2. Research
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If you have decided to proceed from the discovery phase, then great. That means we are on the same path with our shared timelines, goals, and success metrics. Now, the real work begins.
Understand
Research can make or break the success of a project. What kind of research are we talking about here, you may ask?
We need to understand your market and your customers. Is your sector on the up or the decline? What opportunities could there be going forward? What has worked in the past for you? What hasn't worked for you? Whilst we are experienced web designers in Aberdeen, we have worked with a variety of businesses globally and can use that experience to really understand your customers.
Your ideal customers and your best current customers are also areas to explore to understand their needs and problems better.
Design process personas
A user persona is a fictitious character used for us to try and understand your customers and clients better. Many personas can go too far and even spell out their dog's name. This isn't of use, and it's far too verbose to be helpful in the design process. We don't believe in long personas but short ones that can fit on a sheet of A4. The secret to small business success is understanding your customers, and a persona goes a long way to achieving that.
Competition
One of the biggest mistakes is copying your competition for ideas and features of your site. It may well be that they have copied from another business. Then, they copied from another competitor. It's highly likely they are copying the wrong thing. You may have heard the term "the blind leading the blind", and it certainly can be applied here. You have to stand out from your competition and definitely not copy them! It is lazy, and it's too crucial for a business not to differentiate in your market. It can make or break a business, and there have been far too many failures not to take this very seriously.
How do you stand against your competition? What is the difference between you and them? Your clients or customers will likely be weighing up different factors between you and your competition. What is the one thing that you want to be known for? That single clear, outstanding differentiator should be known right throughout your business and by all employees knowing it like the back of their hand. Of course, your unique selling proposition(USP) should be on your website. The many businesses that we work with either have no clear differentiators, or they have too many. One is the magic number here. In today's competitive business world, it's hard enough to get one message to stick, never mind two or three in a scattergun approach.
Known For
What are you known for? That's a great question and can reveal your USP. Again, one clear and tangible thing, not many. I can't stress that enough. Most businesses have no clear identifier or have too many. People don't have the time or the patience to read between the lines. You must state clearly on your website why you are different from your competition.