How does it look? How does it taste?
Appealing is a sensory reward activated by our five senses; sight, touch, taste, hear, and smell. A mixture of these senses produces enjoyment, romance, business, and an appealing website.
Can you taste a website? Can it touch you?
You sure can. It’s like creating a cake – layer by layer. Let’s begin with sight.
Stimulating Consumers’ Senses
You have to build with your finished product in mind. First impressions are the deciding factors for a second look. Just like a multi – layer cake – it must appeal to you- making you want to go beyond the delightful swirls of champagne icing.
Design is a large arena with many doors; web design, graphic design, visual design, interactive design, user experience design, and interface design.
The colors, images, font, and shapes are the rich – icing of your website. According to Charles Spence, head of the Crossmodal Research Laboratory at Oxford University, “Taste is much more complex than the experience of basic flavors on the tongue – it also encompasses our other senses to a larger degree than most people realize”.
Can you taste this visual delicacy? Do you want to go deeper? Do you want more?
These are the questions that you must ask yourself. If you don’t want another slice of your product – why would anyone else?
Sensory – Rich Experiences
Appealing websites have the ability to connect with users by stimulation through multiple senses -creating a worthy and memorable experience for those stopping by.
Consumers’ can have an experience of conceptual association – your site will make them sense something and in turn trigger a feeling through their emotions.
For example: a website for lawn sprinkler installation in NJ displays a lawn of lush green grass – which might trigger a childhood memory of walking barefoot in a field of the softest green grass that you had ever walked on. This is conceptual association – good memories equal a good visit.
Memories like this relating to an event are strewn across the brain’s sensory centres. “If one of the senses is stimulated to evoke a memory, other memories featuring other senses are also triggered.” Which would even bring back the smells if they were associated with that particular memory.
Creating a masterpiece with visual design will appeal to your visitors’ emotions and keep them coming back for more – which makes it a win – win for all involved.
Red Lobster
Visiting a website that invites you into play is refreshing and expected today. Red Lobster Seafood Restaurant wants you to join them on their Crabfest journey.
They offer rewards of dessert or appetizer for joining immediately with the promise of opportunities to win more in the future. Appealing websites build relationships.
“Show us how to rock the lobster,” allows visitors to jump in and join the fun of making memories and having their pictures posted for friends and families.
Website Must Haves
The colors and presentation of design and images makes for an appealing site – but these attributes must also be present for success.
- Easy to find
- Functional
- Usable
- Accessible
Website appeal attracts them and connection through relationship keeps them.
Author’s Bio
Wendy Dessler is a super-connector with OutreachMama and Youth Noise NJ who helps businesses find their audience online through outreach, partnerships, and networking. She frequently writes about the latest advancements in digital marketing and focuses her efforts on developing customized blogger outreach plans depending on the industry and competition. You can contact her on Twitter.
