There have been some fun experiments carried out into working memory, or, how much information a person is able to temporarily store in their short term memory and how that affects their decision making capabilities.

My favorite involves asking the subject to remember either a single digit number or a seven digit number, then ‘by chance’ offering them a piece of chocolate cake or a fruit salad. Those who had been given a single digit number more often chose the fruit salad, while those with the longer number to remember chose the chocolate cake. The theory is that the ones carrying a ‘lighter cognitive load’ had more brain power left to resist the lure of the cake.

(Source: http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/news/bmag/sbsm0802/feature-babashiv.html)

This is important for your web design, because you want to ensure your visitors are processing what you want them to – i.e. your USPs (unique selling points) and special offers.

If your website is too deviant from the prototype, lackscognitive fluency or is too visually complex, then the poor user will be exhausted before they’ve even noticed you’ve got 40% off everything.

Having expended all that brainpower just looking at your website, they will feel disengaged and tired and will switch over to somewhere else that makes them feel more relaxed and at home – i.e. your competitor’s site.

However, if they’re arrived at your site and it instantly looks familiar, feels straightforward and doesn’t distract, then they can immediately get on with what they came there for in the first place – i.e. buying your products and services.

Check out these articles for more detail on why simple website are better:

• Why Simple Websites are Better  #1 - Playing to Prototypes
• Why Simple Websites are Better  #2 - Cognitive Fluency
•             Why Simple Websites are Better  #3 - Visual Processing of Complexity
   

Click here to read about tips on choosing a web designer and how to write copy for your website homepage.

We were proud to create the new website for Grow Well Gardens, a fantastic landscape gardener in Leeds.

Grow Well Gardens is run by Rob, a charming fellow who really knows his Rhododendrons from his Azaleas.

Rob had a basic Flash website that wasn’t doing anything useful – not getting any leads and not really impressing clients who went there directly.

We did a brand new web design, bringing the visuals up to date, including lots of trust-building logos that represent the company’s qualifications, experience and associations, links to social media and comprehensive details of the various services offered.

You can check out the website here: www.growwellgardens.co.uk

We realised that pictures really say it all when it comes to gardening, so the site includes a range of high quality interactive slideshows which allow visitors to browse through a wide variety of before and after pictures. This builds trust and proves the quality of work, and also offers inspiration to new customers.

The website also features ‘A Year in a Garden’ page which offers visitors advice and tips on the most important things to do in their gardens at each of the different seasons. Offering free information like this serves several useful purposes – it builds trusts with visitors, who can see that the company really does have expertise, and it helps from an SEO point of view. That’s because Google loves content, and is more inclined to highly rank a website that offers good quality relevant content than one which just lists services and prices.

We’re pleased to report that the website shot to the top of the Google rankings for a range of relevant searches, and at the time for writing for on the front page for the searches:

•  Gardeners leeds
•  Landscape gardeners leeds
• Garden services leeds

Rob employs a team of enthusiastic gardeners and invests in high quality equipment, which means the efficiency and quality of the work is second to none. They handle everything from garden clearances to regular garden maintenance to fencing, turfing, patios and driveways and basically everything garden related.

If you need a gardener in Leeds and the surrounding area, they come highly recommended!

And of course if you’d like us to work similar magic on your website, then visit our main web design website.

Here is what Rob said about working with us:

As a business owner I recognise the importance of providing a friendly and professional service to clients and therefore I have high expectations of any business professionals that I choose to trust and work with.

Grow Well Gardens website was well overdue a complete re design, after speaking with a few different web designers I choose to use Sentiva.

The whole process was made clear from the start and was explained in a way so that even I could understand. Communication was great throughout so that I felt part of the process from beginning to end.

Kat and her team came up with a fantastic design which met and exceeded my expectations which is just what I need to push Grow Well Gardens forward.

The whole experience with Sentiva was a pleasure from the beginning to end and I would have no hesitation in recommending them to my friends, family and work colleagues.

Robert Vickers, Grow Well Gardens

Mobile usage is just going up and up and up - and that's not for chatting on the phone. Mobile providers are increasingly finding users are using more data than calls or text messages, and billions of apps have been downloaded since Apple launched its first iPhone. There are even statistic showing that it's now common for people to be using their phone while simultaneously watching TV.

Here are some mobile statistics for your enjoyment:

• 92% of adults in the UK have a mobile phone
• An average of 153 text messages are sent per mobile phone subscriber
• 39% of people with a mobile use it to access the Internet
• In 2012 33 million adults accessed the Internet every day (more than double the figure from 2006)
• In 2012, 32% of adults accessed the Internet using a mobile phone every day.

(src:http://media.ofcom.org.uk/facts/ and http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/rdit2/internet-access---households-and-individuals/2012-part-2/stb-ia-2012part2.html)

As you might expect, as web designers, we’re going to be a bit biased when it comes to comparing the value of websites against newspaper adverts. But we’re going to have a go at explaining just why small businesses should focus their marketing budget on the web, rather than on print.

This is especially true when there is a very small budget available.

Your money gets you more ‘inches’

Print advertising is notoriously expensive. In a local paper, a tiny advert could cost you the same as a single page website and a full page advert will get you a whole website.

 In a full page print advert you’re limited to what you can get across. Your company name, what you do, contact details and hopefully a USP or special offer.

However, in a full website you could get far more information across, which builds trust and engages the customer. It can save you time by answering basic questions directly and avoiding people who aren’t really potential customers. You could include information about your company background, more detail about a range of services  and rates, provide several contact options, display testimonials and even offer free advice to show the potential customer you really know your onions.

Your money lasts longer

The main disadvantage of a print ad is its limited lifetime. Most publications are monthly, weekly or even daily. That means that means that time period has passed, that money is lost forever. However, a website is there indefinitely. If it’s designed well, the same website could serve a small business for many years. There is a small ongoing hosting cost, that that is usually going to cost about the same as the rent for a phone line.

Websites are more targeted

Even if you target your publication very closely (and most people don’t), you can’t be sure that the customers are in the market for your product at that time. And if you just use a local newspaper, the vast majority of the readers will have no interest in your product or service. However, a website appears exactly when people search for it – you can’ get much more targeted than that.

If you're thinking of getting a website designed in Leeds, or anywhere across the UK, then give us a call for a chat about your project. We're happy to give free advice and suggestions as well as quotes and proposals.

Say responsive web design to a room full of designers and you’re liable to get a roomful of groans. So what is responsive web design and why is it such a nightmare?

So, what is responsive web design?

 

Responsive web design means making websites which change according to the device the user is using. For example, a website can detect if it’s being viewed on a mobile device and display a layout which has been designed accordingly.

Responsive web design will avoid the need for scrolling, zooming and resizing by the user.

And why is it such a nightmare?

The reason it’s such a nightmare is that the number of devices and technologies are constantly changing, so it’s almost impossible to create something that works across all platforms. Creating a design that works elegantly across various browsers, screen sizes and resolutions and takes advantage of the latest sexy, slick scripts but doesn’t break on clunky ancient machines can eat up days and weeks.

So, should we be using it or not?

My answer to almost any question like this is – it depends. It depends on the budget, and therefore time available for the project, and how serious it is. In an ideal world you’ll have enough time to make the perfect website that will work across all platforms (until tomorrow, when another one comes out). However, if the client’s budget is too tight, then you have to compromise.

For more advice about basic legal requirements for websites and SEO, check out our resource bank.

We offer managed web hosting as standard with all our websites, because all websites need hosting, and it's a critical part of having an effective, reliable website.

But quite often clients who don't work with technology have no idea what web hosting is, or why they need it. We try our best to explain everything in terms that every one can understand, because a client who is confident that they know what's going on and are in control of the process, is a happy client.

This article aims to explain what web hosting is in very basic terms so that everyone can understand the principles. We don't go into the nitty gritty technical details, so it's not quite as simple as we make out - but it's as much as most people need to know.

So.

What is web hosting and why do you need it if you have a website?

A website is essentially a collection of files, including code files and images. These files need to be stored somewhere. You could keep them on your computer, but then your website would dissappear every time your turned your computer off, and if your internet connection wasn't very powerful, your website might appear unreliable to visitors. Also, whenever someone wanted to view your website, they would be using up your personal intenet connection.

So, instead of having websites live on home computers, there are huge computers which are dedicated to being homes for websites - and these are called servers. Servers are usually very powerful and are never turned off.

Having your computer live on one of these computers is called 'hosting'. Your 'host' is the supplier of the space on the server.

If you found this article helpful and want to learn more about web design and SEO, then have a look at our resource bank.

If you're looking for IT Support services for business or home, then try Unigold 2000.

One of our major projects, Emerson's Select 8 Online, has launched - marking the next generation in their refrigeration technology selection software.

We've have been working closely with the International Climate Technology Corporation, and liaising regularly with the company that built the original desktop-based software to create a new web-based version.

The new web-based software offers the advantages of being available to users anywhere they have internet access, and allowing Emerson to keep all of the data up to date, without engineers needing to download regular updates. Having the latest data is critical in this constantly moving industry.

Having a web-based version of the software also allows the program to be updated with new features and updates on a regular basis, ensuring all users have the latest benefits.

Select 8 Online software offers a range of new features including a flexible interface, allowing users to customise exactly which data tables and graphics they wish to have on display.

A customised PDF report can be generated based on the users preferences and selections from thousands of options, and these reports are frequently used as part of consultant proposals.
 
"Emphasis on a user friendly interface and regular database updates have contributed to its popularity and made it a ready tool for consultants, contractors, end users and students in the fields of refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps."

Emerson Climate Technologies

View the software here: http://www.emersonclimate.com/europe/en-eu/Resources/Software_Tools/Pages/SelectOnline.aspx

Sentiva is a web design and development company based in Leeds, Yorkshire - creating robust, elegent software for organisations in the UK and Europe. Find out more about Sentiva's software development and web development services here.