25 Web Design Stats for Growth-Driven Design

However, the process for designing these websites has been relatively untouched. It may not have been the best approach, but at the end of the day, it worked. Sure, it created many headaches and problems along the way, but a website still got built and people put up with it because there really wasn’t a better way

That is, until Growth-Driven Design (GDD) started to gain momentum.

If you aren’t familiar with Growth-Driven Design, check out some of our blogs about the different phases of Growth-Driven Design. In short, it is a method of developing a website that is focused on listening to your customers and developing a website for them by continuously gathering user data and making impactful improvements over time.

Some might brush off Growth-Driven Design, claiming it’s just another fad in the web design world. Fortunately it is much more than that. It is a process that is based on the collection of data to make smart and informed decisions. That’s why we gathered 25 web design statistics to prove that Growth-Driven Design is the way of the future.

The Problem with Traditional Web Design

Web design has been plagued by the “set and forget” method of development. Companies spend unfathomable amounts of money on a new website that just sits on their servers collecting digital cobwebs.

This wouldn’t be a problem if websites stayed relevant forever. But the sad fact is they don’t, and they often become old and outdated in the same amount of time it took to develop the website to begin with. Not to mention the fact that there are always setbacks and problems that arise causing the project to be delivered late.

These problems aren’t new and many studies have focused on the traditional website development process:

• In a survey of 3,500 companies that are undergoing a traditional website design, 54% claim their website redesign will take over 6 months to complete. Within that group, almost 80% claim their website will take over a year to be completed. (Source)
• On average, traditional redesigns are delivered 2 weeks late. (Source: 2017 State of GDD survey responses)
• 54% of today's marketing teams consider IT and website related woes a “bottleneck.” (Source)
• Average website redesigns cost around $55,000. (Source)
• Only 49% of website redesign projects finish and launch on time. (Source)

How Growth-Driven Design Creates a Better Website

When hearing the saying “the customer is always right”, those who have had to deal with some rather difficult customers may chuckle to themselves. However, in this case, that saying couldn’t be more true.

We live in a world where our competitors are only a couple of clicks away. If your website isn’t designed for your users, what is stopping them from hitting the back button and going to the next website on the search results page?

That’s why Growth-Driven Design focuses its attention towards the users. A Growth-Driven Design website is monitored. Data gets collected on how it is performing and how it may need improving. If certain areas are performing poorly, tests are run and they get reworked in a way that drives better results.

At the end of the day, Growth-Driven Design allows you to tap into your user base and learn what it is they want, so you can develop a website to fit them. The results speak for themselves:

• On average, agencies reported seeing 16.9% more leads after 6-months. (Source: 2017 State of GDD survey responses)
• On average, agencies reports a 14% increase in traffic after 6 months. (Source: 2017 State of GDD survey responses)

How User Testing Helps You Improve

User Testing is a fantastic way for companies to really dig deep and understand how they can improve their product. The data collected during these tests is a gold mine of suggestions and feedback about what your actual users expect from your product or website.

Companies that use Growth-Driven Design take full advantage of that and are always trying to collect data from users. It begins the initial planning with testing and ends with the continuous improvement stage of Growth-Driven Design, which revolves around gathering user data and making improvements.

Unfortunately, not everyone may see the value in user testing and will cut corners, ultimately leaving them with a less than desirable website. However, those that do embrace user testing with open arms will reap the rewards.

Companies that run testing are able to develop effective websites and fix any friction points the users may have. The data that gets collected doesn’t necessarily have to benefit the department that is running the testing alone. Sharing this data across the whole team and multiple departments can provide others with insight that the testers may not have deemed important, further extending the value user testing provides. Here’s some evidence for the benefits of user testing:

• Only 55% of companies are conducting user experience testing. (Source)
• Only 56% of those in senior executive roles at their company believe that user research improves the quality of their product/services and consider the user as an important factor when making decisions. (Source)
• ESPN.com revenues jumped 35% after listening to their community and incorporating suggestions into their homepage redesign. (Source)
• 84% of companies are expected to increase their focus on customer experience measurements and metrics. (Source)
• About 73% of companies who are not currently conducting UX testing plan to do so within the next 12 months. (Source)
• Only 47% of marketers indicated that their web design and UX actually changed as a result of optimization lessons. (Source)
• During initial planning and user research, for every dollar spent to solve and fix a problem, $10 would need to be spent during development, and $100 after the launch. (Source: Software Engineering: A Practitioner’s Approach, by Robert Pressman)
• Only 36% of research teams review user testing findings together. (Source)
• 37% of marketers did not review the metrics from their last website. (Source)

Why User Experience is So Important

A user’s experience means everything nowadays. What good is having a fantastic product or website if the user leaves the page after a few seconds? Everything from the way the website looks to the functionality and layout play large roles in the experience and overall success of your website.

By continuously optimizing the website and gathering user feedback, Growth-Driven Design helps ensure your website is always providing the best experience possible to your users, and the web design statistics show it:

• By 2020 it is expected that customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator. (Source)
• An optimized UX design can yield better conversion rates up to 400% (Source)
• 48% of people cited a website's design as the number one factor in deciding the credibility of a business. (Source)
• If content is not optimized, 79% of users will search for another website to complete their task. (Source)
• 88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a website after a bad experience. (Source)
• 38% of users will stop engaging if they find the content of layout of a website unattractive. (Source)
• 94% of visitors stopped trusting websites with old and degraded web design. (Source)

Conclusion

The days of websites being treated as a luxury item have passed. Your website is now the forefront of your business and is often what makes the largest impression on your customers.

As these growth-driven web design statistics show, it is not enough to just have a decent website, instead you should be utilizing every tool and technique at your disposal to create a fantastic website your customers will love. Whether you use growth-driven design, user testing, or user data, every bit helps in the success of your website and business.