Todd Sumamno
Now more than ever, businesses and brands of all sizes must put in the necessary time, work, and effort to make sure their products and services stand out from the crowd. This is especially true in the world of physical products, where design and first impressions mean everything.
Thanks to the power of the internet, more people are now researching online before actually clicking the purchase button or making a direct order. With such measures now in place, this is yet another reason why the physical appearance of products being sold, promoted, and reviewed online are now more important than ever before.
With all of this in mind, today we are going to be taking a look at three different industries where visual design and user experience means everything.
In-Home Design
Of the many different examples out there for how important a visual of something is, the home is the best example out there. If a home’s design doesn’t fit your current or even future needs, lacks in modern design, or doesn’t fit within your budget, then it’s out of the question.
However, once you do find a home design you enjoy, the fun part is then to customize it to your needs and with your own personal taste. During this time, in-home products and furnishings will become a daily part of your reviewing and purchasing habits. Deciding what products will look great where, and how you can imagine them within your home will heavily influence your buying decisions.
A perfect example of this can be seen in the Kohler Luxstone shower, as it not only represents the quality and branding associated with the Kohler name, but also stands out from other generic showers that one might see while walking down the aisles of their favorite home and supplies store.
Website Design
Believe it or not, there are now more than a billion active websites and blogs on the internet today. It’s true, and many of them are releasing new content daily. In addition to each site contributing content to the internet in different ways, they all likely have their own site designs and user experience.
A perfect example of this can be seen in the different types of sites out there and how site visitors are using them. Some are best viewed on mobile devices, while others have evolved to mobile apps, or are strictly for ecommerce and online buying.
No matter what type of site you are visiting, there are going to be some fundamental web design principles that they are all going to be following. Such principles include:
- Make sure your site design is cohesive
- Engage with users in a ‘human’ way
- Emphasis on what content matters most
- Usability and functionality go first
In the world of web design and content creation, it’s important to look at every site you visit as both a brand and a customer. What might look great to you as a brand or a designer, might not have the same impression to your average site visitor or customer.
Automobile Design
Earlier we mentioned that a house design is probably one of the best examples of why and home a first visual impression is so important. Another great example, if not even better than a home, is the design and first impression delivered by cars and trucks.
When someone walks onto a dealership parking lot and is looking for the car of their choice, it’s usually all about the visual aspect. Yes, there is some user experience and buying decisions that can influence the process, such as price and family size, but it usually comes down to the car design and color.
In this article featured on Forbes, Bryan Campbell had the opportunity to interview and highlight Frank Stephenson, who is one of the most influential car designers of this era.
Inside this article you will learn how Mr. Stephenson uses different animals and visuals to create design concepts for some of the most popular automobile brands in the world today.
With billions of dollars being spent on car commercials, print ads and online marketing, you can only imagine how much money is being generated on car sales simply because of the way a card looks.
How to Improve Your Product by Focusing on Visual Design and UI
As a business or brand, it’s important to always acquire new customers and increase sales month over month. As a buyer and customer, it’s important to find the best pricing for whatever it is you might be buying, while also getting the best quality and user experience possible.
For both sides to truly win in this scenario, it’s all about the end product design, value provided, and the customer service offered by the parent company. Visual presentation means a lot when it comes to getting the traffic and sales, but if the product doesn’t follow up with equal user experience, it could come back to hurt the company with negative reviews and a loss of customers over time.
To learn more about how to improve the visual aspects and long-term value of your products, be sure to consider each of the industries highlighted above, and then implement similar methods into your own brand and product creation efforts.
Brittany
Silvia
