The “scatter shot” approach of throwing a bunch of information or products on a page of a website is not always the best method to attract customers. By keeping it simple, we help the user focus on the services or products that you want to sell instead of forcing them to forget why they visited your site in the first place. A couple quick thoughts that I have on simple website design:
1. Keep it clean. An uncluttered layout is aesthetically pleasing and easy to use, and it will make your customers happy increasing the chance that they return.
2. Easy navigation. Don’t force your customers to have to try to find your products or the information that they’re looking for. If your grandma can figure out how to use your site, you are in good shape. Also, by reducing clicks you will see higher returns.
3. Show only what is needed to make the sale. It’s okay to give the user lots of information, just make sure that they want it. Use a link such as “Learn more” to give your users the option of viewing a page with a lot of information.
4. Reduce columns. Some designers use columns to separate content so that they can add even more content to fill out the page. The more columns a site has, the more emphasis it takes away from what the user is looking for.
5. No stress. If you are running an e-commerce store, take away any added stress in making purchases. Give less options. Make sure that products display sensibly, eliminating extra thinking or decisions. A streamlined buying process will help ensure the customer comes back again.
As users, we want to find information and make purchases quickly without it requiring a Ph.D, so why would we treat our customers any different?
