In a previous post, I highlighted web design concepts that might help certain companies to facilitate remote work. I noted that some employers might not be satisfied with third-party platforms like Zoom, and might see value in bringing online discussions onto their own websites.
I also suggested that this kind of interactivity could prove useful to some California businesses even after the local coronavirus outbreak begins winding down. It’s not every day that a widespread crisis brings new web design concepts to clients’ attention. But when this happens, it’s worthwhile to keep watch for lessons that resonate outside of the crisis.
With that in mind, I would point out that there are whole other categories of web design concepts that have been infused with new relevance by the pandemic. Many of them are specifically relevant to ecommerce websites. And many of them are beneficial to site owners in normal times as well as during times of social distancing.
An internal company website can achieve a high degree of interactivity with tools like embedded video chats. But many situations call for a lower level of interactivity, which can be achieved with web design concepts that are much easier to implement.
Your ecommerce site probably doesn’t need full-scale video chat. Of course, I wouldn’t rule it out if you want to provide extraordinary on-site customer service and a stronger sense of personal connection between business and client. But that kind of connection can largely be facilitated by one-directional communication, as well.
Embedded video can help put a face on your brand, even at times when site visitors can’t visit your office or storefront in person. And when strategically placed on a landing page or on specific product pages, those videos can help consumers to quickly and easily absorb the information that is most relevant to their purchasing decisions.
On-site animation can achieve many of the same goals as embedded video. Both web design concepts reach beyond the limitations of text and images, but each adds a different sort of texture to the site as a whole. Animation can even be built more deeply into the structure of a website, so as to build a story as consumers scroll down or click from page to page. If done well, this technique will promote more extensive engagement, which could lead to consumers reaching out to the site owners directly.
Alternatively, the owners can initiate that outreach with still more interactive web design concepts. Among these are games, quizzes, and an overall structure that branches onto different pages depending on information that each visitor provides. With these sorts of tools, a web design company can make the onsite experience seem distinctly personal. That’s a valuable impression at any time, but especially at times when consumers cannot enjoy the personal experience of a walk-in.
