If you’re in web design and development, you should know the difference between making something practical and something ‘for art’s sake.’ The primary goal of design is to provide optimal functionality best tailored to a particular business’ set of tasks. Web design today is all about reaching out to users with meaningful content, engaging them and eventually leading to conversion, and web apps are number-one agents in this process. In this article, we’re going to cover five major aspects in which web apps should be employed for outstanding personalization and results.
1.Provide Uncluttered UI
Websites used to be static – they existed to inform users. In the recent decade, the situation totally reversed – interacting with the end user became key, which also helps to gather information on potential and existing customers, cater to their needs and solve their problems. Yet, if an interface is rife with irrelevant elements and lacks a logical hierarchy, the users won’t be able to glean how the website and business behind it is going to help them – and look for solutions elsewhere.
2.Clearly Define the Goals and Tasks
For a business owner who’d like to request custom software, it’s vital to understand that the keyword is ‘custom’ – that is, there can hardly be a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution that will work flawlessly in just about any sphere and with every demographic. The clearer a business’s goals and tasks are defined, the more effective a custom web app will be in fostering the desired conversion rate.
3.Enhance Personalization
Today, no one is surprised to see the section ‘You Might Also Like’ on an e-store or blog; not seeing it would actually be surprising. With the mind-boggling amount of information around us, narrowing the scope is a blessing for users – and their good is a boon for business, naturally. Alongside such obvious parameters as pages already browsed, products bought or added to a wish list, suggestions can be based on demographic information, location, as well as a user’s social media contact network. The latter is an enhanced version of employing a social proof: if a person from your friend list found a product, service or information useful/grand/life-changing, you are more likely to give it more attention, too – and more likely to make a purchase. Opt for Convergence
Speaking of social media, there’s an obvious reason why convergence, or social sign-in is a wiser choice than having clients undergo a registration. With dozens of accounts on different websites, it’s too difficult to remember all the logins and passwords – especially if a user doesn’t frequent most of them. Forgetting the password, the user may not want to bother restoring access and will leave for good without using the services offered. Yet everybody seems to have this or that social media profile; so do some research to evaluate which social media your target audience favors and accommodate to their preference.
4. Harness the Power of Reciprocity
In short, the reciprocity principle runs as ‘give before you take’ and demand nothing back. If you freely give people something of value (information, a solution to a problem, coupons, gifts), they are going to appreciate it and get in the mood to be nice in return. Yet if a web app demands customers’ self-disclosure (apparently, to get more value) at too early a stage or too aggressively, most people will find it a nuisance and leave.
In today’s world, it is not enough for a web app to simply do its job of collecting and providing data – they are supposed to produce experiences, make interaction seamless and effortless. In other words, often web apps are supposed to know what users want before they understand it themselves – so their importance is far from fading away.
