Yes, key content should be visible, but is the idea that the page fold is a barrier to conversion a myth?

What is the page fold?

Commonly used to describe the upper half of the front page of a newspaper, in web terms the page fold is the area you see on a web page before having to scroll. Unlike newspapers, we cannot predict where the page fold is. It doesn’t just depend on screen resolution but how the visitor has sized the browser window and what toolbars they have customised it with.

What we also need to remember is that newspapers are a different medium. We know they are about current news and affairs. We know if we want to read a tacky tabloid, we’ll head straight to The Sun. We know for more sophisticated reporting we’d pick up a copy of The Times.

What do potential customers know about your website? If they haven’t heard of you, the chances are they won’t want to know about Juanita’s latest product just yet or sign up on one of Muriel’s contact forms right now. There are two things they need to know first before they become a click happy customer:

1. What do you do?
2. Why should I get it from you?

Answering these two questions above the fold will not only grab the users attention, but will get them interested.

Scroll with me

Jakob Nielson , usability guru extraordinaire, stated in his Scrolling and Attention Alertbox that there’s a 80/20 split in users that will scroll.

Image courtesy of UseIt.com 22/03/2010

Remember our blog about scent trails? The same theory applies here, you need to show users information at the right time they are looking for it. To get users to scroll, you need to make sure your page has a good scent. Think about the user’s goals and break these down. Prioritise what questions they’ll have, answering the most important ones first. What questions will they need answered next? Is the home page the best place for this, or can you take them elsewhere? Make sure the page has a good scent so users know there’s more sweet smelling content if they do decide to scroll.

The image below is also from Nielson’s Scrolling and Attention Alertbox, showing that users will scroll. Blue dots indicate one fixation, with bigger dots representing longer viewing time.

Image courtesy of UseIt.com 22/03/2010

As well as the information on the page, visual cues can also be used to guide users into scrolling. Here’s a few tips to bear in mind:

1. Less is more
   Good use of whitespace encourages exploration
2. Avoid harsh horizontal lines
   Whilst these are good for breaking up content, if horizontal lines go full width there will need be a small amount of content visible below to encourage the user to scroll
3. Steer clear of in-page scroll bars
   Not only are iFrames a major no-no, but having in-page scroll bars don’t give the user an indication of how much content is on the page

In an even older Alertbox from way back in 1997, Nielsen stated that “scrolling is now allowed”. So why is it that 15 years later we are still fearing it?

Webexpectations was asked by the WWF and RSPB to redesign the Our Rivers site to help Poll Britain to find it’s best and worst rivers, and why.

Webexpectations was approached with a very tight deadline and produced a stunning new site (ourrivers.org.uk) to launch in time for the campaign to be launched on a morning BBC programme.

Knowing that there would be a spike in web traffic to the site, Webexpectations, using its flexible hosting infrastructure, setup a temporary high spec server to cope with the increased demand for as long as it persists.

The Mayfair Hotel is one of London’s landmark hotels, sitting in the heart of London on Stratton Street.  Familiar guests include Elton John, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Stella McCartney and Pink.

Thanks to the busy fingers at Webexpectations, the Mayfair Hotel has a new blog as beautiful as the rest of the hotel.  The new blog is built on Wordpress and forms the centrepiece of their new social marketing strategy.

To see the new blog in action take a look.

Usability was our #1 priority

One of the reasons why we wanted to develop our own Google Maps App is that we’ve seen this done badly so many times before!  We spent a LOT of time working on different ideas for how the map should work before we figured out the best solution.

We think the app is now really intuitive and user friendly although we will be carrying out further user testing after go-live to see what learning’s and improvements can be made.

Who is the Google Maps App for?

Anyone wanting to show lots of different locations on a map.  We’ve built the system so it’s really flexible, with a simple database of locations which are then automatically plotted onto the Google Map.  Locations can be categorised by type (see the Mizuno example) so people can easily short-list the results for what’s most relevant for what their looking for.

You can even assign flags in the database (such as 5 star hotels, 4 star hotels etc) so its easy for the user to short-list and find the data their interested in.

We’ve also worked out a process to ensure the locations shown on the map are bang on accurate as we know this can sometimes be an issue with Google Maps.

Can I get it?

If you’d like to find out more about our Google Maps App or if you’d like to use it on your site then get in touch and we will be happy to help.

Two companies that do this really well are Dropbox and Tungle. Both companies use the power of simple, easy-to-digest video to explain groundbreaking ideas.

We won’t tell you what they do as they already do a good job of doing that themselves!

www.dropbox.com
www.tungle.me

We use Magento as our platform of choice for online retail sites as it’s feature rich and easy to adapt to the client’s needs.   The new site was created by in our in-house design team who specialise in user centred, conversion driven design – something that’s crucial for any ecommerce website.

Conversion Driven Design

For any ecommerce website a persuasive user centred design is crucial.  Users must:

•    Be able to find what they’re looking for
•    Have clear, informative information on the product
•    Large images of all products so it’s easy to see what you’re buying and a super
•    Simple, stress free check-out process

To see the site in action visit www.borntotoddle.com

Lucky enough to attend it was clear that Google are putting huge emphasis on the importance of conversion rate optimisation and the need for retailers to improve the performance of their stores using tools such as better website analysis and multivariate testing.

For me personally Bob Thacker, CMO of Office Max stole the show with a rising presentation on the opportunities made possible in a recession. Enjoy!

They’re all the little nagging questions in the back of your customer’s mind that are preventing them from buying from you. Answer your customer’s fears, uncertainties and doubts and the result is more people that feel comfortable about taking the leap and buying your products.

See how we increased conversions by 5% by adding just one word and answering one FUD.

An example – my hiking boot FUD’s

I’m off hiking in Scotland next week, and I need to get some hiking boots ASAP! Being busy, I shop online:

Having found a good online hiking boot store, I’m looking to buy right now but before ill take the leap I have a long list of nagging FUD’s I need to tackle:

• What are the shipping costs?
• Is the site secure?
• How do i know if this is a good boot? I’m not a hiking fanatic
• What do other people think?
• Is this boot for hiking up Everest, or lazy Sunday walks along the Thames?
• Does the price include VAT?
• When will it arrive, I need it this weekend?
• Are they solid enough?
• Are they waterproof, what about Gore-Tex?
• What about the socks?
• What if I want to return the boots?
• What payment methods do they take?
• Can I get this delivered to my work? If so will they arrive between 9 and 5?

Answer my FUDs and win my business

The more of these FUDs you answer the more likely I am to feel comfortable enough this is the boot for me and I should buy right now. You don’t necessarily need to answer EVERY item on the list, but the more you tick off the higher the probability i’ll take the leap.

How do I find my visitor’s FUDs?

Here’s a few great ways to start:

1) Start by reviewing your site
Are you missing vital information on your product pages? Everything there that should be? Think about things like shipping costs, delivery date, website security etc.

2) Go chat with the person who answers the phone
Are customers phoning you everyday, asking the same questions? If so that’s a great place to start.

3) Use a service like Kampyle to get feedback from real customers
Getting real feedback from real customers is invaluable. Kampyle is a great service and best of all it’s free.

4) Usability testing
Usability testing using people unfamiliar with your site is a great way to uncover problems and issues with your site. It can also help uncover hidden FUDs.

So you’ve just launched your new website and driven loads of traffic to it, yet conversions and sales are worryingly low. Could the reason be a bad smell?

Hungry for information
Research carried out by Xerox PARC shows we seek out information on the internet in much the same manner that mammals seek food: by following a scent.

Our information-hungry brains try to sniff out cues. If the cues are interesting we’ll continue sniffing; but a lack of scent causes us to look elsewhere. Likewise, if there are too many different scents, we get overwhelmed… much like a big kid in a candy store.

People hunt around for information on the internet, trying to seek visual cues to get them to what they want – they’re goal-orientated. Typically, most hunts start via a search engine and when they land on your site the user expects to pick-up the exact same scent straight away, right in front of them on that same page.

If they can’t find that same sweet smelling scent they’ll hit the back button and move onto another site that smells yummy. If your website is losing traffic on your landing pages perhaps you need to ask yourself ‘are their goals being met?’

What you’re not saying is what matters
Deciding what goes on a page is often the hardest task. You have a colleague insisting she needs the bi-monthly company newsletter at the top of the page, your CEO wants a spinning globe to add some pizzazz, and your manager requiring a signpost taking up 30% of the screen real-estate. Would your hungry-like-the-wolf-user really want to seek these out?

Your user will sniff around for a few seconds before hitting back and searching somewhere else. The main question you need to address is can they immediately see what they want and pick-up the scent?

If they’ve searched for ‘bespoke sausage filler machine’ is it immediately obvious this is what you sell, or is the user distracted by the spinning globe? If you haven’t fulfilled their promise, chances are they’ll leave.

Let’s say our canine friend has discovered you do sell bespoke sausage filler machines, do they know if you’re any good, or whether you’ve sold any before? What about how your machines work or what sets you apart from the competition? How does your user get in touch with you once they’ve discovered you do provide what they’re looking for?

If your website isn’t answering these questions, visitors will be losing the scent and sniffing elsewhere. Not so good. Try answering as many of these questions to have a rosy smelling website.

Nowadays, you cannot justify unnecessary spending. Therefore, when it comes to your website, a comprehensive approach to its design is essential; and a clear idea of how to materialise your finished product from the very beginning is crucial.

Now, more than ever, the Interactive Designer must constantly expand their skills and update their repertoire.

With that in mind, I recently attended a one-day workshop on how to prototype (or ‘working – wireframe’) websites. Prototyping gives you a working draft of the website before the actual site is built. This shows how the final product will work, without the aesthetic qualities. At this stage you can usability test your prototype on potential users of the site. This means many flaws or problems which may otherwise be remedied later on in the construction of the site are recognised and overcome earlier – giving you confidence that the website will work for your users.

First things first

In simple terms, a prototype is effectively the layout design of the elements that will be included on the page, such as the logo, navigation and contact forms, represented by outlined boxes, a ‘working blueprint’, if you will. This prototype allows you to experience it just as you would the final website.

One valid point raised at the workshop was that clients might not want to accept this unorthodox approach to design. Everyone has heard the phrase that ‘if it aint broke don’t fix it’ and it’s understandable that we always want to see the end result first. At first I probably would have agreed. However, after weighing up the pros and cons it seems more logical to get core elements working before concentrating on what the finished article will look like. After all, you wouldn’t decorate a house without the foundations put in place first. The visual aesthetics are important and integral to the final website design; however an understanding of the users’ route to the relevant information should always be the major concern.

So if you need a few reasons why you might benefit from this process, here are just a few:

• You get a feel of the website earlier on (see it working without the style)
• If you fix problems early (before the visual design) they will be easier to fix
• Reduces project risk – usability testing is great for exposing problems
• Increases conversion rates

Put yourself in their shoes

So, before thinking about the final aesthetics, put yourself in the place of your website’s users: imagine them trying to use your site to find information. There’s a saying that ‘nothing is easier than believing we understand experiences we’ve never had’, so it makes sense to test the experience before your website is complete.