Why do web designers get it so wrong?

OK, a provocative question granted, but it’s not one that I ask, it’s the question that I’m getting asked all the time by e-business owners who’ve spent heaps on their website, perhaps for the second or third time even, and still not getting the business results they are looking for.

The reality is that the vast majority of business owners are in the laps of the gods when it comes to website design. They may have some goals, but only a small number of these poor people have a good sense of what’s really needed to achieve them.

So these good poor people, experience the pain and then come to us saying “Are our web designers at fault for getting wrong?” To be honest, it’s a bit of a curly question with no simple answer but their certainly are some common factors I see that I believe are central to many of the failures.

Let’s be fair, many web designers are doing a good job within the constraints that they have before them. They are often bidding for jobs against others in the pack, and likely to be working to existing RFP specifications, tight budgets and deadlines.

The key problem is nearly always that at no point has anyone taken enough time to consider the goals, desires, beliefs, attitudes etc of the online customer. Sound heavy? Maybe so, but absolutely and fundamentally crucial. Why doesn’t this happen? Two main reasons; firstly it’s not mainstream and secondly it requires skills that are in short supply.

Some companies may have conducted some usability testing on their site. But this is hardly enough. I’m gonna stick my neck out a bit here and say that most usability tests for commercial websites are fundamentally flawed in that they only ‘test’ what’s there already and the scenario/task based approach is simply unreal for the person who’s the ‘guinea pig’. The simple fact is that a website can pass a usability test with flying colours but still fail dismally in converting customers.

To achieve a design that delivers real results to the business, a radically different approach to web design is required and I very rarely see in action. The approach requires additional steps that that are usually outside the domain experience of most web design companies. Let’s keep this in perspective, there are some good agencies out there that do have these skills but I’d say they are in the minuscule minority.

A fundamental problem that we need to work on is that business requirements for e-commerce and e-business sites are, more often than not, an ‘inside out’ view of the business. Nobody has taken the time to really understand who their online customers are and what they need. To get it right first time, you need to take an ‘outside-in’ look at your business and design with your customers need pinned firmly to your forehead. Furthermore, once the site is built and implemented, it’s then essential to test and measure the results and then refine your site accordingly. And when I say refine, this is not a once off measure, it’s an ongoing dance that requires attention an effort.

Web design firms seldom have these specialist skills in-house and outsourcing is not an option for them. Why? Usually it’s because they simply don’t know much about the user-centric design process or the skills needed. Some of those that are aware may feel that outsourcing would expose their own weaknesses. This is not really justified as these same firms once felt the same about SEO and now see the clear value in outsourcing to the pro’s. So it’s really an immature misconception.

Even when it is offered, It takes a mature business mind to take a paradigm shift in the way they think about the web design process and see that more costs up front will yield improved returns for the business in the longer term.

At the end of the day, it’s really about web designers and e-business owners to take ownership of what really matters and that’s to do whatever it takes to design site that really drives conversions and revenue. And if that means more time, money and relationships (as it will) then so be it.