Adding emotion to your website design is not something that comes naturally for most IT teams. It is easy to get caught up in best SEO practices, mobile strategies, and the latest responsive designs and forget about how real human beings are going to interact with your website. Ultimately, you’re going to lose business if you don’t factor your customers into the equation.
A solid design starts with several basic principles. The first thing that you need is a strong foundation. What are your goals for the website? You need a clear idea about your values and visions and what you want to communicate about your company. This knowledge allows you to deliver transparent, consistent actions and aesthetic. Once you have a foundation in place, define your users and the context in which they will use your website. Think about the emotion that is involved when they frequent your site.
Now you’re ready to examine the three cognitive levels of visual design that you can apply for adding emotions to your website design. They are as follows:
- Visceral. The visceral level is instinctive, sending automatic signals about an environment that customers interpret unconsciously. Think about the initial appearance and interaction.
- Behavioral. Function, performance, and physical touch are critical aspects of the behavioral level.
- Reflective. The reflective level is conscious and can include complex interpretation and understanding.
As you become comfortable with these levels, you’ll learn how to make them work together to create a design that is appealing, effective, enjoyable, and memorable.
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