Original Source: https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2023/07/jell-os-retro-rebrand-may-just-be-the-smartest-design-move-of-the-year/
The new logo design aims to capture the nostalgia and inherent lightheartedness of America’s former favorite dessert product.
Original Source: https://1stwebdesigner.com/minimizing-decision-fatigue-web-design/
Offering an array of choices might seem like an excellent way to cater to diverse user preferences, but more often than not, it can cause decision fatigue, negatively impacting the user experience and conversion rates. So, how do we strategically minimize this fatigue through effective web design?
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Decision Fatigue in Web Design
Decision fatigue can lead to a decline in the quality of decisions after a continuous decision-making process. In web design, users can experience this fatigue when faced with too many choices, leading to indecisiveness, frustration, and eventual disengagement.
Hick’s Law plays a part in this, suggesting that the time to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices. Nonetheless, Hick’s Law is just a fraction of a much broader picture. Balancing user choices and decision fatigue effectively also requires understanding principles like settling for the first reasonable option, avoiding potential losses, and making decisions based on readily available information.
Strategies to Minimize Decision Fatigue
To help users make confident decisions without causing fatigue, several tactics can be implemented.
Streamlined Navigation
Develop a logical, intuitive navigation path to eliminate unnecessary decision-making. For example, clear categorization in a website’s menu helps users find what they need without going through numerous options.
Prioritized Choices
Present the users with essential choices first and omit irrelevant ones. A home page showcasing the most popular products instead of an extensive catalog can prevent choice overload.
Restricted Options
Limit the number of options at each decision point to avoid overwhelming users. For instance, in a subscription selection, offering three plans – basic, premium, and advanced, can be more effective than having numerous slightly differing options.
Design Strategies to Reduce Cognitive Load
Strategic design choices can further alleviate decision fatigue.
Consistent Design
Keeping design elements consistent throughout the website simplifies cognitive processing. For instance, maintaining the same style for all buttons or icons aids user recognition and reduces the cognitive load.
Utilizing Familiar Patterns
Use recognizable icons and layouts to reduce cognitive effort and decision-making time. Employing standard symbols for shopping carts or menus enables users to interact with your website effortlessly.
Anticipatory Design
Predicting user actions and simplifying processes can lessen the number of decisions a user needs to make. Autofilling forms based on past user data is one such example.
Effective Error Handling
Minimize frustration and decision fatigue by guiding users effectively when errors occur. For instance, a clear error message with a suggested solution can keep a user engaged, even in the event of a mistake.
Final Thoughts
Taking into account the principles of decision fatigue and integrating the mentioned design strategies, your web design can become more user-friendly, reducing decision fatigue. Our overview aims to set you on the right path but remember, UX practices often involve deeper explorations and constant testing. Your understanding of decision fatigue will deepen as you engage more with UX research and real-world testing.
While we’re grappling with the complexities of choice, remember there’s another potent tool at your disposal – social proof. Using elements like reviews, testimonials, or popularity indicators can steer users toward decisions others have already made, thus easing their decision-making process. To learn more about how social proof can reinforce user decisions, we invite you to read our article on the topic.
In a world where choice overload is a reality, appreciating the power of simplicity and efficiency in decision-making is invaluable. It’s about striking that optimal balance – giving users ample choice without sparking decision fatigue.
Original Source: https://1stwebdesigner.com/practical-guide-conducting-ux-surveys/
UX surveys can be pivotal tools for designers seeking to understand user preferences, opinions, and behaviors. They foster alignment between design strategies and user expectations and can improve product or service usability. Our overview unravels the process of conducting UX surveys, highlighting how both quantitative and qualitative approaches can yield essential user insights.
The UX Designer Toolbox
Unlimited Downloads: 500,000+ Wireframe & UX Templates, UI Kits & Design Assets
Starting at only $16.50 per month!
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Conducting UX Surveys: Their Role and Execution
UX surveys serve as channels to collect insights directly from users about a product or service. They come in various forms, from online questionnaires to in-person discussions. These surveys aim to acquire both qualitative and quantitative data about user satisfaction, ease of use, and areas of potential improvement.
Conducting UX surveys follows a structured process. You begin by setting clear goals, and deciding what you aim to learn from the users. Then, you design a set of questions that invite insightful and actionable responses. Following the data collection, the task of data interpretation begins, leading to design changes that respond to the user’s needs.
Quantitative vs Qualitative: A Balancing Act
Quantitative surveys are useful when your goal is to collect numerical data. These types of surveys are great for tracking metrics such as usage frequency, user demographics, or user preferences. They offer the advantage of capturing data from a large audience, which can then be statistically analyzed to discern broader patterns and trends.
However, qualitative surveys offer something different. They are used when you want to dive deeper into the user’s thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Crucially, open-ended questions are the cornerstone of qualitative surveys, encouraging users to express their opinions freely. Although they might not yield broad statistical data, qualitative surveys provide detailed, nuanced information that can be invaluable for your design process.
Effective UX Survey: The Practical Steps
A well-designed UX survey is a careful process, requiring both strategic thinking and an empathetic understanding of your users. We’ll observe some of the indispensable steps that can guide your survey creation.
Objective Setting
Every UX survey must start with clear objectives. Whether you’re seeking to understand user behavior, assess user satisfaction, or gather feedback on a new feature, defining these goals will steer the development of your survey. It influences the kind of questions you will ask, the selection of respondents, and even the choice of the survey method. Clear goals ensure the collected data is genuinely useful and purpose-driven for your design strategy.
Drafting and Revision
The initial draft of your survey questions serves as a blueprint that should ideally be subjected to a review process. Don’t hesitate to involve your team, respected peers, or mentors in refining the questions. Their feedback will help eliminate ambiguities, prevent biased questions, and ensure the questionnaire resonates with your target audience.
Choosing the Right Platform
Selecting the most suitable platform for your UX survey significantly affects response rates and data quality. The nature of your survey – whether it’s a quick poll, an in-depth questionnaire, or an interactive survey – plays a huge role in this decision. Other factors to consider include the complexity of your survey, the technical competency of your target demographic, the platform’s user-friendliness on various devices, its visual appeal, and cost-effectiveness.
Question Design
The construction of your questions can be vital for the insights you gather. Close-ended questions, such as multiple-choice or Likert scale items, provide structured responses that are easier to analyze and compare. Meanwhile, open-ended questions encourage users to express their thoughts freely, providing deeper context and insight into their experiences. The key is to strike a balance: ask specific, direct questions to capture hard data, and open-ended ones to allow space for unexpected but valuable feedback.
Strategic Question Ordering
The placement of questions in your survey requires careful thought. Given the reality that some respondents will not complete the entire survey, it’s practical to position the most critical questions at the beginning. With this, you can somewhat secure the most valuable data, regardless of whether the user completes the entire questionnaire. Still, ensure a natural flow that doesn’t feel abrupt to the participant.
Testing the Waters
Prior to a full-scale launch of the survey, it’s beneficial to conduct a pilot test with a smaller, yet representative, sample of your user base. This approach allows for the identification and rectification of any potential issues – from ambiguous questions and technical glitches to unexpectedly long completion times. Moreover, pilot testing provides an opportunity to assess the survey’s ease and relevance, ensuring that the final version is as refined as possible before it reaches all users.
Wrapping Up
UX surveys can yield valuable user perspectives, but they should be seen as guides rather than definitive decision-makers in design choices.
Additionally, remember that a survey is a time commitment for your users. Avoid deterring completion or introducing response bias by overloading it with questions. Aim for a concise, engaging survey with a balance of question types.
Instead of duplicating data from analytics, use surveys to uncover user motivations, thoughts, and feelings that analytics can’t capture.
Lastly, consider both the user experience and your analysis capabilities when formatting questions. Open-ended questions offer rich insights but can overwhelm users and complicate analysis. Pilot-test these questions and refine them based on feedback. Some may work better as closed-ended questions for easier response and analysis.
For additional insights on managing broader yet valuable UX aspects, such as minimizing decision fatigue, feel free to check out this article.
Original Source: https://tympanus.net/codrops/2023/07/27/grid-flow-animation/
A loading and navigation animation where thumbnails “flow” into a grid.
Original Source: https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/linux-command-mkfs/
mkfs is a commonly used Linux command for creating a filesystem on a device or partition. The term mkfs is short for “make filesystem”. A filesystem is a way of organizing and storing files and directories on a storage device like a hard drive, SSD, USB stick, or other media. The type of filesystem you create affects how data is stored and retrieved, impacting performance and compatibility.
The mkfs command is a wrapper that will decide the appropriate filesystem creation utility based on the supplied filesystem type.
Be very careful when using the mkfs command because it formats the specified partition. Any data that existed on the partition will be lost. Always double-check that you are working with the correct device or partition, and ensure you have a backup of any important data before usingmkfs.
Here are some ways to use the mkfs command:
1. Create a Filesystem
The basic syntax for creating a filesystem is mkfs -t type device.
Example:
To create an ext4 filesystem on the /dev/sda1 partition, you would use:
mkfs -t ext4 /dev/sda1
2. Specify the Block Size
You can specify the block size when creating a filesystem with the -b option.
Example:
To create an ext4 filesystem with a block size of 1024 bytes, you would use:
mkfs -t ext4 -b 1024 /dev/sda1
3. Add a Label
You can add a label to the filesystem with the -L option.
Example:
To add the label “mydisk” to the filesystem, you would use:
mkfs -t ext4 -L mydisk /dev/sda1
4. Create a FAT32 Filesystem
To create a FAT32 filesystem, you would use the mkfs.vfat command.
Example:
mkfs.vfat /dev/sda1
5. Create a NTFS Filesystem
To create a NTFS filesystem, you would use the mkfs.ntfs command.
Example:
mkfs.ntfs /dev/sda1
6. Create a XFS Filesystem
To create a XFS filesystem, you would use the mkfs.xfs command.
Example:
mkfs.xfs /dev/sda1
Differences Between FAT32, NTFS, and XFS
FAT32, NTFS, and XFS are all types of filesystems, which are methods of organizing and storing data on a storage device, like a hard drive or USB stick. However, they differ in their design and features, which can affect performance, compatibility, and what they’re best used for.
FAT32 (File Allocation Table 32)
FAT32 is an older type of filesystem that’s widely compatible with many types of devices and operating systems, including Windows, Mac, Linux, game consoles, and more. However, it has several limitations.
For example, it can’t handle files larger than 4GB or partitions larger than 8TB. It also lacks some features that newer filesystems have, like data protection and recovery features.
NTFS (New Technology File System)
NTFS is a newer filesystem used primarily by Windows. It supports much larger files and partitions than FAT32, and includes features like file permissions (which help with security), shadow copies (for backup), and encryption.
However, while NTFS is readable on Mac and Linux systems, writing to NTFS drives can be tricky without additional software.
XFS (Extended File System)
XFS is a high-performance filesystem used primarily in the Linux environment. It’s particularly good at handling large files and large storage volumes, making it ideal for servers and high-performance systems.
XFS also includes features like journalling, which helps with data recovery in the event of a power failure or system crash. However, it’s not natively supported by Windows or Mac, which can make it less ideal for removable drives that need to be used across different systems.
The post How to Use mkfs in Linux appeared first on Hongkiat.
Original Source: https://www.creativebloq.com/news/glowforge-aura-laser-cutter
Cricut has competition from a new laser machine.
Original Source: https://www.creativebloq.com/news/twitter-x-rebrand
Musk’s chosen ‘logo’ is a Unicode character.
Original Source: https://abduzeedo.com/branding-and-visual-identity-cox-lewis-modern-world
Branding and Visual Identity Cox Lewis by The Modern World
abduzeedo0721—23
Cox Lewis is a hearing health company that wants to change the way people think about hearing loss. They wanted to move away from the negative perceptions around aging and focus on the concept of connection. The Modern World, created a branding and visual identity that was tactile and sensory, and they embedded the essence of the brand right through the business from external touchpoints to walking through the door of the practice.
The Modern World, the agency that worked with Cox Lewis on this project, said that the goal was to “dispel the perception that our hearing health is something that we only have to deal with when we’re old and grey.” They wanted to bring the Cox Lewis brand to a younger audience by highlighting how our hearing connects us to the world we live in, and the detrimental impact that any loss can have on how we live our lives.
The project was a success, and Cox Lewis has seen a significant increase in younger patients since the rebrand. The new brand identity has helped to change the way people think about hearing loss, and it has made Cox Lewis a more attractive option for younger patients.
Here are some of the key takeaways from this case study:
The negative perceptions around aging can create a reactionary attitude towards hearing health.
Hearing loss is just the tip of the iceberg. The ripple effects can be isolation, depression, loneliness, cognitive decline and missing out on life’s great joys.
Cox Lewis wanted to change the way people think about hearing loss by focusing on the concept of connection.
They created a brand identity that was tactile and sensory, and they embedded the essence of the brand right through the business from external touchpoints to walking through the door of the practice.
The project was a success, and Cox Lewis has seen a significant increase in younger patients since the rebrand.
“Having worked in marketing in previous roles, I have had experience of agencies’ creative processes for branding projects. But The Modern World’s was unlike anything I’d seen before. It was super–collaborative, explorative, and due to distance, all done remotely! We felt like we were making ground really quickly and the final outcome exceeded all our expectations.” – Beth Lewis, Partner, Cox Lewis
Branding and visual identity artifacts
Details
Typefaces: Object by Pangram Pangram, Argesta by Atipo
For more information visit: themodernworld.co.uk
Original Source: https://tympanus.net/codrops/collective/collective-774/
Scroll progress animations in CSS * Pines * Immich * Web-Check
Original Source: https://ecommerce-platforms.com/articles/how-to-price-print-on-demand-products-2
Figuring out how to price your print on demand products can be complex.
Choose a price that’s too high, and you risk scaring off potential customers. Pick a price that’s too low, and you could harm your profit margins, and even your business credibility.
The good news is that the evolving print on demand market does give countless creators and would-be business owners a great way to earn a consistent income, with minimal risk. However, if you want to get the most out of your business, you need to get your pricing right.
Here’s your step-by-step guide to pricing your print on demand products.
Step 1: Understanding Your Costs
Choosing the right price for your print on demand products starts with assessing your expenses. The right pricing structure should ensure you can cover al the costs associated with running your business, while still making a decent profit.
Compared to other business models, print-on-demand can be a relatively low-cost way to launch a business. There are no inventory costs to worry about, as you only purchase products when your customers place an order. Plus, you don’t have to buy machines or pay for labor to produce your products yourself, as that’s all handled by a third-party vendor.
However, there are still a few expenses every POD company will encounter, such as:
Design Costs
Success in the print on demand world relies heavily on your ability to produce designs that appeal to your target audience. There are two ways to create your designs. The first option is to design patterns and images yourself if you have the right creative skills.
If you’re producing your own designs, it’s easy to assume you can just overlook design costs, particularly if you’re using free tools to help your creative process. However, you’re still spending valuable time on your product, and you should be compensated for your work. Choose a reasonable hourly rate for your skills, and use that to estimate your design costs for each product.
If you outsource your design services to another company or freelancer, you’ll have a more exact number to work with. A good way to keep design costs in mind is to divide the cost of hiring your designer, by the number of products you expect to sell. This gives you a design cost per product.
If you’re not sure how many products you’ll sell, simply determine how many items you’ll need to sell in order to “break even” on your design costs.
Production Costs
As mentioned above, the production costs for print on demand companies are usually quite low. You won’t need to pay for machinery or labor, but you will still need to pay a fee to have your vendor create your products for you. The price of production can vary for each POD company.
When assessing production costs for each item, make sure you consider the cost of the materials (the base products you’re going to customize), and the printing or customization services.
You’ll also need to think about the cost of packaging your products and branding your items with custom labels, packing slips, and other assets.
Shipping Costs
Although you won’t be directly responsible for shipping products to your customers yourself with print on demand, you’ll still need to pay the price for shipping. Most POD companies will charge you directly for shipping, based on pre-set or variable rates.
You can usually find information about the kinds of shipping fees you can expect to pay on the website or app of your POD service. Keep in mind, costs can vary depending on the size or weight of the item, the delivery location for the package, the logistics provider, and the speed of shipping.
You can either add the costs of shipping to the overall price of your product, to entice customers with a “free shipping” offer. Or you can charge them directly for shipping as an added-on price.
Taxes and Transaction fees
The cost of creating your product may also include taxes and certain “transaction fees”. Some POD vendors will charge taxes on your orders depending on where your customers are located. For instance, you may need to pay sales tax in the US or Canada, or VAT in the UK, and EU.
You can usually collect taxes from your customers by bundling it into the cost of your products, but it’s up to you to determine how you handle these fees. Make sure you consider the fees associated with accepting payments through processing tools, and platforms too.
Some ecommerce platforms and marketplaces also have their own add-on fees to consider whenever you accept a payment or convert a currency.
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Step 2: Research Your Market
Once you’ve assessed all of your business running or operating costs, the next step is to dive into market research. This should give you an insight into the kind of prices competitors are charging for similar products, and the level of “demand” available for your items.
The higher the demand for your products, and the less competition you have in your market, the more you can potentially charge. Based on your market research, you can decide which strategy is most likely to work for your brand. The most common options include:
Above market average pricing: If your products have features or benefits that other companies can’t provide, you may be able to charge a higher price for them. You could also validate higher pricing with personalized customer service or faster shipping.
Market pricing: If you want to ensure you can reach a wide target audience and still make a decent profit, you can consider using the same pricing strategy as your competitors. This should ensure your customers don’t see your items as too expensive.
Below market average pricing: Pricing your products at below market average rates is a good way to initially attract new customers. You can even steal customers from competitors with this strategy. However, if you severely underprice your products, this could harm your profit margins, and make your brand appear less trustworthy.
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Step 3: Select Your Profit Margin
Now you have an idea of your marketplace, and your operating costs, you can begin to think about profit margins. Calculating your production costs (per month), and dividing them by the number of items you expect to sell in the same time period can give you an idea of the price you need to charge to “break even”. However, you still want to make a profit.
Your profit margin is where you’ll need to experiment a little in your pricing structure. You can choose a margin that matches competitors, or goes above what your competitors earn.
Ultimately, your profit margin needs to be low enough that you can keep your product price within the “acceptable” segment for your target market. If you’re trying to sell at extremely high prices, you could struggle to attract the right audience.
At the same time, however, you also shouldn’t undervalue the work and time you’re putting into your store. A good profit margin for a POD clothing company will usually fall somewhere between 20 and 30%, but it’s up to you to experiment and find out what works.
Keep in mind, you might adjust your profit margin and pricing strategies from time to time as you continue to run your business.
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Step 4: Consider Print-on-Demand Marketplaces
Notably, there are a few different ways to “go to market” with your print on demand products. If you choose to launch your own ecommerce website, you’ll be mostly competing against other companies in the same niche that customers can find by searching online.
However, if you’re hoping to immediately increase your visibility to an existing audience, you might choose to use a print-on-demand marketplace. Channels like Etsy, Amazon Merch, Society6, and RedBubble can all boost your chances of finding buyers immediately.
However, they do have some downsides when it comes to profit margins. First, some solutions won’t give you complete control over your profit. Some require you to stick to specific percentages or pricing strategies. Secondly, since you’ll only be earning a “commission” on your sales, you’ll need to be particularly cautious with your pricing choices.
What’s more, because there’s already a huge number of sellers active on these markets, you’ll need to think carefully about how you can make your products stand out. While choosing a lower price may help to increase your visibility and sales, don’t make the mistake of pricing too low.
Check the suggested “margins” on each site, and experiment to find out which options help you reach the most customers, without missing out on profits.
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Step 5: Implement Pricing Optimization Techniques
Crucially, pricing your products for the print on demand market isn’t something you do once and forget about. Market trends, customer behaviors, and economic conditions are constantly changing, which means you’ll need to be ready to adapt consistently.
After implementing your first pricing structure, commit to constantly monitoring your sales, competitors, and the wider market. Watch to see whether your competitors reduce or increase their prices over time. Look at how demand shifts in your industry, and whether your sales dip or increase at certain times of the year.
The best ways to optimize your pricing strategy include:
Diving into data: Collect as much information as you can about your competitors, your market, and your audience. Find out what customers are actually willing to pay for your products, and how valuable they consider them to be. You can use your sales metrics, competitor analysis, and even customer surveys to guide you.
Experimenting with strategies: Explore different pricing strategies. For instance, you could use dynamic pricing to change your price structure at different times of the year, based on seasonal changes or events. You could also think about “penetrative” pricing, which involves pricing your products at a lower cost to begin with, to help you access the market.
A/B test your strategies: Run comprehensive A/B tests on a regular basis to help you make informed decisions about what to do with your pricing strategy next. Focus on getting the right balance between customer satisfaction, and a reasonably high profit margin.
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Step 6: Address Pricing Challenges
Finally, it’s worth making sure you’re prepared to handle the challenges you might face with pricing in the print-on-demand industry. Like any industry, print-on-demand is subject to a number of changes which can occur based on macro and micro events.
One of the biggest issues you’re likely to face is “price sensitivity”. This basically means ensuring your pricing adapts to the expectations of your customers. Demand or dynamic pricing structures will allow you to alter your pricing based on what your customers expect. If a high or low price begins to alter your customer’s behavior, you’ll need to adapt to keep generating sales.
You may also find you need to adapt when new competitors enter your market. There’s a good chance other companies may enter the industry and attempt to target the same customers as you. Initially, they may choose a cheaper price for their products. To avoid getting caught in a “race to the bottom”, avoid constantly reducing your prices, and focus on drawing attention to your unique selling points instead.
Additionally, make sure you’re prepared to offer discounts and sales at the right times – when your customers expect them. Choosing a slightly higher “initial” price for your products will leave you some room in your profit margin for discounts in the future.
Pricing Your Print on Demand Products
Choosing the right pricing strategy for your print on demand products can be a complicated process. There are numerous factors to consider, from your target audience to your competition. Always start with thorough research, and be ready to adapt your pricing over time.
Pay attention to the industry, and constantly test and experiment to ensure you’re capturing the widest audience share, and the best possible profit margins.
The post How to Price Your Print-on-Demand Products in 6 Simple Steps appeared first on Ecommerce Platforms.
