WEEK 3 QUESTIONS

1. In two paragraphs explain why a customer centric Web site design is so important, yet so difficult to accomplish

"Customer-centric" means creating a Web site that is centered around customer wants and needs. Focusing the design of a site on customer benefits and ensuring its visitors a unique experience are key drivers of sales, loyalty, and much-desired word-of-mouth advertising. Just like walking into a store, if the customer can find what they want easily, in a reasonable amount of time, find assistance when a question arises, see the price clearly marked on the product, browse and navigate around the store if desired and not wait in long check-out lines, customers will return to that store time and time again. That store will be the customers’ first shopping preference above other competitors’ stores. Websites are the same. If the design suits all of the customer’s needs and wants, then they can ensure loyalty and repetitive business.

This can be difficult to accomplish as there are many different types of customers that buy products on the web. Without face to face service it is difficult to change and improve customers’ satisfaction. On the web, a customer who is not satisfied will click out of that site and simply search for an alternative one without a second thought. A lot of customers can be lost. The design needs to suit the product or service the business is providing. This may mean additional details for courier postage services and a link to the courier the site may use when transporting large products to customers. Also, having online consultants to help customers ensure they feel confident in choosing the right health insurance for themselves and their family.

2. Define the term 'presence'. Write an additional paragraph that describes why firms that do business on the Web should be more concerned about presence than firms that operate in the physical world.

Presence

Noun:

The state or fact of existing, occurring, or being present in a place or thing.

It can be a lot harder for businesses on the web to create a web presence then a firm in the physical world. A lot of customers still want to see and feel products, try them on or try them out before they buy. Physical stores then create relationships with customers, online stores can be forgotten.
Most customers will only look online for products when physicals stores cannot fulfill customer needs or to ensure they are receiving a great price.
Therefore firms that operate online, really need to ensure they have a good web presence.

Three reasons as to why web presence is important is listed below:
1. Creating an online presence is the most basic reason for building a website. This means building a site that includes your business information, highlights what makes you special, and gives consumers a way to contact you.
2. Making your business stand out takes a more advanced strategy. Maintaining a blog that portrays your thoughts and insights can help your website stand out and help consumers better understand your business.
3. A good business website can be used to capture potential leads. As the site grows it becomes a community for customers and potential consumers. Connect with potential consumers and find a way to continue marketing to them. Your website can be the elevator pitch and your connection the long sell.



 3. “Usable Doesn’t Have To Mean Ugly 'for a web design to be truly beautiful, it has to be functional, have purpose and contribute in some way to the website’s intuitiveness, usefulness and branding. All of these things contribute to the overall effect of a design”. This is a quote from one of the articles on web design linked on Web pages that suck. Find a web page that 'does not suck' and discuss the features that make it work

http://www.redballoon.com.au/

Red Balloon is the site I have chosen to look at. Even when typing red balloon into Google, straight away you can tell this website is full of information and user friendly. Customers can immediately see what the site has to offer by the sub-category links available to them. Repeat users of the site do not need to go to the home page first, they can immediately click on the category they are after.
I believe the categories chosen for this view would be the most clicked ones, which red balloon would gather stats from and adjust accordingly.

Looking at the home page, you can see that this site is not ‘ugly’ at all. I believe it is very functional and caters for customers needs.
Customers can search by gender, and then again by relation, mum, wife, husband, sister, boyfriend and so on. I find this would be mostly useful to males needing to buy a present as it would minimize the results they would need to browse, while also giving them new ideas of gifts they may not have thought of.
The site also allows customers to search by location, state and then region. By occasion, Christmas, wedding, birthday, engagement. By experience, creative, getaways, outdoor, water sports, indulge. Customers can also sort results by price which allows you to browse gifts within your budget only. Then if all else fails and customers cannot make a decision, the site allows customers to purchase a gift card.

Once a gift card or gift is purchased, it is emailed to you in a printable version which you receive immediately. This means last minute gifts don’t need to be purchased at 24 hour stores, they can be just as exciting as sky diving or weekend away.

Red Balloon really has that their overall design can make a huge difference to their website. A great concept needs to be executed well for it to be successful, and by ensuring you assist your customers in what they need and want will help you achieve that through the web design. Red Balloon’s design markets towards any age and gender in any location. This website defiantly won’t be on the ‘web pages that suck’ list.