Top Chef(s)
When talking User Experience the conversation always leads to the two companies who have obviously have found the secret sauce, Disney and Apple. It doesn't take a Rhodes Scholar to figure out why these brands are so successful. Almost every Disney property, physical or digital, is designed to provide that aura of wonder and magic. Apple's brand, on the other hand, is one that is synonymous with simplicity and usability. You see this in their products, their stores, and on-line. Both of these companies make an attempt to create a memorable user experience every time someone comes into contact with their brand. Now, when people engage with these brands they expect an excellent experience and are rarely disappointed.
These companies provide a great example of a holistic approach to user experience. Both physical and digital properties are designed to promote their brand identity and provide a true end-to-end user experience. This post will focus on the digital user experience.
Setting the Table
The digital user experience boils down to any touch point where a customer, member, partner, or prospect may come in contact with your brand through the web or an application. Some examples might be:- The interface of your software application
- The navigation or design of your website
- The utility and value of your mobile app
- The quality of your corporate or product videos
3 Key Ingredients
Now, your brand may not make kids' knees wobbly or be able to create a cult following (although it certainly could) but those in need of your products and services will expect a great digital user experience. If the digital experience you have designed for your brand is no good, you can bet that your customers and prospects will look at your competition in hopes that the digital user experience that they have created is better. This point can not be overstated, the digital experience has evolved from static brochure web sites and functional, but not friendly applications, to interactive user experiences that span across various platforms and devices. When developing a strategy for your end-to-end digital user experience, you need to consider the following three ingredients:
Design - Good design is an absolute necessity for any successful digital user experience strategy. The Design ingredient includes much more than pretty pictures, it includes:
- Visual Design
- Branding
- Information Architecture (IA) Design
- User Interface (UI) Design
Interaction - A great digital user experience must be interactive. This ingredient of interaction must be simple and engaging. True digital interaction requires:
- User Experience (UX) Design
- Multi-Media
- Community Development
- Social Media Engagement
Mobility - With the rapid adoption of smart phones and tablets, as well as the rapid development of new technologies available in the home and on the road, your digital user experience needs to be transportable. By 2015, 50% of the web traffic in the US will be from mobile devices. If you fail to consider mobile, you will leave a huge hole in your end-to-end digital user experience. The ingredient of mobility will include one or all of the following:
- Native Mobile Applications
- Mobile Specific Sites
- Responsive Web Design
Great Results Require Careful Preparation
Creating a great, digital user experience will not happen without serious consideration and strategic planning. Consider the ingredients of Design, Interaction and Mobility as the foundation of your recipe and build out from there. The on-line experience may be the only touch point that your customers or prospects will have with your brand. Will it leave a good taste in their mouth?
What type of experience have you created? What are you doing well and where can you improve? Has your competition created a better end-to-end digital user experience?
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