Author Suzanne Scacca

January 15, 2021 — 2020 was anything but normal. Consumers had their lives shaken up and many businesses experienced new challenges as well as opportunities thanks to the novel events of the year. Read more…

January 7, 2021 — Developing a Shopify app and being able to sell it are two different things. While you might be a very skilled app developer, that’s not always enough for Shopify merchants to decide to install a newly released and unreviewed app on their sites. If you want to give merchants a reason to install and use your Shopify app, there are four things you need to do. Read more…

December 16, 2020 — Today, we’re going to look at “The Website Dilemma”. In other words, is it possible to build an authoritative, lead generating, high converting website without manipulating visitors into doing what you want? If you follow social media’s lead, they’re one and the same. If you’d prefer not to trade your customers’ well-being for profit, keep reading. Read more…

December 11, 2020 — Software and apps often solve very complex problems for businesses and consumers in the way of sales, marketing, finances, and so on. But offering a product that solves your users’ problems isn’t enough. If the UI is just as complex as the original problem, user churn is going to be high. Today, we’re going to look at some tips for designing a simple UI regardless of your solution’s complexity. Read more…

December 2, 2020 — Even though the development of a data importer is a complex matter, you don’t want your users’ experience with it to be just as complex or complicated. The second they experience any friction or fault in data onboarding, the chances of them bailing from the software will skyrocket. So, in this post, we’re going to focus on how best to present your data importer to users. Read more…

November 10, 2020 — In this article, we look at three key parts of a digital store and what you can do to design each to help customers more quickly and effortlessly get to the checkout stage. Read more…

November 3, 2020 — Do you have a hard time throwing away mockups, logos and other content you’ve created for clients? Suzanne Scacca explains four ways to repurpose your unused designs and give them new life. Read more…

October 23, 2020 — Data onboarding with a custom-built solution can be a difficult and error-prone process. This article takes a closer look at how Flatfile Concierge deals with this particular problem. Read more…

October 6, 2020 — In this article, we’re going to look at four ways that web designers can contribute to getting more policy disclosure pages read and terms actually agreed to. Read more…

September 28, 2020 — By designing digital product pages for smartphone users who are in that early discovery and research phase, your clients can make more money off of their products. Today, we’ll look at how this is done. Read more…

September 3, 2020 — Icons have long held an important place in the design of mobile apps. But beyond using them to create larger and more attractive touch targets, there are other ways mobile app designers can use these tiny elements to make an app more engaging. This post will explore four ways to do this. Read more…

August 21, 2020 — A website earns a backlink whenever another website links to it. In this article, Suzanne Scacca explains why backlinks are so highly sought after in marketing, and why web designers should keep this in mind when designing websites for clients. Read more…

August 12, 2020 — Google knows exactly what consumers want and it has designed simple, intuitive, and useful solutions for them. This article explains why it’s a company whose product features you should be mirroring. Read more…

August 4, 2020 — In this article, we’ll take a look at five ways you can use the senses to put your visitors in a better headspace when they enter your site and interact with your brand. Read more…

July 14, 2020 — The Scrabble GO, Instacart and YouTube mobile apps have recently undergone disruptive redesigns. Were they worth it in the end? Let’s take a look at the mistakes made and the lessons we can extract from them. Read more…

July 9, 2020 — There was a time when marketers used things like urgency, scarcity and FOMO to drive online shoppers to a sale. But scare tactics can actually hurt a brand’s relationships with customers. By their very nature, we run into similar problems with shipping and inventory alerts. That said, there are ways that web designers can keep panic and frustration from seeping into the shopper’s experience. Read more…

June 23, 2020 — The restaurant industry has begun to undergo a major digital transformation. Those that want to survive will need a website that can handle the new way of operating, which means they can no longer afford to hold onto that cheap website built years ago. Read more…

June 10, 2020 — Stress isn’t just something that makes people feel uncomfortable. There are many things that might invoke this response from your visitors, including the design. In this article, we’re going to look at some ways to de-stress your design. Read more…

May 26, 2020 — Without a desk, you’d end up working from wobbly tables at cafes or staring down at your lap all day — uncomfortable options, to say the least. Then again, your desk could also cause you discomfort if you sit in it the wrong way or for too long. Read more…

May 22, 2020 — Designing a logo is just as complex a task as building a website. Not only do you need to understand what goes into making a great logo, but you need the right tools to create it. Read more…

May 19, 2020 — In this article, Suzanne Scacca proposes some ways to turn essential content into graphics to conserve space, create a more engaging UI and preserve the overall integrity of your content on mobile. Read more…

March 31, 2020 — This guide aims to help you figure out which approach makes the most sense when considering popular design trends for your site. Read more…

March 26, 2020 — Recent research has found that e-commerce category pages have higher click-through rates in search than individual category pages. So, if your e-commerce site is struggling to attract shoppers and convert them, your category pages (specifically, those on mobile) might be in need of a redesign. Read more…

March 17, 2020 — This article explains the process of usability testing: what it is, when you should use it and how to generate data-backed insights while developing your website using Indigo.Design. Read more…

February 28, 2020 — The word “SEO” holds a lot of weight. We know how critical it is to the success of a website and, yet, it often becomes one of those things that’s left until the very end of a web design project to deal with. Read more…

February 18, 2020 — Whether you’re building a new site or you’re managing a live one, you can’t afford to make any changes without a process for cross-browser testing. Read more…

February 17, 2020 — Does your website have a mascot that the audience isn’t responding well to or that outright hates it? Or maybe your new client has brought along a mascot that you’re unsure about? If a mascot’s design or messaging isn’t on point with an audience, there’s no sense in keeping it as is and losing business over it. Today, I’m going to give you four options for turning your hated brand mascot into one the people love. Read more…

February 11, 2020 — By using the Amelia booking plugin for WordPress, you can create booking widgets that collect more appointments (and revenue) for your clients. This article explains how. Read more…

January 27, 2020 — Want to build a website or PWA that attracts a large audience and then converts as much of that audience into paying customers as possible? If that’s the case, what you need to do is use storytelling in your design. Read more…

January 2, 2020 — Are you using sticky elements on your mobile website or PWA? If so, take a moment and ask yourself this question: Do you have anything in them besides your logo, hamburger menu or search bar? Read more…

December 30, 2019 — Have you ever looked at the design techniques and elements you use to build mobile apps and evaluated whether or not they’re still useful or relevant? If you haven’t done this in a while (or ever), stop what you’re doing and read this. We’re going to look at the 5 things mobile app designers should stop doing so they can create more streamlined and positive user experiences. Read more…

December 12, 2019 — You spend so much time focused on other people’s websites that it’s easy to put yours on the backburner and tell yourself, “I’ll fix it up someday soon.” But do you really want to wait to improve your professional portfolio site? Read more…

December 10, 2019 — Traffic surges happen, but rather than let your website become victim to them, this guide will show you how you can set it up to be the victor. Read more…

December 6, 2019 — Every website or PWA you build should automate as much prospecting and selling as possible. The only thing is that visitors enter websites with various mindsets, depending on which part of the buying stage they’re at. This means that you can’t just take every person who enters the site through the same path. You have to design a custom sales funnel (or pathway) for each kind of buyer. Here’s what you need to keep in mind. Read more…

November 21, 2019 — What if we removed “fear” from the “fear of missing out” and put the good parts of this marketing strategy to use in web and app design? This article unpacks four ways you can use (F)OMO when designing digital experiences. Read more…

November 11, 2019 — When it comes to putting our visitors on the spot, giving them too many options hurts their decision-making ability along with how they feel about the experience as a whole. Read more…

November 5, 2019 — In this article, we’re going to look at how Flatfile helps you create a better import experience for your users, team and product. Read more…

October 31, 2019 — What is it that makes a haunted house feel so disturbing? Is it the fact that it’s been long abandoned? That it’s riddled with dark and twisty hallways? That it simulates danger? Or maybe it’s the low-quality construction that makes people nervous? We’re going to take these frightening characteristics and spin them around for the web. After all, what is a website, but a digital house? (Let’s just make sure yours doesn’t feel haunted!) Read more…

October 29, 2019 — Images are a big part of the web and, yet, they can cause a lot of challenges for the user experience if not properly optimized or delivered. It’s been almost a decade since Google introduced the world to WebP as a solution to this problem. As more of our browsers, devices and software support it, it’s time that web designers started adopting it as their default image format. Read more…

October 22, 2019 — You want to build a mobile website or PWA that converts visitors into leads or customers. But with Google and consumers alike becoming ever more demanding when it comes to loading speeds, what more can you do? ImageKit, a digital image optimization service, might have the all-in-one hands-off solution you need. Read more…

October 15, 2019 — As a web designer, you’re probably all too familiar with feast or famine. Or with the dreaded scope creep that robs you of the profits you were so looking forward to pocketing. But that’s what happens when your ability to make money rides on how many hours you can work. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a steady flow of money coming in at all times? In this post, we’re going to look at how adding WordPress maintenance services might provide that solution. Read more…

October 9, 2019 — PWAs are supposed to provide visitors with a better experience than a mobile website. But just because PWAs will use sticky navigation the way that native apps do, that doesn’t make them as easy to get around. If you’re worried that your PWA is going to be difficult to navigate without some guidance, put breadcrumbs to work. You can use them to improve navigation, readability, conversions, and more. Read more…

September 24, 2019 — We don’t have any excuse for creating poor experiences today. Here’s what you need to know about designing complex tables for your mobile visitors in WordPress. Read more…

September 23, 2019 — Social proof comes in a variety of forms. This guide will show you how to build social proof into the mobile experience the right way. Read more…

September 17, 2019 — Let’s face it: it’s never easy to deal with client feedback. Requests may be vague (“the form is broken”), too subjective (“the page doesn’t load fast enough”), or difficult to assess without seeing it yourself (“the page still isn’t updated”). You could schedule some time to walk through the issues or bugs with your client, but a better solution to this often disruptive and frustrating process is to create a fool-proof system that’s easy for clients to leave feedback and even easier for you to implement and resolve it. Read more…

August 13, 2019 — You don’t have much time to capture the attention of visitors to your PWA. Rather than waste that time with an overcrowded hero image or, even worse, disappoint them with a lackluster design, get creative with what little space you have above-the-fold. One of the best sources of inspiration for this? Movie posters. Read more…

August 5, 2019 — Customers’ loyalty does not come for free. While it would be nice if they were satisfied with a high-quality product with some extra bells-and-whistles thrown in, sometimes what’s needed to seal the deal is a rewards system. But when a client asks you to design the mechanism for their loyalty program, how do you decide which format it should take? Here’s what you need to know about designing mobile loyalty programs. Read more…

July 31, 2019 — Until now, the designer-developer handoff has been fraught with inefficiencies. Disparate platforms (namely, Sketch and Visual Studio Code) and incompatible workflows created tons of issues in how design was translated into code. But now, Indigo.Design offers a simple solution to fix this costly and time-consuming problem for software teams. Read more…

July 26, 2019 — Apps are no small undertaking. Nor are they cheap to build and maintain. So, before you move ahead with creating a new mobile app or SaaS for your client, perhaps you should consider launching a minimum viable product (MVP) instead. Read more…

July 4, 2019 — Social media communication is unlike any other. It’s abbreviated. It’s personal. And it’s driven by visuals. Doesn’t that sound a lot like what a mobile website or PWA would benefit from? Read more…

July 2, 2019 — Prospective clients are not easy to say “yes” to. You worry that your profit margins will be slim — if you end up making any money at all. But what if there were a site builder solution built specifically for that purpose? Read more…

June 26, 2019 — Web developers know what they’re doing in terms of optimizing a website for page speed, but is it enough in Google’s eyes? When it comes to mobile loading speeds, your website can always be faster. Find out how. Read more…

June 21, 2019 — Just as you now approach web design with a mobile-first mentality, the same switch should occur as you design email marketing campaigns for your clients. Here are some facts and tips you need to know for designing mobile-first emails. Read more…

May 29, 2019 — Have you noticed that many websites have replaced their forms with chatbots? Let’s explore what is happening to forms on the mobile web and why chatbots may or may not be a suitable replacement for them. Read more…

May 23, 2019 — Do you know what kinds of cookies collect information from your site? If your site is currently not in compliance, start using CookiePro’s cookie consent tool to get your sites moving in the right direction. Read more…

May 9, 2019 — Does the word “influencer” make you cringe? This article aims to show you some of the tricks most digital influencers use to establish authority through design. Read more…

May 7, 2019 — With the introduction of front-end-as-a-service, and a company like Mason pioneering the way, software development and maintenance doesn’t have to be a time-consuming and arduous process. Read more…

April 22, 2019 — A lead capture page greatly differs from a traditional web page in a number of ways. Put that lead generating page on mobile and you’ll see those differences expand and even test the limits of what you thought was possible for mobile. Today, we’re going to look at some tips for utilizing those differences to improve how well your lead capture pages convert on mobile. Read more…

March 29, 2019 — As Gen Z gets older, your clients are going to need you to design their websites in a way that appeals to their specific demands. This guide will show you how to do that. Read more…

March 28, 2019 — It might feel like there are some things outside of your control as a web designer or developer. Like web hosting. But what if you had a say in it? Today, we’re going to explore Plesk VPS hosting as an option. Read more…

March 14, 2019 — Slack has done a lot to bring teams and partners together online. It’s also done a lot to empower developers to build their own custom apps for it. Until recently, however, developers were limited by how much they could do to customize the design of those apps. That’s changing today with Block Kit. Read more…

March 8, 2019 — Have you ever considered how much it actually costs to build and maintain a mobile app? When you look at the big picture, you’ll soon realize that mobile apps aren’t a smart investment for most. Read more…

February 11, 2019 — In this mobile-first world, there is no such thing as designing a website near-perfectly the first time around. While we know that more experiences with websites begin on mobile, converting those users continues to be problematic. With proper A/B testing for mobile-first experiences, however, you can change that outcome for your clients. Read more…

January 24, 2019 — You’ve proven your expertise in designing mobile-first websites for clients. It might be time you made a move into designing mobile-first marketing campaigns for them as well. This guide explains how to do just that. Read more…

January 8, 2019 — As you work on creating better experiences for your mobile app users, spend some time thinking about the design of your app’s search bar. Things like placement, hint text, and the way search results are displayed contribute to how users engage with search as well as your app as a whole. Read more…

January 3, 2019 — As a web designer, you might think that what you get paid to build websites doesn’t matter so long as you have money in the bank. But it does. This guide breaks down three ways you can charge for your design services and help you find the perfect rate to charge clients in 2019. Read more…

December 28, 2018 — When it comes to the mobile user experience, are mobile websites all that bad? You hear so much about the benefits of building a dedicated native app, but that can become an incredibly costly gamble if users don’t take to it. That said, is the progressive web app the best choice? And will it eventually replace the mobile web and native apps? This article explores this idea. Read more…

December 6, 2018 — There’s no need to master new design techniques in 2019; most of what was on trend this year is going to stay on trend next year. Instead, think about ways in which you can set a better standard for mobile-first design. Read more…

November 14, 2018 — Ever since Pokémon Go brought augmented reality into consumers’ line of sight, marketers and developers have been looking for a way to hone AR’s power for their own purposes. If there ever was a time to jump on this game-changing bandwagon, it’s now. AR provides spatial and facial mapping technologies that will not only delight your users, but will improve the overall experience of interacting with your app’s brand. Read more…

October 18, 2018 — It’s an exciting time when your mobile app is ready to launch, but be careful. No matter how high you see those app store downloads go, don’t go rushing to celebrate just yet. There’s a more meaningful metric you should be paying attention to in order to determine the success of your app, and that’s the mobile app retention rate. Read more…

September 24, 2018 — The mobile web is a booming place right now, which means web designers are spending lots of time trying to figure out how to win over this particular class of users. One way not to do that? Dark patterns. While your company may get some superficial and short-term gains in the process, nothing good will come from it in the long-run. Read more…

September 3, 2018 — The 2017 holiday season proved — once again — that e-commerce has become a major part of consumers’ shopping habits. This guide will take a closer look at the role mobile websites played in sales from that time period and how to use that data to prepare your website for the 2018 holiday season. Read more…

August 17, 2018 — In Google’s never-ending journey to make the web a mobile-friendly place, we now have even greater insights into the four key reasons why consumers reach for their mobile devices. These are known as micro-moments, and this post aims to teach you how to design for micro-moments to increase website conversion rates. Read more…

June 28, 2018 — With mobile traffic increasing on local business websites, web developers and designers are now tasked with a new responsibility. It’s no longer enough for websites to rank well — they need to rank well in local search results, too. Read more…

June 1, 2018 — In terms of how to handle typography in mobile web design, it appears that simpler and safer works best. In this article, we will break down the elements you need to pay attention to in mobile typography and then visit what the research says about how to handle them. Read more…

April 20, 2018 — Data tells us that there are more mobile than desktop web visits. However, mobile conversion rates are still lagging behind those on desktop. This article will dig into why your mobile visitors are willing to ditch their purchases altogether. Read more…

April 2, 2018 — Are mobile pop-ups dying, or will they simply undergo another adaptation? If they continue to remain effective, how should designers make use of them, especially in mobile web design? Are there alternatives? Let’s see what the research says. Read more…

March 9, 2018 — As attention spans shorten and visitors just want to get to the good stuff on a website, designers have to get more creative in how they communicate their website’s “story.” This article suggests techniques that can be used in web design. Read more…

January 8, 2018 — Logic would dictate that ghost buttons are not good for web design. Yet, research shows us that visitors don’t necessarily see them that way. Read more…

December 19, 2017 — Did you know that mobile dating app users spend, on average, more than a half-hour on these apps every single day? If you’re curious to know what’s the secret to their success, stop right here. .

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