The user experience of brands
I had an interesting conversation with a developer recently who asked me why, as a user experience company, we don’t just write the same expert reviews for all our clients, as ‘surely all the recommendations would be the same?‘.
Working in the usability sector, its clear to me why the same recommendations wouldn’t work for different clients, but to an outsider I can see how this is a relevant question. While there are principals of good usability, such as Nielsen’s heuristics, there are no strict rules, and no off-the-shelf solutions.
Brands and customers
The need for unique user experience design stems from the different groups of users brands attract to their websites. Two soft drinks brands have different user experience needs depending on the different audience segments they both respectively attract. One might attract a young and image conscious audience, the other might attract parents buying drinks for their kid’s lunch boxes.
Tailoring user experiences
The need for different graphic design is clear, however, less obvious is the need for tailored information architecture for each, in keeping with the audience’s priorities. Calls to action not only need to be written to create the desired effect, but also to enable users to associate them with the brand and the information or service they require.
When we work for different brands we identify the audience’s needs and requirements, as well as their general characteristics. This helps us to create the best and most appropriate experience for specific brand’s customers.
There is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to creating a positive and effective user experience, which is why we can’t offer an off-the-shelf solution.
About the author
Bonny is passionate about creating great user journeys that improve conversion rates. She is an advocate of ethical SEO, and loves measuring website stats. Bonny spends her free time sewing, designing fabric and drawing silly pictures. Email Bonny, or call +44 (0)117 946 3930
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However!
Many brands in the same vertical suffer from similar usability problems as they are trying to solve similar problems for the customer. In this context the recommendations should be the same, but are often implemented through the vagaries of client systems.
Then again, usability is not equal to user experience. Usability may clear barriers out of the way for your customers but it won’t persuade people or build trust or create demand. This is the role of user experience.
Good point DJ. Maybe we should explore the differences between usability and user experience in another blog?
The distinction between the two areas is often fuzzy – something that can be easy to use is not necessarily compelling or desirable to use. We have to find a way to make products be both.
Agreed, and how to prioritise one over the other!