Why Utility Websites Need a Standard Design System
Whenever people visit a website, they usually have a goal they would like to achieve. Whether that is paying a bill, finding out availability for a service, or simply learning about what a company has to offer, the journey to completing that goal should be straightforward. Any detours or confusion thrown in someone’s way could mean potentially losing a visitor.
That is why it is crucial that design systems are put in place when building a utility website. It allows website visitors to have a clear understanding of how to complete their goals and have an overall positive experience when interacting with your utility organization’s website.
What is a Design System?
A design system consists of a set of rules that are to be carried out throughout your cooperative or utility website to maintain consistency across all the different pages. This can include defining fonts for headers and body copy, colors for background and buttons, shapes for event buttons and links, and so much more. Each of these elements contributes to more simplified use among visitors to limit frustration when interacting with a website.
Accessibility
Having clear design systems in place allows site visitors to easily distinguish between the different functions of each design element. For example, if your website consistently uses a rounded yellow rectangle shape for buttons, your site visitors are going to know that each rounded yellow rectangle they see can be clicked on. The element becomes easily identifiable within a second.
Beyond linkable components, design systems also allow for better readability among a website’s audience. This is especially true with fonts and color, due to their ability to create visual hierarchy.
Enhancing the Quality of Your Product
Combining accessibility, consistency, and clean organization into a website brings a positive outlook to your utility. Visitors see these elements as ways of putting the customer experience first, which in turn becomes associated with trusted service.
In contrast, if a website is unorganized and hard to navigate, it becomes associated with low quality and may deter visitors from proceeding with the company. That is why it is extremely important to invest the time early on to define a system that can be repeatedly used throughout all pages of a website.
What About Personalization?
Now at this point you may be wondering, with all these rules and systems in place, where is there room for our unique brand to shine through? Design systems are put in place to simplify the user journey when interacting with a website, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t add a personal touch.
The best way to do this is to bring in imagery. Whether it’s your own in-house photography or stock imagery, it doesn’t matter. It just needs to reflect your company in a way that could be communicated to potential visitors.
It’s also important to consider that when defining the design system for a website, the color palettes, fonts, and patterns are all made in consideration of the utility organization and it’s brand standards. It’s modified to fit the brand that it is representing. Although those elements may seem small, they add a lot of personalization to the website that site visitors easily pick up on.
Final Thought
Consistency is key when providing an easier visitor experience for a website. That is why at Powerful, our team of trusted web experts will work with you to establish a design system that allows your brand to shine through. We promise it won’t go unnoticed.
