Designing the Digital Experience: How to Use Design Tools and Techniques to Build Websites Customers Love

Citation

Fourie, I. (2011), "Designing the Digital Experience: How to Use Design Tools and Techniques to Build Websites Customers Love", Online Information Review, Vol. 35 No. 3, pp. 503-504. https://doi.org/10.1108/14684521111151504

In an informal, easy‐to‐read style, David Lee King shares his enthusiasm and expertise in designing for the overall user experience – the experiences of humans as social beings with basic needs to be met; experiences that will lead to loyalty, affinity and ultimately a relation with a brand.

Designing the Digital Experience consists of 13 chapters in three parts. Part 1, on the structural focus, contains chapters on the meaning of structural focus, elements of digital experience design, and information architecture and usability. Part 2, on community, includes chapters on the meaning of community focus, emerging tools for the digital community, community building through invitation and community building through social networking. In Part 3, on customer focus, the four chapters cover the meaning of customer focus, staging and theming digital experiences, customer personae and journey mapping. Part 3 concludes with a chapter on further issues to consider. The chapter on the creation of customer personae and mapping, stressing the need to think through the customer experience, seems especially interesting.

Although I would hope for a wider exposure to recommended sources that can supplement the obvious insight of the author in bringing theory and practice together, I can certainly recommend this work as a valuable inspirational resource. Despite its practical tone, considerable theory is embedded in the work, sometimes a bit more explicitly than other times, as with Garrett's elements of user experiences or Armano's experience map.

Designing the Digital Experience is presented in a format that is easy to handle and leaves the feeling that it takes little effort to return for a quick refresher or inspiration – or just for picking up on a new idea or view that could easily be missed in designing for the digital world. The work is recommended to all web designers, as well as those teaching web design, to ensure that students are exposed to a fresh outlook on this very important issue of drawing and maintaining customer interest.