If you have designed a site that addressed five of the six layers of design you have surpassed most sites on the web. Even great designers will fail to address the first five layers in a design. Stopping here however, would ignore one of the fundamental aspects of being human, having emotions. Emotion is the […]
Visual design, like people, has a personality. I’ve said it many times before, visual design is communication. How a design is executed will tell viewers a story about the subject matter represented. The typography, colors, imagery, spacing all work together to form what we often refer to as visual language and design tone. Much like […]
For over a decade we’ve universally recommended the Google Analytics tracking script for all websites. Lately we’ve added another script to our recommendations– the Facebook pixel. Let’s talk about what this script is and why you should have it on your website. What is a “Tracking Pixel”? You might wonder “what is a tracking pixel?” […]
An optimized website can convert ten times as many users as a non-conversions optimized site. The amount of information on conversion optimization is vast, a quick Google search reveals over 578 million results on “Conversion Optimization.” With so much information on the subject available, it can be difficult to identify where to start or what […]
If you’re a frequent reader of this blog you might have noticed I can be critical of visual design. The underlying implication that visuals received a disproportionate amount of attention during the initial stages of page layout and construction. A qualification is now in order: Visuals don’t make a design great, but they’re an essential […]
Google Analytics is a powerful tool provided you can make actionable sense of the reports. I often hear people lament that Google Analytics is overwhelming and difficult. Website owners struggle with what metrics to evaluate and how to make sense of it all. Yes, Google Analytics is a sophisticated and complex tool, but it doesn’t […]
In an age of abundant user behavior data it’s advantageous to adopt a methodology of release, test, learn and iterate. Why spend six months redesigning your website or application based on speculation when you can launch quickly, continually make improvements, and learn what works and what doesn’t. What I’m describing are design sprints. Design sprints […]
Design is a critical aspect of website success, despite the abundance of “ready for you” templates and site builders. Using off-the-shelf WordPress themes or Square Space templates can be a quick way to get an attractive site up and running, but it doesn’t mean the website will be successful. This isn’t to say that these […]
We’re huge advocates of creating personas during the strategy phase of web design. If nothing else, personas help stakeholders view the process from the perspectives of their target audience rather than focusing on their own, personal objectives. Personas can include a wide range of information depending on who’s crafting them. Designers have different opinions about […]
When creating a new website, it’s important to consider how visitors will be able to navigate from page to page. There are many different formats (patterns) you can utilize. You can even create your own unique combination of a number of different options. So whether you opt for a basic navigation bar at the top […]