Posts Tagged ‘usability’
We’re committed to changing the way we do things around here. A lot.
One of the changes on the horizon is to push our design services in a direction closer to a human-centered approach. That’s a tall order when we practice a medium that is roundly criticized for doing more to make people anti-social than anything else. Adopting design methods historically reserved for industrial design and product development won’t be easy in interactive design, but we’re committed to it as a path for Gorilla.
Aren’t you just talking about user-centered design?
I get that question a lot. In some ways yes, but Chad Camara has a post on his blog that encapsulates the differences very well in my opinon. We’re striving to focus on real, human improvement in our offering, not just improving efficiency. I will be challenging all of Gorilla’s clients to consider how their product or service improves the lives of their customers. Focusing on holistic design concerns in addition to efficiency is something we’re seeing as critical to the mutli-channel environment. People are smart enough these days to know when you’re trying to sell to them versus have a relationship with them. For a lot of our clients, user-centered just isn’t going to cut it anymore.
We’ve got a lot of work to do in this respect. The ephemeral nature of digital media is going to be an advantage and a drawback. The technology moves far too quickly to be mired in research for too long, but the relative ease of deployment means when you consider the long view, you can take a cyclic approach that will put human concerns first.
It will be interesting and challenging no doubt to see where this direction takes us in the years to come.
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Attractive online store fronts that allow for a speedy shopping experience for customers and an increase in sales for merchants are usually the crowd pleasers. However, sometimes designers struggle to create thoughtful and innovative layouts for Magento sites without crippling essential usability features. Finding the right balance between beauty and function while keeping the user engaged with eye-catching design is crucial to ecommerce success.
This post highlights 13 creative and inspirational Magento sites that push the boundaries of design on the Magento platform. Some of these sites might have elements that sacrifice usability for beauty. Observing these examples can inspire new design ideas and educate us on usability mistakes. A few reoccuring themes throughout these sites are excellent use of white space and minimalism, detailed product photography, and engaging typography.
Shure Axient
Grenson
Jamón Premium
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1. Requirements Definition. Clients need to spend time internally and/or with their agency partner to outline their business, functional, brand, design, platform, and integration objectives.
2. eCommerce site should be your flagship store. Concentrate on your brand positioning and exceptional design as this is the store 70% of your consumers will view prior to a purchase in any channel. You should also ensure you have a Customer Support strategy online that your customers expect.
3. eCommerce Design. Next generation eCommerce solutions should be enjoyable shopping experiences that keep it simple and clean. Gone are the days of putting as much information as possible on a single page. Navigation and messaging should be clear so the customer knows exactly what they are ordering and don’t abandon the purchase anywhere in the process.
4. Ensure your products are findable. This can be done in several ways including design, catalog design, click path to sell, strong site search, faceted navigation or search.
5. Product Information. Provide enough product information to keep your client informed. In apparel its imperative to provide sizing chart that is consistent along with color/style configuration so clients can see on screen their actual item. There are plenty of rich media options if applicable.
6. Integrations. There is a long list of potential integration points, but all eCommerce channels should be fully integrated and automated to improve customer experience and process efficiency.
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Gorilla has carved a niche helping apparel companies better position their eCommerce channel with better design, usability, functionality, and integration utilizing Magento Enterprise. This is not a bad market to serve since it grew 17% last year with expected double digit growth over the next 3 years outpacing electronics and computer hardware and software.
This growth does not include the web influenced offline sales that are tough to measure for many multichannel retailers. 70% of consumers have researched online prior to an offline purchase.
Many younger tech savvy consumers are buying their apparel online especially when they find a brand and site that meets their shopping experience expectations. Many of our clients and others in the apparel industry are trying to create an experience similar to an offline purchase using visualization tools, fit explanation and consistency along with lenient return policies. Mastering the cross channel experience is not walk in the park, but companies now understand the importance of consistency.
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