Maybe Web Designers are asking the wrong opening question

Definition: Emotion

A State of Feeling (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emotion)

Such a simple enough definition, but in reality, a major part of how We interact with people, places and things. It is this interaction, that I believe may be the missing factor between a Website being good or being great.

The Internet is full of article after article suggesting how Websites can keep their audience's attentions. Aspects are looked at ranging from color selection to content layout to load time on a page, and while suggestions are constantly made for shaving those fractions of a second off the overall time it takes for a user to reach the destination what questions are asked when the user quickly navigates away from things?

Articles, like this one from Crazy Egg  have dubbed the quick departure of a user from a Website as the "59 Second Rule" and the reasons they give as to why include

-The User does not get the Website they expected

-The User does not know what to do

-The User suspects the Website is not being genuine

These, and the other reasons listed in the linked article, make sense, but they all comes down to how the User feels.  Let's translate each of the above statements to feelings

-The User does not get the Website they expected Feeling: Disappointed 

-The User does not know what to do Feeling: Confusion

-The User suspect the Website is not being genuine Feeling: Mistrust

And the same can be said for each of the remaining issues the example article presents.

So, how does one go about trying to minimize these type of reactions to their company's Website? Traditionally, a Web Designer is provided the content, colors, font, layout and the other Design aspects are selected, and if proper testing is done feedback lets the client know how easy the Website is to navigate prior to being launched.

But, perhaps it is time to take a different approach to designing a Website. Maybe the first question your Web Designer should be asking you shouldn't be addressing the budget, launch dates, or physical design elements. Perhaps the first question that should be asked is the simplest to ask, but not always the easiest to answer.

Perhaps it's time Web designers start asking

"What do you want the User to feel when they use your Website?

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