Ultra Light Startups – The Critical Importance of User-Friendly Websites

Ultra Light Startups (ULS) assembled a panel of experts Wednesday night to teach critical cost conscious measures to entrepreneurs hoping to make their websites more user-friendly and profitable.

But as always, the night kicked off with 30 up-and-coming entrepreneurs making a pitch for their business models to a packed room of about 100 people. ULS encourages entrepreneurs to pitch their products to facilitate networking within the group.

There was a wide array of business models out there including medication reminders, design-your-own shirt and even a site where you can create your own wish lists.

After a short break, the night’s focus shifted to the panel of “User Interface” (UI) and “User Experience”(UX) experts including:

1) Moderator, Allen Ackerman with A-List Placement
2) Alex Kirtland with UsableMarkets.com
3) Whitney Hess with Happy Cog Studios
4) Karen McGrane with Bond Art and Science
5) David Sansone with TBWA Brand Management

Alex Kirtland says the first critical step in building a successful website is defining your vision. He says that before you begin the design process, have a good idea of what you plan to build and know your customer’s needs.

Whitney Hess says doing some research before you begin work on your site, could save you from a future of redesign headaches. Hess says one way to accomplish that is to meet with your customers beforehand and fish out what their needs and desires are.

Alex says that for the most part, user research and usability testing can be done by the individual entrepreneur. But Karen McGrane issues a warning for the business owners who wish to do it themselves.

“Your goal is to have your product work the way you expect it to work and be profitable,” says McGrane. “But if you can’t do it properly, you should probably hire someone else to do it for you.”

Whitney Hess wrapped up the discussion by advising entrepreneurs to step back and make sure that they have the right formula for success. She says sometimes, start-up business owners need to take a step back and make sure they are creating what their customers really want.