Should The Customer Always Come First In Web Design?

December 11, 2015 at 2:15 pm By

As a designer you could look at what a company produces and figure out a way to build or update a site to the specs necessary. It can be a little messy when the customer begins imposing their input but one report makes the cases that the customer should always come first in web design.

“Jeannine Van Liere, co-owner of the Stevensville restaurant, said a business owner should take time to consider what goes on their website because that can be the first impression for a prospective customer,” according to The Herald Palladium.

“You really want to make sure that you look at it from a guest’s perspective,” Van Liere said, according to the report. “It has to be easily accessible and you need to make sure it represents who you are.”

As the customer and business owner, they know what they need on the site and it’s important for the designer to translate their words into the design they feel will best match the demands. Sometimes customers will have impossible demands or some that aren’t quite necessary. It’s the responsibility of the designer to communicate that.

“As other businesses are creating their websites, my advice would be to understand their target audience and what they are trying to accomplish when they go to the company’s website,” said Kathleen Wolf, senior manager of Corporate Reputation and Interactive Media for Whirlpool Corp, according to the report.

“Don’t get caught up in making the site about your business. Make it easy for users to complete their tasks and they will want to know more about what you have to offer.”

Wolf is pleading to let business think about design with a bit more simplicity and usability in mind. This way there is less of a clash between customers and designers when they are both on the same page.

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