How To Align Your Website With Your Clients’ Needs In The Era Of Digitalization

The article was originally published?on?Forbes.com

Today, the demand for simplicity reigns supreme in web design. When a potential client looks for a solution to a problem, it is vital to ensure optimal website speed as well as a level of UX that provides all the required information in a maximum of three clicks.

There has been a huge shift towards websites with a lot of white space, minimal graphics and simple navigation. Psychologically, it makes sense: During the lockdown, many peoples' lives became smaller and simpler. With surmounting stress, internet users craved calm environments. "Mindful web design"?— an approach that embraces clean designs, simplicity and manageable chunks of information — became a huge trend.

The simpler your design is, the less content needs to be loaded — so your site not only meets the expectations of today's digital audience but also experiences great SEO and increases lead generation.

So, the obvious question is: How do you introduce mindful design into your website?

A Client-Oriented And Mindful Design Approach: A Slide Site

To introduce a client-oriented approach and mindful design into our website, my company, Intetics, decided to transform it entirely into slides. By doing so, we were able to ensure optimal website navigation while providing comprehensive information to our clients within a maximum of three clicks.

One of the features that was most useful was a CMS constructor widget that we built in-house, which lets us create corporate presentations via reusable webpage templates, and is something I recommend any business leader consider building, too, as they look at their own website.

The slide format has great benefits. Instead of sending PPT or PDF files to clients, this allows you to send a link to a presentation. Essentially, one page equals one slide, so if you need a custom presentation for a particular client, the widget will merge the required pages into a unique online set. Different team members — sales, marketing, administration and more — can easily build custom presentations with the freshest information about the company by combining slides on-demand.

Along with the slide format, we embraced mindful design by using clean lines, bold typography, clear CTAs, keyboard navigation and a neutral-colored background. We also embraced easy interactivity with chatbots and easy-to-find search fields. These efforts led to a sleek, fast-loading site that presents well-organized, easily-digestible information. The website has been appreciated both by the professional IT community and the business audience, as it received three awards from WebAwards 2021.

This design was not just about meeting trends. It was created based on a deep analysis of our target audience and the functions most convenient for them.

Key Features To Implement To Meet Potential Clients' Needs

With the right user interface for your website, you can hopefully provide the "right" user experience for customers and make connecting with your company more convenient. Here are some of the key features to consider implementing for your corporate website.

1.?All information is presented in bite-size "slides." By presenting your website's information in easy-to-swallow chunks, you can avoid overwhelming visitors.

2.?A visitor should be able to get from the home page to the information they need in three clicks, tops. Again, this is a really important strategy to eliminate frustration on the potential clients' end.

3.?Visitors can read the entire site in a linear, sequential manner. They just have to press the "Next" button to move to the next slide.

4.?Users can navigate the site with their keyboard instead of just the mouse.

5.?There are no scrollers.

6.?The site has plenty of multimedia elements.

7.?Traditional hypertext could be reintroduced: You can hyperlink all terms used to relevant information.

8.?"Breadcrumbs" show potential clients where they are in the navigation.

9.?A chatbot can always help answer clients' questions and send them directly to the information they need.

10.??Use a long, detailed menu to help readers understand what's available and to find what they need. It also advertises items that potential clients might not have noticed or searched for otherwise.

11.?Relevant gated content is readily available, improving straight lead generation and conversion.

12.?The website and corporate presentation offer the same information, providing many benefits for corporate marketing.?

Final Thoughts

While mindful design and other site elements were made popular during the pandemic, they're more than just trends. Clean, simple design makes it easier for the user to get the information they need — and at the end of the day, customer care is what really matters.

So, we challenge you to take a look at your website and ask yourself: Does it provide your potential clients with a stress-free experience, or does it give information overload? If it's the latter, it's time to make some changes.

Enjoyed the reading? Please share the post with others, and leave your likes and comments down below. And welcome to follow us for more at our?LinkedIn page .