700x425.png 700w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bad-768x466.png 768w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bad-1536x932.png 1536w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bad-120x73.png 120w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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" width="1678" height="884" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10884" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/toptal-blog-image-1513007406573-201f3896bd3ec49768d7127ad2f96b6b.png" alt="" srcset="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/toptal-blog-image-1513007406573-201f3896bd3ec49768d7127ad2f96b6b.png 1678w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/toptal-blog-image-1513007406573-201f3896bd3ec49768d7127ad2f96b6b-250x132.png 250w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/toptal-blog-image-1513007406573-201f3896bd3ec49768d7127ad2f96b6b-700x369.png 700w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/toptal-blog-image-1513007406573-201f3896bd3ec49768d7127ad2f96b6b-768x405.png 768w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/toptal-blog-image-1513007406573-201f3896bd3ec49768d7127ad2f96b6b-1536x809.png 1536w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/toptal-blog-image-1513007406573-201f3896bd3ec49768d7127ad2f96b6b-120x63.png 120w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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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</figure>

10 UX Myths – Time to take out the trash!

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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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" class="aligncenter wp-image-10700 size-large" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/graph-700x595.png" alt="" width="700" height="595" srcset="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/graph-700x595.png 700w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/graph-250x213.png 250w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/graph-768x653.png 768w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/graph-1536x1306.png 1536w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/graph-120x102.png 120w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/graph-80x68.png 80w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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" class="aligncenter wp-image-10702 size-gallery-panel" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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" class="aligncenter wp-image-10703 size-gallery-panel" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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" class="aligncenter wp-image-10704 size-gallery-panel" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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" class="aligncenter wp-image-10705 size-gallery-panel" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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

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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/blog/mobile-first-thinking/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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" class="aligncenter wp-image-8875 size-full" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/expertise/user-experience/ux-design-dublin/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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" width="500" height="495" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-8876" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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" width="338" height="589" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-8877" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/work/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/work/">Work</a> and <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/contact/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/expertise/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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" width="373" height="649" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-8878" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/visible_menu.png" alt="" srcset="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/visible_menu.png 373w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/visible_menu-250x435.png 250w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/visible_menu-120x209.png 120w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/expertise/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/expertise/user-experience/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/contact/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-href="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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 <a href="https://www.edelman.com/trust-barometer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2019 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" class="alignnone wp-image-8797 size-full" title="trust barometer" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/blog/importance-of-ux-research/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-href="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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.
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

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 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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-href="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/">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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/contact/">Talk to us</a>
You may even sell more spades.

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

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" class="wp-image-4797 size-large" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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" class="wp-image-4798 size-large" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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" class="wp-image-4799 size-large" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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" class="alignnone wp-image-6869 size-full" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Adidas.jpg" alt="" width="1434" height="809" srcset="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Adidas.jpg 1434w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Adidas-250x141.jpg 250w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Adidas-768x433.jpg 768w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Adidas-700x395.jpg 700w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Adidas-120x68.jpg 120w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Selfridges.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-4802 size-large" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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" width="1434" height="809" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6864" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Hem.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Hem.jpg 1434w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Hem-250x141.jpg 250w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Hem-768x433.jpg 768w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Hem-700x395.jpg 700w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Hem-120x68.jpg 120w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Puma.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-4804 size-large" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/QCTerme.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-4806 size-large" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Interword.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-4807 size-large" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Buzzfeed.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-4809 size-large" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/LinkedIn.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-4810 size-large" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Apple.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-4812 size-large" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Barclaycard.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-4813 size-large" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Guinness.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-4814 size-large" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Zurich.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-4815 alignleft" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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

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" width="990" height="320" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-6875" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/UIvsUX2.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/UIvsUX2.jpg 990w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/UIvsUX2-250x81.jpg 250w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/UIvsUX2-768x248.jpg 768w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/UIvsUX2-700x226.jpg 700w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/UIvsUX2-120x39.jpg 120w, https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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?

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" class="aligncenter wp-image-4459 size-large" title="unislim usability testing" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4045" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4046" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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

<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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Graceful-Degredation-100.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-3163 size-large alignleft" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Progressive-Enhancement-100.jpg"><img loading="lazy" class="alignleft wp-image-3164 size-large" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/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://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/blog/author/jamie/">here</a>.

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