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Even as we're past the point of "blanding" in eCommerce, simplistic design can provide an enhanced user experience and streamline the user experience.
As an eCommerce brand, you know your product design inside and out, and the brand suite that supports it. But when it comes to building an eCommerce store, we see far too many brands, who often have a more maximalist brand suite, include more elements than are necessary.
To these brands, the idea of keeping things simple may seem like a step back. However, not only is there still room for maximalism within a more simplistic design framework, but we can’t implement more maximalist elements until we have a strong skeleton in place.
Simplicity may sound well… simple, but in the world of web design, it’s not exactly something you can just implement without sufficiently thinking through the steps you need to take.
In short, simplicity in web design means that your aesthetic prioritises the customer experience. This means it’s not only easy to navigate a site, but that customers get the desired and expected outcome from any interaction.
Providing an easy to navigate interface through simplicity, especially in the world of eCommerce, has a strong track record of increasing the likelihood that a customer’s visit to a site results in a transaction. If a customer doesn’t have to think as much, checking out is much easier.
So we’ve established what a simplistic design mentality is, and the benefits of one, but you can’t just decide to implement one and then instantly do so successfully. If your current website has a more maximalist design mentality, it will definitely be difficult to do a 180 and think with an alternative mindset purely because you have decided to do so.
So, what steps do you actually need to take to implement and reap the benefits of a simple design mentality?
Customers value their time. So, whether they consciously realise it or not, anything that wastes their time, be it copy where it’s not needed or bloated visual assets making it difficult to navigate an otherwise smooth website is just deterring them from progressing through the buyer journey.
Whilst interior design and web design are two entirely different disciplines, the two do share similarities and there are lessons that can be learned from each. Within that space, Marie Kondo popularised the “does it spark Joy” approach, wherein we are being thoughtful about each and every element that goes into a home. Considering we think of a website as a “brand house” taking this approach feels fitting.
Adapted to serve customers, “does this provide value” should be the mantra we all live by.
Written content is the lifeblood of any eCommerce store. Even if a website has a sub-par layout from a design perspective, if the written content serves its purpose, a user will still be able to navigate a site, however tough of a battle it might be. Furthermore, for SEO and general educative purposes written content is essential.
However, over saturation of written content within a site can be both overwhelming to a customer and potentially off putting too. As more mental resources are poured into any one task they become more and more challenging to keep up with. This idea is referred to as “extraneous cognitive load,” and is especially relevant in relation to large amounts of written content. Essentially, any mental processing that takes up resources but doesn't help users understand the content of an interface is a no-go.
Therefore, seek to tactically hide written content within drop down menus, slide out drawers, and filters to help users get to the information they are looking for in a much more streamlined manner - just make sure everything is clearly signposted!
Leading on from signposting, whilst we don’t want to waste users' time, we have to realise that most of them are well travelled in the digital space, and are well accustomed to how eCommerce sites are typically laid out. Users know how to look for hints and get directions on where they should be going on a site, as there is an eCommerce language that they are used to reading.
But that means it is essential to stay true to this language and use the common UI elements that feel familiar. One example would be placing icons in the places that users typically expect them to be, such as a shopping bag to denote the cart, a magnifying glass to denote the search functionality, and so on.
Users know how to look for hints and get directions on where they should be going on a site. But the easier we can make it for them to find those hints, the less thinking is required, making it an enjoyable experience.
Creating a minimal site not only makes websites easy for a user to navigate from the get go, but also makes the management of them much easier, in turn extending the longevity of the site.
If we think about Hick’s Law, “the time it takes to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices.” So we want to minimise the amount of choices that a user has to make, and that you as the site’s overseer has to make too.
When creating a site’s initial style tile, each colour, font, and font size should have a purpose and benefit to the user experience of the site, minimising the use of unnecessary assets will not only create a more appealing site but also increase accessibility.
Long and time consuming processes such as contact or checkout forms, which often contain lots of form inputs, can be off putting for users looking for an efficient experience. Instead, break the process down into bite size, digestible pieces that strategically hide the amount of work that is actually required.
A common example of this in action is breaking the checkout down into a step by step process 1) Order Summary 2) Payment Details 3) Billing Details 4) Complete transaction. It can also be worth utilising autofill forms and predictive text in search bars to reduce the time spent completing an action.
Whilst the implementation of any one of these actions cannot be done in an afternoon, recognising where each one could impact your site and taking steps towards reaching them will help you build a more successful eCommerce site in the long run.
In turn you’ll establish a positive user journey from the get go, increase your transaction rate, and build a base of loyal customers that enjoy the online shopping experience you provide.
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Be it bin bags, rum, or pine log cabins, Digital Designer Jess has certainly been asked to keep her mind flexible, and adapt her skill set throughout the course of her career so far.
Craving progression and a design challenge above all else, it seems fitting that, as a designer, Jess’ biggest hobby is branding. But, when she’s not split between branding and working on user interface design, you can find Jess hiking up a mountain, taking care of her cats Misty and Minx, or cooking, though probably no two at the same time.
