My Learning on Designing B2C applications

In my 24 months journey as a UX designer, I worked on a number of projects and had a great time learning from my mentors about designing for B2B and B2C applications. In this blog, I am sharing my learnings from designing B2C applications and things to keep in mind.

Businesses are all about people, understand them better.

The audience of Business-to-Customer or B2C Applications are everyday users like those who use Swiggy, Myntra, and so on. There will be only one decision-maker. The purchase will be made with the heart first, and the head second, and the buying cycle can either be spontaneous or long. So, when proposing the interactions we need to understand the user’s nature and behavior clearly. Their primary goal may be to solve a logical, objective problem, but it may also be to fulfill an emotional need. Their secondary goal is to feel better about their quality of life.

Think of an eCommerce company, selling electronic products online. A user has a wide variety of options in a different range of products with different preferences. But a user will be interested in something he has a special interest in or something that fits in his budget or something which is in a big deal.

Psychology and emotion in B2C Applications

In B2C applications (for example, eCommerce applications) the users will be concerned about how they feel about themselves after buying the product or service, or what problem it solves in life. Emotional triggers often guide a consumer to make a purchase. It is the feeling that the product or service gives the consumer which leads them to complete a purchase. For example, Apple’s iPhone may have the exact same features as a Samsung Galaxy phone, but it is the feeling that Apple’s branding gives the user that makes it a trendier phone.

Branding is a huge factor in driving emotions, much more so in the business-to-consumer world. When you create your designs, make sure that it appeals to your customers’ hearts as well as their minds. A quick cheat sheet: include images with people in them, especially if they’re making eye contact with the user. Understand the emotional impact of color schemes. Lastly, write your content as if you’re speaking to the person reading it.

KISS – Keep it simple, stupid

Simplicity should be a key goal in the design of B2C application. Also, unnecessary complexity should be avoided. Sometimes users have specific requirements and sometimes they do come to the application without any specific goal. In either case, the UX UI design should be able to complete his goal without any hassle. Simplicity also implies the least number of clicks. A user will be very satisfied if he is able to reach his end goal in less than 4 clicks.

Nobody wants to spend time clicking around a cluttered website. A disorganized online presence is one of the most reliable ways to drive away customers, no matter if you sell makeup or enterprise software. Focus on making UX UI design choices that intuitively prompt users towards the next step in their customer journey, without taking them on any unnecessary detours.

Don’t bury the screen with information

Information is what everyone covets. In the age of information, it is really important how you present it to your readers and users. For the conversation to be fluent and effective, the User Experience must concentrate upon prioritizing the information. Websites or apps that overwhelm the users, with color, content, typeface, or layout of the screen is unacceptable. Every user, of different age, geography, mindset, knowledge level must get the context of your information presented. No information should get wasted!

The design should be clear and the information (or products) that the users require should be visible upfront. The design of B2C applications generally uses minimal copy, compelling headlines, large images, and a more aggressive marketing style.

 If you don’t like it, neither will they.

At the end of the day, much of the design on b2c application is about common sense. Does your site look appropriate for your users? Does it work seamlessly? Can your visitors find what they’re looking for? Great UX UI design answers all of these questions with a resounding “yes!”

Remember, no matter who you’re selling to, they’re a human who wants to feel that they’re making the right choice. Your design is the primary way that they learn what your brand stands for, who your products are meant for, and whether they can trust you – so make sure you’re communicating with your audience effectively.

If you want to take a look at some of the projects that I worked on, take a look at the Divami Portfolio page.