As website design becomes more responsive to user needs, it is important to understand why data is such an important part of the concept.
Using data to assist helps create meaningful sites that move beyond the visual to better reflect your audience and increase the levels of engagement.
What is data-driven design?
Data-driven design incorporates quantitative and qualitative data to provide the information that counts. With the right data, you will see who, what, where, when, why and the how of visitors engaging your site and the things that matter most. This data is extracted from a number of sources, including analytics, surveys, and research to help make informed decisions for a better user experience.
How is data used to enhance a web design?
Data is used to improve responsiveness, bounce rate, color choices, and the actions performed by users to create better experiences in web design. Good data-driven design improves engagement, interactivity, navigation, sales, conversions and usability.
There are three key elements that should be addressed when using data-driven design:
Business Needs
It is important to analyze and define what your business needs to accomplish with their site.
- What types of results are you seeking?
- What components should be addressed?
- What areas should have input in how the data is gathered and assessed?
- Who will help formulate the strategy and design structure based on the findings?
The business goals should be the first priority.
User Needs
Once the business goals are in place, you will be better positioned to understand how these goals work in conjunction with your users. Knowing response rates, peak times of usage, functionality, readability, and why the users connect with your product or service is integral in creating a site fueled by data to get the results you want.
Knowing how a user skims your content can better help you create a strong marketing strategy for new leads. It’s all about the inbound funnel, so the better you can target a customer, the more likely you are to gain their trust and business.
Data Needs
Understanding how you will gather the data you need is also a major element of data-driven design.
- Where will your data come from?
- Why and how is it relevant?
- How current is it?
- How can you use this information in the enhancement of your site?
As responsive and mobile sites continue to become a necessity, using data to understand, attract and retain your target audience can go a long way in developing your site for meaningful user experiences.
At Hub & Spoke, we focus on data-driven design, taking a holistic approach to website design and development. Our creative agency can show you how! For more information on data-driven design concepts, contact us today to setup a risk free appointment.
