In 1993, Coca-Cola launched its now-iconic “Always Coca-Cola” campaign with striking visuals of smiling people enjoying a Coke against vibrant, eye-catching backdrops. 

These images told a story, evoked emotions, and made the brand instantly recognizable. Fast forward to today, and the same principle applies to websites: the first image a visitor sees sets the tone.

That’s how a hero image should be: a bold, attention-grabbing featured image that welcomes users to a website and immediately conveys a brand’s message, mood, and purpose.

But how can a hero image be created, and what makes it truly effective? In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know—from its purpose and best practices to real-world examples you can take inspiration from.

What Is a Hero Image and Why Does It Matter?

A hero image is the large, eye-catching banner at the top of a website, often the first thing visitors see. It sets the tone for the entire site, creating an instant visual impact. 

Think of it as the modern-day equivalent of a store’s window display—if it’s dull or confusing, people might walk away before exploring what’s inside.

Why Does a Hero Image Matter?

Users form an opinion about a website in just 50 milliseconds (0.05 seconds). That’s faster than the blink of an eye. A well-designed hero image ensures that this snap judgment is a positive one.

AirBnb’s hero section is a great example. When Airbnb rebranded in 2014, they displayed high-quality images featuring warm, inviting scenes of real travelers enjoying their stays. These stunning photos reflect their value proposition while retaining the visual appeal of their web page.

This shift helped establish Airbnb as more than just a booking platform—it became a symbol of belonging.

Beyond the first expression, a hero image also helps with the following: 

• A hero image drives conversion and engagement. Websites that use high-quality visuals saw conversion rates increase by 94%. This proves a hero image isn’t just something to make your website appear attractive—it also influences user behavior. 

It helps you communicate your brand identity. Your hero image reflects your brand’s identity as soon as a prospect lands on your site. For example, Nike’s hero images often feature athletes in motion, reinforcing their brand message of “Just do it.”

• Builds emotional connection with your audience. People buy based on emotion. And a well-crafted hero image can evoke trust, excitement, or nostalgia.

Key Characteristics of a Hero Image

But what makes a hero image effective? Let’s break down what it takes to create an ideal hero image: 

• Make it high-resolution and visually appealing. Nobody trusts a website that looks blurry or outdated. A high-resolution, professionally shot image immediately boosts credibility.
  • Pro tip: Use at least 1920×1080 pixels for hero images to ensure crisp visuals across all devices.

• Make sure it’s relevant to the brand message. A hero image should instantly tell visitors what the website is about—no guessing games. It’s like a book cover: people should understand the story at a glance.
  • Pro tip: Ask yourself, “If someone saw only this image, would they understand my brand’s core message?” If not, create something that will tell your audience about your brand at first glance.

Simple yet impactful composition. Less is more when it comes to a hero image. Cluttered visuals can overwhelm users, while a clean and focused design will direct their attention to your product and CTA buttons. For example, Tesla’s website keeps it minimal—just a striking image of a car, a short tagline, and a CTA—without any superfluous fluff.

• Mobile-optimized for speed and responsiveness. In 2024, more than 60% of global website traffic comes from mobile devices. If your hero image isn’t optimized for smaller screens, you’ll end up losing half your audience.
  • Pro tip: Use next-gen image formats like WebP instead of JPEGs—these can reduce file sizes by 30-50% without losing quality. Also, test your site on multiple devices to make sure your hero image still looks great.

• A clear call-to-action (CTA) that stands out. A hero image should do more than just look pretty—it should drive action. Make sure you add effective CTAs like “Shop Now,” “Sign Up,” or “Explore More,” and make it clear, visible, and persuasive. 

Types of Hero Images

There are different types of hero images, each with its own purpose. Here are some examples: 

Static hero images

Static hero images are the most common type of hero images you’ll see on websites. For the uninitiated, they’re usually the large, high-quality, still image placed at the top of a webpage. 

One of the best examples of this is Apple’s clean, high-resolution product images with minimal text. 

Why should you choose static hero images? 

• Instantly grabs attention without distractions.
• Simple and fast-loading compared to video or interactive elements.
• Works well for storytelling when combined with a strong headline.

Animated or video hero images

As the name suggests, it is a moving or interactive hero image, often in GIF or video format, that plays automatically or on user interaction.

Here’s an excellent example of using video clips for the hero header section: 

Why should you choose video or animated hero images? 

• Increases engagement – Movement naturally draws the eye.
• Explains complex ideas – Perfect for tech or SaaS companies showcasing features.
• Boosts conversions – According to statistics, websites with videos on their landing pages can increase conversions by 80%.

Carousel hero images

Carousel hero images refer to a rotating set of images that change either automatically or when the user interacts with arrows or swipes.

Why should you choose carousel hero images?

• Allows multiple messages – Great for brands with diverse audiences.
• Encourages interaction – Users are more likely to engage with the content.
• Maximizes space – Instead of one image, you can display 3-5 key messages.

Best Practices for Designing a Hero Image

A hero image is the first thing users see on a website, which makes it a crucial element of web design. 

Whether it’s a full-screen hero image, a split layout, or an interactive visual, choosing the right style impacts engagement and user experience. 

To create different hero images that captivate visitors, follow these best practices for clarity, responsiveness, and aesthetic appeal.

1. Choosing the right visuals and colors

When you think of picking the visuals and colors for your website, you only think of aesthetics. And while aesthetics are important, picking the right visuals and colors also pertains to psychology, branding, and conversion optimization. 

Here are some actionable tips to pick engaging visuals and colors for your hero image: 

• Use professional, high-resolution images. Use images that align with your brand message and will appeal to your target audience. This also includes avoiding generic stock photos that feel staged or artificial. For example, we saw how Airbnb’s homepage features real people in real homes—not staged interiors. This creates trust and an emotional connection with users, making them feel like they belong.

• Leverage color psychology to choose the right colors. Colors trigger emotions. Studies show that 90% of snap judgments about a product are based on color alone. Here’s how some top brands use color psychology to their advantage in their banner hero image design:
  • Red (Coca-Cola, Netflix): Excitement, urgency, passion
  • Blue (Facebook, PayPal): Trust, security, professionalism
  • Green (Whole Foods, Spotify): Growth, health, freshness
  • Orange (Fanta): Friendliness, energy, affordability
  • Black (Apple, Nike): Luxury, sophistication, power

Make your message pop. Your hero image needs to work with text and CTAs (Call-to-Action buttons). If the text blends into the background, visitors won’t read it. To avoid that, use contrast—dark text on a light background or vice versa. For example, Spotify uses bold, contrasting text on a dark gradient, which results in instant readability and attention-grabbing CTAs.

2. Optimizing for mobile responsiveness

Everyone knows that more than half of the internet traffic now comes from mobile devices. Because of this trend, even Google prioritizes mobile-optimized websites. 

If your hero image isn’t optimized for mobile, you risk slow load times, distorted visuals, and a bad user experience that could drive potential customers away.

Here’s how to create hero images that look great on every screen:

Use responsive image sizing:

A hero image that looks perfect on a desktop might be cropped awkwardly or scaled down poorly on mobile. Instead of just shrinking an image, use CSS media queries or responsive image techniques like:

• CSS object-fit: Ensures images maintain their aspect ratio while covering the available space.
• srcset attribute in HTML: Serves different image sizes based on the user’s screen size.
• Aspect ratio control: Keeping a 16:9 or 4:3 ratio ensures images scale smoothly.

Optimize for speed (compress without losing quality):

Slow images kill engagement. Most users will leave if a page takes more than a few seconds to load. 

The major culprit? Large hero images that take ages to load.

Here’s how you can fix it without deteriorating the quality of your hero image: 

• Use next-gen formats like WebP or AVIF (smaller file size, better quality).
• Compress images with tools like TinyPNG, Squoosh, or ImageOptim.
• Use lazy loading so the hero image loads only when needed.

Keep text legible on small screens: 

Tiny text means a lost message. A text overlay that looks sharp on a desktop might be too small or cropped off on mobile. 

How do you keep the text legible on small screens? Here’s how: 

• Use a responsive font size 
• Test contrast—dark text on a busy image won’t work on mobile.
• Consider a semi-transparent overlay to ensure readability.

Adjust layout for mobile viewing:

A wide, landscape-oriented static image may not work well on a narrow mobile screen. The solution? Reposition or replace it!

Here’s how you can fix it: 

• Use mobile-specific hero images with a vertical crop.
• Apply CSS breakpoints to change the layout based on screen width.
• Stack text and CTA buttons below the image instead of overlaying.

3. Adding a compelling call-to-action (CTA)

Imagine landing on a hotel directory website for the first time. Instead of a cluttered homepage, you see a stunning hero image of a cozy mountain cabin with a simple yet powerful message: “Find your next adventure.” 

Right below it? A bold, inviting search bar prompts you to “Start your search.”

That one clear call-to-action (CTA) makes all the difference. It instantly tells visitors what to do next without any confusion or distractions. 

Here’s how to craft a high-converting CTA for your perfect hero image:

• Make it clear and actionable. Your CTA should tell website visitors precisely what you want them to do next—in simple and direct language. One way to do this is to use strong action verbs like “Get Started,” “Shop Now,” or “Try for Free” rather than vague phrases like “Learn More” unless it’s part of a journey. For example, Slack uses the CTAs “Find Your Subscription” and “Get Started” to clarify and guide users toward choosing a subscription. 

Place the CTA where eyes naturally land. Users scan a page in an F-pattern or Z-pattern (left to right, top to bottom). If your CTA is hidden or too far down, users might miss it. To avoid that, place your CTA above the fold and use high-contrast buttons so they pop.

• Use eye-catching colors to make your hero image stand out. If your CTA blends into the background, it’s invisible. The button should contrast with the hero image for maximum visibility. Consider these quick tips:
  • Use a bold, complementary color (e.g., blue CTA on a white background).
  • Stick to 1 primary CTA color to avoid confusion.
  • Leverage color psychology (as we discussed above). 

• Create urgency (but keep it genuine). Leverage a sense of urgency to drive conversions but without faking it. For example, you can use time-based urgency: “Ends Tonight” or “Claim Your 10% Discount Today.”

Pro tip: Constantly run A/B tests to refine your CTA to boost engagement. For example, you can test CTA text, colors, and placement to discover. 

4. Use dynamic, context-aware hero images

A static hero image does the job well, but a dynamic, context-aware hero image can make your website feel more personal and engaging. This involves adapting the hero image to the user’s location, behavior, and preferences.

For example, a dynamic hero image changes based on real-time factors like:

• User location (showing beachwear in Miami but jackets in New York)
• Time of day (a coffee ad in the morning vs. a wine ad at night)
• User behavior (a personalized product suggestion based on browsing history)

Think of it like Netflix’s homepage, which displays shows and movies based on your viewing history.

Craft Your Hero Image: The Opening Scene to Conversions

Your hero image is almost like a movie poster. Just like how iconic posters for films like Inception or The Dark Knight make you curious and entice you with a single glance, a website’s hero image should instantly communicate its purpose and value.

But even the best visuals need a strategy. You need the right hero image content, placement, and user behavior—to ensure that your hero image isn’t just seen but also drives action. 

That’s where conversion rate optimization (CRO) plays a key role. The best way to go about it is hiring a CRO agency like Invesp to help you audit and consistently test website elements like your hero image to turn a first impression into engagement and conversion.

The post What Is A Hero Image? The Ultimate Guide To Beguiling Website Visitors appeared first on Invesp.

Brand design plays a crucial role in shaping how customers perceive your business. While many focus on the technical aspects of Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), the impact of brand design on CRO is often underestimated. 

A strong, cohesive brand design attracts attention and builds trust, guiding users through the customer journey and ultimately influencing their decision to convert.

This article explores how brand design can significantly impact your CRO efforts, creating a seamless and compelling experience that turns visitors into loyal customers. From the visual elements to the emotional connections, we’ll explore why brand design should be at the forefront of your conversion strategy.

Let’s dive into how to use design to turn casual visitors into loyal customers.

What Is Brand Design 

Brand design is the visual and emotional representation of your brand’s identity. It encompasses everything from your logo, color schemes, typography, and imagery to the tone and style of your messaging. 

Essentially, brand design is the blueprint that guides how your brand is perceived by the public. It creates a cohesive and consistent look and feel that communicates your brand’s values, personality, and promise to your audience.

A well-crafted brand design not only makes your business recognizable but also builds trust and loyalty among customers. It goes beyond just creating a logo; it involves a strategic approach to designing all elements that shape the brand experience. This includes the packaging of your products, the layout of your website, the design of your social media posts, and even the style of your customer service.

The Psychology Behind Brand Design and CRO

Brand design and CRO are an essential part of creating your brand’s online presence and making it successful. They work together to attract, engage, and convert visitors into loyal customers.

Here’s why they matter: 

• First Impressions: Your brand’s design is the first thing people see. A good design makes a great first impression and draws people in.
• Emotional Connection: Using color psychology and appropriate fonts and images in your brand design can evoke emotions and connect with your audience on a deeper level.
• Consistency: A consistent design builds recognition and trust. People like knowing what to expect.

Visual Appeal

Let’s face it: appearances matter. People make a significant part of their buying decisions solely based on the appearance of your website. 

It’s like dressing for a job interview—you want to look sharp, professional, and like you know what you’re doing.

A visually appealing and professionally made website not only grabs people’s attention but such websites also inspires trust in your audience. After all, no one wants to buy from a shady-looking website. 

Want to attain visual success for higher conversion rates? Here are some tips: 

• Know your audience. Design with your target customer in mind. What do they like? What speaks to them?
• Be consistent with your branding. Use the same fonts, colors, and imagery throughout your website for a cohesive look.
• Less is more. Avoid clutter. Clean, uncluttered designs are easier on the eyes and improve readability.
• Optimize for mobile devices. More people than ever are using smartphones, so make sure your website looks good on small screens.
• Test consistently. Run A/B tests to experiment with different designs and see what works best for your audience.

Nike is a masterclass in brand design. Its branding and visual identity perfectly reflect the brand’s values—athleticism, energy, and performance. 

• High-Quality, Colorful Imagery: The website displays high-resolution, dynamic images of athletes and products, showcasing the quality and performance of Nike gear. The photos are also vibrant and colorful, aligning with Nike’s message of energy and vibrancy. 
• Emphasis on Movement: Dynamic visuals and animations create a sense of energy and excitement, reflecting the brand’s core values.

Clear Call-to-Actions: Nike makes it easy for customers to purchase products by providing precise and prominent call-to-action buttons at appropriate moments.

First impressions matter, and visual appeal is often the first thing a visitor notices. So, don’t shy away from investing in professional websites that look great and boost conversion rates.

Beyond visual appeal, a well-designed website is easy to navigate and understand. People are likelier to stick around if they can find what they’re looking for without getting frustrated (more on this later).

Brand Consistency

Brand consistency is like wearing a well-tailored suit—it makes a good impression. People trust you more when your brand looks and feels the same everywhere. They know what to expect, and that makes them feel comfortable.

The statistics support this statement. 

Research shows that consistent branding can lead to significant revenue increases. One study found that brand consistency can potentially increase revenue by 10-20%.

Companies like Apple and Coca-Cola are excellent examples of brand consistency done right. You instantly know what to expect no matter where you see their logo or hear their name.

For instance, Coca-Cola’s imagery and products look the same everywhere—including the brand’s iconic red and white color scheme, classic script logo, and distinctive bottle shape. 

This consistent visual identity, coupled with upbeat and optimistic advertising campaigns, helps people remember and trust the brand. It also eventually helps you eventually strengthen brand credibility. 

Want to leave the same lasting impact on your audience, which can lead to higher conversion rates? Here are some tips to help you achieve brand consistency: 

• Define your brand. Know who you are, what you stand for, and who you’re talking to.
• Create a style guide. This document outlines all the rules for your brand, from colors and fonts to tone of voice.
• Be consistent across all touchpoints. This includes your website, social media, email marketing, packaging, and in-store experiences.
• Train your team. Everyone who represents your brand should understand its guidelines.

Pro tip: Maintaining brand consistency is an ongoing process. It’s not something you can just set and forget. Keep an eye on your brand and make adjustments as needed.

User Experience (UX)

Imagine trying to find your way around a new city without a map. It can be frustrating and quickly put you off the idea of exploring the city. 

That’s what happens when your website is challenging to navigate. Potential customers come to your website but leave it after they realize it’s hard to navigate or find anything. 

On the other hand, a great user experience (UX) is like giving your visitors a clear roadmap to what they want.

A good UX keeps people happy and coming back. When your website is easy to use, people will likely stick around and buy stuff. It’s like having a helpful salesperson who knows precisely what you need. Naturally, it boosts conversion rates, reduces bounce rates, and inspires trust in your audience. 

Slack is an excellent example of a simple design making a big difference. Instead of confusing you with lots of buttons and options, Slack keeps it clean and easy.

You can quickly find your teams, messages, and files. It’s like having a tidy workspace where everything has its place. This simple setup makes it a breeze to use, which is why so many people love it for work and staying connected with their colleagues.

Want to follow Slack’s approach to UX design? Here are some quick tips: 

• Reduce cognitive load. Refrain from overwhelming users with information. Break down complex tasks into smaller steps. Use clear and concise language.
• Consistency is key. Maintain a consistent look, feel, and behavior throughout your product. Users should feel familiar with your user interface.
• Leverage visual hierarchy—guide users’ eyes by using size, color, and placement to emphasize essential elements.

• Test early, test often. Gather user feedback from real users through user testing and usability testing. You can also use online marketing analytics tools like Google Analytics to gain insights into user engagement, behavior, and preferences. Observe how those users interact with your product and make adjustments accordingly.

• Mobile-first design. More than half of internet users use their phones to shop—make sure you optimize your website for mobile devices for optimal UX.

• Speed matters. Optimize your website or app for fast loading times. Users expect instant gratification.

Pro tip: Don’t overlook people with disabilities, either. Follow accessibility guidelines to create inclusive experiences.

Brand Design And Emotional Connection

Sometimes, people want a product just for the emotional connection they build with it. And it’s not just about the features but how it makes you feel. That’s the magic of brand design.

Take all the luxury shopping people do—Prada bags, Jimmy Choo shoes, Dior dresses, and even iPhones.  

People buy based on emotion and brand perception and then justify their decisions with logic. Your brand design is your first impression, and it’s crucial to make a good one. 

When you create a solid emotional connection, customers become more than just buyers; they become fans and spread word-of-mouth about your brand. 

Here are some tips to tap into the emotional connection and boost your conversion rates using brand design:  

• Know your audience inside out. Understand their values, dreams, fears, and what keeps them up at night. For example, if you’re targeting eco-conscious consumers, focus on sustainability and environmental impact in your design.

• Tell a compelling story. Every brand has a story. Make it relatable and inspiring. 

• Use emotion-evoking imagery. Pictures speak louder than words. Choose images that evoke specific emotions. For instance, photos of families can be used for a family-oriented brand or adventure seekers can be used for an outdoor brand.

• Personalize the experience. Make customers feel special. Use their names, offer tailored recommendations, or create personalized content. For instance, Amazon’s recommendation engine based on past purchases is a prime example.

As usual, remember to remain consistent with your branding. In the end, it’s about more than just looking good. It’s about making people feel something.

Brand Design And Differentiation

Brand design is also your chance to stand out from countless other brands that probably sell the same products and services as you do. 

Differentiation is important because: 

• It helps you cut through the noise. 
• With a distinct brand image, you have a better chance of attracting and catering to user preferences.
• Your audience is most likely to buy from you if your brand appears special and different—which means higher conversion rates. 

So, how will you differentiate your brand to make it stand out in a crowded marketplace? 

Start by identifying your unique selling proposition (USP). What sets you apart? Is it your product, service, values, or customer experience?

Fresh Heritage is a great example of a brand that effectively differentiates itself through its unique selling proposition. 

Their USP “Organic, All Natural Products Inspired By Ancient African Traditions” helped them carved out a niche in a market dominated by products for white men. 

They further back up this USP by showcasing the process behind their products through video, proving that their claims aren’t just empty promises.

Other great way to differentiate yourself is by giving your brand a distinct character. For example, are you fun and playful like Airbnb, or staid and sophisticated like Rolex?

And that’s not all. 

Your logo, colors, typography, and imagery—all should reflect your brand personality. For instance, Spotify’s green color and playful design convey its music-centric and energetic vibe.

Conclusion: Design Your Way to Success!

Your brand design is more than just skin deep. By understanding the psychology behind design and implementing effective CRO strategies, you can make your brand values resonate with your audience and drive conversions.

Remember, a strong brand is all about consistency, emotional connection, and differentiation. Gauge user interactions and identify user behavior insights to identify your target audience and ideal website visitors. Once you’ve obtained this information, build your landing pages and overall user journey to directly appeal to your audience.

Continuously test, iterate, and refine your design to ensure it aligns with your evolving business goals.

By investing time and effort and using the right strategies for your brand design, you’ll build a loyal customer base, which will increase your company’s future revenue. 

The post Brand Design: How Does It Impact Your Conversions appeared first on Invesp.

The debate between agency vs in-house design is a constant consideration for businesses striving to make the best decisions for their brand.

Both approaches come with their unique set of advantages and challenges, making the choice a nuanced one.

Agencies offer a wealth of experience, diverse skill sets, and a fresh perspective that can invigorate a brand’s visual identity.

On the other hand, in-house design teams provide a deeper understanding of the company’s core values and day-to-day operations, allowing for a more integrated approach.

In this article, we delve into the key factors that can help you decide which path to take for your design needs.

Hiring an In-House UX Design Team

Advantages

1. Deep Understanding of the Brand

In-house designers aren’t just cogs in a machine—they make your brand recognizable by designing relevant brand elements. They’re the ones who bring your company culture, vision, and history to light. 

It’s like having a personal stylist who knows your style and body type and sometimes even better than you do. 

The result? Designs that feel authentic resonate with your audience and strengthen brand loyalty.

2. Consistency and Cohesion in Design

Remember when United Airlines had that epic social media meltdown? 

For the uninitiated, United Airlines forcibly removed a passenger after he refused to give up his seat. The airline’s initial social media response was cold and dismissive, ignoring the public outrage and focusing on company policies instead of human compassion.

A strong in-house is necessary to avoid such debacles and visual chaos, especially in a world where people remember online responses for years to come. 

An in-house team ensures your brand’s visual language stays on point across all platforms. No more miscommunication or rude messages, even if they are unintentional. At the same time, it negates the possibility of mismatched fonts or inconsistent color palettes. 

An in-house design team is also essential for consistent branding, which ultimately helps build trust and brand recognition.

3. Direct Communication and Collaboration

According to a recent survey, 70% of employees believe better collaboration in a workspace can lead to better productivity and time-saving.

Working in-house with a team makes collaborating easier than in a more scattered work environment. In-house designers are part of the family. They’re not just vendors; they’re teammates. 

This open line of communication leads to faster decision-making, fewer misunderstandings, and a better final product.

4. Full-Time Availability and Commitment

You’re not at the mercy of project timelines or competing priorities when you have a dedicated in-house team. 

They’re fully invested in your brand’s success. This means faster turnaround times, greater flexibility, and tackling unexpected challenges head-on.

Disadvantages

Building an in-house UX design team has its fair share of challenges. These challenges include: 

• Hiring and maintaining a full-time design team is expensive. Finding top-notch UX talent is challenging, and when you finally find one, you’ll likely pay a premium. Salaries, benefits, and office space add up fast. 

• You’ll have limited exposure to diverse design trends. Your in-house team might be skilled in their own right, but they might miss out on the latest design trends happening outside your industry. 

• There’s a potential for skill gaps. Even the best internal teams have weaknesses. You may need a VR expert, or your team lacks experience in AI design. Building a full-spectrum in-house team can be challenging and costly, and there will always be a potential for skill gaps. 

• They have a longer onboarding process. New hires need time to learn about your brand, culture, and tools, which requires immense patience and consistency. This onboarding period can slow down projects and impact productivity.

Hiring a Design Agency 

Hiring a design agency can work wonders for your business! Let’s break down why:

Advantages

1. Access to a pool of experienced designers

While an in-house UX design team has its perks, hiring a design agency gives you access to a diverse pool of experienced designers. Design agencies bring the best designers under one roof for you, so you can skip the vetting process and directly hire the agency and share your project details. 

It’s like having a pick of the best players for your design team. You get access to various styles, experiences, and fresh perspectives.

2. Diverse skill sets and expertise

This is more like a continuation of the above point. Since a design agency hires multiple people who fulfill different design needs, you have access to a pool of skill sets and expertise. 

Let’s say you need a new website. A single designer might be great at making it look pretty, but they might not know how to make it super fast or easy to use. A design agency has people who specialize in all sorts of stuff:

• Graphic design: Making things look amazing
• Web design: Building websites that work like a charm
• UX/UI design: Figuring out how people use your stuff and making it super easy
• Copywriting: Writing catchy and persuasive words
• Photography and videography: Capturing stunning visuals

Putting together an entire team like this will be challenging and costly. To avoid this cost, it’s best to hire a design agency. 

3. Fresh perspectives and innovative ideas

Having access to a diverse pool of designers with different skill sets and expertise also means tapping into fresh perspectives and innovative ideas. A design agency can get together to brainstorm unique ideas for your business. 

Since they also work with various industries and businesses, their designers are often brimming with fresh ideas. This isn’t possible with in-house design teams or an in-house designer. 

For example, Apple would only be Apple with the brand hiring a skilled design agency that could inject fresh ideas into its logo. 

Their iconic logo, that simple, shiny apple with a bite taken out of it, was designed by an independent design agency. The designer, Rob Janoff, nailed it.

You can instantly recognize the logo, which perfectly captures the essence of Apple: simple, clean, and innovative.

4. Reduced overhead costs

While salary is one of the most significant expenses, it isn’t the only one when hiring a full-fledged UX design team. 

Consider it: salaries, benefits, software, equipment—it all adds up. 

You can sidestep these expenses when hiring a design agency. When you hire a design agency, you rent their expertise without a full-time commitment.

It’s like getting a gym membership without buying all the equipment. They’ve already got the pros, the tools, and the space. You just pay for the work that needs to be done.

5. Focus on specific projects without a long-term commitment

Every business has its specialty. Some are experts at building products, while some are better at sales. Whatever the expertise, it’s where you should spend your time and energy. Rest can be easily outsourced. 

Design agencies let you do just that. They handle the creative side while you focus on growing your business.

For example, if you’re a tech startup, you want to spend time coding, A/B testing, and getting your product to market. A design agency can create a killer website, logo, and marketing materials without distracting you from your core mission.

Disadvantages

While design agencies offer many perks, they also have some potential drawbacks.

• You might face communication challenges. Outsourcing your design work can sometimes be a bit convoluted. Your ideas might get lost in translation between you, the account manager, and the designers, leading to misunderstandings and frustration.

• You’ll have less control over the design process. Since a design agency will be an external entity, you don’t have much control over the design process beyond your initial instructions and regular check-ins. While they’re the experts, you might feel like you’re not as involved in the creative process as you’d like.

• There’s a risk of intellectual property issues. Sharing your ideas and concepts with an external team can be risky. It’s essential to have a solid contract in place to protect your intellectual property. Without proper safeguards, your ideas could be used for other clients. 

Conclusion: Hire In-House UX designers or Outsource to UX agencies?

Hiring an in-house designer and hiring a UX design agency have perks and drawbacks. Ultimately, the best choice depends on your unique business needs and goals.

Consider factors like budget, timeline, project scope, and your team’s capabilities when deciding. 

An In-house UX designer or an internal team is ideal when you:

• Have long-term, complex design projects.
• Need deep brand integration and consistency.
• Value more control over the design process.
• Can afford the upfront costs and ongoing expenses.

UX agency is a good fit when you:

• Need specialized skills or resources for a specific project.
• Have short-term or one-off design projects.
• Want to access a variety of design perspectives.
• Prefer a flexible, pay-as-you-go model.

Sometimes, a hybrid approach combining in-house and agency resources can be an effective solution.

The post UX Design Agency vs In-House Design: Which One Is Better appeared first on Invesp.

The success of any online business hinges on one critical factor: User Experience (UX). 

When you’re dealing with immense competition and increasing consumer demands, your website’s first impressions are often the only ones that matter. Hence, crafting an exceptional user experience is no longer an option – it’s a strategic imperative. 

This article will discover the connection between user satisfaction, engagement, and the elusive conversion rates. 

Before that, we’ll also see what exactly user experience is and the key components you need to work on to improve your site’s UX. 

Understanding User Experience  

User Experience (UX) refers to a user’s overall experience when interacting with a product, service, website, app, or any digital interface. 

UX involves the entire user interaction from the beginning till the end – from how they perceive your site to how they interact with a system or application, including their emotional responses.

When you aim to create a design with UX in mind, you end up with products and interfaces that are intuitive, efficient, aesthetically pleasing, and enjoyable to use. 

But how do you go about it? How do you create a website with excellent user experience? 

You have first to determine what your target users like. It involves understanding user behavior, conducting research, and implementing design principles to enhance user interaction quality.

Key Components of UX 

Here’s a brief overview of the key components of UX: 

1. Usability 

Usability is at the heart of UX and focuses on making products or interfaces easy to use and navigate. It ensures that users can take intended actions or achieve their goals without any roadblocks.

Improving the usability of your website involves tasks like creating: 

• Clear navigation
• Logical layouts
• Intuitive interactions
• Responsive design

It often requires usability testing and user feedback to identify and address usability issues.

Dropbox is a prime example of usability excellence. 

(Image Source)

The file-sharing and storage platform is known for its simplicity and ease of use. The interface is intuitive, and tasks like uploading files, creating folders, and sharing documents are straightforward. 

2. Accessibility 

Accessibility ensures that even users with disabilities can use your products or browse our website without any hassle. It’s about making technology inclusive for everyone, regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities.

Here are some ways you can make your website/interface more accessible to all types of users: 

• By providing alternative text for images
• Using semantic HTML
• Offering keyboard navigation
• Adhering to accessibility guidelines (e.g., WCAG – Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).

3. Visual Design 

Visual design focuses on the aesthetics and presentation of a product or interface. It’s about creating an appealing and cohesive visual identity that aligns with the brand while maintaining usability.

To create a visually aesthetic interface/website, pay close attention to the following elements: 

• Color schemes
• Typography
• Layout
• Visual hierarchy

Visual designers often work closely with UX designers to ensure that aesthetics do not compromise usability.

If you want to look at someone who does visual aesthetics right, look no further than AirBnb’s website. 

(Image Source)

Airbnb’s visual design strikes a balance between aesthetics and usability. Their website and app feature high-quality images, a clean layout, and an inviting color palette. 

These design choices create a visually appealing platform that enhances the user’s experience while maintaining functionality.

4. Content Quality

Content quality encompasses the relevance, clarity, and engagement of the content presented within a product or interface. It’s about providing information that meets user needs and keeps them engaged.

This component involves:

• Content strategy
• Writing style
• Information Architecture
• Regular content updates. 

Also, keep in mind that high-quality content should be informative, concise, and relevant to the user’s context.

How User Experience Affects Conversion Rates?

Now that we’re aware of what exactly user experience is all about and what are its key components let’s see how it affects conversion rates: 

1. Usability and Navigation

Imagine visiting a website with a cluttered layout, unclear menus, and a confusing structure. 

It’s frustrating, right? I don’t know about you, but I’ll be wary of buying anything from a website like that. 

When users face such obstacles, it creates friction in their browsing experience and induces distrust. 

This friction can lead to high bounce rates and low conversion rates because users struggle to find what they’re looking for or complete their intended actions.

On the other hand, a user-friendly interface designed with user experience in mind will keep your visitors engaged and encourage them to explore further. When visitors feel that a website is easy to navigate and meets their needs, they are more likely to stay longer and eventually convert.

Google is a prime example of usability and minimalistic design. 

The tech giant consistently maintains low bounce rates on its search engine. They owe this success to their clean, straightforward interface that quickly directs users to relevant search results, reducing the likelihood of immediate exits.

2. Page Speed and Performance 

How fast your web pages are loading, and their overall performance are integral parts of user experience and can significantly impact conversion rates. 

Statistics reflect that, too. 

According to a survey conducted by Unbounce, which involved 750 consumers and 395 marketers, nearly 70% of surveyed consumers claim that page speed directly impacts whether or not they buy from an online retailer. 

There’s a reason most streaming services like Netflix rely on quick video loading and smooth playback for an excellent user experience. 

Netflix even goes out of its way to invest in dedicated content delivery networks (CDNs) and video streaming optimization to ensure its audience can start watching content with minimal delays. 

This enhances user satisfaction and encourages subscription renewals, a key conversion metric for them.

Not just streaming services, you’ll also notice the most prominent sites load within seconds. 

Take Amazon, for instance. Despite the vast product catalogs, their website is quite popular for the snappy load times. This commitment to speed keeps users engaged and leads to higher conversion rates, allowing them to find and shop for their favorite products quickly.

3. Mobile Responsiveness

You’ll find people glued to their smartphones everywhere you look around you. Your target audience is most likely doing the same. 

And if your website isn’t mobile-responsive, it’s like inviting someone to a party and telling them they can’t come in. People expect websites to work seamlessly on their mobile devices.

A responsive design ensures a positive experience for mobile users, leading to higher conversion rates among this audience.

Being mobile-responsive means your website adapts to different screen sizes, making it easy to navigate and interact with, whether you’re on a giant desktop monitor or a tiny phone screen.

It’s also worth noting that Google also prioritizes mobile-first indexing. This means it pays more attention to how your site works on mobile. If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, you might as well be invisible on Google’s radar.

And Google practices what it preaches. 

When you Google something on your phone, those search results are super easy to read and click on, right? That’s because Google knows the importance of mobile-friendly design. It’s their way of saying, “Come on in, the search party’s here.”

Nike’s website is another great example of a brand doing mobile-responsive websites right. 

You can shop for sneakers or sportswear on your phone without any hassle. Navigating the site on a smartphone feels natural and intuitive. The menu, product categories, filters, and search bar are all easily accessible, usually with a simple swipe or tap. 

This means users can quickly find what they’re looking for without any frustrating zooming or excessive scrolling.

They’ve mastered the art of making mobile users feel at home, and that leads to more sales.

When your website is optimized for mobile devices, your target customers are likely to stay longer, check out your products, and maybe even hit that “buy now” button.

4. Content Relevance and Clarity 

Picture this: You’re looking for information or a product, and the content you find doesn’t match what you need – it’s like searching for a pizza place and getting results for sushi restaurants. That’s a frustrating experience, and users are likely to bounce from your website or platform if they can’t find relevant content.

Relevant content is one of the integral parts of user experience because it helps users quickly connect with what they came for. 

Clarity in content also entails having content without confusion, jargon, or clutter to avoid a language barrier between you and your users. Users want content that’s easy to understand and digest.

Apple’s website is a great example of content relevance and clarity. You’re greeted with clean visuals and concise, relevant content when you visit their site. 

Whether you’re looking for a new iPhone, a MacBook, or support, the content is tailored to your needs, making the user experience smooth and conversion-friendly.

When users find content that speaks to their needs and desires, they’re more likely to engage and take action. This could be anything – from signing up for a newsletter to making a purchase or filling out a contact form.

5. Trust and Credibility: 

If you look at statistics, a whopping 98% of people claim that trust signals make them more confident when making a buying decision.

In a world where cyber threats and scams are prevalent, it’s natural that users are cautious about where they share their personal information or make online transactions. 

Trust is the bridge that allows users to engage with a website or platform confidently.

Trust is not something you can build or inspire overnight. You’ll have to build a credible reputation over the years, which requires consistent effort and attention to detail. 

There are various elements in UX that help you inspire trust in your audience, including design, content, security measures, and user interactions. It’s the feeling users get when they believe that a website or business is reliable, safe, and honest.

Here’s a quick overview of the key elements that contribute to trust and credibility in UX:

• Design: A professional and visually appealing design instills confidence in users. A well-designed website conveys that the business is credible and cares about its online presence.

• Content: Accurate, informative, and transparent content also helps establish credibility. Contributing factors include legitimate user reviews, product descriptions, and contact information.

• Security: Sites with trust badges, SSL certificates, and secure payment options indicate that they’re handling user data carefully. Users who feel their information is secure are more likely to convert.

As an online payment service, PayPal’s entire business model revolves around trust. 

They use robust security measures and clear communication of policies to build trust with users. 

This trust translates to higher conversion rates, as users are more comfortable using their service for online payments.

6. A/B Testing and Continuous Improvement 

Setting up A/B tests is one of the best ways to improve UX. It involves comparing two versions of a webpage or design (A and B) to determine which one performs better, allowing you to make data-driven decisions to enhance the user experience.

You can use it to enhance various elements on a web page, including headlines, calls to action (CTAs), layouts, colors, and more. When you experiment with all these different variations and measure their performance, you’ll be in a better position to identify what resonates the most with your users.

Conclusion: The Power of User Experience in Boosting Conversions

If you run an online business, you know the importance of user preferences and expectations. Your user’s preferences will shape your site’s UX, which will eventually decide your conversion rates. 

So, if you plan to implement conversion optimization on your site, you must first work on your user experience. To help you out, we talked about the various facets of UX, from usability and accessibility to visual design and content quality. We also saw how they play pivotal roles in influencing user decisions and ultimately driving conversions.

You can also look at brands like Amazon, Apple, Dropbox, and Airbnb for inspiration. These brands have truly understood the potential of UX to meet user needs and exceed them. 

From the moment users land on a website or app to the point where they make a purchase, subscribe to a service, or simply engage with content, every interaction contributes to their overall perception of the brand. A positive UX reduces friction, fosters trust, and encourages users to take the desired actions.

The post The Role of User Experience in Conversion Optimization appeared first on Invesp.

It’s easy to underestimate the importance of the user experience and how it can greatly impact your conversion rates.

This article will provide an overview of the user testing process, how to conduct it, and the tools you can use to get feedback from potential users.

What is User Testing?

User testing is the process of evaluating a product or website by having real users interact with it to identify usability and design issues. 

It involves observing people interacting with your product or prototype while performing specific tasks and asking them questions about their experience. This helps you gain insight into how they see, think and feel about their actions.

The primary goal of user testing is not to create the perfect product or service but to build products that people want to use.

User testing can be applied at various stages of design, including:

• Conceptualization: The initial stage of testing an idea or concept for usability
• Prototyping: Creating multiple iterations of an idea as it’s being developed.
• Testing: Testing prototypes with real users to find flaws and improve usability before going live with the final product.
• Re-evaluation: Continue observing how users interact with your product after launch and make changes accordingly.

User testing can be done with prototypes, wireframes, or paper sketches. The important thing is not the medium (it can be anything from paper prototypes to ready-made software) but the way you conduct it. 

In most cases, it involves having an interview with real people who have never seen or heard about your product before. Then you ask them about their experience using this product and record their answers on video (or audio).

Why is User Testing Important?

Ask many designers, developers, and those involved in product development; they’ll tell you the product they’re working on is amazing.

This view is biased because it doesn’t take into account user experience.

To design a product that will bring maximum value to the user, the product experience has to be tailored to users, and this kind of feedback can only be gotten from users.

Quick note, user testing is a type of user research.

Listed below are some reasons why user testing is essential;

1. By commencing early-stage testing to identify flaws, you can revise the designs before full implementation which will be costlier for the business.

2. User testing is the surest and fastest way to get unbiased feedback from actual users that can’t be swayed and denied by decision-makers.

3. You’re more likely to get a higher conversion rate when you launch a product which you’ve gotten user feedback for than a product you didn’t conduct any such test.

4. User testing a product before launching means a reduced load for customer support because users can complete tasks alone.

5. The user testing process helps you identify valuable opportunities. In the course of actual testers using your product, you could get feedback asking for specific feature updates and preferences; this could go a long way in giving you a competitive advantage.

User Testing Methods

There’s more than one way to conduct product testing, and we’ve compiled a list below for you.

1. Surveys

If obtaining accurate quantitative data and insights about your product is your goal, surveys are a great way to go about it. 

With surveys, you can tell testers to complete a survey about your new product or an updated feature.

A significant advantage of surveys is that you create the questions, so you can ask broad questions or be very specific.

With surveys, you can perform user testing on a large scale because it’s sent to a large pool of user testers.

Also, surveys are a very inclusive product testing method because they can be done from anywhere, via any device.

When To Use Surveys

Surveys are the way to go if you want a lot of feedback in a short time. Surveys also allow you to dive deep into asking product-specific questions, providing valuable insight and feedback.

2. Focus groups

In this context, you get a group of real live testers (10 – 12 people) into a room, and you discuss various attributes of your product. This group session is led by a designer, developer, or product manager who asks the questions to ensure you get the desired feedback.

This group discussion usually lasts an hour or more and it focuses on the user’s concerns about a product, its features, and attributes that they’ve been made to use for a while.

When to Use Focus Group Testing

Focus groups are great for understanding what your users hope to gain from your product. With focus groups, you don’t just get verbal feedback; you can also pick up body cues that let you know how satisfied or dissatisfied testers are with your product. 

3. A/B Testing

With A/B testing, you split your users into different groups, show them different variations of your product, and record the one with the most desired conversion. 

This is a crucial product testing method because it ensures you’re serving your users with the best version of the product.

When To Use A/B Testing.

A/B testing is ideal if you want to get feedback about which version of an aspect of a product is most popular among your target audience.

For instance, you can create a page variation where the call-to-action wording is different from the control and monitor which one has more clicks and interaction. 

4. Usability Testing

Usability testing is when you provide a tester with your product or a new feature, and you want them to test for its usability.

Usability deals with a product’s ease of operation, usefulness, and utility.

Oftentimes, usability testing is said to be user testing and vice versa. In many ways, they’re not wrong, but that’s not the whole truth.

Difference between Usability testing and User testing.

User testing covers the entire range of user experiences a customer has with your product, prototype, or feature. This includes all their perceptions, emotions, preferences, responses, and behaviors in response to that item from the moment they obtain it to the moment they stop using it.

Usability testing is a method of user testing that focuses on the way that — and the extent to which — a customer can use your product, prototype, or feature to accomplish a specific goal. 

This plays a part in the user experience but is not the entire experience.

Moderated Vs. Unmoderated Usability Testing

Moderated usability testing means you have someone on your team sit down with live testers, explain what they want them to do, and get a live response as the testers are using your product.

Unmoderated usability testing means the opposite. There’s no sitdown with the tester. Most likely, you’ll get two videos. One with the user working with your product while the other video comes with the feedback.

Moderated usability testing is good if you want to watch the tester use your product and identity issues in real time. You also get to pick up non-verbal cues.

Unmoderated usability testing is great if you want to test your product with many testers from different locations.

When To Use Usability Testing

Usability testing is great at the beginning of a product’s development and mid-design phase.

This way, you save a lot of time and resources by ensuring your product works as it should for your customers.

User Testing Tips and Checklist 

It might seem simple, but getting your participants to use your product is one of the most important parts of user testing. 

Here’s a checklist to consider before you get started:

1. Decide what you want to test

To make the most of user testing sessions, ensure you’re clear on what you’re trying to learn before you start.

This means deciding what you want to test before user testing. Don’t just bring participants into a room and ask them questions about whatever comes up. You want to put your users in situations that will give you the information you need, which usually means setting up scenarios where they perform particular tasks or interact with specific features or pages.

For example, if you want to know how easy it is for people to find the registration page on your website, try creating a fake account and see if they can find it without help from anyone else. Or, if there’s something specific about your design that could be confusing for users, test that particular page or feature by asking them questions about it directly.

If your product is new or in development, you should try some variations of the existing design. See if any of them work better than the current version. If so, continue testing until you’ve found the best solution.

If your product is already live and tested by users (or at least by a few), then start from there. Look at the results from previous user tests or from analytics data, and see if there are any patterns that can inform your next round of testing.

For instance, the leading online learning platform Udemy used a remote unmoderated user testing method to test its popular smartphone app. They wanted to find out when, where, and why Udemy users favored the mobile app over the web version.

The researchers had participants create short videos showing their locations and activities during the learning process. The researchers found that instead of using the app while traveling or commuting, users preferred to use it while at home or in a coffee shop.

They used the key findings for the following year’s product and feature development.

This is what Udemy’s mobile app looks like nowadays:

2. Choose your target audience and find participants 

If you’re going to test with users, you need to know who those users are. These days, it’s so easy to get feedback from a wide range of people and sources, but it’s still important to define a target audience that you want to focus on.

The first question is: Who do you want to test with? If you have a website or mobile app, this might be obvious. But it can be trickier if you’re working on something more abstract, like a service or product launch.

An excellent place to start is by looking at existing customers — what kinds of people buy from you? Try breaking down these groups into demographics like age, gender, and location (as well as anything else that’s relevant).

Then ask yourself: What type of person would benefit most from using this new product or feature? 

For example, if you’ve launched a new e-commerce site selling women’s clothing online, maybe it makes sense to focus on young women between the ages of 18 and 35 who live in major cities such as New York or London. On the other hand, if your service helps companies manage their finances better, then perhaps you need to seek answers from middle-aged men with families.

Once you’ve chosen your target audience, it’s time to recruit participants for user testing. You can do this in several ways:

• Use social media (Twitter and Facebook) — If your product has an online presence, ask people if they’d be interested in helping out with user testing by posting on your social media accounts. If not, create an email list using tools like MailChimp and send out an email asking people if they’d be willing to participate in future tests.

• Make flyers — Print up some flyers and post them around town in places where people congregate, such as cafes or grocery stores. Don’t forget to include contact information!

• Hire someone — If you have enough budget, hiring a recruiter will allow you to reach more people and get responses faster than doing it yourself.

3. Make a recruitment server

A recruitment screener is a questionnaire that helps you identify potential participants who match your research criteria. The purpose of a screener is to reduce the number of candidates screened out so that you can focus on those who meet your criteria.

Screens must be easily completed to avoid losing potential participants. If a screen takes too long, some people may be discouraged from completing it, reducing the pool of potential participants.

​​A recruitment screener should include questions about:

• Demographic information (e.g., age, gender, education level)
• Cognitive ability (e.g., reading comprehension, math skills)
• Computer skills (e.g., typing speed)
• Physical abilities (e.g., dexterity) 
• And knowledge of the topic area of interest (e.g., familiarity with new technology).

Here’s an example of employment questions you can ask if you wish to screen people with some level of familiarity with a particular industry or leave out those working for competitors.

                                (Source)

Here’s another example of questions you can ask if you want to test with beginners, experienced users, or some combination of each about how familiar they are with a given product.

            (Source)

4. Write your user testing plan 

As you begin testing, you will want to keep careful notes of what happens. This is where your test plan comes in handy. 

A test plan template for user testing is an integral part of any project. You can use it to record the results of each test session, including user comments and feedback.

In addition, the test plan helps you to:

• Identify the purpose of your test and its goals.
• Provide clear details about what you are going to test, how you are going to test, who will be responsible for the task, etc.
• Prepare yourself before conducting the tests.
• Keep track of all the tests performed during each session and provide a detailed report after concluding all sessions.

A good test plan should include:

• The goal of the test session (for example, finding out how easy it is for users to find information on your website).

• The target audience (for example, people who visit your site once a month or more).

• The tasks that each user will perform (these can be simple things like clicking links or filling out forms). Make sure these tasks are relevant to the goal above and are not too difficult for a beginner user to accomplish.

• How many users will participate in each session? The more people you have testing at once, the better chance you have of getting reliable results from real people who represent your target audience. On the other hand, if you have fewer testers than needed for an accurate sample size, then it will take longer than expected to complete all tests and get results back from them.

In addition to helping us understand what we need to do as testers, a good test plan can also be used as an internal tool for other departments in your company who may need more information about what tests are being run and why. 

It can also be used as an internal tool for measuring testing effectiveness after some time has passed since the tests were run so that you can see which areas of your product were most heavily tested by real users versus those that were not tested at all.

5. Create your prototype 

Now that you have an idea of what your product will do, it’s time to create a prototype. It’s easy to get carried away with the design and forget that it needs to be tested by real people.

Here are some tips to help you create a prototype: 

• Create a wireframe or mockup of your product. This should include the main screens and functions of your app or website. You don’t need anything fancy here, just enough to show how the product works and what it does.

• Add any additional details (e.g., images) that will help make your prototype more realistic during user testing sessions with stakeholders or potential customers.

• Create an environment where users can interact with the prototype in a way that resembles real-world use cases: If they need to log in to an account, create one and give them fake credentials; if they need to type text into a form field, give them a keyboard; if they need to scroll through a list of items, add some fake content; etc.

In addition, if you have access to real devices (instead of using paper prototypes), then you can test on actual hardware as well as software platforms such as mobile phones or tablets.

For instance, in the usability study of Halo: Combat Evolved, the first video game in the Halo franchise, the Halo team formed a focus group of console gamers to test their game’s prototype and determine whether they had fun while playing the game. 

In case they did not, the team wanted to discover what deterred them from having fun. 

When game designers placed players in a large outdoor environment filled with enemies, they thought they would dash toward the enemies, sparking a huge battle.

However, the players had a different strategy. They did not put themselves in danger by moving closer to the enemies. Instead, they kept a maximum distance from them and shot from afar. 

Though a safe and effective strategy, it was monotonous and boring for the players.

To entice test participants to enjoy battling up close, the user researchers made changes to the size and color of the aiming indicator in the middle of the screen. It notified the players if they were too far from their enemies. 

Have a look at the finalized aiming indicator in action:

The tests confirmed these changes to be effective, as most of the players now engaged in combat from up close.

6. Create your test plan document 

A test plan is a written document that describes how you will conduct user testing. It is also a way to organize and document all of your research activities. It should be clear, concise, and easy to read so that anyone can understand it.

Key elements of a test plan document include:

• Test scope – includes who you’re testing with, what you’re testing on, and when you’ll conduct the tests.

• Goals & objectives – Describe why you are conducting this research and what you hope to learn from it.

• Key metrics – outlines how you’ll measure success during and after each round of testing (e.g., number of participants recruited per session).

• User profile – describes each person who will participate in the study (e.g., age range, technical proficiency level).

• Session details – include information about where each session will take place (e.g., location), who will conduct each session (e.g., facilitator), how long each session will last (e.g., duration), and how many participants will attend each session. 

Your test plan will also include information such as:

• When will you run the tests (e.g., at what time of day)?
• Where will you run your tests (e.g., which venue or location)?
• What kind of users or people will you recruit for each iteration?
• How many people do you want to recruit for each iteration?

User Testing Questions. 

When you’re conducting user tests, it’s important to ask questions that help you get at the heart of why users are performing certain actions. The following list of questions can help you frame your tests and explore different aspects of your application.

Screening Phase: 

The goal of the screening phase is to make sure that the user is qualified to participate. This helps ensure that you are only inviting people into your study who will be happy with the experience and who will be able to successfully complete it.

Here are some screening questions you can ask: 

• What is your age? 
• How long have you been using this app? 
• What is your job title? 
• What is your company size? 
• How many employees do you have? 
• Do you feel like you can trust the information the app provides? Why or why not? 

Pre-test Phase: 

Before you start to test, it’s important to get a sense of what your users think about your product. This will help you improve their experience with your product and make sure they have the right expectations.

Here are some questions that can help:

• If we were to invite you back to test more features in the future, would you be interested? (Yes/No).
• What do you like about this product so far? What don’t you like?
• What devices do you use to shop? 
• Are you comfortable with online shopping? 
• How much do you know about our site? What was your first impression of the site?
• What is your current level of interest in this product? (Very interested, somewhat interested, not very interested).

Test Phase: 

The test phase of the product development process is designed to collect feedback from users about their experience with the product. Test results are used to improve or evolve the product and make it more attractive to potential customers. 

To help guide your approach during test phase user testing, here are some useful questions:

• How long have you been using [this product]?
• Have you used it in the past? If yes, when was the last time, and how often do you use it now?
• What do you like about [this product]? (If they say nothing) Why do you use [this product]?
• Were there any problems with our homepage that prevented you from finding what you were looking for?
• How easy was it for you to find what you were looking for on our homepage?
• Did anything surprise you when visiting our homepage?
• Have you ever tried another [product] before using this one[?] (If yes) How would you compare this to other products that offer similar functionality as theirs? (If no) Would you consider using a different [product] if it had more of the features that yours has?

Post-test Phase: 

After users have completed the test, you should consider asking open-ended questions about their experience. These can help you get better insights into what they thought of your product and what they did (or didn’t do) during the test.

Here are some examples of post-test phase user testing questions:

• What was your overall impression of this experience?
• What was the most important thing you learned from this experience?
• How did you feel about the product during each step of the task?
• How would you compare [your product] to [competitors]?

User Testing Tools

User testing can be done in many different ways, but there are some tools that can help you save time and get more reliable results. 

Here are some of our favorites:

1. UserTesting

UserTesting is a startup-friendly platform that lets you create tests with just a few clicks. You can create your own custom tests to see how the user interacts with your product and what their experience is. You can also share insights in emails or integrate with applications such as Jira, Trello, and Slack.

To design your tests, UserTesting gives access to tools such as Adobe XD, InVision, Sketch, Figma, and others. You just need to install their plugins – and you’re good to go! 

The platform also offers A/B testing capabilities and works with any website or mobile application — including WordPress sites!

Other key features include: 

• It offers live video testing through desktop, mobile, and tablets.
• You can tag clips, highlight reels, and take notes in the video recorder.
• It also integrates with Qualtrics, Adobe Xd, Outlook Calendar, and Google Calendar.
• It lets you create tests for mobile prototypes, unreleased and in-store apps, AR/VR experiences, and more.

Pros:

• Quick feedback from users
• Easy-to-use and easy to install
• Customer journey mapping is available
• Multiple templates are available to create tasks
• Provides quantitative and qualitative user feedback
• The video playback option is available
• Guided support
• Allows unmoderated usability testing

Cons:

• International recruitment or testing not available
• Limited features available with cheaper plans
• Folder organizing is not available for tests

Pricing: 

• Free trial available
• Three paid plans are available, including Essentials, Advanced, and Ultimate
• Pricing is not available on the website

2. Optimizely

Optimizely’s visual editor is easy to use and allows you to create A/B tests without writing code. It gives you insight into what features users find most valuable and how well they understand them. 

Optimizely also comes with heatmaps and user feedback tools that make it easier than ever before to see where users struggle with your site or app.

Other key features include: 

• Audience targeting and visitor tracking.
• Test scheduling is available.
• Integrations, such as Shopify Plus, Magento, Delighted, Coreware, Instagram, WordPress, Office 365 Calendar Connector, Cache Buster, OpenPay, and more.

Pros:

• It enables behavioral targeting 
• It’s an easy-to-use and intuitive platform

Cons:

• Preview mode has some errors
• App integration is difficult

Pricing: 

Optimizely offers five plans, including Welcome, Content Management, Web A/B Testing, Feature Management, and Commerce. It offers a free trial for its Welcome Plan. 

However, the pricing is not revealed on the official website. You’ll have to request pricing for each of its plans. It also offers add-ons for each plan for additional features and upgrades.

3. FigPii

FigPii user testing software is a simple, easy-to-use tool for running online user tests.

It’s useful for both UX designers and product managers who want to get feedback from users on their website or mobile app.

You can use it to get actionable insights about what people think about your design or web page, how they use it, and how you can improve it.

FigPii analyzes user behavior using tools like: 

• Session recordings 
• Heat maps 
• Purchase events 
• Interaction data 

FigPii will suggest changes to your site that can help you optimize for conversions. These suggestions are based on concrete data, and FigPii will continue to learn as it tracks user behavior on your site and makes further suggestions.

Other key features include: 

• You can either record and watch every visitor to your website or just those who land on a certain page using session recording.
• It provides 16 filters to let you focus on only the sessions you desire. Filtering options include session length, landing page, exit page, user type, tags, and others.
• You can conduct a poll on a single web page of your website using FigPii.
• You can design on-site surveys for people accessing your website through a certain device.

Pros:

• Easy-to-use features
• Competitive price
• Great AB testing functionality

Cons:

• You might experience bugs during mobile sessions

Pricing:

• Starter – $49.99 /month (10,000 Visitors Per Month)
• Small – $99.99 /month (30,000 Visitors Per Month)
• Medium – $199.99 /month (60,000 Visitors Per Month)
• Large – $339.99 /month (Custom plan)

4. Hotjar

Hotjar is a user testing software that allows you to collect feedback from your website visitors. It provides you with heatmaps, visitor recordings, form analysis, and surveys – all in one place.

With Hotjar’s User Experience Testing Software, you can:

• See how people are really using your site. Optimize the experience of your users by understanding what they do on your site.

• Get feedback from real users before launching. Test new features with real users before launching them on your live site.

• Get instant feedback after changes have been made to your site. See the impact of the changes in real-time with Heatmaps and Session Recordings.

Other key features include: 

• You can see user actions such as mouse clicks, movement, and scrolling.
• Seamless integrations with third-party apps like Slack, Segment, Hubspot, Google Optimize, Optimizely, Omniconvert, Zapier, and more.
• You get access to pre-built survey templates and unlimited feedback widgets.
• There’s no storage limit for feedback.

Pros: 

• Instant feedback is available.
• Free trial available.
• Competitive pricing.
• Easy installation and easy-to-use

Cons: 

• Session recordings have limited filters.
• Some online reviews suggest that setting up forms is a bit difficult.
• You cannot label the recordings.

Pricing: 

Hotjar offers four plans under the Observe section, which allows you to visualize user behavior with Heatmaps and see what your users see with Recordings.

• Basic – Free (35 daily sessions)
• Plus – $31/mo (100 daily sessions)
• Business – Starts at $79/mo (500 daily sessions)
• Scale – custom (Unlimited daily sessions)

Then you get four plans under the Ask section, which gives you access to the Feedback and Surveys feature.

• Basic – Free (20 monthly responses)
• Plus – $47/mo (250 monthly responses)
• Business – starting at $63/mo (500 monthly responses)
• Scale – custom (Unlimited monthly responses)

1. Lookback 

Lookback is a video-based user testing software that allows companies to get immediate feedback from their potential users. It features virtual observation rooms, team chat, timestamped notes, shared insights, and more. 

It’s a great tool for startups and SMEs to validate their ideas before developing a product or feature and for established companies to ensure their products meet users’ needs. 

Key features include: 

• You can talk to your test participant face-to-face.
• Sessions are recorded in the cloud.
• You get touch indicators on taps and gestures, audio, face cam, etc.
• You can set up a sequence of tasks.
• Desktop, iOS & Android platforms available for testing
• You can take notes in the player.

Pros:

• You can take timestamped notes.
• You can tag your teammates
• You can share your live sessions or recordings via public links
• You can control access by making projects private

Cons:

• Limited browser compatibility
• Expensive for higher plans
• Bugs in editing comments

Pricing:

It offers four paid plans:

• Freelance – Starting $17 per month (10 sessions/year)
• Team – Starting at $99 per month (100 sessions/year)
• Insights Hub – Starting at $229 per month (300 sessions/year)
• Enterprise – Custom (Unlimited sessions)

Wrapping Up

User testing is a powerful tool for improving your website and identifying bugs and errors. If done correctly, it’s free, fast, simple to do, and can lead to considerable improvements in your site – or any smartphone application you create. 

This post contains a simple set of recommendations to help you get the most out of user testing and how to ensure your new site design is a success with your users. 

It’s a checklist for user testing that anyone can follow for the very first time and one that will improve on every subsequent test run.

Additional Resources

1. A/B Testing Guide: Everything You Need To Know About A/B Testing
2. How to Analyze A/B Test Results and Statistical Significance in A/B Testing

The post Everything You Need to Know About User Testing appeared first on Invesp.

Maybe the site was slow, or it had illegible typography and bad spacing on long landing pages. Or perhaps the navigation was confusing – too many options to choose from. 

Do you have a moment in mind?

I’m pretty sure you didn’t take long to recall such memories because, well, they stick.

Now, think back to how you felt after getting that negative vibe from their site. Did you think of looking for an alternative? Or did you go back to take another shot? 

Well, according to Toptal, 88% of users would rather stay away from a website after a bad user experience. That’s a huge number of users to lose for something that can be avoided. 

Achieving superior user experience involves building a culture committed to continuous improvement, and that means measuring your UX from time to time. 

There are several metrics you can focus on when measuring user experience on your website. But in this article, we are going to look at a different way of measuring UX…keep reading! 

Two main benefits of measuring UX

“What gets measured can be managed?”

This adage by the American father of management thinking, Peter Drucker, rings true in the world of UX. 

You can’t know about the experience of your users unless you track and measure it. Failure to measure UX is killing more conversions and increasing the churn rate of different websites. According to Sandro Meyer, co-founder of Growth Bay: 

“It’s amazing how many design decisions are still made today without relying on UX-KPI data. For example, your conversion rate might suffer from the fact that the number of form questions on a login page has increased from six to nine. Without continuously measuring the relevant KPIs, you will find it difficult to identify such problems quickly.”

Having said that, let’s look at some of the important reasons why you should measure UX: 

1. Shows you how you doing against competitors

The important thing you should know here is that UX competitor analysis comes after you have measured your site’s user experience first. Once you have done that, then you can enjoy the benefits that come with doing UX competitor analysis. In this context, I mean benefits like: 

• Knowing how to solve usability problems on your site.
• Knowing where your product or service stands in the market.
• Making informed decisions when designing or redesigning your site.
• Having a clear understanding of your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses of your competitors.
• Having a clear reference point for any improvements.

Besides doing UX competitor analysis, when you can attach numbers to your site’s user experience, you can also benchmark it with industry standards. According to Kate Moran, NNG’s Senior User Experience Specialist, with benchmarking, you can compare your UX metrics against an earlier version of the product or service.

Come to think of it, benchmarking is the less expensive (quantitative usability testing) way that can help you assess and improve your website. 

2. See whether designs improved over time.

Measuring UX allows you to compare your current UX to a future one after you make changes. 

Before you deploy that new design, you’d want to know if it improves the completion rates and makes the tasks easy, as compared to previous designs. 

How will you know this if you haven’t measured the completion rate and task ease of the previous versions? How will you know if there is an increase or decrease in completion rates? Or if there is an increase in the task-ease score?

Measuring User Experience

Now that you understand the importance of measuring user experience, it’s time to talk about how you can measure it. Measuring user experience requires one to focus on two types of KPIs: behavioral and attitudinal.

For now, let’s start by looking at the Behaviour KPIs ways of measuring user experience: 

Behaviour KPIs (what they do) 

This type of KPIs tells you what users are doing or how they are interacting with your site in terms of numbers. Kn

According to Kuldeep Kelkar, VP of UX Research at Userzoom: 

“Data only shows part of the story. Google Analytics can tell you what’s happening but not why it’s happening. If you’re only going by analytics, you’re essentially guessing. Sure, it can be an educated, highly informed guess – but you won’t know exactly why things are happening on your site until you see real people using it.”

Here are UX behavioral KPIs you should keep an eye on:

1. Task Success Rate (TSR)

As the name suggests, TSR refers to the number of tasks that users on your site correctly completed. You can’t measure the TSR if there’s no well-defined task assigned to users. You need to be clear about the goals you consider as a success before you start gathering data. 

Here’s how you calculate TSR: 

Many organizations tend to skip measuring the TSR because it is expensive, challenging, and time-consuming. But that’s a huge mistake. Ignoring the TSR means that you won’t know if the experience has been improving (or not), and this creates a blind spot for your organization that can cause you to lose a lot of conversions. 

2. Time-on-task

How long does it take users to accomplish a given task? 

The less the users spend on a task, the better their experience of using your website is. On the other hand, the longer they take to accomplish a given task signals a poor user experience. 

The time-on-task KPI can show you areas of friction – where users are struggling to go through. You can use this KPI to reduce the number of steps a user needs to accomplish a given task. The removal of steps can be done in two ways: 

1. Removing elements – words, colors, and some web elements can distract the user’s attention – and this can cause users to take a lot of time to complete a task. 
2. Reducing choice – the number of options available can affect the time users take on a specific task. 

3. User error rate 

How many times does a user make an error when using your website? You can’t afford to ignore the user error rate because it indicates how clear and user-friendly your site is. And besides, it also correlates with two of the above KPIs in the sense that errors are the reason why users take a long time to perform a task, and they’re behind failed tasks. 

This is how you calculate user error rate:

A high user error rate is a reflection of a high number of usability problems on a site. You can’t measure the user error rate if you don’t have a well-defined action that represents an error. 

Measuring user error rate is good, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. The other half is to identify the causes of the errors that users make. These usually follow into four sections: 

1. Mistakes. When users make the mistake of entering the wrong information on a field, it’s usually a good indicator that some field hints are necessary. 
2. Slips. You shouldn’t ignore typos and fat finger errors, especially if they tend to happen more often. This could be an indication that you should reduce the number of required fields on your forms. 

User Interface Problems. User errors that are created by the interface should be stopped right away. Suppose you continue to see users clicking on an unclickable area, then this could be an indication that your design has issues. 

4. Abandonment Rate

Many websites are plagued by the occurrence of shopping cart abandonment almost every day. 

The shopping cart abandonment rate is the percentage of online shoppers who add items to the cart and leave without checking out. In other words, it shows the rate of interested potential buyers who leave without purchasing anything on your site. 

There are several reasons why potential customers abandon their carts. Some of those reasons relate to negative user experience: 

• No guest account option
• Complicated checkout process
• Website errors/crashes 
• Limited payment options 

A high shopping cart abandonment rate is a reflection of a bad user experience. It shows that customers are interested in your product, but something is blocking them from checking out. 

Attitudinal KPIs (what they say) 

The role of listening to customers in business cannot be overstated. Looking at what customers do on your site is not enough; it’s crucial to actively listen to what they say – before, during, and after interacting with your site – about their experience and analyze their feedback.  

There are different ways you can ask your users about the usability of your site. Here are three ways of doing that: 

1. System Usability Scale (SUS)  

SUS is a reliable tool – devised in 1986 by John Brooke – you can use to measure how usable your site is. It comes with a 10 item questionnaire that has five response options for respondents, from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. Using this tool, you can expect to enjoy some of the following benefits: 

• It’s a straightforward scale to administer to participants.
• You can use it on small sample sizes and still get reliable results.
• It can effectively differentiate between usable and unusable websites.

So when you are going to use SUS, keep in mind the following: 

• Interpreting the scoring system can be complex.
• The scores are from 0-100, but you shouldn’t interpret them as percentages. 
• SUS does not diagnose the problem on your site; it just shows you how usable it is. 

Here are the ten items that you can ask your participants when using the SUS tool: 

For instance, if you want to measure the usability values of your site, and the final score is anything below the average of 68 – that’s an indication that your website has bottlenecks that need to be fixed right away. 

2. Net Promoter Score (NPS) 

The NPS is a straightforward way to measure how satisfied users are after interacting with your website. Although the NPS does not reflect what all users think about your site, it can give you some insights. 

So how does it work? 

Well, you ask users one key question, and they answer using a scale of 0 (very unlikely) to 10 (very likely): 

A score between 0 and 3 is not that bad, but it’s an indication that there is still room for improvement. If your NPS is above 3, it is favorable, and anything that is above 8 is world-class. 

The best way to get a higher score is to provide a good experience for your customers, making sure that there are no conversion roadblocks on your website and making their purchase journey shot and easy. 

According to Perceptive’s Tomas Dickson:  

“In our experience, it is often the most simple things letting a business down. Pick up the phone faster, reduce wait times, and, in general, just communicate better. Don’t make your customers come to you. Go to them—this will massively improve your customer satisfaction and, invariably, your NPS too.”

Once you know your score, you can even benchmark NPS to understand better how your UX stands in a competitive landscape. That will help you strive to improve your user experience so that you remain competitive in the market. 

3. Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) 

As the name implies, CSAT is another user experience KPI that can help you measure customer satisfaction. It’s ideal to use CSAT surveys after customers have had an experience with a particular area of your website. 

For example, you can send a CSAT survey after a customer has just gone through the onboarding process – this can help you see how efficient it is and if there are any improvements needed to the process. The idea here is to record the score while the experience is still fresh in the mind of the user.  

Here’s a practical example from Qualtrics: 

All major touchpoints that a customer has with your brand are the best places to measure customer satisfaction. Another vital thing to note is that CSAT surveys shouldn’t be limited to one question. You can use several questions, which are either open-ended or closed-ended, in the same survey.

Conclusion 

It’s cornerstone knowledge that the difference between the most profitable and unsuccessful websites is a single phrase: user experience (UX). There’s no one-size-fits-all blueprint for delivering an excellent user experience, and sometimes brands fall short when trying to improve their UX. But if you measure your site’s UX, you can always uncover areas that need improvement and make informed decisions. Remember, measuring UX is half of the equation, you still have to interpret the data and understand what it is saying about your website’s user experience. 

The post How Good is your UX? Here’s How You can Measure it appeared first on Invesp.

We all have been there before…and it can be so annoying sometimes. 

As someone who takes a stroll on the web every day, I run out of fingers when I try to count the number of times I found myself on a website’s 404 error page. 

In fact, I recently visited over 30 websites to see how they designed their 404 error pages. 

Although some brands seemed to have figured out a way to make their error pages work to their advantage, I was shocked by the number of brands that let this opportunity go to waste. 

I mean, if a visitor lands on your 404 pages, isn’t that an indication that they were interested in your offer? 

Why not turn that negative experience around? 

Remember, succeeding online and driving more sales comes down to one critical factor: 

Positive customer experience. 

With that said, allow me to show you a few examples of 404 pages that can turn a moment of frustration into an opportunity to make the brand stand out.  

What is a 404 page and why should it be optimized? 

So, what exactly is a 404 error page and why does it matter for your visitors?

To give a brief definition, a 404 error page is an HTTP status code that means the server couldn’t find the page you were trying to view.

The typical trigger for an error 404 message is when website content has been removed or moved to another URL. But there are many other reasons that could trigger the appearance of a 404 page: 

• The URL or its content (such as files or images) was either deleted or moved (without adjusting any internal links accordingly)

• The URL was written incorrectly (during the creation process or a redesign), linked incorrectly, or typed into the browser incorrectly

• The server responsible for the website is not running or the connection is broken
• The requested domain name can’t be converted to an IP by the domain name system (DNS)
• The entered domain name doesn’t exist (anymore). 
• Sometimes if the user types in or clicks on an old link it can result in a 404 (user error)

Having said that, now let’s try to answer the second part of the question: Why should it be optimized? 

Sometimes you never know the gateway used by your visitors to enter your website. So, think about it. A 404 page can be your visitor’s introduction to your entire business. 

Someone can receive an email with a link to your site before a URL structure is changed. And when they try to visit that particular page on your site, they may find themselves on a 404 page. 

Suppose that happens, you don’t want your visitor to exit immediately without getting a sense of your company’s personality, offerings, values, or mission. 

It goes without saying that the best 404 pages are optimized in accordance with the brand strategy and they continue to tell the story of the business. This means that optimized 404 pages are consistent in imagery, voice, colors, font, and message of the brand.

Optimizing a 404 error page starts with knowing what brought the visitor to your site. This then takes us back to the Jobs-to-be-done customer interviews that can really help you know deeper insights about your customers: 

• What are they trying to accomplish?
• What are they looking for?
• What does your company solve?

Uncovering the customers’ intent, through JTBD interviews, will help you tailor or rather optimize your 404 pages best in a way that doesn’t frustrate customers. 

8 Ideas on How to Increase Conversions on 404 Error Pages

There are a lot of exciting and different ideas I’d present to you in the following section. But always remember that your 404 error page experience should be unique to you and your brand –and it has to be informed by the customer interviews. 

Doing so will help address the negative forces (customers’ anxieties and habits) that might be pulling your customers away from the conversion path. 

With that said, now let’s take a look at the examples of the 404 error pages: 

1. Display Some Of Your Products

If a visitor ends up landing on an error page of an e-commerce site, chances are they were looking for a particular product to buy. 

Such a potential sale shouldn’t just go down the drain. There’s something that can be done to turn that frustrated visitor into a customer. 

Display your most popular searches or products. This is exactly what Steve Madden does: 

This is a neat way to draw customers’ attention to your products and help influence their purchase decisions. 

Not having any of your products displayed on your 404 pages is the digital equivalent of ignoring customers when they come in the store. 

According to Search Engine Journal, high-resolution photos and videos are part of the elements that an eCommerce site should have in order to stay relevant and competitive. 

This also applies to the site’s 404 error pages. 

But I was shocked to see this from Soft Surroundings: 

This is a wasted opportunity by Soft Surroundings. I mean one of the unwritten laws in the world of eCommerce is that: images sell, not text. Mentioning the products is not enough. People want to see the real thing. They want to zoom in and get a feel of the product. 

Chances are high that they are losing a lot of sales because of that mistake. 

Another example of an eCommerce site that repeats the same mistake of not having engaging content on their 404 error pages is Next:

Displaying even just a cross-section of the products you have available could be the difference between a potential customer making a purchase or going elsewhere. 

Make it an easy choice for your customers by showcasing what you have on offer when people land on your 404 error page.

In fact, it would be even better if you display your best or most popular products. 

2. Turn it into a search box  

The importance of a search box in an eCommerce site goes without saying.

If your eCommerce store has hundreds of pages categorized, it could be very difficult for users to find what they’re looking for just by scrolling or clicking around.

But having a search box will allow customers to accomplish their goals faster. 

Tell you what, it works the same for a 404 page.

Giving your visitors the option to search the product they have in mind is (almost) a guaranteed way to help them find exactly what they’re interested in.

And that means a higher likelihood of conversion.

Etsy is a good example of a site that turned their site into a search bar:

3. Add user reviews of your products

As I was looking into 404 pages of different sites, I didn’t come across any site that has user reviews on their error pages. 

Considering the power of user reviews, I think that’s a missed opportunity. 

In one of our own research studies – The importance of customer reviews – about user reviews, we discovered that: 

• 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
• 72% of customers say that positive reviews make them trust a business more.
• 92% of consumers will make a purchase if a product has 4 or more stars. 

As you can see from the above stats, there’s a high chance of increasing your conversion rate when you include user reviews in your 404 error pages. 

And again, user-generated reviews can also convince prospects that land on your error page that your products or services are worth it. Try them. 

4. Use it as a lead magnet

From a conversion rate optimization perspective, every page on your site should push a visitor further down the funnel so that they make a purchase. 

This is something that should be engraved in your mind as you think about designing your 404 error pages. 

One way of increasing your conversion rate using your 404 error pages is to include a lead magnet on the page. A lead magnet is simply an incentive that you give website visitors so that they give you their name and email address.

You may be wondering why you should add a lead magnet? 

The reality is people don’t always convert on their first visit, especially when they land on the wrong page. They prefer to learn more about you before committing to make a purchase from your website. 

You’ll need to use a lead magnet to capture their email addresses. Hubspot uses this tactic: 

The best thing about lead magnets is that they all come in different shapes, sizes, and formats. It can be an ebook, checklist, or video recording of a previous webinar recording.

But what happens when you don’t have anything to use as a lead magnet. Does that mean you should forego the opportunity of capturing prospects’ emails?  

Not at all. You can simply ask for your customers’ email addresses just like Ban.do does: 

Considering that the prospect will be in a state of frustration, it’s always best to offer something in exchange for a prospect’s email addresses. Ban.do offers a 10% discount, endless inspiration, and new product releases in exchange for the customer’s email. 

Generally, people will need to be motivated if they are to offer you their personal information. 

5. Leave an impression 

Sometimes it’s okay to take a less marketing approach, especially when you are a well-established brand. 

Sprinkling some little humor on your 404 error pages can leave a great impression of your brand on your users. 

Trying to get users to laugh in a frustrating moment can make them forget about the annoyance of landing on the wrong page. 

In a bid to leave an impression on their 404 error pages, Amazon went for the more personal touch:

The giant eCommerce company showcases random employee dogs on their 404 error pages, and it also links to a page called “Meet the dogs of Amazon”. 

Another site with a humorous 404 page I liked is Gong: 

Although the video has nothing to do with Unsplash as a brand, it will give you that positive vibe and leave you laughing out loud. 

Instead of leveraging their products or services, Unsplash uses positive emotions and humor to build relationships with users and provide an enjoyable experience that makes the brand stand out.

The idea of adding humor to your 404 error pages is to make them memorable so that they consider giving you a chance again. 

According to various studies, it only takes two to three seconds for someone to form an impression online. 

So when a visitor lands on your error page, make it count. 

6. Guide your visitors

When you want to help a lost person, the logical thing to do is to guide them to where they want to go. 

If yours is an eCommerce site that deals with multiple products, instead of curating products its best that you suggest a list of top category pages to visitors. 

This gives them a good starting point.

If the visitor was looking for men or kids’ clothes before landing on a 404 page, they can easily move forward by clicking on a  category section.

Here’s an example by Toms: 

When you visit a page that doesn’t exist anymore, Toms gets you back on track by suggesting you start with one of the top categories.

This makes the transition from error to shopping smoother for the visitor.

Another way of guiding your visitors back to where you’d want them to be is to add helpful links to other pages. Airbnb does this well: 

There’s nothing exciting about the 404 error page, but I like the idea of including various helpful links that can make the prospect find their way to the right page they are looking for on the site. 

7. Add a human touch

Any website page that doesn’t have a human touch won’t build relationships. 

This includes your 404 error pages. 

If you want to build better relationships with visitors who land on your error page, you need to inject kindness and consideration into that page.

The more human your error page is, the more likely it will make visitors more understanding and forgiving of the error.

There’s no harm in putting a human face, your name, and what you do in the business on your 404 pages. In fact, this can engage the user with a little more information on you and your business while distracting from the immediate frustration.

Check out this great example from Mint: 

Visitors who land on the Mint error page will get an introduction to Justin, the man behind the brand. 

They also give visitors links to things they might be looking for. 

Another great example of a 404 error page with an interesting human touch is that of Email Center UK: 

Email Center UK added a human touch to their 404 in quite an enjoyable and fun way. They take the blame for the unavailability of the page, but they make visitors engage in “the firing game” of one of their co-workers. 

Adding such a personality will significantly hold the users’ attention and reduce the site’s bounce rate.  

8. Use exit-intent popups 

When a visitor is about to leave your site after landing on a wrong page, something can be done to stop them in their tracks. 

Create an exit-intent popup. 

A well-designed exit-intent popup on a 404 error page can provide value and give visitors a reason to stay on a website. 

Although it’s often said that people, in general, don’t like pop-ups – I think it depends on what you are saying on that pop-up. 

There are many ways you can use exit-intent popups on error pages. One of the ways is to offer a voucher or a discount. 

It goes without saying that discounts can be an effective way to directly improve conversion rates on a 404 page. 

Electric Family uses an exit-intent pop up to offer a 10% discount on their 404 error page: 

Knowing how vouchers and discounts create happiness, it’s safe to say that the Electric Family might have prevented losing more visitors and high bounce rates through this tactic. 

Although discounts are a tried-and-tested way of improving conversions on 404 error pages, they can be problematic sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, I like the idea of exit-intent popups on 404 pages –but my only worry is using a discount as a first impression. 

Discounts are sticky. Once your customers taste your discounts, they might not ever expect to buy a product on a full price again. And this will end up affecting your bottom line margins as a brand. 

The other way you can use an exit-intent pop up on your 404 error pages is to offer something that will propel users into adding their emails. I know we have covered this under the lead magnet section, but it’s worth a mention under this section. 

Checkout how SEO Copywriting employs this tactic: 

They also use a progress bar that alludes to visitors that they are 25% away from receiving a copy of the “10 SEO Copywriting Hacks.’ 

Conclusion

Your 404 page is part of your website, this means that it should be optimized as it can also contribute to the increase in conversions and a decrease in the bounce rate. There are many things you can do to avoid making the visitor walk away after landing on your 404 error page. If you make sure that your page offers a solution that can help visitors out of this dead-end, you will never go wrong. 

The post 8 Ideas on How to Increase Conversions on 404 Error Pages appeared first on Invesp.

An understanding of the principles of human 

• behavior, 
• aspirations, 
• and motivations 

are instrumental in making users perform the actions they are expected to. 

When we talk about simplicity for novel vs. routine tasks, we’re actually referring to the paradox of human behavior in web design. 

Users are accustomed to specific routines – behaviors on a website that they don’t need to think twice about. The novel task, on the other hand, requires a deeper consideration and cognitive load. 

To break down this paradox and know how to optimize for human behavior, you need to know and understand how the human brain makes decisions. 

This is where Daniel Kahneman’s two-system principle comes in.

Even with routine tasks, any “change” can cause visitors (especially returning ones) to bounce because it simply isn’t the exact same as what they are used to. They may have to visit a couple of times before making a decision to make a purchase.

So when measuring and testing, you should consider doing the following: 

• Segment data between new and returning visitors, 
• monitor changes from day to day on Google Analytics 
• Launch video recordings to observe how visitors interact with the new change
• Launch Heatmaps for the test

Remove abundance of choice in your design

As the number of choices you present in your redesign increases, system 2 is triggered which can defeat the purpose of the change you have in mind. You want to keep this routine and seamless – so keep system one in play. 

When a design has too many choices, this leads to a paradox of choice and people may find it difficult to decide. In most cases, this results in a drop in conversions:

In the world of UX design, less is always said to be more. Once a user is overwhelmed with choice, the focus is lost. In Nora Popova‘s words: 

“Feeling overwhelmed by a number of potential options often leads to inertia.”

In the same vein, the Hobson’s+1 Choice Effect says: 

“Do not offer the alternative second option when a customer is ‘goal-directed’ (i.e. return visitors?), as there might be a counter-effect: distraction of his conscious ‘system 2’ behavior!”

For example, having multiple calls to action on a single page distracts potential leads from conversion. See the example below:

They have an excessive amount of CTAs that use different phrases and do not accomplish the same goal, which can be overwhelming.

So, how do you get rid of distractions in your new design? 

Ensuring the design is not complicated through review, evaluation, and prototyping is critical for a seamless launch.

Present facts and stats

Copy changes can be subtle to the eye and will not change from the routine tasks or experiences, yet really appeal to that psychological component in the brain. 

Of course, we are able to retrieve most of our copy from customer’s themselves that describe that “struggling moment” and the reason they “Hired” a solution or a product.

In reality, people don’t care about your product features, they only care about how your product will make their life better:

But I have to mention that emphasizing the benefits of your products doesn’t mean you should completely stop saying something about features – it’s just a simple matter of priorities. 

Make the design intuitive 

Web design is said to be Intuitive when it makes users know exactly what to do the moment they land on it. 

The steps that steer users to make conversions have to be simple and straightforward. All the FUDs (fear, uncertainty, and doubts) that customers have should be addressed in both the copy and design. 

In an intuitive design, visitors don’t have to wonder: 

• If they are on the right page or not? 
• What does the CTA button mean? 
• How to add an item to the cart? 
• Where to click next? 
• What to do on the page?

If visitors’ FUDs are not addressed, System 1 will get depleted and the chances of the customer making a purchase will be evaporated. So if you have designed for a routine behavior, you can make your website intuitive by doing the following: 

Using visual or directional cues. These directional elements – arrows, images of people gazing, etc– literally point visitors towards your conversion goal.

The cues help visitors navigate your page and maintain a visual hierarchy.

Use contrast to demand attention. Your most important CTA has to have a color that is different from the rest of your site for easy identification. 

You can also use contrast as a way of separating blocks of text on a long home page and so as to encourage visitors to continue scrolling downwards. As you can see from our Invesp homepage, different block sections are separated by colors: 

Attach emotion in the design

Unlike system 2 which operates on logic and rationality, system 1 has an emotional charge. To hook your audience’s emotions, it’s not enough to just say it through your copy – you have to make the customer feel it through your design. 

Again, this goes back to those JTBD customer interviews that can really help you build a copy that will appeal to their emotional and social state.

Attaching emotion to your design means taking different factors into account: color, image, and visuals, trigger pain, reduce cognitive load, use the right message, powerful storytelling, and personalization. 

Address the pain point

You easily awaken System 1 if you frame your offers in terms of avoiding loss, instead of framing them in terms of gains. 

System 1 is about avoiding pain (frustration of playing golf wrongly) rather than gaining pleasure (becoming a pro golf player).

Need another example?

In the design above – through a change of image we addressed the pain point of boring date nights, lack of intimacy with the before image – and then the after image of that same couple dancing in the kitchen because of the product. 

So if your design emphasizes solving pain over benefits, you’ll be able to appeal to system 1. Insurance copywriters use this tactic all the time… 

Include Comparisons

The system 1 part of our brain gets easily hooked by comparisons. Comparison is a fundamental human impulse, there’s no shutting it down. Check out the difference between these two headlines:

Another way of going about comparisons in design is by using before and after images, as seen in the example below: 

Use images and videos! 

System 1 is visual-oriented because our optic nerve is directly connected to that part of the brain. You depend on system 1 to see visuals long before other areas of the brain have deciphered any visuals.

So visual aesthetics in a design that reinforces a routine behavior have to be simplified as much as possible. Visuals have to be positioned in areas that make users skeptical. 

Make the copy scannable 

This is important when your landing page is long. System 1 is designed to be so attentive, so it’s best if you can place the most important elements of your copy above the fold. Suppose your system 1 lapses middle way through a long landing page, at least you’d have indicated the most important stuff above the fold. 

Data shows that when your copy is scannable, it boosts readability by 57%.

For the best results, optimize for the four pillars of scannable copy: 

• Short sentences or paragraphs
• Subheadings or Content Blocks
• High cognitive fluency 
• The large and clear font 

Add Social Proof

As mentioned above, system 1 is that part of our brain that is protective and doubtful –so to have it convinced, you need to provide proof of how your product made someone’s life easier. One way of doing this is by adding real customer testimonials: 

All this can be done using visuals such as demos, before and after photos, video testimonials, and more. System 1 isn’t logical if you show it a great source of proof, it is more likely to trust your claim that there is more value than the cost. 

Simplicity is key

The simpler your copy and design are, the easier it is for system 1 to comprehend it alone without the assistance of system 2. Decision points such as CTAs also have to be reduced because they lead to logical thinking which is system 2. 

Make it easy for the user to automatically move towards the conversion goal without much thought. A combination of little copy and apparent images and visualization spells out simplicity. 

Conclusion

Whether you’re pushing to reinforce or disrupt a certain behavior, the design and the copy should always be optimized for system 1. Why? Because it is that part of our brains that is always active and it is responsible for more than 98% of decisions we make. In fact, it’s much easier to optimize for a system that is awake than to activate one that’s sleeping.

The post The Paradox of Human Behavior in Web Design: Novel vs. Routine Tasks appeared first on Invesp.

“Changing the pagination to ‘infinite scroll’ on the search results page, will increase items viewed and eventually purchases, as this is easier for the user.”

But after running the A/B test, the results surprised the team to the extent that they thought there was a bug or something. After doing some quality assurance, they were horrified to realize that the results were valid. 

Instead of increasing conversions and enhancing customer experience, the test showed negative results.

The number of favorited items decreased, the conversion rate dropped by 22% and users stopped using the search box to find items. Users were viewing and not acting.

Infinite scrolling on Etsy’s website had failed in every major way. Without further ado, they had to revert back to their default design technique: pagination.

Although infinite scrolling failed for Etsy, there are some eCommerce websites that find this design pattern more beneficial to their bottom line. If you love digging around as much as I do, you will bump into eCommerce sites that do an interesting job with infinite scrolling. 

So what does this entail? Does it mean that infinite scrolling is not for every e-commerce website? How do you know if it’s best or bad for your eCommerce website? Why do other eCommerce websites prefer not to use the infinite scrolling technique? Is it because it has too many setbacks that outweigh the benefits?

Continue reading this article to learn more about the definition of infinite scrolling, the pros and cons of this design pattern, and when you should consider implementing it on eCommerce sites.

A brief discussion around Infinite Scrolling

When we talk about ways to boost visitors’ session duration, engagement, page views, usability (fewer clicks typically means better usability) on an eCommerce website, how many of you think of implementing the infinite scrolling technique?

I’m pretty sure that only a handful of people would think of it. 

Not so long ago, users had no choice but to reload pages to progress from one piece of content to the next. The UX design best practices did not encourage creating a site with information appearing below the fold – the section of the page underneath what is displayed on the screen. 

But that’s all changed now. 

Today everyone is scrolling. If you’ve used Social Media platforms such as Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram, you have an idea of what infinite scrolling is. 

Some UX designers refer to it as endless scrolling or continuous scrolling because it is exactly that. 

The working principle of this technique is to vertically scroll through a massive chunk of content with no sight of the website’s footer tab. The content continuously loads as the user keeps on scrolling down the page. 

Perhaps due to the wider adoption of mobile phones and tablets, the infinite scrolling trend has become more popular and many web companies are using it. 

This design pattern makes it easy for both mobile and desktop users who are in the mood for browsing and exploration.  

Well, just like any other UX design patterns, infinite scrolling has its strengths and weaknesses, so before you decide to implement infinite scrolling on your eCommerce site, you need to make sure that the benefits outweigh the setbacks. 

Having said that, here’s are the pros and cons of infinite scrolling:  

The pros

• It’s great for mobile devices. It’s easier to browse on a touchscreen smartphone than to click on small next page links.
• It helps to hold a user’s attention. It’s easy to keep readers engaged by giving them more and more information as they keep scrolling. Having a “see more” can actually distract users and break the experience.
• It works well if you want to display large amounts of data. If your website has a lot of information, infinite scrolling allows you to show that more content at once.
• Information can be updated in real-time. Infinite scrolling does well in updating real-time information instantly. This is why you see Social Media websites preferring to go with this technique.
• Your page speed doesn’t get affected. Just because it constantly has to load more content at a time, this doesn’t mean that infinite scrolling will slow your page speed. With infinite scrolling, you can still expect your page speed to be as fast as a traditionally formatted site.
• Retain users. There’s a high chance of retaining a user since all they have to do is to scroll. It’s much more of a subliminal call to action.
• According to infinite-scroll.com, if this design format is used correctly ((like with their WordPress plug-in), SEO is not jeopardized, navigation is improved, and accessibility is maintained.

The cons

• It’s harder for users to search for a specific type of information. If a user is looking for a specific piece of content, they might get frustrated by having to scroll and scroll before they see what they are looking for.
• Your site won’t have a footer. Most websites that do not use infinite scrolling have important information placed on the site’s footer and this has resulted in visitors developing a habit of viewing the bottom of the webpage for more valuable information about the company. But since there’s no reaching the bottom of the page with infinite scrolling, new visitors might be confused about where to find the site’s Blog, Contact or About Us page.
• It uses JavaScript. This is not yet problematic, but developers may get nervous about the future of infinite scrolling in terms of performance on Google rankings.
• It’s not easy to skip irrelevant content. The fact that you can’t skip all the irrelevant information you come across can be very annoying sometimes. Users are forced to read and scroll through pieces of information that is unrelated to what they are interested in.
• It’s difficult to bookmark or to return to a specific segment of the page (this is the detriment that Facebook seems to have capitalized on).
• It’s not easy to implement Analytics in an infinite scrolling site. Adding a Google Analytics code into a page doesn’t guarantee you much insight, you also have to implement a custom solution.

Now that you know what infinite scrolling is all about, let’s take a deep dive into this magical design pattern in the eCommerce space. 

Infinite Scrolling on eCommerce sites: A tale of two stories 

Have you ever noticed that most eCommerce websites do not display products linearly on a never-ending page (infinite scrolling). 

Instead, most eCommerce websites tend to use pagination or the load more button. Is it because they are better at improving the user experience than the infinite scrolling technique? 

I don’t think so. 

I understand that some marketers are of the belief that it is illogical to load a lot of products at once and assume that the users will view each and every product. Besides, it is easier for users to return to a specific page that the item is on than it is to gauge where the item is positioned on an endless page. 

If you think about it, their argument really holds water.

With this argument in mind, how then do you incorporate infinite scrolling on an eCommerce website and make sure that it accomplishes a positive user experience?  

I had a discussion with Ayat on this topic, and her suggestion was:

“When you think of adopting infinite scrolling you need to understand the people using your site by tracking how deep they are getting with the scrolling. This is why I recommend that e-commerce sites that have infinite scrolling should also include a load more functionality that helps track how deep people are going on those category pages. If you’re not able to understand how visitors are interacting with the site, you’re kind of defeating the purpose of creating that experience.” 

In other short, she suggests integrating infinite scrolling and a “load more” button at the end of a preloaded list, which, when clicked, loads more content onto the page. As you can tell, Ayat’s approach to infinite scrolling on eCommerce websites is a cautious one.

What I like the most about her hybrid approach (infinite scrolling + “load more” button) is that it gives users the choice to either view more and more products at once or not. It also allows users to access the website’s footer –thus addressing one of the major design drawbacks of infinite scrolling. 

This integration approach is at play on Express.com. The only difference is that Express integrates infinite scrolling, “load more” and the “view all” buttons. The load more or view all buttons are also located at the end of the preloaded list:  

But once you click on the view all button, infinite scrolling is activated. 

Placing the “load more” or “view all” buttons at the end of the preloaded list creates a positive experience by empowering to choose what works for them. It is still infinite scrolling, but the hybrid solution is used to control the amount of content that loads. 

Although it’s not an eCommerce site, Google’s image search is also a good example that highlights the integration of infinite scrolling and the “load more” button:

When you use Google to search for images, the infinite scrolling is automatic at first but after loading a certain number of items, you will have to click on that show more results button to view more content. This maintains the interface while limiting the load on the server.

Now that you have empirical evidence that infinite scrolling can work on eCommerce websites, let’s take a step back and look at what really made Etsy fail drastically (You still remember the Etsy story right?). 

So here is how their control and variation versions looked like: 

As you can see from the above image, the infinite scrolling variation was destroyed. From the items viewed, clicked, favorited, and purchased, it performs all dismally against the control (pagination). 

When asked why infinite scrolling was disastrous for Etsy, Dan McKinley, the company’s the-then principal engineer said this: 

“We thought that it was obvious that more items, faster was a better experience. There is a lot of web lore out there to that effect, based mostly on some findings Google’s made in their own search…My point is not that infinite scroll is stupid. It may be great on your website, but we should have done a better job of understanding the people using our website.”

Looking at this response. It’s clear that the Etsy team made one of the deadliest sins in the world of A/B testing. And that is implementing a hypothesis that is not backed by user research. Theirs was just an assumption that: “We thought that it was obvious that more items, faster was a better experience.”

Unlike what Etsy did, you first have to conduct thorough user research to know exactly what will work for users. Even after having conducted adequate research, it is incredibly important to keep a close eye on how users behave by watching session replay videos.

So, is infinite scrolling for every eCommerce website? 

Having seen two examples of mega eCommerce websites that have two different tales to tell when it comes to infinite scrolling, do you think this design format is for every website?   

There are many valuable reasons that point out why you should use infinite scrolling on your website, just as there are many reasons that suggest otherwise. Infinite scrolling has some good and bad in and for itself. 

So, to cut to the chase: infinite scrolling can work on an eCommerce website but it’s certainly not for every site. 

But you have to be extra careful before you implement it on your site. For eCommerce sites that sell hundreds of products,  a combination of infinite scrolling and that load more buttons as suggested by Ayat will work. 

So including search filters is also another alternative you might want to consider. Take a leaf from Twitter’s infinite scrolling design book: 

Twitter uses infinite scrolling and it avoids frustrating users by using an advanced search function that allows users to filter their searches so as to quickly find the specific information they are looking for. 

Conclusion

It’s an open secret that infinite scrolling works well on those types of websites that display large amounts of highly visual content such as images and videos. This is why social media giants like this design pattern. But if you are to use it on your eCommerce site, I’d rather suggest that you begin by conducting user research and testing your hypothesis. You don’t want to repeat the same mistake that Etsy made when they just implemented without validating their hypothesis.

The post Infinite Scrolling on eCommerce: Is it for every website? appeared first on Invesp.

Just because something is “inexpensive” doesn’t mean it’s an impulse decision. 

Just because someone tends to purchase suddenly doesn’t mean they are making those decisions impulsively. 

They’ve gone through a purchase journey – may be faster than others, but they have. 

This customer thought that his purchase decision was on impulse – digging deeper, he was ready to make this decision more than anyone else. 

After speaking to hundreds of customers, I’ve become well versed in understanding how to root out the causality that led to a purchase. It’s the first step in any marketing activity we conduct.

The customer starts by saying that the purchase happened on an impulse. They don’t recognize the deep exact reason behind their decision. 

In reality, people go through several events that lead up to their decision. 

Understanding the timeline is a gamechanger.  

A first thought is when the customer gets the idea planted in their head that this product or service is something that they need or want. 

Here’s an example of someone’s first thought back in 2018, figuring out how to become a better gamer and what is entailed. 

Now, of course, a tweet tells you half the story, but you will see the progression. 

Event 1 references that first experience that clarifies that need or want even further. This customer referenced “the lady” and what she has been investing in. 

She is further justifying making the purchase. 

Events often are triggered by people doing or using that thing that has been in the back of your mind (the first thought). 

She starts to look – passively, meaning getting advice, seeing what people think, before she does the real work. 

Event 2 is when that product or service need is crystallized in the customer’s mind – moving them to from passive to active looking. 

So although the customer found this “new method” without the mixer to make the sounds more unified and controlled, she still has the mixer in mind. 

Notice her use of the word “mixer” in bold. She knows this is the best way to achieve a better sound.

A few days later, after uncovering that “new method,” she bought the mixer to make things even better!

Here’s the full timeline view:

What do causality and these leading events have anything to do with conversion?

Just tell me Why

Customers don’t tell you “why” they bought a product. 

Or they give you top of mind answers. 

You can begin to understand the “why” through the tradeoffs customers make during their decision-making process. 

Marketers say, well, ask the five whys: Why do you need this? Why? Why? Why? Why? 

To get to that root cause and most likely emotional and social reason. 

Toyota created this infamous 5 Why’s method. The theory is by asking why, then why, and so on, you can get to the root cause and reason. 

But it’s annoying to keep asking WHY?

And asking why, many times, gets you top of mind answers. 

How do people make decisions?

Image credit: Rewired Group

Our good friend Bob Moesta of the Rewired Group does Jobs to Be Done for a living. He introduced us to the concept in the first place. 

The company finds new ways to innovate and solve complex problems through these types of interviews. 

One of the projects he worked on was as a VP of marketing for a construction company. 

His goal was to attract more people to purchase the condos they offered. 

The people they were targeting with the new development had several “Pushes:”

• They needed to downsizing.
• They wouldn’t have to worry about gutters and what not.
• They would have a cleaner home since it’s smaller and easier to maintain 
• They were typically Empty nesters.

The magnetism of the new solution: It was a 1500 ranch condo brand new construction  – 2.5 baths two bedrooms. The condos were gorgeous. 

If you would see these condos, you’d want to move.

But They weren’t selling. 

What was the problem?

So they started interviewing, and they understood the anxieties :

• How are we going to move? 
• How are we going to pack? 
• How are we going to sell?

Don’t forget about the habit of the present:

• This is the place they raised their family in
• This is the family heritage/heirloom. 
• This is the neighborhood they’ve been in for 20+ years.

Push and magnetism need to be stronger than Habit and Anxieties for people to make progress and change. 

And again, very often, there are those events that happen in people’s lives that push them further. 

Well, when they interviewed some of the couples that did move, they understood that a driving factor for them was that “so and so” died, and the move was that much harder for the spouse that was left. 

The first thing Bob did after hearing this piece of information was put the ad for the condos near the obituaries section in the newspaper. He understood that the magnetism of the solution would be that much stronger. 

Thinking of buying a new car

You see hundreds of car ads, but you never really notice them until you’re looking for a car. 

What goes into the decision making process of buying a new car?

• Your car is old and is breaking down, or maybe your friend is driving a new car, and you feel a social pressure to match him. That’s the push of the situation.
• The new car has impressive specs. That is the magnetism of the new solution.
  
• But you have so many memories in your old car, and it’s always been there for you – that’s the habit of the present.
• Do I really need to commit to a monthly payment? What is the best car for me? Should I lease, rent, or buy? That’s the anxiety of the new solution. 

Now, if that same person was driving, and suddenly the car broke down – that event, it could be a trigger to push them closer to making the decision. 

Or, for example, that person went to a friend’s home and noticed that their friend had indeed bought the same car they were considering. Again, it would be an event that would push them further. 

Understanding the progress making factors will help you become a better copywriter.

A better marketer.

A better salesman.

The example below is an example of two car ads, one that highlights the specs: meh.

And the other that is talking and displaying class and those emotional reasons that may impact a person’s decision.

Causality is Social and Emotional 

“Customer insights can ripple across an organization and be interpreted differently by different parties. That’s why understanding the context and circumstance that leads to JTBD research is so important.” 

Customers are triggered by various events that will result in the purchase. They do not recognize these triggers and events until they are interviewed. 

Causality is almost always emotional or social. 

When a woman was asked why she purchased a shirt with the words “You are Strong” on it, she first said it was an impulse purchase. 

By digging a bit further, the interviewer was able to figure out:

She had just given birth…

She had been feeling overwhelmed…

And she was balancing too many things. 

The shirt was a homage to all that she had been through.

Copy that caters to the emotions wins:

Prof. Ted Lovett famously said: 

“People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill; they want a quarter-inch hole.”

When you look for a drill, for example – companies are generally competing over specs and ignoring that emotional and social reason. Specs aren’t the root reason for someone to make the purchase. 

Companies are competing over the color of a drill, the power, the specs –  rather than the emotional: “hanging up that beautiful family picture.” 

You can ask a customer why they bought the drill, and they may rattle the specs. That’s top of mind answer.

The better approach is to ask “when” and walk them through the experiences that led to the decision. 

The better approach is to ask “when” and walk them through the experiences that led to the decision. 

The first thought, then the events that caused and propelled them to finally make that decision on that specific day. 

If you understand those causes, you can use those words…

that copy…

Those events…

To propel other potential customers to make the decision faster.

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