Co-Creative Web Design
Going deeper into the user experience is essential to creating a persuasive, effective online experience.
Some Web designers just know how to make Web sites look nice. Content developers create Web page content that turns visitors into customers.
Content Developers create Web sites that get visitors to take action. We call that persuasion. If visitors don’t take an action, there is no point in the site looking good. The action can be to call for an appointment or more information, download a free article, sign up for a newsletter or actually buy something.
Persuasion the Foundation of Design
Many people use a Web site not to buy something but to get more information about you or your company. The site needs to persuade them that you are a good match for meeting their needs. If the site looks beautiful but does not deliver answers to visitor’s questions, they won’t feel satisfied and they won’t make the decision to use you.
That’s what the actual content on the site is so crucial. Beauty is important, but form follows function and the site has to sell first. Then the design will follow and be used to make the sales message stronger.
Designing a Web site before the content is written is putting the cart before the horse. Design is important but only in so much as it helps people find the information visitors need.
What is Co-Creative Web Development?
Co-Creative Design is my own idea that combines marketing, persuasive selling and information architecture. It is based on Persuasion Architecture® designed by Jeffrey and Bryan Eisenberg from Future Now in Brooklyn, NY. They are my mentors and trained me. Bryan Eisenberg is now the voice of Google ‘s Conversion University. Before I met the Eisenberg boys, I was a Web designer. Now I consider myself a co-creative content developer.
Co-creating is done by developing four to six typical users called PERSONAS and through a process of combining meditation and imagination, creating SCENARIOS or narratives about their lives. Then using traditional sales methodology, those users design the content of your Web site. You co-create your web site with your potential customers! Together you create web site content that will generate sales because you go deeper and address the needs of your customers.
Personality and Persuasion
Co-creative Design uses imagination to create users with different personalities: humanistic, methodical, spontaneous and competitive; and in different stages of the decision making process: browsing, certain or committed. You can also use personas in different user categories, say volunteers or donors for a non-profit. It is these imaginary users that will help create persuasive, effective copy that appeals to a variety of visitors and so you can convert more visitors into customers.
If you have a non-profit organization, potential donors have different needs from volunteers. If you have a travel agency, people who want a specific destination have different needs than someone just looking for a travel deal. If you are a healer, someone with serious health issues has different needs from someone with minor health issues.
Decision Making is the Big Factor
Some people decide slow, some fast. We account for both user’s needs. A competitive person takes their time and needs to know why your service is better, a humanistic person wants to know about you and your staff but if they like you and feel good, they decide quickly. A slow methodical person needs a lot of detailed information which might overwhelm a spontaneous one who is interested in how you can improve his lifestyle, and now.
In the process, we create real people with real lives and different needs and personality traits and we ask them what they need to make a decision to take an action. This becomes the content of the site. The copy we write is benefit-driven to serve the needs of the user, not to tout the qualities of the seller. This makes people take action and ACTION is the magic word!
Email me for a FREE PDF on How to Develop Personas kit@kitkaplan.com
