Almost half of consumers cite a website's design as a key factor in determining the credibility of a business.
This highlights the critical role of measuring the quality of your site's design to ensure its looks build trust and engage users, while also working effectively and meeting business goals.
DesignRush had the opportunity to speak to Studio Twofold's Co-Founder and Digital Director Jamie Walker about their creative design process.
He revealed the three key metrics the company uses to measure design quality to ensure impact.
Who Is Jamie Walker?
Jamie Walker is the Co-Founder and Digital Director of Studio Twofold, a branding, design, and creative studio. With a proven track record in delivering high-quality work, Jamie’s expertise spans launching national products and building recognizable brands. His design journey began at university, where he met his co-founder, Sarahjayne Samra, and together they elevated Studio Twofold, launching innovative ventures like Webwarden, a WordPress maintenance service, and Skylab, a website delivery platform.
I was curious to hear about Studio Twofold’s design thinking process when approaching a new client project and how they ensure that every stage of the design thinking process is client-centered and iterative.
“Our design thinking process at Studio Twofold is tailored to fit each client perfectly. There is no specific one-size-fits-all, as we work with a wide range of businesses across a wide range of industries,” explains Jamie.
He highlights that they start with a discovery workshop, where they dive into their clients’ business goals, challenges, and target audience.
Jamie describes the workshop as being like a first date but with more post-it notes.
They ask many questions and rephrase their answers to ensure they understand their needs.
This workshop helps Studio Twofold create a dynamic roadmap of recommendations that evolves as they progress, involving the client at every step.
“No one knows their client's business better than themselves, so we take care not to surprise them at any step,” he notes.
To understand the essence of the business’ personality to deliver a memorable experience for its brand, the company focuses on the following strategies:
- Deep dive into the organization: Exploring the core values, mission, and vision of the organization. It’s like getting to know the brand’s personality over a cup of coffee (or three).
- User needs analysis: Analyzing users' needs and expectations. Think of it as playing detective to find out what makes the audience tick.
- Problem detangling: Identifying and untangling any problems faced, walking through a framework that gets to the root cause, creates solutions, and assigns owners and deliverables to get it done.
- Brand identity: Bringing the brand to life by defining its identity. This is where the magic happens, turning the brand from ordinary to extraordinary.
“By the end of the workshop, we have a comprehensive report on how to proceed with the website build, and we’ll have a detailed roadmap to ensure the project’s success,” Jamie adds.
He highlights that the brand's core values, mission, vision, and unique selling propositions as well as the emotional tone the brand wants to convey, its visual identity, and how it interacts with its customers are the elements that help the company create a cohesive and compelling brand experience that resonates with the target audience.
With these principles in mind, Jamie proudly shares their project on Ms Penny’s tutoring rebrand which he finds quite exciting.
“The challenge was to highlight what made Ms Penny unique in a competitive tutoring market.
We conducted work with Ms Penny herself to research and uncover what made her unique, documenting her personalized approach to education, combined with a nurturing and supportive environment, was their key differentiator.
We focused on these aspects in our branding strategy, creating a warm and inviting visual identity that resonated with parents and students alike—and one she was in love with herself,” he explains.
A website as a digital face of a company helps showcase a brand’s identity, values, and offerings.
In light of this, I asked Jamie what steps they take to analyze a website's current state and determine the most effective enhancements when a client seeks improvements.
“We have a trusty toolkit to help our clients spruce up their websites,” he elaborates.
- Firstly, they perform a thorough website audit, evaluating site health, brand alignment, SEO, security, accessibility, and legal compliance. It's a full-body checkup for the website, with an executive summary for quick insights.
- Next, they conduct a website discovery session to align the website with future business goals, identifying opportunities for improved sales, communication, and automation.
- Lastly, their digital strategy workshops involve them acting as a partial Chief Marketing Officer, collaborating with clients to deliver exceptional work that accelerates their business.
Jamie shares their redesign project of SASH Veterinary which needed to modernize their website to reflect their state-of-the-art facilities and compassionate care.
The client needed a user-friendly design to help pet owners easily find information and book appointments. So, they consolidated over 300 pages into manageable custom post types with auto-formatting templates.
Embracing their unique personality, they chose a warm, inviting look, more like a cozy pet lounge than a clinical setting. Their design focused on a clean, intuitive layout with streamlined navigation, integrating features like online booking and educational resources.
Regular feedback from the SASH team ensured the redesign met and exceeded their expectations.
How to Measure Design Quality
Jamie says that they measure the quality of their designs using three key metrics:
- ‘Technically’ is the math of design. We ask ourselves: Are the fonts readable when printed? Are the proportions mathematically correct? Do the colors meet accessibility standards? Does the website hit our optimization metrics? In other words, does it pass the nerd test?
- ‘Subjectively’ is all about aesthetics. Does the work look cohesive, emphasize the client's brand, and appear professionally done? Would you proudly show it off on your Behance profile or hide it under a digital rock?
- ‘Strategically’ we ensure the design solves the client's problem and aligns with their business goals. A brochure or a website might be a visual masterpiece, but if it's not converting, it's like having a Ferrari with no engine—beautiful, but it’s going anywhere.
“By evaluating our designs through these lenses, we ensure they’re pretty, functional, and impactful. And if all else fails, we ask, 'Would this make my mom proud?' If the answer is yes, we know we’re on the right track,” he adds.
If you're looking for a creative agency to help grow your brand, be sure to check DesignRush's listing of top creative agencies.
Customer Experience Is the Brand Heartbeat
Next, Jamie and I discussed the role customer experience has in maintaining a strong brand.
This is his input on this matter:
“Customer experience is the heartbeat of a strong brand.
You can have the most beautiful images and consistent colors, but without a driving vision rooted in the organization’s purpose and values, it’s just window dressing.
At Studio Twofold, we see our role as facilitators in constructing this solid foundation. We help clients articulate their vision and values, ensuring that these elements push their employees and shape their sales messaging.
In essence, we’re following the north star of the client, guiding them to create a brand that’s not just visually stunning but deeply meaningful and impactful.
Because let’s face it, without a compelling customer experience, even the prettiest brand is like a cake with no flavor—it looks good, but nobody’s coming back for seconds.”
Understanding the importance of customer experience leads us to another vital aspect of branding: personalization.
With personalized experiences being one of the latest branding trends, I asked Jamie what types of customer data are most valuable for personalizing the UX from his experience.
“The type of data we use depends heavily on the industry and sales process of the client,” he says.
For eCommerce sites, they analyze best-selling products, customer demographics, traffic sources, and browsing behavior to understand what's popular and how shoppers find the store.
For internal tooling UIs, they focus on user goals, workflows, management needs, and user feedback to improve efficiency and user experience.
“It’s all about creating a seamless, efficient experience that makes their workday a little brighter (and maybe even earns us a few high-fives). If we can sprinkle a bit of magic into their everyday tasks, we consider it a job well done!” he adds.
Brands are increasingly using AI analytics to tailor customer experiences and Studio Twofold also relies on various platforms to improve customer experience for its clients.
Here are a few ways they’ve harnessed the power of AI:
- ChatGPT: To kickstart copywriting and structure documents. It’s like having an intern who never sleeps and always has fresh ideas.
- AI models in PM tools: Their internal project management tools leverage AI to answer SOP and project-related questions easily. It’s like having a project manager who knows everything and never takes a coffee break.
- Photoshop AI tools: Photoshop's AI-powered features give them more flexibility with images provided by clients. Think of it as having a magic wand that makes image editing faster and more precise.
Lastly, Jamie shares some tips on long-term growth for creative designers who are trying to scale their businesses:
“First and foremost, always strive to do right by your clients. If you see an opportunity to elevate a design by spending a bit of extra time, go for it. Think of it as adding a cherry on top of an already delicious sundae. Showing and communicating this leads to massive client satisfaction, which often translates into organic growth through referrals.
Happy clients love to spread the word—think of them as your unofficial (and very enthusiastic) marketing team.”
