{"id":1736,"date":"2017-03-16T18:55:48","date_gmt":"2017-03-16T15:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tubikstudio.com\/?p=1736"},"modified":"2023-08-15T07:50:14","modified_gmt":"2023-08-15T07:50:14","slug":"business-oriented-design-know-your-target","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tubikstudio.com\/blog\/business-oriented-design-know-your-target\/","title":{"rendered":"Business-Oriented Design. Know Your Target"},"content":{"rendered":"

A successful business is never a simple game: it is a complex mechanism and to make it work, we have to know the factors of influence and methods of their effective combination. Design is definitely one of those secrets which can have a great impact on profits and promotion. Moreover, this is the coin of two sides, because the real design is not only about the nice skin and stylish look but also about functionality and utility. So, today we continue the series of posts devoted to design for business goals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Earlier we have already published the glossary posts with key notions for the topics of business terms<\/a> and abbreviations<\/a>\u00a0useful for designers as well as highlighted some aspects in more details in the free ebook “Design for Business”<\/a>. This time let’s add some deeper insights into the essence of setting and exploring the target of the product\u00a0and the mutual influence of design and marketing have on each other.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"design<\/p>\n

Marketing<\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Marketing is a contest for people’s attention”. Seth Godin<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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Definition.<\/strong> In general terms, marketing is the set of studies and methods devoted to the management of exchange relations. Basically, it is a multi-layered process whose aim is to connect the products with the customers. It can involve a variety of advertising and promotional activities, market and customer research, the organization of sales, direct and indirect communication with the target audience. In terms of tough and diverse competition in most markets nowadays, marketing is the strategy and the trophy to achieve is users’ and customers’ attention.<\/span><\/p>\n

Design aspect.<\/strong>\u00a0Design and marketing have been supporting each other for many decades, so there are two basic directions of their connection.<\/span><\/p>\n

The direction from marketing to design<\/strong> means involving techniques of marketing into the design process from the early stages of product creation or updates. The cases when a marketing strategy is thought out from the stage of ideation on the future product makes the design even more meaningful: not only do designers create the product solving users’ problems or satisfying needs, but also set the channels and ways how the product can be noticed by the customer, how it can get interesting for a target user and what are the ways to show its benefits effectively. Knowing all that stuff, the designers can find the appropriate UX – the logic of the product and UI – visual presentation of its features. Each tiny element or aspect like the color or shape of a button<\/a> to the global approach to color palette<\/a>, the choice of fonts<\/a> and the space between elements on the page or screen, every transition and micro-interaction<\/span>\u00a0designed properly and applied wisely can have a huge impact on the success of the product and its ability to fulfill the business goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Bakery<\/p>\n

Web design for e-commerce: Vinny’s Bakery<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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Moreover, it must be said: a high-quality user-friendly product is the best marketing strategy. That is why design plays a crucial role as it creates the features and the wrapping able to attract users and engage them, spark the wish to use it again, and make it helpful so that users could have a solid reason to love it.<\/span><\/p>\n

The reverse direction from design to marketing<\/strong> means that design itself becomes a powerful way to present the product or even the person on the market. Design solutions applied for creating commercial, corporate, or personal identity through branding become the foundation for the marketing strategy, in most cases starting from the moment when the product gets its sign of distinction such as logo<\/a> or icon<\/a>. Designers create visual support of promotional campaigns from posters, leaflets, and brochures to complex sets of branded items and corporate interior style of point-of-sales. As long as people are the creatures of not only physical but also social and aesthetic nature, design is going to take a big part in any business’s success.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"business<\/p>\n

Corporate branding: design of business cards<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Anyway, marketing is the point where\u00a0people who create the product and those who build the bridge between the product and the customer should have the same goals: to provide users\/customers with something that will be helpful and satisfying their needs. To do that, first of all, it’s important to set the group for which it is created and analyze what its preferences are.<\/span><\/p>\n

Target audience<\/span><\/h2>\n

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“In sales there are going to be times when you can’t make everyone happy. Don’t expect to and you won’t be disappointed. Just do your best for each client in each situation as it arises. Then, learn from each situation how to do it better the next time.” Tom Hopkins<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Definition<\/strong>. The term “target audience” comes from the spheres of publishing, in which it means the readers intended for the particular book or edition, and marketing, in which it sets behind the group of customers potentially interested in the particular product or service. The quickly developing sphere of digital products such as websites<\/a> or applications<\/a> absorbed this term immediately meaning the audience which presents the potential users of the specific app or website.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Certainly, for many creators, it can be hard initially to find out what their target audience is: they would like this product to be used and loved by everyone. Still, in real life, it’s a sort of utopia which can become a death knell for the product. Selecting the core target audience and then, if needed and possible, broaden the abilities of the product to make it attractive and useful for the broader circle of users in many cases proves itself as a much more successful and effective strategy. Setting the priorities, it’s easier to concentrate on key functionality and make it faster than trying to satisfy everyone at once.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"wedding<\/p>\n

App design for a wedding planner<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Design aspect.<\/strong>\u00a0As we mentioned in the ultimate guide<\/a> to creating a mobile application, user research and market research are highly advisable to be done at the start of the creative process to provide the designer or the creative team with an understanding of what their target audience is:<\/span><\/p>\n