Week 3 questions - Digital Design

1. In two paragraphs explain why a customer centric Web site design is so important, yet so difficult to accomplish

Website design is becoming more user-centric day by day. Most of the websites have some products or services to sell, so they want high conversion rates. High conversion rates mean more sales. To convert visitors into sales you need a simple design which is user centric.
In reality a user centric website sounds easy enough, although truly understanding the demands of the customer and converting this to a simple easy to use website is hard. Less is better in website design. The more information, links and products you have on the one page the harder it is to find what you are after. Because most users only scan the information, you want them to be able to find what they are after with minimal clicking and time involved.

2. Define the term 'presence'. Write an additional paragraph that describes why firms that do business on the Web should be more concerned about presence than firms that operate in the physical world.

Presence is defined as “a theoretical concept describing the effect that people experience when they interact with a computer-mediated or computer-generated environment” (Sheridan, 1994). Having a web presence you have the ability to let others know what it is you can do for them. A website presence can mean anything from a website or a blog. Both are very good ways to get known (Miller, 2008). Web presence relates to website design, accessibility from search engines and links, effectiveness of information and how easy it is to find what the user is looking for. Word of mouth can be both a negative and positive for a website. If a user has a bad experience in most cases they will not visit that site again, they may also tell others not to bother with the website either.

Firms that operate through the web should be more concerned about ‘presence’ than those firms that operate in the physical world because it is there only form of contact and means of satisfying the potential customer. Online firms are competing for the consumer the same as the firms in the physical world, although there is a lot more competition for sales online, because of the fact there are tens of thousands of firms in each particular industry in operation. Online firms need that extra something to catch the eye of the consumer. Firms in the physical world have the options of outlets, employees, face to face sales, customer service, Physical presentation and presence in the community. Although online firms have these features to some extent, in the end all they really have is a webpage, a webpage that will bring success to the firm through ‘presence’.

3. Write three paragraphs to briefly describe the things that Real Estate Agents can best accomplish through (1) their web sites (2) Mass media advertising (3) Personal contact

Real Estate agents have the opportunity through there websites to reach a higher percentage of the population. Newspapers generally are targeted at a local area, whereas a website is global. Through a website agencies can display a greater number of listings as appose to a newspaper. It also offers an almost endless amount of space to display everything and anything about the listing, photos, videos and virtual tours just to name a few. A search option will give the users a quick and targeted way of searching for properties that suit there needs and not have them searching through endless amounts of properties that don’t suit what they are looking for. “Internet marketing for real estate agents is one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to find new clients and advertise real estate listings” (Brandon, 2009).

A Real Estate Agent will use mass media advertising to show that they are advertising to a large scale market and that they are quick and efficient in doing so. The agency would not use mass media advertising for a particular listing, but for the agency itself, in displaying information about the business.

Personal contact for a Real Estate Agent is very important in that it builds a relationship between agent and seller, and agent and buyer. It shows that the agent is willing to deal with the customer on a one to one basis to help with any problems, questions or misunderstandings they may have. A Real Estate Agent nurtures both the buyer and seller through the biggest transaction they will make in there lifetime, and this is why personal contact is so important.