by Rich Lazzara
How should I feel when I visit your website? What emotions do you want me to have after that experience?
When someone visits your website they are going to make up their mind in a matter of seconds about what the site is all about and more importantly how it makes them feel. We often focus on designing the site for the sake of a “good look” without ever considering what emotions we want to invoke. Those emotions will translate into action, good or bad.
Real World Emotions
Yes you need to have a call to action, whether its sign up for something, buy something, respond to something or inquire for more information but creating an emotion is central to your success. Think along the lines of some real world examples;
Target vs. Walmart
Apple Store vs. Sony Store
Ikea vs. local furniture store
Each of those clearly evoke an emotion that you experience the second you walk in. The question is which emotions do you want to evoke. (click image below to see “Wheel of Emotions”)
Your Website Should Be No Different
When someone visits your site you should have in mind the emotions your looking to have them experience. For this site my focus was for you to experience a professional, smart, modern and inviting design. The emotions I want people to experience are optimism and trust. Once I established these then I could go about designing the site to reinforce those emotions. Lastly is to iterate, get feedback, test and improve, so on that note – give me some honest feedback, how does my website make you feel? What can I improve on?
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Mike Dickman 