Imagine navigating a new website and instantly knowing where everything is without a second thought. This intuitiveness is the hallmark of effective design, and according to Web Goddess Founder and CEO Irene Hartfield, effective design is predictable.
The focus needs to be on providing users with a seamless and intuitive experience; otherwise, you will be doing a disservice to your own content, products, or services. What's the point of selling the best product in the world if users give up on the purchase due to a clunky experience on the website?
Read on and get some insights on how to avoid this from Irene herself, a veteran web designer with decades of experience.
Who Is Irene Hartfield?
Irene Hartfield is the founder and owner of web design and hosting company Web Goddess. With a background in music and word processing in New York’s legal field, she transitioned to web design during the internet boom of the 1990s. Irene played a pivotal role in developing one of New York's first law firm websites and later contributed significantly to WAM!NET, a tech startup.
A brand name is more than just a label; it's a story that conveys the essence of a company's identity and values, setting the tone for how customers perceive and connect with the brand.
With this in mind, I found "Web Goddess" quite a memorable name, so I was curious about the story behind it and what it signifies about the company's identity, and the values it aims to represent.
Irene explained that in her first corporate web developer job, she discussed her job title with a programmer. They found the "Webmaster" role to be too masculine and the "Webmistress" too suggestive. Then, the programmer declared,"You are the Web GODDESS!", and here we are now decades later.
“Trying to live up to that title, the company I founded brings supernatural effort to each project to achieve a divine result,” she adds.
Communication Is Key to Client Satisfaction
Given that Irene has been building websites since the 1990s, I asked her what the key to ensuring client satisfaction in web design projects is.
Besides technical skills such as designing and writing content with SEO in mind and effectively organizing website information, she emphasizes that communication is the most important tool for achieving a great client experience.
She collaborates closely with clients to understand their needs, gather input, and plan for future functionalities.
I agree that web design success is not just about technical expertise but also about making clients feel heard and valued throughout their projects.
Just like effective communication and client collaboration are at the heart of Irene's approach, this commitment to clear dialogue and understanding has been a cornerstone of web design success for many web design agencies today.
Watch our video to discover best practices for WordPress speed optimization.
Predictable Design Enables Intuitive User Experience
When it comes to building websites, Web Goddess swears by WordPress.
Here is why:
“Because of the vast number of plugins available, it is easy to satisfy almost every wish that a client has from the get-go of a project. In the past, each requirement outside of content required scripting and planning of a scope that added time and money to a project that often is now easily satisfied with a plugin,” Irene explains.
However, critics often claim that WordPress sites can look too similar or overly generic due to the widespread use of certain themes.
In light of this, I wanted to know how Irene ensures a unique design for clients using a platform known for its templated approach.
“The uniqueness of a website comes from color, layout, and content,” she explained to me.
I agree with her. By focusing on these elements, Irene ensures that each website the company designs is not only unique but also effectively represents the client's brand meeting its specific needs.
Additionally, she believes websites are more effective when they are designed in a consistent and predictable manner. This approach helps users understand what to expect as they navigate the site, making it easier and more intuitive to use.
Irene makes a great point and in fact, many experts agree that great interactive design is predictable.
Steve Krug’s book on human-computer interaction and web usability, named Don’t Make Me Think, highlights that when it comes to predictability, website owners should ask themselves if users will be able to answer the following questions:
- Where am I?
- How did I get here?
- What can I do here?
- Where can I go from here?
The author suggests that if users can be placed anywhere within a site or application and can accurately answer these four questions, it indicates that designers have managed to establish a strong sense of location and set proper expectations.
Ultimately, it demonstrates that users can predict the outcomes of their interactions effectively.
If you're looking for a web design company to help you develop a user-friendly website using WordPress, be sure to check DesignRush's listing of top WordPress web design companies.
When Technology Outpaces Talent
Discussing some past interesting projects and what Irene is currently working on, she pointed out North Country Canoe Outfitters (NCCO), which has been a client of hers for many years.
She explains she has taken over the site the client had built himself in Front Page back in the 90s. He was able to manage it all alone, but technology surpassed him.
This is when Irene stepped in, helping the company significantly by boosting search results.
“It was very challenging to take a site that was already doing very well and not lose the SEO juice that was already there. We built a more efficient and attractive HTML, then eventually put the site into WordPress, using the Avada theme.
The client hired a firm to do SEO and they renamed all the pages and reorganized them into categories that made my job much harder. Now I do all the SEO improvements. I use a service called Diib which interprets Google Analytics and other metrics and gives advice for improvements,” she adds.
Currently, Irene says she is persuading the client to update the site design, as video headers are now outdated and slow down loading times.
“Sites are just easier with the tools I can use with WordPress: security, caching, broken link checker, SEO. I would never create a basic HTML site again and I shudder whenever I have to edit an existing one,” she concludes, highlighting WordPress user friendliness once again.
Given that web consulting is one of Web Goddess's key services, I asked if she could explain the scenarios in which brands should opt for web development versus when they might benefit more from web consulting services.
“My favorite kind of client is willing to put themselves into my hands as an expert and the consulting is a big part of that,” she notes.
For instance, for a new company needing a name, she suggests checking domain name availability first. She offers branding advice, from logo design to color schemes, and supports clients through the entire process to ensure they feel well-guided.
