5 rules for building award-winning websites
Let me set the stage for you: I am at the Drum Awards for the Digital Industries with with the Crafted team when the category for Best Website (Visual Design) comes up.The rest of the nominees are announced and we are in very good company: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Vue Entertainment, OTE Sports, Workthere, Compass Group, UK & Ireland Pitch, BOXT and Tommee Tippee are all in our category with websites that are visually stunning.
And then we win.
We jumped from our table, made our way to the stage and spent the rest of the evening in a state of euphoria.
The next day at the office after the congratulatory drinks, the team started discussing the defining reasons that we feel contributed in the Generator website winning such a coveted award. Here are the main 5 rules that we distilled from our discussion that you can hopefully apply to your own websites.
1. Show, don’t tell
Generator is an experience and design led brand; our company comes to life in the details of our interiors and the events that take place in our social spaces. The website needed to reflect this and capture the atmosphere and essence of Generator. From the dynamic intro video and responsive blocks to the juxtaposition of the images to the inclusion of the 360 views of the rooms, we brought the hostels to life in a simple, functional and impactful way.
2. Device differentiation
We were very keen to not just create a mobile version but to ensure that the mobile version is optimised for the customer journey and simplify the process; we achieved that by giving the users the choice to navigate as they please with collapsible menus, scaled back graphics and condensed information point that are tailored perfectly to the medium.
3. UGC integration
Beautiful images of empty spaces show the potential; stylised images of models in the spaces show the lifestyle; UGC shows the potential and the lifestyle coming to life. The integration of the User Generated Content serves three roles:
- Gratitude: we respect our guests and we want to thank them for not only choosing us, but also making us a part of their social path; we post their pictures to say thank you and promote their channels through ours.
- Co-existence: the social areas by themselves are empty spaces; our guests bring them to life. The two interact like a living organism and we want to showcase that we appreciate it in that way.
- Authenticity: when the professional lights dims and the models leave the frame, our spaces are still full of vibrant experiences and eclectic design details. Our guests are the living proof of that and the site visitors trust their peers to convey the actual experience of staying at Generator.
4. Knowing our audience
All of the above factors relate to a deep understanding of our millennial audience and a genuine desire to create a design that speaks to them and facilitates their decision process. We see what is important to them and ensure that it is covered in their user journey; from crystal clear room structure to an abundance of imagery and video on the landing pages, we do our best to ensure that they are getting all the information they need to make their decision easier.
5. Team work
All the ideas in the world remain as ideas if the work doesn’t go in and the key to ensuring you achieve the highest level of output is to select the right partner. We made a conscious decision to work with Crafted as we had an existing working relationship and a trust that was built and earned through a series of successes in our SEO, PPC and digital efforts. They were relentless in optimising the website, introducing new and innovative ideas and thinking one step ahead, as well as incorporating best practice in every single aspect of the project. We worked very closely to create the website and it was a genuinely labour of collaboration and innovation.
I hope these 5 simple points inspire you to optimise you website. Let me know in the comments section if there are anything that has worked for you when creating a visual website!