Thoughts On Goal Oriented DesignJune 29th 2009
For a long time, I couldn’t tell you why I designed, or what the purpose was in my designs. This was a huge problem. It’s still something that I need to consider, and indeed every designer needs to think about. Design, whether it’s for the web, an application, print, or a product, must have a telos; an end or reason for being. On the surface, this may seem obvious, but putting it into practice, correctly, is at times difficult. This is where goal oriented design comes in.
Simply put, goal oriented design has as its purpose a specific goal that the design, no matter what the medium, must accomplish. This is a very loose definition, and I’m sure others may explain it differently, but I believe it to be adequate.
Let’s now take a look at the goals that should be considered in designing a website for a web application. The primary goal would be that a user signs up for the web app. There are countless ways to design the home page for a web app, but the goal should always be in consideration. From a very broad overview, to accomplish this and have a user sign up, a story must be told.
Ira Glass is a professional story teller; also known as a radio host. He has some truly great advice about storytelling in an interview you can find on YouTube (via Lokesh Dhakar). While Glass is in radio, what he talks about is still applicable to other mediums. He states that one of the building blocks of a story is the anecdote, something which brings the listener (or in our case viewer) to a destination. It is simply a sequence of statements that conveys something: a story.
Any design then, in a sense, will tell a story. Back to our example of a web application, I believe the story must contain several key elements to truly accomplish the stated goal.
The Problem
Just like in direct response ads on TV, a problem must be brought to light that the user has, or encounters on a routine basis. No one will look for a solution if they don’t first know that there is a problem.
The beautiful LessAccounting website clearly relates a problem to the viewer. It’s obvious from the headline that accounting is stressful, and Quickbooks is time consuming and frustrating to learn. Notice also how negatives are used. This is a great example of word choice in highlighting the problem. It would be much less effective, and indeed somewhat ridiculous, if the headline read, “Finally, relaxing accounting! Stop trying to learn Quickbooks, save time and enjoy a quick and pleasing experience.” Problems should be described with negatives, allowing the user to relate to something they want fixed.
The Solution
The user must be given something that will solve the problem. LessAccounting quickly lists solutions that it provides. These little bits are part of the story, showing how the web app can solve the problem for the user. The user must be presented with an incentive to respond to: the solution to their problem is just that.
The Presentation
Thinking back to those direct response TV ads, there is always a quick, powerful demonstration of the product. This is an important part of the story, as it allows the user to see the product, how it works, and also perhaps other people demonstrating or discussing the product (in this case the web app). 37Signals, an industry leader in both web apps and design, presents their flagship application, Basecamp in near perfect fashion.
The Basecamp website clearly shows the product with a great screenshot, and also shows the companion iPhone app. The user can easily see at a glance that the app is beautifully designed, usable, and accessible on the go via the iPhone. Immediately below, well known and respected companies and organizations that use Basecamp are featured. This lends credibility and respect to the app immediately.
The Action
The story is now complete. A problem has been raised, a solution addressed, and the application presented. This step is critical, as without it, the goal is not accomplished. There must be a call to action for the users. There is a large, clear button on the Basecamp website for the user to click to see the plans and sign up for one, and it also informs the user that there is a 30 day free trial, and that the signup will be quick and easy. This button is the only button on the content part of the page; there is no confusion for the user about what the next step is.
While these rules are not necessarily set in stone, I do think these are concepts that should be included in designs for web application sites that want to successfully accomplish the goal of having a user sign up. The principles of storytelling are valuable in general, and the idea of goal oriented design is something that I think can be applied almost universally to design.
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