Generation Z and the digital space
Over the years, the Internet has become the most powerful tool for selling services and products. It opened the door to new possibilities for projects without location restrictions. When it comes to the best use of the internet, having a website is the smartest solution.
An intelligent graphical interface can improve conversion rates, raise brand reputation or brand awareness. The most powerful aspect that will influence the level of your website is the user interface. The site needs to show that it provides a consistent user interface for visitors who come with different age groups.
When you’re designing a site for every age group, it’s tricky to calculate a solution for teenagers or young adults. Teenagers are constantly evolving and their interests are constantly changing, so it is difficult to predict them. In this case, it is important to ask the question why you need the website to be accessible to a young audience.
For starters, about 42% of the global population are people over 25 and 74% of adults around 18 are online. This average is higher for teenagers, up to 93%.
Make sure your page loads fast
Slow loading is the last thing you need when you want to attract a young audience. Slow loading times cause frustration because users are impatient and want everything to go lightning fast.
To achieve fast loading times for your website, use formatted images for fast browsing and limit the use of various plugins that slow down browsing. You should also limit various widgets or videos that use big data.
Don’t try to give teenagers advice!
Teenagers hate being called kids. They are proud of their status and don’t want to be associated with anything that is childish. Try to create an environment similar to theirs and highlight the current topics, the events they are currently living through. Like all people, they want to be heard. Also consider using a color scheme that is trending at the time with a strong focus on animated content.
Pale colors may work on younger audiences, but teenagers may be put off by it. If you want to attract teenagers and children, it is better to separate these sections into separate subpages.
Present your content professionally
Your users get bored quickly, so it’s important to communicate a positive first experience the moment they enter your site. The content and layout is the first thing your visitors will see.
A page full of text will look boring and people won’t know where to click. Have a focus group of your friends test the site. You may feel that you have used the right solution, but other people may find it confusing. When communicating a concept, use illustrations to give an idea. Show content in small chunks with plenty of white space.
To keep young visitors from leaving, try to keep information as brief as possible and use meaningful slogans or taglines to sell the information they need in seconds. Also avoid fonts that are too small and difficult to read.
Multimedia and interaction are an important element. They look good and users like them, but some elements are designed to get the young audience to interact with the site through online quizzes, polls, games, etc. That way you can track exactly what users want and use the data to adjust the page for the next update.
Optimise your website for mobile
Mobile devices have become mainstream among the young and are an essential part of everyday life. So don’t forget about mobile platforms. When designing web applications, use “material design” for smart UI solutions and fluid animations for so-called “transition” effects.
Use gamification on your website
Young people love to play games in their free time. Tailor the website to guide users towards a common goal. You will see how they behave or what their needs are. They will also stay on your site much longer than the average time spent on the site so far.
Let them share content
While young people like to spend time online, that doesn’t mean they automatically want to share your content. Even if you force them, it is possible that they will leave your site and not come back. Try to come up with something that will be shareable and offer either a discount or another service in return.
Use images
The more professional the images or photos you use, the more unique the content is and the more it stands out from the crowd. It’s good to use trendy graphics and photos that will find their audience. People today can already recognize what is being photographed professionally, so you shouldn’t skimp on creating content that showcases you.
About Nefkus
Nefkus is a unique multidisciplinary studio with a rigorous eye for design. We only produce outputs that can represent us at home and around the world.