Digital Oxytocin,
Does Your Business Have It?
The Love Hormone & The D.O Effect
Oxytocin. Now there’s a
thing. A powerful human hormone that caps as a neurotransmitter in the brain.
It’s arguably the most popular of hormones in the neighbourhood, because it
triples up as the bonding hormone, the trust hormone and the security hormone that
keeps your relationship pretty much on the V.I.P list.
The question is: does your business do the same? Digital Oxytocin,
or fondly dubbed as The D.O Effect, is
an instant user experience that benchmarks the initial bonding stage between
consumer and brand. Just like the “love hormone” of the brain, Digital Oxytocin
is the chemistry responsible for attracting your audience, exciting your
audience and making your audience stick around for more.
When it comes to designing websites, an
‘exceptional digital experience’ should be Number 1 on your strategy list. Getting
your D.O levels correct in business, has everything to do with amplifying the user journey online,
and focussing on human behaviour as the brand goal towards delivering a compelling
brand-consumer relationship.
The D.O Effect is a guaranteed
game changer, and can be divided into 5 superior impact
touch points that will help you land the ‘love’, first time round.
# 1: Know What They Want:
Intuitive design
is real my friends. Knowing what your audience wants before they do is not a skill, it’s a design
strategy - and it could save your bottom line. Intuitive design is quite
simply, a matter of meeting your online customer’s needs seamlessly, without an
interrupted experience. The idea of answering all your customer’s questions
before they ask, is D.O gold. Ask yourself: what is the task and can my
customer complete it effectively?
# 2: Don’t Make Them Work for It: If you’re running
a ‘bookings’ business, for example, and your objective is to sell as many
tickets online in a short space of time, make it easy. Simple = Satisfaction. You’ll
want to tell your user what to buy, what it looks like, why to buy it and how to
buy it in a few easy taps. Airline and Accommodation brands like
travelstart.co.za and Airbnb.com respectively have improved their D.O Effect
for now, with an easy-flow experience that makes browsing pleasurable, the price-compare
experience simple and ensures the user feels secure and at ease from check in
to check out.
#3: Don’t Talk “Responsive” On the First Date: Or the second
date. Or the third. Sadly, the term ‘Responsive Websites’ in business, has
become as misunderstood as finding true love on the first swipe right. “Responsive
Websites” means cross-screen compatibility – NOT necessarily cross-screen
user-journey. The proverbial ‘cookie cut’ desktop approach is a fail in web
design. Just because your site is ‘responsive’ across mobile or tablet devices
doesn’t mean it meets the needs of the user. The truth is, you can’t have a
responsive website without a memorable user journey. They need to exist
together. If you want your customer to land on your website and stay, then your
aim should be to have a ‘mobile first’ strategy in mind from the get go, to
support your ‘responsive website.’
Consider this: if there are 3.7 billion unique users
online globally (as at Jan 2018) and 49.7% are attributed to webpage viewing
then you cannot, cannot, cannot purely rely on desktop stacking your website design. Design your website with a
compelling mobile user experience in mind, FIRST – a design strategy that
mirrors the same intuitive experience across all devices.
# 4:
Spice It Up: Digital seduction is a key design strategy for Digital Oxytocin
effectiveness. How to keep your user from straying? A. Your overall web design
should be simple, balanced and aligned to your brand CI. B. Choosing a typeface
that is easy on the eye and has a clear weight hierarchy is also must. C. To
increase your chances on the D.O circuit, make sure to include visual imagery
and video too. D. Whatever you do, DO
NOT include User Interface Animation
(U.I) just because you think it looks or sounds cool. Nobody likes an
“over-tryer”! Make sure U.I is only created for the purpose of enhancing the
user experience, and not just for art’s sake.
# 5: You Have 3 Seconds. Go.: Quality, sex
appeal and good conversation pretty much sums up the Richter scale of
relationship “wants”. Your brand has to
present the same – and it only has 3 seconds online to determine whether your
customer stays or strays. Your landing page should load and lure in your user within
a 3 second speed span – telling them promptly that they’ve landed in the right
place. Too much guess work on this one and you’ll risk losing them to Joe Soap
in the adjacent tab. With an average of 200 ads being served to a user per day disruption
is the new digital disease, and makes for a highly competitive landscape to
play in. We recommend keeping your 3-second game plan strong.
SO….
Don’t let your plans of www domination stop at
design. All things considered, the user journey should be high on the
objectives list when it comes to strategising in the online space. Get your
user to cuddle up to your brand by marrying form, functionality and intuitive strategy.
It’s a non-negotiable. Your business just can’t afford the shortcomings of a negative user
experience. Talk
to So Interactive, a respected and
seasoned digital studio based in Johannesburg, about your place in the market
and establishing the touch points that will move your brand forward with
Digital Oxytocin.
Media Enquiries: Jacqueline Freer (info@jacquelinefreer.com)
#DigitalOxytocin
