What is Design Thinking?

In the world of technology and design there is a phrase that is often thrown around and seen to be an important trait of creatives and this term is Design Thinking. But what is design thinking and is it something you need to put into practice in order to run your online business? In this blog post we'll take a look at what defines design thinking and what it can do for your business.

Design thinking is a 5 step thought cycle that leads to critical analysis and problem solving

Design thinking is an approach to problem-solving that focuses on understanding users' needs and experiences in order to create innovative and effective solutions. In the context of online businesses, design thinking can be a valuable tool for creating products and services that meet the needs of customers and stand out from competitors.

The Phases of The Design Thinking Approach

Design thinking typically involves several phases, including empathy, define, ideate, prototype, and test. Here's how each of these phases might apply to an online business:

1. Empathy: In this phase, the online business seeks to understand the needs, wants, and pain points of its target customers. This might involve conducting user research, analyzing customer feedback, or simply observing how people interact with similar products or services.

2. Define: Based on the insights gathered in the empathy phase, the online business can define the problem it is trying to solve or the opportunity it is trying to seize. This might involve framing the problem as a "How Might We" question or creating a problem statement that captures the essence of the challenge.

3. Ideate: With a clear problem statement in mind, the online business can then generate a wide range of ideas for how to address the challenge. This might involve brainstorming sessions, ideation workshops, or other techniques for generating creative solutions.

4. Prototype: From the ideas generated in the ideation phase, the online business can then create low-fidelity prototypes to test with users. These might be simple wireframes, mockups, or other types of prototypes that allow the business to quickly iterate and refine its ideas.

5. Test: Finally, the online business can test its prototypes with users to gather feedback and refine its ideas. This might involve user testing sessions, surveys, or other methods for gathering feedback from customers.

At the heart of these phases is the customer/ user. By always approaching your problem solving from a user-centric point of view you are more likely to create solutions that enhance your businesses success in the market. Ultimately, design thinking can be a powerful tool for online businesses to create products and services that are truly customer-focused and stand out from the competition. By putting the user at the center of the design process, online businesses can create experiences that truly meet customers' needs and expectations.

In their blog post Creately demonstrates how these phases can be visualised in a practical way using various types of diagrams and flowcharts. If you are interested in learning more about how to practically map out your design thinking process I recommend you take a look at this blog post for some inspiration. (this is not a sponsored link - I just liked their post).

Design thinking is a non-linear, iterative process that teams use to understand users, challenge assumptions, redefine problems and create innovative solutions to prototype and test. Involving five phases—Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test—it is most useful to tackle problems that are ill-defined or unknown. - Interaction Design Organisation

How to learn Design Thinking methods:

There are many resources available for people who want to learn more about design thinking. Here are a few options:

1. Online courses: There are many online courses that cover design thinking, including both free and paid options. Some popular platforms for online courses include Coursera, edX, and Udemy.

2. Books: There are many books that cover design thinking, including popular titles like "The Design of Everyday Things" by Don Norman, "Design Thinking: Integrating Innovation, Customer Experience, and Brand Value" by Thomas Lockwood, and "Change by Design" by Tim Brown.

3. Workshops and training programs: Many design agencies and consulting firms offer workshops and training programs that cover design thinking. These programs are often tailored to specific industries or business needs.

4. Design thinking organizations: There are many organizations that promote and support design thinking, including the Design Management Institute, the Interaction Design Foundation, and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford.

5. Online resources: There are many online resources available for learning about design thinking, including blogs, videos, and podcasts. Some popular options include IDEO's Design Thinking for Educators toolkit, the Stanford d.school's Virtual Crash Course in Design Thinking, and the Creative Confidence podcast by IDEO U.

There are many ways to learn about design thinking, and the best approach will depend on your individual learning style and needs.

Put simply, design thinking helps website owners create user-centric websites that meet the needs of their customers and stand out from competitors, resulting in better business outcomes. Jeff Bezos (founder of Amazon) famously said:

"The most important single thing is to focus obsessively on the customer.Our goal is to be earth's most customer-centric company." - Jeff Bezos

If you think about how you run your business, do you believe you utilise this thought methodology in your decision making or ideating process? Is this something that you believe you are good at or something you'd hire out to a consultant? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

5 things every ecommerce site owner should know

Owning an ecommerce site is becoming a hugely popular way to make money

As an ecommerce website owner, there are several important things that you should keep in mind to ensure the success of your online store. In this post we're going to take a dive into these factors of online businesses and dive into what they really mean and how they apply to your website.

Here are five essential things that you should know:

1. Understand your target audience: You need to have a deep understanding of your target audience to create an effective marketing strategy. This means identifying their needs and preferences, as well as their online behavior, such as which social media platforms they use, what type of content they engage with, and what influences their purchase decisions.

2. Optimize for mobile: With the rise of mobile devices, it's crucial to optimize your ecommerce website for mobile devices. This means using a responsive design that adapts to different screen sizes and providing a smooth mobile user experience.

3. Provide excellent customer service: Providing excellent customer service is crucial for the success of any ecommerce website. This means providing fast and effective responses to customer inquiries, offering easy returns and exchanges, and being transparent about shipping times and fees.

4. Use high-quality images and product descriptions: The visuals on your website can make a huge impact on a customer's decision to buy. Make sure you use high-quality images that accurately represent your products, and provide detailed product descriptions to help customers make informed decisions.

5. Stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technology: The ecommerce industry is constantly evolving, and it's essential to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies to stay ahead of the competition. This includes staying up-to-date with the latest marketing strategies, payment options, and shipping solutions, among other things.

Understanding your target audience

Understanding your target audience is a crucial aspect of running a successful ecommerce website. When you have a deep understanding of your audience, you can create a more effective marketing strategy, tailor your product offerings, and improve your overall customer experience.

Here are some important aspects to consider when trying to understand your target audience:

1. Demographics: Understanding the basic demographics of your target audience is essential. This includes information such as age, gender, income, education level, and geographic location. This information can help you tailor your marketing messages and product offerings to better resonate with your target audience.

2. Psychographics: Psychographics refer to the personality traits, values, attitudes, and interests of your target audience. Understanding these factors can help you create marketing messages and product offerings that resonate with your target audience on a deeper level.

3. Online behavior: Understanding your target audience's online behavior is also essential. This includes which social media platforms they use, what type of content they engage with, and what influences their purchase decisions. This information can help you target your marketing efforts more effectively and create a better user experience on your website.

4. Pain points: Understanding the pain points and challenges of your target audience can help you create products and services that solve their problems. This information can also help you create marketing messages that speak directly to their needs and concerns.

To gather this information, you can use a variety of tools such as surveys, social media analytics, website analytics, customer feedback, and market research. By gathering and analyzing this information, you can create a more effective marketing strategy, improve your product offerings, and create a better overall customer experience on your ecommerce website.

Optimising your ecommerce site for mobile

In today's digital world, it's essential for ecommerce websites to optimize for mobile devices. With the majority of online shoppers now using their smartphones and tablets to browse and purchase products, failing to optimize your website for mobile can result in a poor user experience, lost sales, and even harm your website's search engine rankings.

Here are some key aspects of mobile optimization that ecommerce website owners should consider:

1. Responsive Design: A responsive design is a web design approach that allows your website to adapt to different screen sizes, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktops. This ensures that your website is easy to navigate and read, regardless of the device that the user is accessing it from. A responsive design can improve your website's usability, speed, and search engine rankings.

2. Mobile Navigation: Mobile navigation is a critical aspect of mobile optimization. On a mobile device, your website's menu and navigation should be easy to use and quick to access. A well-designed mobile navigation system will help your users find what they are looking for quickly and easily.

3. Mobile Checkout: The mobile checkout process should be simple and streamlined. Long, complicated forms can lead to cart abandonment and lost sales. A good mobile checkout process should be easy to use, intuitive, and require as little user input as possible.

4. Mobile Speed: Mobile speed is essential for providing a positive user experience. A slow-loading website can frustrate users and lead to lost sales. Optimizing your website's images, code, and content for mobile can help to improve its speed and performance.

5. Mobile SEO: Mobile optimization is also important for SEO. Google's mobile-first indexing means that websites that are optimized for mobile will rank higher in search engine results pages. Optimizing your website for mobile can help to improve your website's search engine rankings and drive more traffic to your site.

Overall, optimizing your ecommerce website for mobile is essential for providing a positive user experience, improving search engine rankings, and increasing conversions. By considering the aspects listed above, you can improve the overall mobile experience of your ecommerce website and attract more customers.

Providing excellent customer service for your online customers

Providing excellent customer service is crucial for the success of any ecommerce website. Good customer service can help to build trust and loyalty with your customers, increase customer satisfaction, and drive repeat business. Here are some important aspects of providing excellent customer service:

1. Fast and effective responses: Customers expect fast and effective responses to their inquiries. Make sure you have a system in place to respond to customer inquiries promptly and efficiently. This can include offering a live chat service, a support email address, or a customer service phone line.

2. Easy returns and exchanges: Customers appreciate a hassle-free return or exchange policy. Make sure your return policy is clear and easy to understand. Provide a simple and straightforward process for customers to return or exchange products.

3. Transparency about shipping times and fees: Being transparent about shipping times and fees can help to build trust with your customers. Make sure your customers know how much they can expect to pay for shipping and when they can expect to receive their order.

4. Personalized experiences: Personalized experiences can help to make customers feel valued and appreciated. This can include offering personalized product recommendations, personalized email newsletters, or special promotions and discounts.

5. Follow-up and feedback: Following up with customers after a purchase can help to improve their overall experience. This can include sending a post-purchase email to gather feedback on their experience, asking for a review of the product, or offering a special promotion for their next purchase.

By focusing on these aspects of customer service, you can create a positive and engaging experience for your customers. This can help to build trust and loyalty, increase customer satisfaction, and ultimately drive more sales for your ecommerce website.

Using high-quality images and product descriptions

Using high-quality images and product descriptions is critical for the success of any ecommerce website. Good product images and descriptions can help to attract potential customers, increase conversion rates, and reduce the likelihood of returns.

Here are some key aspects of using high-quality images and product descriptions on your ecommerce website:

1. High-quality images: High-quality images are essential for showcasing your products in the best possible light. Make sure your product images are clear, sharp, and show the product from multiple angles. Use a white background to ensure that the product is the main focus of the image. It's also a good idea to include lifestyle images that show the product in use, as this can help potential customers to envision how they might use the product in their own lives.

2. Detailed product descriptions: Detailed product descriptions are important for providing potential customers with the information they need to make an informed purchase decision. Make sure your product descriptions are clear, concise, and provide all the necessary details about the product, including its features, specifications, and dimensions. Use bullet points to break up the text and make it easy to scan.

3. Video content: Video content can be an effective way to showcase your products and provide more information to potential customers. Consider creating product videos that show the product in use or highlight its key features. This can help to engage customers and increase their understanding of the product.

4. User-generated content: User-generated content, such as customer reviews and photos, can be a powerful way to showcase your products and build trust with potential customers. Encourage your customers to leave reviews and share photos of your products in use. This can help to provide social proof and increase the credibility of your products.

By using high-quality images and detailed product descriptions, you can provide potential customers with the information they need to make an informed purchase decision. This can help to increase conversion rates, reduce the likelihood of returns, and ultimately drive more sales for your ecommerce website.

Staying up to date with the latest technologies

Staying up-to-date with the latest trends and technology is critical for the success of any ecommerce website. As the ecommerce industry evolves, new trends and technologies emerge that can help you stay ahead of the competition and provide a better experience for your customers.

Here are some key aspects of staying up-to-date with the latest trends and technology in ecommerce:

1. Mobile optimization: Mobile optimization is becoming increasingly important as more and more people use their smartphones to shop online. Make sure your ecommerce website is optimized for mobile devices, with a responsive design that adapts to different screen sizes and mobile-friendly features like large buttons and simple navigation.

2. Voice search: Voice search is becoming more popular as people use voice assistants like Siri and Alexa to search for products online. Make sure your ecommerce website is optimized for voice search, with natural language product descriptions and keyword-rich content that matches the way people speak.

3. AI and machine learning: Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are revolutionizing the ecommerce industry, enabling new features like personalized product recommendations and chatbots that can provide customer support 24/7. Consider using AI and machine learning technology to provide a better experience for your customers and improve your ecommerce operations.

4. Social media: Social media is an important marketing channel for ecommerce websites, with platforms like Instagram and Facebook offering new ways to reach potential customers and build brand awareness. Stay up-to-date with the latest social media trends and best practices, and use these platforms to showcase your products and engage with your customers.

5. Cybersecurity: Cybersecurity is a growing concern for ecommerce websites, with data breaches and cyber attacks becoming more common. Stay up-to-date with the latest cybersecurity trends and best practices, and ensure that your ecommerce website is secure and compliant with industry standards like the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

By staying up-to-date with the latest trends and technology in ecommerce, you can provide a better experience for your customers and stay ahead of the competition. This can help to drive more sales and grow your ecommerce business over the long term.

I'd love to hear what you think of this list of essential things that ecommerce site owners should know. Do you have anything you would add to this list? Let me know in the comments!

10 Questions to ask a developer before you hire them

I am going to assume you are a startup business owner who is about to embark on the exciting albeit scary journey of building a web based technology/ service.

Putting effort into the interviewing process can be the difference between success and failure

As a startup business owner with no experience in software development or coding languages , it's important to ask potential developers the right questions to ensure that they are a good fit for your company. You need a developer who will prioritise your bottom line as well as your customers experience with your product. Of course this primarily your job as the CEO of your startup, but having a developer who has these priorities in mind is critical to your early success.

So, here are some questions you should consider asking the developer on your first meeting:

1. What experience do you have working with startups or small companies? A startup is very different to a big corporate or even an established small business. The startup has different goals, like creating a minimum viable product in order to get to market quickly or to display to investors. A developer who has been a part of startups is more likely to understand these nuances of a startup business.

2. Can you provide examples of similar projects that you have worked on? I do not believe it is essential for a developer to have worked on similar projects in order to build yours, but if they have it is a good way to see if they can deliver. The most important thing to ascertain is whether or not the developer understands your vision and what you are trying to build.

3. What is your approach to building an MVP (Minimum Viable Product)? This is a crucial question and the answer should be along the lines of: I seek to build the MVP in the shortest, fastest and most efficient way while prioritising the key features of the app and the budget to make those features. Basically, the MVP does not need to be flashy or polished. The MVP is allowed to make use of pre-existing products and should always where possible take shortcuts in order to deliver the product as quickly as possible.

4. How do you prioritize features and functionality for a startup product? This is a tie-in with the question above and the answer should be somewhat similar. The developer should prioritise features by determining what the absolute core of the product is. You can tell what they core is by simply asking yourself, "If I remove this feature can users still use my product?". If the answer is no, then it was an essential feature. If the answer was yes then it was not an essential feature. For example consider the following features of an online shop: product display page, search bar, shopping cart feature, payment gateway. Of these four features only two are absolutely mission critical. The other two will definitely make the shop more user friendly but they are not mission critical. So do not prioritise the the shopping cart feature and search bar over the product page and the payment gateway.

5. How do you handle changes in requirements or scope during the development process? This is a tough one for developers to answer and in fairness they should answer by telling you that every change in requirements or scope will need to be assessed individually in order to determine if an extra cost should be applied. A developer who tells you that are happy to make any changes you want is either desperarate or lying. Look for developers with open policies that address these tough moments.

6. How do you communicate progress and updates to clients? Communication is essential during the building of your product. Look for a developer who matches your communication style. If you like receiving updates over Whatsapp, look for a developer who is willing to send you the whatsapps. If daily emails are your thing look for a developer who willing to meet that standard. Over communication can exhaust both you and the developer. I recommend opting for bi-weekly check-ins via email that outline the progress with video call for every milestone of the development.

7. Can you provide references from other startups or small businesses you have worked with? Getting references or viewing reviews is important, though it is not always easy for the developer to provide these. Ask the question and be discerning with the answer.

8. How do you manage timelines and budgets for development projects? You do not want a developer who will just charge you an hourly rate until the project is done. This is the worst type of agreement. Of course there are many ways to agree upon a fee for this type of work but my belief is that the developer should tell you how many hours they believe it will take to complete the work and then calculate a set price for the job based on the number of hours. It is then up to the developer to complete the job quoted on for that price within the given timeframe.

9. Are you comfortable working remotely? Most of the time you will want the developer to work remotely. When people work remotely it is important that they have access to solid internet and the right equipment. Make sure your developer is online when you are and is not troubled by intermittent access to the internet or a slow computer.

10. How do you ensure that your work is scalable and can grow with the company? This is a difficult question to answer. Ultimately, if you are building an app from the ground up it is important that the developer writes code that is easy to ready and provides documentation on how to work with the code that they have written. What I always recommend is that you use pre-existing technologies like Wix or App templates like these, or by using SaaS and PaaS products. Using these technologies gives some sort of safeguard that your app is scalable and using a code base that will be easily worked on by other developers and easily integrated into other systems.

By asking these questions, you can gain a better understanding of the developer's experience and approach to working with startups, as well as their ability to communicate effectively and manage development projects. If you feel you are ready to begin, take a look at this article about how to find the right developer for you or this article about the best online gig platforms to hire a developer.

This list of questions will not guarantee you a stress free and easy experience. Ultimately working with a developer can be difficult if you do not have a technical background. If you can afford it, it is definitely better to work through a project manager who can manage the developers and report back to you.

Building a product or service on the internet can be rewarding but it can also be daunting. Do you due diligence and take your time in selecting the right partner for you.

I'd recommend checking out this article I wrote about business advice for technology investments and maybe some of these articles below that talk about hiring people online.

You can also book a call with us at Marshall Arts and we can have a chat about your business and where you are at.