Convert better with customer-centric design
One of the biggest struggles I find with most of my clients when it comes to building their business online is their heavy focus on personal style, taste, and communication rather than focusing on the paying customers’ needs or desires.
This means choosing design aesthetics that satisfy your personal taste and writing copy that talks AT the customer rather than talking TO them to anticipate their needs.
Truth be told, a lot of small business owners don't know who their valuable paying customers are. They want to sell to everyone. This doesn't work. It doesn't work because your products won't appeal to everyone, even though anyone can consume it. Knowing your customer allows you to focus your energy on serving a specific group of people all the time. This group will be your preferred customer, your loyalists, your fans and people who are a dream to serve.
Knowing who we are designing for impacts design decisions and overall performance. If we intentionally design to delight them, to anticipate their needs, and their questions, everything feels like it was made for them and they've arrived to the right place. The only place they should be.
This is why sometimes beautiful websites still fail. The website is aesthetically pleasing but not communicating the right message, the aesthetic and actual target for the products are misaligned. An example I see often are products that are geared to women 40+ but designed for young women 20+. This happens when the owner is forcing trend rather than carefully studying what resonates with the right age group. You end up with low performance. The 20-year-old can't afford the product or don't need it and the 40-year-old is confused.
Narrowing down the customer
You want to narrow down who your high value customers are because it keeps everything you do focused. From product pricing, marketing, copywriting and website design will be focused on them.
Knowing your paying allows you to:
Price your product/service accordingly
Understand their preferences
Develop visuals and copy that excites them
Focus your ads and marketing and brand to get more of these similar paying customers.
How do you figure out who your ideal customers are? Research.
If you already have some customers, you should have a good idea who your ideal customers are. You can begin to profile them and shift focus to this group of people.
If you want to attract a new type of customer, you need to pivot and learn about them, and why they would choose you over your competitor. Can you spot a weakness in the competition that you can address to differentiate your business?
If you don't have any data to go with, the first step is asking for feedback about your business offerings and design from someone qualified to answer those questions. The person you ask would be your ideal customer. You'll also need to ask a lot of people to have a more accurate assessment. Don't ask your family. You want unbiased honesty.
Designing a website for the right customer
Designing a website with your ideal customer in mind isn't just a best practice; it's the secret weapon for boosting your conversions. When every element, from the layout and visuals to the content and calls-to-action, is crafted to speak directly to their needs, pain points, and desires, visitors feel understood and guided. This personalized experience reduces friction, builds trust, and makes it intuitive for them to take the very actions you want them to, whether that's making a purchase, booking a service, or filling out a form.
Ultimately, a customer-centric design transforms casual browsers into loyal, revenue-generating clients.