Data-driven website design: why it’s vital

A skilled designer approaches a website project with extensive experience and expertise, and as such a general idea of how things should look and function. This expertise is clearly essential in being able to execute good design and best practice. However, the best design teams combine this experience and expertise with data.

Every new project we undertake begins with discovery – a process of challenging and validating assumptions we and the client have about the project and their digital strategy. Discovery is such a crucial part of the process that we rarely proceed without it.

While discovery encompasses much more than just the design of the website, it exemplifies the importance of relying on facts, rather than feelings to shape decisions – a cornerstone of data-driven website design.

Why data-driven website design is vital

If a website or digital experience doesn’t meet the needs of the intended user, then it’s not right. It doesn’t matter how “good” it looks or how many design awards it wins – if it doesn’t engage users, convert them into customers, or help them achieve what they need to, then the project has failed. End of.

This is why design decisions in a website project have to be driven by data. Leveraging what you already know – and continue to learn – about your users to influence your approach will lead to better higher satisfaction, engagement and ultimately, conversion rates.

This isn’t just our opinion – there are a plethora of stats that exemplify how important good design is to users. 94% of negative user feedback relates to design, and 48% of visitors say that a website’s design is the most crucial factor in assessing a brand’s credibility.

In UX, relying solely on previous experience and guesswork leads to creating something you think is right, rather than something that is right. This is where user data comes in.

Types of user data to use

Before you can use data to inform and shape your design decisions, you must first identify and collect the types of data that will provide valuable insight to help you make those decisions.

Behavioural data

Behavioural data tracks how your users interact with your digital experience. Metrics such as bounce rate (or dwell time, depending on which way you look at it), time on page, session duration, and pages per session give you a top-level view of user engagement. Beyond that, metrics that are more specific to your site and your goals such as conversions, downloads, purchases or sign-ups tell you ultimately how effectively you’re driving users to complete these desired actions Behavioural data can also offer deeper insight, moving beyond single metrics and percentages to include things like heatmaps and click paths, giving you a more complete picture of a user’s journey.

Demographic & technical data

Demographic and technical data are useful in providing context for your behavioural data and helping to build a clear picture of who your users are, and how different types of users interact with your website. Demographic data includes attributes such as age group, gender, language and location. Depending on the level of data captured by the tool you’re using, you can also capture things like interests and other types of site visited. Technical data encompasses things like device type (mobile, desktop, tablet), browser and operating system, helping you understand how your website behaves on different platforms and the impact this has on user experience.

user feedback

User feedback represents the most qualitative of the data discussed here, offering more in-depth insight into the user experience from a “subjective” point of view.. Surveying users and gathering detailed feedback can provide clarity in a number of ways. For example, it can help to understand any frustrations or confusion with functionality in more detail – e.g. “I expected the website to do x, but it actually did y”. It can also give you more insight into how users feel when they interact with your website – an important aspect of the user experience which is difficult to quantify through data. It’s important to combine this kind of feedback with the other user data though to build a holistic picture. Avoid making decisions based solely on subjective feedback or the specific preferences of a handful of users.

How to collect user data

Several essential tools can help you collect the types of data we’ve discussed:

• Basic usability testing: Platforms like Maze can be used to conduct usability testing with a database of 127k users prior to go-live. This process helps identify and resolve fundamental issues with the user journey before launch.
• Analytics platforms: Tools like Google Analytics or Matomo collect behavioural, demographic and technical data.
• Heatmapping and advanced behavioural analytics: Tools like Hotjar offer insights like heatmaps to track user interactions—clicks, scrolling, and movement—as well as session recordings for a complete view of the user journey.
• Feedback: Surveying tools like SurveyMonkey or Typeform allow you collect and collate qualitative feedback about your website’s experience from users. Hotjar also facilitates quick one-question surveys in-session.

Incorporating user data into the design process

The data-driven website design process essentially comprises two key phases. The first involves integrating data and user insights into your website’s initial development. The second involves continuing to monitor user data and incorporate insight and feedback into future development cycles. 

The initial development phase

Every new website project starts with discovery – a process which helps us answer key questions like: Who are your users? What are your goals? What are the underlying processes? We also supplement this insight by analysing existing user data to understand how they interact with you at the moment. This analysis directly informs and shapes design decisions we make during the project. Additionally, we use tools like Maze to test early development versions, ironing out any usability issues from the beginning.

Ongoing monitoring & development

User behaviour and market trends continually shift and evolve. This means you should never consider your website a “finished product”. In order to stay competitive, it’s essential that you continue to monitor user behaviour and gather feedback, incorporating this into future development cycles.

A/B testing

A/B testing is a critical part of the ongoing development process. Also known as split testing, this method determines which option performs better between two or more variations of a page or elements within the page. It follows a scientific approach, beginning with a hypothesis (e.g., “changing this button from white to orange will increase clicks”) that’s tested systematically. Tools like Optimizely or VWO enable you to present a control version and a number of variations, dividing users by criteria you determine – randomly by percentage (e.g. 50% see one version, the other 50% see the alternative version), device type, or demographic – in order to test your hypothesis and examine the underlying data. You can test any number of variables, such as copy, CTA placement, colour or imagery, but it’s important to remember not to test too many at once – otherwise you won’t be able to pinpoint which element influenced the test’ success or failure. Once you have the results, you can incorporate the design change into the live version of the site (or not, depending on the result).

Overcoming data-driven website design challenges

Data-driven design can present a few potential pitfalls to consider:

1. Misinterpreting or over-relying on data – while quantitative data is valuable, numbers can’t tell the whole story. It’s vital to balance numbers with subjective feedback to get a complete picture. Subjective factors such as user emotions and preferences can be just as critical as more objective factors like CTA placement, copy or colours.
2. Internal resistance to change – design changes can encounter internal pushback if they seem misaligned with brand guidelines or identity. Navigating these tensions requires carefully balancing data-driven evidence with the brand’s established look and feel.
3. Data privacy – Collecting user data must adhere to strict privacy considerations and legal regulations. You must ensure appropriate consent mechanisms are in place to capture the necessary data without violating user privacy.

You can overcome or even avoid these challenges with incorporating data into the design process by working with an expert partner like Adaptable. Our websites and digital products are driven by data and crafted with the user at heart. We have over a decade of experience blending beautiful design with the underlying data to guide the UX into something that delivers results.

Key takeaways

• Incorporating data into the design process will lead to more user satisfaction, better engagement and conversion rates.
• You can collect and incorporate behavioural, technical and demographic data as well as qualitative/subjective feedback into the process.
• Monitoring user data and using it as part of the ongoing development process is just as important as incorporating it into the initial design process.
• Having an expert partner like Adaptable in place to help with data-driven design can help you avoid potential pitfalls.

Ready to launch a website driven by data? Get in touch to discuss your next project.