Website Design: Not Just About ‘Looks’

Published on May 10, 2016 - By Cecilia Amador de San José

“If you’re truly trying to accomplish something with your website, you’ll need to focus on more than just how your website looks.” –Erik Devaney, Hubspot

When it comes to websites companies usually go for a clean-looking site that is visually appealing. Looks go a long-way with websites, but they aren’t everything — particularly in a world wide web where, by now, anyone can put together a website.

In most cases, individuals usually have some sort of goal in mind whenever they visit a website or do web search. Whether they are simply looking for more info, doing a compare/contrast, or hoping to send a request or form, one thing is clear: they want to get something out of the experience.

While it’s great for you to have an aesthetically pleasing website, it’s your duty as manager or owner to make sure that people can find (easily) and get done (fast) whatever it is they’re looking for in your website.

Think of it this way — what use is it to have a ‘pretty’ website if people don’t know how to navigate it? If someone lands on your page and they can’t figure out where to click or look for what they want, they’re going to hit the back button or close that tab. That’s a lost potential client right there.

As a flexible workspace operator, you want potential clients to be able to find your rates, types of memberships, location, services that you offer, and have some images of how your flexible workspace looks. And you need to make sure that you offer all of this in a user-friendly manner. This is called in the design and tech world as UX: User Experience Design. (You can read more about UX here.)

So, what does it take to have an exceptional website – one that’s visually appealing, is easy to navigate, and responds smoothly?

– An exceptional website is simple
– An exceptional website has a visual hierarchy
– An exceptional website is easy to navigate
– An exceptional website is consistent
– An exceptional website is easily accessible (mobile, pad, desktop)
– An exceptional website has conventional elements
– An exceptional website is credible
– An exceptional website is user-centric

To better understand and figure out what needs to be done to have an exceptional website, we’ll let the experts do the talking (or explaining in this case). We strongly encourage you to read Hubspot’s Blog on 8 Guidelines for Exceptional Web Design, Usability, and User Experience.