Value of visual design
Today, even though visual design is more appreciated, it can still be hard to convince those who assume that the aesthetics of a digital experience are superfluous to its other parts. If I had £1 for every time I’ve heard phrases such as ‘colouring in’ I would be rich. However, the visual design will have a significant impact on the success of your digital product or experience.
According to recent studies, it takes about 50 milliseconds (0.05 seconds) for people to form an opinion about your website.
Evolution has wired humans up in a way that means we make almost instant judgements on what we see, which means people who visit your website or app are making almost instant judgements on what’s in front of them. And while the experience the customer has will then be vital in influencing their decision whether to return or not, it is the visual design of an experience that seeds their first opinion and provides that first emotional connection.
So while the UX reduces friction the visual design is key in eliciting emotion. Doing both of these should always be the goal of any great digital experience.
Great visual design is obviously also essential for brands.
Today we live in a time where consumers expect an omni channel experience and with that it is important that the brand experience is consistent across those different channels and is of a consistent quality.
A recent study by Lucidpress revealed that customers appreciate it when a business has a consistent brand. In fact, consistent presentation of a brand has seen to increase revenue by 33 percent (Lucidpress,2019).
Consistency though can be hard to reach, particularly if you have many legacy sites or perhaps have not established a mature and efficient way of delivering digital products using tools like design systems. But with consistency not only comes trust but also clarity and the ability to better communicate. As Milton Glazser put it:
“To design is to communicate clearly by whatever means you can control or master.”
So yes, visual design is a vital component of any digital experience. This means having visual designers as part of a delivery team, it means integrating design processes into your wider ways of working, it means building tools like design systems, considering brand, validating design with user testing and it requires senior stakeholders to understand the role visual design plays. Visual design is the part of the experience design puzzle that connects to your customer’s subconscious, builds trust with your brand, helps to make strong emotional ties and ultimately plays a core part in success.
If you'd like to discuss the power of visual design on improving the impact of your brand, get in touch. lydia.livingston@valtech.com