Date published 09 Mar 2021 Your website is like a digital front door, welcoming your customers into your online store where they can spend up big, choosing from all the products and services you offer. Or can they? With huge changes in 2020 to the way people interact and purchase, your digital front door has the potential to make or break your business. So when was the last time you checked it? Does it still do what your customers need it to do? Is it welcoming and engaging? Does it work as smoothly and as seamlessly as it should? The Covid pandemic is accelerating the digitisation and automation of the economy and it won’t pay to get left behind. We’ve seen low probability/high impact events before. The GFC and 9/11 immediately spring to mind. Both are widely considered black swan events (a term coined by Nassim Taleb in his 2007 book of the same name) and both had an impact on the digital economy. But how many of us predicted a pandemic that was going to transform our user experiences quite like COVID-19 has? Even people who had previously shunned transactions online made the first step to shop online, pay bills online and communicate online. Many will make fewer phone call enquiries or visit traditional shopping centres less frequently. Necessity has nudged them towards our digital front doors and they’ll be reluctant to turn away. Given that bricks and mortar retail has struggled in recent years, the growing confidence in online is arguably a good thing, with those with an integrated and compelling on and offline presence finding success. Clicking Buy Now on pocket-sized smart devices has become the norm and haggling for reduced prices is not uncommon once customers have done their research. No doubt process automation will also speed up digitisation as businesses continue to search for profit in uncertain times, and manage human-related constraints and error. So where does all this leave you and your digital front door? While it can be easy to get bogged down in the complexities, it’s important to ensure the basics are right, before you do anything else. User experience testing – otherwise known as UX or usability testing – can double-check everything for you, making sure your website does all of the following: Offers content that will ensure maximum engagement and conversion. Guides customers through the site with the most effective use of menus and buttons. Has optimal visual appeal and brand alignment. Is structured so that your customers can easily find the information they are looking for and move through your website smoothly and seamlessly. At Metrix Consulting we’re independent from those that profit from website design and skilled at giving digital front doors the attention they deserve. Want to know more about testing your website from your customer’s point of view? Back To News & Views