When it comes to building {successful} websites, appealing to a large and diverse audience requires a mastery of the web and expertise in user experience. You need to thoroughly define a strategy that will engage the majority of that large audience – and keep them coming back.  Now… take all of that complexity, and double it! This is the challenge we faced when tasked with creating a website that appealed to both B2B and B2C market segments.

You might be thinking, “Get my red staples button, that’s easy!”   But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Here are a few fundamentals that need to be balanced when creating a website that accommodates both B2C & B2B customers:

Product VS Relationship Driven

Typically, a website meant for engaging B2C customers works at converting the “shoppers” into buyers as quickly and aggressively as possible. When on the web, end consumers want sales information handy and can easily be enticed with incentives.  In many cases only one or two people are making a purchasing decision and not interested in a long-term relationship – just a quick fix to their need or problem.

When it comes to a B2B experience the focus shifts from being completely product driven to one that is based on developing a relationship. In a business scenario, the first point of contact with a website is to gather research. Content is king, and the information available online is used for comparison and discussion among peers. It is critical that you have the information they are looking for, or you may be crossed off the list. At this phase, companies aren’t ready for a hard sell – just pursuing options. Continue Reading →

ABANow.org

Recently, our friends at the American Bar Association asked us to redesign their Media Relations and Communication Services website. There were many practical reasons for this: adding features, improving site navigation and usability, and making content easier to add and update.

But the primary reason for the redesign was in the social media realm. The Media Relations Division was evolving from communicating with the news media, to take on added responsibilities for communicating with members, the legal community and the public. In addition to timely web content, these readers like to get a well-rounded perspective on the news. They still look for traditional fact-based information, but also enjoy the perspectives offered by blogs and seek the reaction of others within their social networks. Continue Reading →

Designing for the web comes with a unique set of challenges and thus has its own ‘charm’. User interactivity, browser compatibility, connection speed, color calibration, flash, html, css… these are all factors that have to be accounted for when building a web page. (Each of these may become their own topic of discussion in time.) The sheer number of variables to control can make the process extremely tedious.

The technology underlying these variables is extremely new and is constantly changing. It’s a little bit of a ‘wild west’ environment. So, understandably, many of the people who commission web work are still a bit new to the whole thing and, therefore, it falls on designers and developers to educate and guide them through the process. Overall, it’s a rewarding experience. But you do sometimes have to overcome certain preconceptions that people carry over from their days in traditional media.

Continue Reading →