- March 18, 2021
Peiju Chiang: “About 74% of people will return to a website if its UX is optimized for mobile”
Reading Time: 4 minutesIn an interview with Neolo, the web graphic designer Peiju Chiang told us how to co work between developers, designers and marketing analysts. Also she explained the importance of having a mobile-friendly website.
Her working experience includes creating rich media banners, visual design of online adverts and campaigns for large international clients.
How is your job as a web designer? How has been your experience?
I’ve initially worked as a web designer in an advertising agency based in Taipei, Taiwan for 2 and a half years. It was a very challenging job as I was always handling 3 or 4 projects at the same time. I needed to participate in brainstorming, defining, creating assets, designing, pitching and executing. It’s very stressful as the deadlines were always very tight but during this period of time, I learnt a lot of professional skills and time management.
Now I’ve been working for a gaming company for 7 years as a web designer in the marketing department. I do more marketing assets such as banners and landing pages than websites. I still code from time to time.
How would you describe the co work between a UX designer and a developer?
I think having basic knowledge of HTML and CSS is definitely beneficial. It is so much easier to communicate efficiently with developers. They like to be given numbers such as 10px rather than be told to move something a bit left or right. It really saves communal time.
I occasionally work with a UX designer if I am assigned a bespoke project because we’ve got templates built some time ago and stick with that.
What tools do you use when designing?
Most of the time I use Adobe photoshop but it depends on the projects and brands. Some brands use illustration style so I use Adobe Illustrator as well. Recently we’ve introduced 3D design into a couple of brands so I model objects or backgrounds in 3D Blender then retouch in Photoshop.
When you receive client feedback, how do you integrate it into your own designs?
When I receive client feedback, firstly I will filter it and decide what is valid. Sometimes it can be personal preference or opinions which are not relevant to the brands or the project’s purpose. Also I will see if the feedback is based on the brand guideline and practical.
This process can let me get an outside perspective, understand customers on a deeper level and help me create the best outcome. After evaluating client feedback, I will choose one or two issues to focus on for creating my revision and show the clients a couple of options then take it from there.
How do you incorporate current design trends into your projects?
To be honest we can’t incorporate design trends much into our projects because we always need to follow brand guidelines which have been developed long time ago unless the clients want to refresh them.
We need to make sure all the marketing assets are coherent and consistent including banners, landing pages, email, newsletter, promotions, websites, print work…etc. This can strengthen brand and enhance brand image.
How would you describe the relation between Marketing and UX design?
I think it’s all about creating a really good consumer experience.
Good marketing can make people familiarise themselves with a product or service and desire them before purchase.
Good UX design is definitely crucial to successful marketing campaigns.
For example, a pop-up shop for a new product launched. Attendees can experience the new product and also share their experience on social media to influence more people.
What are some design components of an optimized website?
The first and the most important component is seamless navigation. It needs to be organised, easy-to-navigate, intuitive and minimalistic for visitors to navigate from one section to another. Then the call-to-action CTAs should be visible and stand out on webpages so visitors won’t miss out. It is a key element of interaction and turns visitors into customers.
Additionally, there are more than 3 billion smartphone users worldwide and the number is still growing. Many people participate in the full of today’s economic and societal activities through their mobile devices.
According to the Digital Marketing Institute website, about 74% of people will return to a website if its UX is optimized for mobile. In order to give users better experience, make your website optimized for mobile so it can automatically respond to user’s preferences.
What would you say is the most important tool for UX designers?
I think it depends on what kind of projects you work on. Does it require to collaborate with other teams or any other designers? How many people will work on the same projects? A suitable tool should be efficient, effective, easy to share and maintain a seamless product design workflow. Here are some tools recommended by me and my designer friends:
For design, many people recommend Sigma or Sketch.
For testing, some websites and apps can help you to test your prototypes such as usertesting.com, loopback and userzoom.
What do you think is the future for mobile applications
I think 5G will empower the telecom industry and enable many services to business and various industries in the future.
The 5G evolution will enhance the current mobile broadband capabilities dramatically which means our smartphones will perform faster and better. There are already some companies that have had or have been developing Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) products. These technologies will be more common in our daily life especially in developing gaming and entertainment mobile apps.
What tips could you give to an entrepreneur related to having a website?
No doubt nowadays many people spend a lot of time on their mobile phone to do their daily routines every day. They check emails, speak or text to family and friends, do online shopping, browse maps…etc. Personally one of the main keys of a successful business is making your website mobile-friendly. It needs to be easy to navigate and simple to use as well.
Mobile optimization is vital to attracting website visitors. Also it affects your search engine results ranking too. How to improve your organic SEO by using keyword tools to find out what keywords customers typically use when search. After that, using paid search advertising to get more visitors.
Furthermore, always keep your website updated as well as web design changing very fast nowadays. It can look outdated if you don’t do so and lose competitive advantage. Try to find out what design trends are and what your targets like to incorporate our brand personality.
Don’t you have your own website yet?
