If the words, “An update to our privacy policy” look familiar, you’ve probably received a flood of GDPR compliances in your email inbox this week.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), is a legal framework that sets guidelines for collecting data and processing personal information in the European Union went into effect on May 25th, which means it will also affect any company we use regularly that conducts business in Europe.
Not only will it change the amount of emails in your inbox but also website design and UX. Now that users have more control over their data and whether they grant consent or not, GDPR will have an impact on design interfaces.
Twitter user’s were overjoyed about the sudden email attacks:
Although annoying, at least these emails are the perfect opportunity to clear out all the unwanted mailing lists.
UX encompasses everything a user feels when interacting with your website, including the landing pages that convert first-time visitors into your digital acolytes.
Landing pages are critical in online marketing because they can generate leads, promote products, and generate awareness. Think of them as the formal introduction between your site and your user after being directed from search engines, social media, and email campaigns.
The user gets a good idea about your site’s utility through your landing page. A well-designed landing page strategically communicates on behalf of your brand while guiding the user through retention and sales funnels. They’ll remember an easy sign-up experience, and they’ll also remember an annoying and confusing one.
The content on your landing page is key to directing your user. But what good is clear content with a bad layout or distracting design? And what good is an awesome design with cold, boring messaging?
Consider these design elements when building your perfect landing page:
Have a Clear Goal In Mind
Simplicity is the name of the game with landing pages. Know what you want the user to do when they get to the page and make that your only focus.
To accomplish this goal, keep the page as distraction-free as possible. Avoid different calls to action that take the user away from the desired conversion funnel. And avoid outbound links that take the user away from the page entirely.
Having one option on the page narrows down their choices and makes the experience completely unambiguous. Less is more with your landing page.
Write Headlines That Demand Attention
The headline is the first thing a user sees when they click on your landing page, and you can communicate so much in just a few simple words. You have only seconds to capture and retain your user’s attention. Keep the messaging of your headlines straightforward and engaging.
Fonts, typography, and color palettes are all essential parts of your branding. Together, they form the big picture of your verbal and visual identity in the user’s mind. Be sure to incorporate these elements into your headline to introduce the user to your brand and uphold your identity.
Keep Content Short and Sweet
This might come as a surprise, but our online attention spans are short.
Big blocks of text turn users away from landing pages. The goal is to give them a quick idea of the page’s function and direct them to the first conversion funnel. Sum up your aim with your headline, brief description sentence, and a clear call to action.
If using extra text is unavoidable, then break it up into easily digestible sections. Divide sections into subheadings that highlight value propositions or create a bulleted list that simplifies a process. Just remember — scannable copy is king.
Only Ask For What You Need To Know
The user does not want to answer a million questions to create a profile or buy something off your website. Keep your forms simple and ask only what you need to know for a quick, frictionless conversion process.
Users are generally more willing to give out their email than their phone number, so asking for an email address first is a great way to start the conversion process. You can also reduce the number of required forms to give the user more control over the contact information they share.
Make Your CTAs Unignorable
So you’ve roped in your user with an interesting headline and cool layout. Now they need to know where to go next to accomplish their goal.
You need a clear call to action that shows the user how to get to the next conversion funnel. Keep CTAs as succinct as possible so the user knows exactly what will happen when they click that button.
Your CTA needs to be easily identifiable against the other elements in the interface. Using a contrasting color from the background is a great way to focus on the most important parts of the page.
Keep CTAs close enough to the headlines and images — the things that draw the user’s eye right off the bat. If your landing page is long and text-heavy, try to place a couple of different CTAs throughout the page.
Now Ramp Up The Visuals
Your brand's visual identity will guide the overall design of your landing page, but be sure the content and messaging do not get lost in the shuffle.
A minimalist design is a great way to call attention to the CTA but can come off as boring if not done right. Your color palette and images are great accents on a simple landing page. Your landing page should inspire trust and reliability, so make sure images are high-quality and on-brand.
The actual content needs to be the focal point of the page, even on a busy layout. Fonts in contrasting colors help the user separate the message from the rest of the design. Some light shading also helps words pop out against the background. Above all, your CTA still needs to be easily identifiable and optimally placed.
The Ultimate Landing Page Checklist
Landing pages have a lot of power in digital marketing. Well-designed landing pages generate excitement for your brand while boosting your sales and conversion rates through the roof. And bad ones have real-world consequences that drive people away from your site, losing you money.
As always in UX, user testing will tell you all you need to know about how the page functions and what needs improving. You won't know for sure how effective the page is until you test it with your users.
Take your design through this checklist for a strong starting point:
- Is the goal of the landing page clear?
- Does the headline draw and keep attention?
- Does the content accurately communicate the page's function?
- Do the forms make the onboarding process too long or frustrating?
- Can I identify the CTA?
- Do I know what is going to happen when I click the CTA?
- Does the design of the landing page accurately represent my brand?
- Does the design distract from the overall purpose of the landing page?
- Is there anything in the interface that would prevent users from completing their goals?
- Will this conversion experience help me retain users?
If your design passes all these questions, it is ready for the real world.
Are you struggling with building your perfect landing page? CreateApe's UX designers know how to make landing pages engaging and conversion-focused. View our capability deck here.
UX has great power to either help or mislead the user.
At CreateApe, we often talk about how important it is to gain the user’s trust. Companies should want users to feel good about their websites by helping them seamlessly and safely accomplish their goals.
But when money enters the picture, some web designers prioritize numbers and sales over the user’s convenience. This leads to deceptive practices that manipulate users into bogus agreements that cost them their privacy — and often their money.
These practices are called dark UX patterns, and it’s when user experience turns into user exploitation.
Avoid These 5 Common Dark Patterns
Forced Continuity
How many of us have signed up for free trials and then never canceled them? It can end up costing the user several hundred dollars a year without them ever noticing. Companies ask you for credit card information to protect their assets and ensure they don’t keep giving out free services.
The problem happens when the user doesn’t know when their trial is over and they get charged without a warning. Or when companies make it blatantly difficult to cancel.
Combat this by making it easier for the user to opt-out of the free trial before charging them. Send a notification that the trial period is ending, and don’t bury cancellation links in giant walls of text.
Privacy Zuckering
We know, we’re just as annoyed with the lack of transparency around data mining as you are. Remember when Mark Zuckerberg went to court over Facebook privacy breaches? Well, now he has a UX dark pattern named after him.
This term was coined by UX designer Harry Brignull in his online guide to dark patterns. He defines this as the practice of tricking the user into giving up more of their private information than they normally would with jargon-y language in Terms of Service agreements. They take advantage of our tendency to scan without reading the fine print to lead us into giving out sensitive information.
The good news is that many online platforms became much more transparent about collecting our data after this incident (mostly to avoid legal action, but that’s still worth something). There is now an expectation that the user is made aware when their data is collected.
Trick Questions
In UX, the words on your page are just as important as the visual elements. And some designers deliberately try to confuse their users to get them to agree to something they don’t want.
Trick questions are often layered, using clever wording or double negatives to create cognitive dissonance. Sometimes they make it impossible to opt-out of mailing lists by lumping everything in with Terms of Service agreements.
At the end of the day, clarity is key. The user’s consent matters — and tricking users creates an ethical dilemma that goes against the principles of UX. The user should always have agency and designers must create that sense of agency with clear, unambiguous messaging.
Misdirection
A distracting design could be completely harmless, or it could have an ulterior motive. Many dark patterns utilize some form of misdirection by guiding the user’s attention to a specific place to distract them from something else.
Think of a time you bought something expensive online and the website tried to add some unnecessary insurance. Did you think there was no way to get around adding insurance? Or did they hide the option to skip insurance somewhere else on the page?
Misdirection is easily avoidable in UX with color theory, minimalist designs, and grouping related options closely together in the interface. Always remember that your user should be able to complete their goals easily, without distraction.
Hidden Costs/Fees
Everyone knows there are taxes and shipping charges that make the checkout cost more than the advertised price. That’s not where the problem is.
The problem is when websites tack on unnecessary hidden fees at the last stage of check out. How expensive has a delivery or small cart fee made your online takeout order? These types of fees vary in cost, but they can start to add up after a while.
Let your users know about any additional charges at the first stage of check out. If they go through the entire process to see their order is way more expensive than initially anticipated right before they place it, they’ll leave feeling frustrated with the experience.
So Why Is This Important?
While the results from dark patterns lead to short-term gratification, the user will eventually catch on and there will be no foundation of trust to build off of. It’s a vicious cycle that leads to companies finding new ways to digitally dupe their users.
At the end of the day, it’s best to bank on honesty and follow UX best practices.
Imposter syndrome: An internal experience of believing that you are not as competent as others perceive you to be — a persistent feeling that you have lied or conned your way into your job.
If you’re looking at that definition and thinking: “Hey, that’s me!”, then this blog is for you.
Though it’s not a diagnosable mental illness, it’s incredibly common among professionals (especially in the UX field). It’s not a good feeling. It impairs your confidence, your ability to own your creations, and your willingness to learn and grow.
You went through the interview process, proved your skill set, accepted your offer, and turned in some amazing projects. But no matter how much good work you do, you still can’t help but feel like two kids in a trench coat trying to sneak into an R-rated movie.
Let us give you some reassurance before we show you how to face your self-doubt:
- You are not alone! Up to 82% of people experience imposter syndrome at some point. Even the best UX designers in the game have experienced feelings of inadequacy before.
- You earned your job. Either through years of hard work or an impressive portfolio, you were chosen for the job for a reason.
- When you get harsh feedback or feel like you’re turning in subpar work, just remember that one bad project does not mean you’re a bad UX/UI designer.
- No one goes into a job knowing everything. Even the top-earning UX designers still run into trouble.
The CreateApe team is full of experienced and accomplished UX professionals with some impressive projects under our belts. But that doesn’t mean we’re safe from doubting our skills.
Here are just a few ways we fend off imposter syndrome at CreateApe. If you ever catch yourself feeling like you don’t deserve your job, keep these tips in mind for a little self-confidence boost.
Tips for Combatting Imposter Syndrome
Be Transparent
When you can’t will yourself out of imposter syndrome, talking to someone about it always helps. One of your teammates could have some insight, or just be willing to lend a sympathetic ear.
Speaking your thoughts out loud is a great way to put things in perspective. We have thousands of thoughts a day, and they’re not always rational or organized. Give yourself some grace and realize that everyone gets overwhelmed and needs help.
It also helps you build trust and deepen relationships with your design team. Chances are that someone is willing to offer their experience and support to guide you through project pitfalls and further your UX skills.
Keep Practicing
It may be cliche, but everyone starts somewhere. When you have a solid foundation for a skill, the only way to go is up!
Don’t view your weaknesses as shortcomings. See them as room for improvement. When your imposter syndrome tells you “You don’t know how to do this? You must not be a real UX designer.” reframe your point of view to say “Learning how to do this will make me so much better than I already am.”
Be Open to Change
UX is iterative by design. New technologies, new best practices, new things to learn. Don’t beat yourself up too badly if you’re not up on the latest trends. Every designer needs to catch up at some point in their career.
Keep an open mind and welcome change. Follow design publications or even social media profiles to keep an eye out for trends and think about how they can improve your designs. A fresh eye never hurts.
Take Baby Steps
When some people feel overwhelmed at work, they find the best way to meet the challenge is to just charge ahead. But, we all don’t work the same way.
You absolutely need to take a breather when you need it. To help yourself feel more organized before taking on your next big task, sit down and think about the specific things you need to do. Write them down if you must. This will help you visualize everything you're responsible for and hopefully make everything seem more manageable.
Professional burnout is no joke. Not only does it affect your performance, but it also has serious physical symptoms that impact your work-life balance. Remember that no one is invincible and that everyone needs to take a step back every now and then.
Understand That You Don’t Know Everything
Think of the smartest person you know. No matter how knowledgeable they are, chances are that you’re better at something than they are. Elon Musk can build a rocketship, but would you trust him to cook a stunning 5-course meal or sew a dress for a big, fancy gala?
There’s no way for us to be good at everything and no one expects us to be. Trust your skills, but accept that there are always things to learn that will make us better at our jobs. You will never reach that all-knowing status (and that’s okay)!
Focus on Positives
Everyone needs a pick-me-up now and then to pull themselves out of a funk. It’s hard to not dwell on the negative when imposter syndrome rears its ugly head. Try to reflect on past successes and remind yourself that there will be plenty more down the line.
Remember that imposter syndrome is just a temporary state of mind. It comes and goes just like the weather. Give yourself a break, focus on your favorite projects, and get excited for the next one coming around the corner.
Imposter Syndrome is Creeping in, What Should I Do?
Relax, take a breather, walk outside, get some coffee, and (above all) be kind to yourself.
We take mental health seriously here at CreateApe. Because when we feel good, we put out our best work (and vice versa).
Whether you’re an industry newbie or a senior UX designer with tons of projects under your belt, imposter syndrome can creep up anytime, anywhere. Just remember that you got your job for a reason. No one can pull a random person off the street and have them do what you do.
When you’re feeling underqualified, reassure yourself that everyone feels this way from time to time. Keep these tips in mind, and as the British say: “Keep Calm and Carry On.”
Does CreateApe sound like your kind of place? Think you’d be a great fit for our Jungle? Check out our open jobs and start your UX career today!
Want to brush up on a few UX topics? We have a beginner's guide for how to become a UX designer, a directory of our favorite UX/UI design courses, a comprehensive UX writing guide, and much, MUCH more! Our team is all about sharing our knowledge, so check out those resources and others on the CreateApe blog.
Netflix binging, we’ve all been there. One hour you’re pressing play on a TV show just to have it on in the background and suddenly you’ve finished a season in the blink of an eye. Here are the secrets behind Netflix’s incredibly successful UX design that keep us all coming back.
Putting customers first.
It’s a line we’ve heard time and time again but it’s what Netflix UX is inherently based on. Through an easy-to-use interface, Netflix understands that when mindlessly scrolling through TV shows and movies it’s exactly that, mindless. It extends to the golden rule of interface design, don’t make me think too hard. What keeps Netflix successful isn’t just selling subscriptions, but selling experiences through tailored entertainment choices.
It’s all about you.
If you’ve been on Netflix recently, you’ve probably noticed your homepage may look different compared to your friends and family. That’s entirely intentional. Netflix’s team has utilized the importance of user experience and transformed their interface to reflect personalized navigation. Most wouldn’t call Netflix a user experience focused company, but it’s been at the forefront of their sales and decision making.
Unique quick previews.
The design functions have gone beyond traditional browsing and are becoming increasingly personalized. No longer are customers reliant on a title and short blurb about the movie, but hovering over an image will play a short clip that illustrates the emotional gist of the movie without revealing the entire plot. You may be thinking well yeah, isn’t that just a trailer? Not entirely. These clips are custom clips edited by Netflix, with curated snippets and music that suggests a certain mood or genre, it helps convey an experience to the user. Within a few seconds of just hovering over a show or movie, viewers know exactly what they’re getting.
Great suggestions.
In a world of big data, Netflix utilizes its data to create a better experience for the user by predicting viewing habits. It’s no secret that Netflix algorithms are heavily data driven, knowing when and where we start a show, when we pause, rewind; all these factors contributing to how they shape our time on Netflix. Instead of sorting through thousands of movies or shows you’ll just never have an inkling to watch, Netflix streamlines the filtering and suggests shows that are user compatible based on prior selections.
CEO Reed Hastings has even mentioned, “One day, we hope to get so good at suggestions that we can show you exactly the right movie or TV show for your mood.”
Founded in 1997, Netflix skyrocket to over 70 million users lies in its users experience. They have created a friendly relationship with the user that says, “I know you’ll be back, see you next time” without any repercussions. Not only have they managed to survive in the digital age, but they’ve redefined the way we view movie watching and the traditional “television” program, and that’s exactly what keeps us coming back.
One of Europe’s leading marketing events is hitting SoCal for the first time this year! The B2B Marketing Expo began and planted its roots in the UK. This year the event will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center on October 2nd & 3rd, 2019. THIS WILL BE THE FIRST B2B MARKETING EXPO OF MANY (we’re sure)!!! Our proper villain, Alessandro Fard, is one of the key speakers and we can’t help but brag.
Each year the event attracts vast, highly targeted audiences and offers a truly engaging experience. We expect this event will be even larger as it will be the first time it hits the US. The B2B Marketing Expo is currently responsible for over 50 shows across the world ranging from niche industry events to major global events. No discrimations!!! They have offices set up in Germany, Hong Kong, US, and the UK (and we’re sure it’s not stopping there).
Our CreateApe team will also be exhibiting at this event along with over 200 other exhibitors. There will be hundreds of seminars and the expo is expecting over 10,000 visitors at the Los Angeles event this fall. THIS WILL BE A HUGE EVENT! You don’t want to miss…
The marketing industry is always changing, and this expo offers organizations some insight from thought leaders like Alessandro who can share their strategies and breakthroughs. Free access to proven leaders in their fields? No brainer. #winwin
Alessandro will be hitting the stage to talk about all things UX/UI related. LIKE A BOSS. Other keynote speakers include Nike, Google, and Microsoft to be sharing their thought leadership ideas.
Jeetendr Sehdev author of The Kim Kardashian Principle will be the official headline host for the event. Sehdev is a media personality, the world’s leading authority on celebrity branding, and a sought-after advisor to top international companies. We are prepared to be dazzled by THIS INFLUENCER’S INFLUENCER.
Some of the event highlights will include influencer marketing, data and analytics, direct marketing, AI, account based marketing, and UX/UI development (of course), among many other topics. This is the ultimate event for keen sales professionals.
Tickets are free for this event and can be requested here. Don’t worry if you can’t make it, you can still follow Alessandro Fard’s stories on Instagram/Facebook to get behind the scenes and watch him live in action!
We are looking forward to this event and hope you will be too. SAVE THE DATE: Wednesday October 2nd, and be prepared for some “proper villain” magic from our CEO. Make sure to stop by our booth for more information about UX/UI. Let us show you how much proper UX/UI can benefit your business. See you in October!
Let’s Work Together!
It’s a jungle out there — let the Create Ape experts help you traverse the wilds as we take your project to new heights.
