<Why You Need Interactive Web Design

It’s a fact that digital experiences are all, ultimately, interactive ones — dependent on a physical interplay between users and the platforms they choose to use.

Because of this, the more interactive a web page or application is, the more likely it is to strike a chord with the users who are interacting with it. This is why it’s so important for designers to consider the key principles of interactive design when building sites that will truly resonate with target users and provoke the desired outcomes among them.

We’ve already discussed what interactive design entails in a previous post. But what about its benefits? What actual results can it confer upon those who choose to practice it? This article will explore this topic in detail, along with case studies showing how Future Platforms' own interactive designers helped improve the websites of our clients. Read on to learn more.

Benefits of Interactive Design

Interactive design can be a difficult concept to wrap one’s head around at first. But the positives that come with it are undeniable.

Better Communication

In a nutshell, interactive design is all about communicating a clear message to your site's users. Nonverbal cues, such as icons or graphics, sound effects, or animation, are all ways of communicating with your users—teaching them about your brand, imparting information, or showing them how to get the most out of your site.

<h3>Streamlined Efficiency</h3>

Effective interactive design better guides the users who are navigating your webpage towards your desired outcome—whether that’s filling out a form, signing up for emails and marketing materials, completing a purchase, etc. By employing simplified design principles and contextual cues, users will be directed towards these outcomes and will be able to fulfil these tasks more efficiently.

Repeat Engagement

Another key advantage of effective interactive design is that it ensures that users are more likely to enjoy the experience of visiting your webpage or using your app. This means that, thanks to the positive feelings users will have toward you, they are more likely to return to your site or platform and use it again in the future. This, in turn, can help you to maintain long-term brand loyalty among your target userbase.

Emotional Responses

Aesthetic design factors, such as fonts, colours, imagery and layout, can all be used to provoke an emotional response in users, influencing their mood as they navigate your website. These non-verbal cues can then be juxtaposed with the content of your webpage, ensuring that your messaging carries that extra heft.

More Revenue

There’s also the financial incentive behind interactive design. According to a recent study by Forrester, the ROI of user experience design equates to a whopping 9,900%. This means that, for every dollar spent on the user experience of their app or website, brands can expect a return of around $100. Obviously, a lot of the positive side of a platform's UX comes down to its interactivity — meaning it’s important to find the right balance to captivate your users.

How Future Platforms Delivered Quality Interactive Web Design for First Rail

Let’s take a look at an example of how boosting an app's interactivity led to better results for the brand that considered these design concepts.

First Rail, a transport services company, came to Future Platforms to ideate and create a better ticket-purchasing process since customers found the existing one unnecessarily cumbersome.

To position First Rail as a customer-centric service provider, Future Platforms conducted extensive research into the motivations and desires of First Rail customers. From this research, Future Platforms determined that customers wanted an app that was:

• Intuitive
• Accurate and reliable
• Consistent in look and feel
• Personalised
• Unique

Based on this feedback, Future Platforms was then able to develop a working app prototype based around an intuitive and easily comprehensible new interface, featuring clear icons and a more minimalistic aesthetic throughout. In addition, our designers worked to elevate the user experience with interactive elements, such as live maps and timetables, as well as animated icons—creating branded moments that fostered a positive user experience.By taking a more intuitive approach to the app’s design, and by thinking of its functionality in terms of its interactivity, Future Platforms was able to deliver an app which alleviates some of the most common stresses experienced by customers, such as ticket booking, lack of visibility about journey delays or cancellations, seat allocation, and lack of communication by service providers.As a result of this approach to the app’s design, First Rail achieved an impressive 35% revenue growth, while the app itself achieved an average rating of 4.5 stars from its satisfied users. Through positive and interactive design, the app has been able to address the issues raised by customers and provide them with an intuitive and easy-to-use interface, all of which raises their estimation of the brand in question.

Learn how Future Platforms can Improve Your Site’s Interactivity

Future Platforms has worked with a number of major clients to help create engaging digital experiences for users and customers? We boast a wealth of experience in creating immersive digital assets for a number of businesses across industries, and boast the knowledge and know-how to make your apps and web pages more interactive than ever before.

So, if you’d like to learn more about how Future Platforms can help to level up your design and increase interactivity, then please contact our team today.