Burst Chief Marketing Officer Dave Borland was recently featured on FOX23 News.

When customers go into a restaurant and see a dirty floor, for example, they’re going to walk out, Borland told FOX23 News anchor Stephanie Grady. The same is true for websites.

Watch the complete clip below.

Filed under: Design, Experiencing the Web, General News, Usability
Tags: Dave Borland, design, FOX23 News, interview, media, tv, updates, Website
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We’ve seen it far too many times.

A company rushes to get on Facebook or pay for banner ads on some website before thinking about the customer experience to follow.

It’s kind of like buying paint and furniture before you even hire a construction company to build your house. But it’s worse because you’re not only losing potential customers – you could be leaving current customers with a bad taste.

The first and most important piece of advice is to follow up your social media brainstorming session by taking a step back.

What do you really want to accomplish?

If you’re planning a big event for your business and you’re telling people about it through a social media ad, are users who click being directed right to your home page clueless as to where to click next?

Or did you have the IntelliSites’ Albany web design team design a custom landing page connected to your site with information specific to what you’re advertising?

Have you ever clicked a link and then been utterly confused as to where to go? That’s the result of poor web design and most likely limited forethought.

Things like the text you use, the images and especially the layout of a page specific to bringing in new customers play a HUGE role!

Knowing how your customers will approach a web page is especially helpful if you’re using social media to get people to sign up for a specific e-mail list.

Perhaps you’re launching a new line of products next year and want to remind everyone when it happens.

Let your Facebook friends know (but make sure not to post too often and SPAM them — they’ll end up ignoring you) and point them to a sign-up form on your website.

Make sure you’re clear as to what they’re signing up for and stick to it. You’ll build a stronger base that way.

If you want to have your social media followers sign up for additional e-mail reminders, you can offer that as separate checkboxes in your form.

Not sure where to begin? Let the experienced Albany web design team at IntelliSites advise you.

Filed under: Social Media, Usability
Tags: Content, experience-based design, marketing, Social Media
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In the world of web design it seems like it’s often the brightest, flashiest and most visually complex sites that win attention.

While there is no doubt that these creative websites certainly deserve their time in the spotlight, they are not meant for everyone. Which brings up the question – what do you do when your target audience isn’t the tech savvy, computer literate 20–something?

The great thing about the Internet is that it is a powerful resource for anyone, young or old. And if your business caters to a much older or much younger generation, there’s no reason why your website shouldn’t do that, too!

Senior citizens are slowly becoming more comfortable using the Internet. Older Baby Boomers may have resisted new technology toward the end of their careers but studies show they are now finding time to learn in retirement. Between 2004 and 2010, active Internet users age 65 and older increased by more than six million. Seniors are eager to learn and stay active, which is why the Internet is so appealing.

Today’s children and young adults (Millennials) have grown up with new technology and 50 years down the road will be a much more competent generation of senior Internet users. Right now though, it’s crucial for companies targeting seniors to make sure their sites are accessible to all.

Here are a few simple ways to translate web design for an older generation:

• Keep the fancy web lingo to a minimum. URL, HTML, FTP and HTTP can all start to look the same if you’re new to the Internet.
• Make sure everything is easy to find and easy to click – with aging comes a decline in motor skills.
• Light-colored font on light-colored backgrounds and small buttons that move and change can be difficult to navigate. (Adidas is a great company but one glance at their homepage makes it clear exactly who they have designed for. No 80-year-old should have to figure this one out!)

Giving users the option to change their font size is also a common practice these days. Most browsers allow for the capability, but giving users the option right on the page is more likely to keep them on the page longer.

Most importantly, not everything needs to be written in 72 point bold font, but keeping pages clean and maintaining a basic and logical sense of navigation is a must. Don’t forget to mention to your favorite web designers at IntelliSites if you have a specific age target in mind for your next project!

Filed under: Experiencing the Web, Usability, Web Design
Tags: organization, Web Design, website visitors
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The world wide web is for everyone.

But think about how challenging the internet experience might be for people with disabilities.

People who see, hear, understand, focus, or read differently than others can have a tough time navigating through a website that was not designed with all people in mind. But the Web Accessibility Initiative website gives examples of specific disabilities and some easy ways you can enhance your site to level the playing field for people with these challenges.

For instance, the WAI site points out that many websites present obstacles for individuals with colorblindness. The site suggests labeling color pictures with words, particularly on e-commerce sites that may be selling the same item in, for example, red, blue, green, and gray. It also mentions that text designed to indicate something special is often a different color on a site (e.g. clearance items in red text), but using underlining or bold text would be more helpful for a person with colorblindness.

Providing Access for Everyone

The key is to provide options that will allow different users to access your site in the way that works best for them. If you have videos on your site, for instance, you may want to think about making it easy for a user with a visual impairment to view them at a larger size. You may also consider providing a closed captioning option for the hearing impaired. And it might be a good idea to make the videos easy to turn off in the event that they distract a user with ADHD who is trying to read nearby text.  You’ll find that providing these types of options on your site can also benefit clients who do not have disabilities, allowing them to make choices about how to use elements of your site and making it easier for them to use.

A lot of factors go into the design of a website, but if reaching the largest possible audience is one of your priorities, make sure to tell your web designer that you’re interested in making your site accessible to people with disabilities. After all, a store with a ramp is more likely to get the business of a person who uses a wheelchair, and a website with accommodations for individuals with disabilities can make it clear to your customers that everybody’s welcome at your site.

Filed under: Usability, Web Design
Tags: color, people with disabilities, videos, Web Design
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People like easy.

Whether we’re talking about straightforward electronic gadgets, simple recipes, or usable websites, the less time and thought involved these days, the better.

But not everyone on the web is completely on board with “easy” just yet. Who hasn’t ditched an online shopping experience at one point or another because the checkout process of a particular site was too time consuming? Who hasn’t been annoyed by a poorly laid out website and tabbed over to another company’s site out of frustration?

Rise Above The Rest…With Usability

Since there are clearly some sites out there that need an “easy” makeover, having a usable site can set you apart from the crowd. If online shoppers are happy with the usability of your website, they’re likely to return for more business.

One example of this is my cell phone carrier’s website. As far as ease of use, it’s top notch. If I want to pay my cell phone bill in full with the same credit card I used last month, I can log in and get the job done in two clicks. That’s Click. Click. Done until next month. Whenever I think about getting a new cell phone provider, one of the things that stops me is fear of the unknown with a new company’s website. What if I have to click four times? Or, even worse, type something in? After having it so easy with my current company, I just don’t know if I could live with that.

If you’re not sure whether your company’s website is user-friendly enough, why not get some friends to test it out against the websites of your competitors? If your site isn’t the simplest to use in town, working out the hassles can be a great way to win clients by making their lives easier.

Filed under: Usability, Web Design
Tags: easy, online shopping, user friendly sites, visitors
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