If only web sites were more like cars.

By Stephen Gilmour, Lead Consultant.

The first rule of designing a web site is to try and design a web site like a car.

The beauty of a car is, regardless of where in the world you are, every car operates in the same way; there is a steering wheel at the front of the car which turns the wheel; there is an accelerator on the floor which revs the engine and, by pressing the pedal and turning the wheel, the car will take you wherever you want to go.

Each car therefore has a consistent level of core basic usability, however, that doesn’t mean every experience in every car will be the same. Each car has its own distinct personality, defined by colour, shape and features; each will offer distinct and different experiences and serves a variety of business and personal needs.

More importantly, most cars work!!! From a usability perspective, most web sites do not work and do not offer a trouble-free user experience.

While most companies now have a web site presence, most do not have the perfect mix of usability, purpose, message and business model to succeed.

However, that is not to say it is easy to create the right mix of usability, technical sophistication and individuality that customers require. Having spent many years researching both business and personal customers needs and requirements from the internet, one thing is sure, their expectations vary from site to site.

To ensure that the customer experience of your web site is a good one, and the right one, it is essential to conduct some form of usability assessment prior to, during and post-web site development and launch. In fact, many of the most successful blue-chip companies around the world conduct annual usability programmes to ensure their sites always provide the best and most usable experience possible.

At Power Marketing, we have a range of web site usability solutions which can be tailored to individual company requirements, whether the web site is large or small, for information purposes only or offering straight-through processing.

To find out more about what Power Marketing can do to improve your web site and the online customer experience email Stephen Gilmour or call us.