In what ways is design effective in improving the online experience?

Just placing content on a web page can make the content available for reading or viewing. Design can enhance the experience and create a stronger message, placing emphasis on critical components and providing an engaging environment.

For some clients just placing content on a website is their initial goal. Though these clients may not be like-minded as to the importance of design, there is an opportunity to educate clients on your approach and workings, giving them clearer and more honest expectations of you. Educating and sharing your knowledge allows for a relationship of trust and respect to develop. [i]

Educating the client on general design principles can help you in guiding the client to good design. Using Dieter Rams 10 principles of good design, cover what a designer needs to have in mind when creating a new project. Following are the principles:

  1. Good design is innovative
  2. Good design makes a product useful
  3. Good design is aesthetic using Color, Grid / Space and Typography
  4. Good design makes a product easy to understand
  5. Good design is unobtrusive
  6. Good design is honest
  7. Good design is long-lasting
  8. Good design is thorough
  9. Good design is environmentally friendly
  10. Good design is as little design as possible [ii]

Providing examples of how certain design principles will help them to better communicate their intent will facilitate client understanding and buy-in. Design choice needs to be put into client perspectives that impact them. A good example is conveying authority and trust. People will follow instructions when they come from perceived authority figures. Design has a powerful effect on creating trust. Trust indicators include testimonials with client photos and ratings.[iii]

With virtually every website, good UX design can be sectioned into three parts or events: introduction, consumption and reaction. Content is at the core, the meat of what the user is looking for, and on both sides of the content are events that are driven by a well-executed design.

[i] Oldham, Craig (2009) Design Guidelines. Retrieved from http://www.thinkingforaliving.org/archives/1191

[ii] Loureiro, Nuno (2014) Dieter Rams’ 10 principles of good web design. Retrieved from http://www.creativebloq.com/netmag/dieter-rams-10-principles-good-web-design-3143872

[iii] Wroblewski, Luke (2011) An Event Apart: Persuasive Design. Retrieved from http://www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?1432