Web Design: What makes a website successful?

There is a vast number of websites available to the Internet users as there is a demand for different skills from the end user to make the most of a web site. So, the question we are trying to ask is what makes a web site better than another?


For a website to become successful there are many factors to be taken into consideration. Below there is a list of the three most important factors, which are discussed in detail:

Ease of Navigation and Usability


Usability refers to the functional side of the website in order to provide information effectively and time-efficiently and this can be understood by looking at the human-computer interactivity and the web design process (Yates 2005). Usability as described by Chadwick (2001) refers to how easy it is for the users to access the website and it includes the page layout, which users are able to navigate and learn how to use in order to gain information. In detail, Peter (2002) addresses the usability of the website as the ability of the user to navigate quickly and easily around the website and more specifically allows users to find information or ‘lead’ them to the information rather than ‘push’ them towards it. In design terminology, this can be achieved by optimising the site navigation architecture, in order to make it easier and efficient to the user.


Accessibility


Accessibility as described by Yates (2005) refers to the ability of users to access the website information, thus providing enhancements for the users with disabilities. For example, people with disabilities such as, deaf, blind or people with mobility dysfunctions require specific website designs that respect the individuals' difficulties. Nielsen (2000) suggests that companies should provide accessible websites to people with disabilities as a priority during the website development. During the development designers ought to take into consideration the colours, layout and adaptability of the website when used by people with disabilities. Accessible websites are more likely to be favoured and increase customer satisfaction, in particular amongst disabled people. Moreover, accessibility refers to the global reach of websites and the diverse user population (Cunliffe 2000). Not all users have the same language capacities, cultural backgrounds and so on and an increasing number of companies trades with individuals from around the world. For example, providing the information in a number of different languages including English is essential and the way information is communicated needs to eliminate cultural gaps that might exist. For example, the imagery/pictures and the way language is used could be formal but also friendly.


Download Speed


Although, Pearson, Pearson and Green (2006) suggest that download speed is mainly affected by the telecommunications infrastructure, there is a number of factors in the web design process that affect the download speed of a website. For example, the use of video/audio files and images can decrease the download speed of a website. Different studies conducted in the past suggest that users find download speed as an important factor in website preference and they favour simple and content-focused websites over the ones with flashing images and banners, which increases customer satisfaction and product preference (Pearson, Pearson and Green 2006).

Practical Recommendations


There is a large number of online information on how to build a successful website, for instance GBBO.co.uk provides free website templates and general tips on how to build a website from scratch. Also, TheBestDesigns.com provides free designs created by users for users. However, the following tips should be followed when designing a website...


When designing the navigation architecture of a website designers ought to take into consideration the user’s frame of mind and not the company’s internal thinking, in detail navigation needs to be simple, user oriented, efficient and flexible in order to increase likelihood of return visits (Pearson, Pearson and Green 2006). For example, a search button is essential for users to find the information they are after, as well as the kind of fonts used and the colour palette, all create value to the company’s website. Some useful tips on good navigation designs can be found here.


Cox (2001) argues that site statistics can provide a good understanding of who the user is, how he/she makes use of the website and for what purpose. A company can benefit from the use of site statistics as it can provide realistic information on how the website is used.


Accessibility can be achieved by providing different views of the same page to different users according to their disability (Cox 2001). For example, users with visual disabilities require a certain kind of font and colour scheme to be used to enable them to view the website content. More information on accessibility, why it is important and how it can be achieved in the website development process can be found here.


In the past five years there has been an increase in the use of various devices other than PCs and laptops to access the Internet, for example notebooks, large screen computers or mobile phones. The content of the website needs to be adapted and designed in such way that it appears seamless across the different media used to access it (Klaasen 2009). The iPhone has recently become a very popular device to browse the Internet and some useful information on how to build good websites for mobile phones can be fount here.



References

Chadwick, T. (2001) ‘What is website accessibility?’[online] available at
www.tbchad.com/Usability/what_accessibility.html [3 April 2010]


Cox, A. (2001) ‘Web Site Design and Content Management’ Vine 31(3), 3-5

Cunliffe, D. (2000) ‘Developing Usable Web Sites – A Review and Model’ Internet Research: Electronic Networking Applications and Policy 10(4), 295-307

Pearson, J.M., Pearson, A. and Green, D. (2006) ‘Determining the Importance of key Criteria in Web Usability’ Journal of Management Research News 30(11), 816-28

Peter, D. (2002) ‘Usability and Accessibility – Everyone Learning’ [online] available at www.cdlr.tamu.edu/dec_proceedings/dec%202002/david_peter.pdf [4 April 2010]

Yates, R. (2005) ‘Web Site Accessibility and Usability: Towards More Functional Sites for All’ Campus-Wide Information Systems 22(4), 180-88

Trust vs Trustworthiness

The issue of trust in marketing has gone beyond minimal consideration and it now appears to be the basis of any cooperation in majority of business environments. For any business transaction to be carried out there must be a form of cooperation between different parties and therefore there has to be an effective relationship and this requires relationship commitment and trust.

According to Ben-Ner and Halldorsson (2010) the definition of trust is the inclination of a person A (trustor) to believe that a person B (trustee) will cooperate and will not mischief person A if there is an opportunity to do so. The notion of trust entails that the trustor or person A will show some vulnerability to the trustee-person B by taking the risk that the person B might act in favour of his/her own benefit (Mayer et al 1995; Ben-Ner and Halldorsson 2010). An example of a trusting situation in business is when person A engages in trust without a binding contract by being vulnerable that person B will be cooperative and taking the risk that person B could take advantage of person A. Trust can be conceptualized based on when one party has a certain agreeable degree of confidence and reliability in the ability of the exchange partner’s capability to satisfy the required needs. Trust balances the expected value an exchange partner gives to reward the confidence given to them. The importance of trust therefore cannot be undermined as it is seen as the cornerstone of any strategic or business partnership.

Trustworthiness as explained by Ben-Ner and Halldorsson (2010) is the willingness of person B to act favourably towards person A, when there is a demand that needs to be fulfilled by person A. For example, online buyers have the expectation that companies will send the goods purchased in appropriate condition after they have provided them with their card details. However, trust and trustworthiness vary considerably according to the situation, personality traits and the meaning or measure of trust and trustworthiness (Ben-Ner and Halldorsson 2010; Mayer et al 1995). Trustworthiness is a crucial cognitive evaluations made by individuals in response to justice perception. It precedes the decision to trust a given individual and at the same time serve as the immediate antecedents to trust. It is antecedent to trust. It is the perception of a trustee’s characteristics that influences the extent to which a trustor makes oneself vulnerable to the trustee. The idea of interpersonal trust is built on the ground of social exchanges that informs ones perceptions of another’s trustworthiness.

Trust and trustworthiness is part of relations marketing and as Morgan and Hunt (1994) discuss relationship marketing is not only a seller and buyer relationship or between the company and customer, but also the relationship between all constructs of the organization of a business, i.e. partnerships, departments, employees and competitors. The commitment-trust model developed by Morgan and hunt (1994) suggests that the networks characterised by commitment and trust procreate cooperation and those key characteristics need to be sustained by common values, communication, high resources and mischief avoidance. This model discusses in depth the practical side of trust and commitment as two interconnected entities and how companies can benefit by using the tools provided (communication, high recourse etc), however trust is not only based on commitment, although it is a part of the trusting relation.

Mayer et al (1995) suggest that trust or perceived trustworthiness is dependant on three factors: integrity, ability and benevolence, plus the perception of risk and vulnerability, which all lead to trust. For example the perceived risk is an important part of online shopping and companies ought to build relations with customers based on trust. A study by Buttner and Goritz (2008) suggests that perception of an online retailer as trustworthy is vital for consumer’s decision to buy from that retailer.

The growing nature of business-to-consumer e-commerce has proved to be very significant as many studies have shown that a cast amount of individuals making internet purchases have serious security and privacy issues, hence businesses have realised that gaining the trust of the public is the first step in order to ensure the growth and their continued existence in their e-commerce businesses, hence there is a need for trustworthiness on their part. In order to build trust with clients it is vital to listen and understand deeply their thoughts and emotions so that real and meaningful relationships are formed (Gounaris and Prout 2009). For example, companies who talk and listen to their customers and understand their needs and expectations are more likely to be trusted.

Hence trust worthiness can be seen as how the electronic businesses’ integrity and reliability is perceived in the eye of the consumer. Trustworthiness in e-business is less important in low-relational scenarios than in high-relational situations. The reason for this is not far-fetched from the fact that high relational situations usually lead to a degree of commitment and customer retention while low relational purchases are usually associated with one off purchases and low commitment purchases. This basically shows that trustworthiness is a key factor in building, maintaining and sustaining customer loyalty. Previous studies have shown that there are certain determining factors that contribute to the enhanced perception of a marketers’ trustworthiness from the consumers’ perspective. Such factors as eventual order fulfilment, website design professionalism and advanced technology page designs, ability to navigate the marketers’ website with ease, most importantly the marketers’ general reputation and integrity.

With all this said the first and most important step in gaining consumers’ trust is by offering a promise to deliver on a service and eventually fulfilling the promise. Then the website must be portrayed as being user-friendly and pleasant. If these factors are effectively fulfilled, then there is a high likelihood that the purchaser would accord a high level of trustworthiness to the marketer and would subsequently lead to future purchase or customer commitment either behaviourally or attitudinally. As discussed earlier trust entails vulnerability and risk (Mayer at al 1995) therefore, it makes sense if companies have a good risk management audit right from the beginning of the company’s life and also a definition of risk and the way it is tolerated (Gounaris and Prout 2009).

References

Ben-Ner, A. and Halldorsson, F. (2010) ‘Trusting and trustworthiness: What are they, how to measure them, and what affects them’. Journal of Economic Psychology, 31, 64–79

Buttner, O.B and Goritz, A.S. (2008) ‘Perceived Trustworthiness of Online Shops’. Journal of Consumer Behaviour (7) 35-50

Gounaris, K. M. and Prout M.F. (2009) ‘Repairing Relationships and Restoring Trust: Behavioral Finance and the Economic Crisis’. Journal of Financial Service Professional 75-84

Mayer et al (1995) ‘An Integrative Model of organizational Trust’. Academy of Management Review, 20 (3) 709-34

Morgan, R.M. and Hunt, S.D. (1994) ‘The Commitment-Trust Theory of Relationship Marketing’. Journal of Marketing, 58 (3) 20-39

Homo-Interneticus? No thank you...

A brief discussion and ideas exchange on the Homo-Interneticus, a programme broadcasted by BBC on the impact of the internet in today's society. A brief discussion and ideas exchange...

The importance of the internet in today’ generation cannot be over emphasized and it ranges from easy access to information /communication, to tackling most problems/situations that arise in ones life. On the other hand, it has also got its dark side, such as the social and information overload aspect that will be discussed here.

The use of the internet can help to raise awareness of many things that happen around the world; it makes the younger ones smarter as the man from Korea said and this might be true by getting children exposed at a tender age, however there might be an information overload on their side and it can affect the way they live their lives. As we all know there are many websites on the internet that are not proper for children to view, like pornography and they can stumble on those sites during the process of surfing. Because of the inquisitive nature of children, they might be tempted to try out websites that are dangerous.

Moreover, the use of internet within younger people changes their attitude towards reading and education in general. For instance, they use the internet as the main tool to research and find out information on their studies without considering books, because they are preoccupied with the belief that the internet can give them the answer to all things. This generation finds books as boring and it is also supported by what the professor said concerning his students.

Also, inexperienced users and in particular young ages are at risk of being involved in a virtual relation with individuals, who they are not familiar with and who are capable to manipulate and mislead them. The young internet users are also experiencing a new way of growing up in a virtual world, in which relations are formed in a different manner to the real life experiences and the effect of this is yet to be seen.

The extensive use of the internet as a platform to create relations and interact with people from around the world has many practical benefits, such as keeping in touch with friends and relatives who are far away, is cheaper than the telephone and easy to use at a convenient time and place. However, there are many risks and dangers when users are engaged in online conversation with people they have never met before and who are willing to have a closer relation with each other.

Relations are altered by the way online users interact to each other and in particular through social websites such as Facebook and youtube, where there is a trend to have as many so-called ‘friends’ as possible in order to appear as someone who is popular and fun. The word ‘friend’ has almost lost its meaning, as majority of the users choose to interact with only a small number of individuals when online, but there is also the added pressure to have as many ‘facebook friends’ as possible. Long lasting friendship is something that individuals have to work hard for and it is not created by online applications. Online friendship is only touching the surface of what a human relation truly is.

E-marketing and Benefits Discussed

It will be really absurd for one to suggest that the internet and internet related technologies are not playing a major impact on the ways in which we work and live. the existence of the known electronic commerce is described as being the most important challenge to the business structure since the existence of the information technology Stanfield Mark and Grant Kevin (2003). The small medium sized enterprise (SME'S) plays an important role in many economies round the world. For them to ensure their stability and future survival, they need to successfully adopt and utilize the internet and electronic commerce. The internet notwitstanding is providing a great opportunity to companies of all sizes in differnt ways like: expanding their marketing place, improving the speed and quality of their processes and creating highly specialised businesses most importantly, their buying and selling structure. The smaller companies can have access to the same global market place as large companies with the use of electronic commerce irrespective of size and location.
In the past fifteen years there has been in immense technological development in the field of e-commerce. Internet has altered the way traditional marketing practices have been conducted until now. The internet can provide information instantly whereas before it could take days, with data exchanged simultaneously on all aspects of business. The use of internet has altered the way traditional marketing research has been conducted until now; it has provided the facilities to accommodate better market research and exchange of information between managers and executives on a global level. According to McDaniel and Gates (2002) the benefits of the internet in the market research field are:

• Low cost – online surveys cost less compared to traditional research techniques, i.e. telephone interviews.
• Global reach – provided that a big percentage of the world population has got access to the internet, surveys can be sent instantaneously to many recipients.
• Flexibility – respondents are able to take part in the survey after work or on free time and have the option to pause and continue later, which leads to higher response rate.

For a small or large organisation the use of e-marketing can be very beneficial. The low cost of e-marketing allows a company to become a global marketer from an early stage with the use of internet. For example, low cost airlines, such as easyJet and Ryanair have become successful by conducting business solely using the web, by having paperless offices, reduced number of staff and e-ticketing. This has a created a new successful type of model that has become profitable by minimising costs and using the internet as the main tool of conducting business. Other successful businesses that have seen high profit are amazon.com and ebay.com that have identified a niche market and made maximum use of the web.

Communications with the customers are cheaper and more effective. E-marketing allows consumers not just to buy products or services, but also to comment on the process of purchase. This enables marketers to know the product’s position in the market. Consequently, marketers are able to build and maintain effective communications with both local and international customers, suppliers and distributors. The use of online feedback has the potential to increase customer satisfaction, companies are aware of consumers’ responses and are able to adapt to their needs by altering, deleting and providing a better product that fulfils consumers’ needs better than before.

Moreover, the internet can enable business-to-business marketing from overseas, for example Europe, Asia or America, without necessarily having to visit the country to establish relations. The use of web conferencing, e-mail and online video calling has decreased costs substantially, meetings are taking place online rather than having to travel thousands of miles away.

The web is a better place for advertising and promotion, because the audience around the world is able to receive the message transmitted, via the company’s website, as the number of internet users is increasing steadily year by year. The use of online communications can help to raise awareness and can reach a larger number of the target-market across the globe. Also, it can increase the effectiveness of the marketing communications by targeting specific segments that visit websites relevant to the product.

References
McDaniel, C. and Gates, R. (2002) Market Research: The Impact of the Internet, JN: John Wiley

Stansfield M., Grant K. (2003) An Investigation Into Issues Influencing The Use of The nternet and Electronic Commerce Among Small-Medium Sizes Enterprises: Journalof Electronic Commerce Research Vol. 4(1) p. 15

Mobile vs Computer

Will the mobile phone ever replace the PC in the future? And if not why? Below there is a list of all the reasons why a mobile phone will never replace a computer...


Instance access/convenience

In terms of instance access and convenience the mobile phone is not as convenient as a computer.

1. The mobile phone is small and so the characters i.e. the font size of the text is small too, which can cause a problem/ damage to the eyes; the user tends to strain his/her eyes to be able to read the information.
2. Different countries have different networks that they use. The networks available in UK are not the same with the rest of the world, therefore once the user leaves United Kingdom he/she automatically losses network coverage and this results to getting the network available in that particular country. In other words the user spends more money in roaming.

3. Multitasking on the mobile is not as easy. Using software on the mobile and also talking on the phone at the same time is not possible as the phone call interrupts any other application. The mobile phone is capable of supporting one application at the same time and the screen size makes it hard to view two separate programmes at the same time.

Security

In terms of security the mobile phone has many disadvantages.

1. The mobile phone is smaller than a laptop/ computer and the risk of it getting stolen is higher. Mobile phone theft is increasing year by year and the potential to lose an expensive devise along with valuable documents and information is too great to be ignored.

2. The risk of theft is even greater when private information is held in the mobile phone, such as bank account details (popularity of online banking) and also other passwords and account details and sensitive information.

3. The mobile phone is smaller than a laptop/computer and therefore it is easier to lose. It can easily be misplaced, forgotten and lost as the constant access desensitises the user i.e. he/she doesn’t pay too much attention in making sure the mobile phone is always on them.

Privacy

Although the mobile offers privacy to the user there are many occasions when a number of people need to be able to view the screen at the same time, i.e. group work, training, small presentation. The size of the screen of the mobile phone makes it hard for multiple users to look at the screen.