Having a website is one thing but making it intentional and having a purpose is another.
Ben McIntyre is the Design Leader, Founder and Director at Melbourne-based BJM Digital, a trusted digital services business which delivers strategic custom websites, website design and web apps. They are a WP Engine strategic partner.
Their clients include such recognizable brands as McKenzies Foods, NOW Finance, HUB24, JobAdder, Ansell, oOh!media, Dulux, BASF, Redkite, Dow Chemical, and Royal Melbourne Hospital.
In this episode of Velocitize Talks, Ben McIntyre shares his thoughts on custom websites, audience engagement and brand investment.
Advantage: BJM Digital
Something that we ingrain in everything that we do is what we call Adaptive Advantage, which is fundamentally understanding and anticipating the needs of the user and making sure that whatever we’re presenting them is what they need in that moment.
BJM Digital approaches website design from an “Adaptive Advantage” perspective that helps anticipate future requirements and ensure long-term success. The agency uses this framework to provide a solid methodology in creating unique digital experiences for their clients that are simple as well as intuitive.
The Adaptive Advantage system cements the ability to adapt to the evolving needs and behaviors of the consumer. Having the expertise to predict consumer behavior and responding in kind is important to establishing a long-term relationship that can grow over time. According to BJM Digital, knowing what’s next is knowing what to do next.
“Your brand and your users should trump how much money you’ve got, what the budget is, and just think about those things first, then let the project and the budget follow,” says McIntyre.
User-Centric Website Design
What are we doing next? What do we need to adapt this particular moment in time to then create a reason to move across to the next step?
BJM Digital infuses human-centered and custom design into its website development, while successfully integrating personalization into the user experience.
“It’s a really interesting time and space with personalization,” says McIntyre. “While consumers expect it more and more these days, I think there are lots of ways we can talk about it, whether it’s smart content based on returning visitors and providing them with dynamic information.”
From personalized shopping experiences to loyalty programs, consumers want to feel like valued individuals and the best way to accomplish that is through accurate customer data and, increasingly, employing AI tools to create solutions.
“Utimately we aim to bring our clients closer to our customers,” McIntyre says, “and that’s through websites and web apps. We do that for customers who really value brand and understand the user and the user experience and are willing to invest in that, and put the time and effort that it really deserves.”
Speaking to Your Audience
If it’s donations, that’s very different to a family who’s found out that someone in their family has cancer. We really needed to empathize with where they are on their journey.
One of BJM Digital’s clients is Redkite, an Australian cancer charity offering information, resources and services for families facing childhood cancer. Redkite serves three audiences and three distinct user journeys: families (their clients), health professionals and supporters. BJM Digital partnered with the charity to create and design these unique user experiences while updating the outdated digital architecture.
The experience was customized to address the specific needs of end-users and facilitate audience engagement with available and downloadable resources, healthcare information, volunteer opportunities, and the donation process. BJM Digital created a decision tree to help people navigate what they were looking for.
“Even the families themselves have a different need in a different moment,” says McIntyre. “It might be a parent looking for specific information. It might be a supporter who is looking to donate. We need to think about when people get to Redkite, there’s a lot to talk about and they might be very different people.”
Conversational Websites
I feel that websites and their value is being impacted somewhat by the perception that you can do it yourself.
Websites tend to be overlooked as a powerful communications tool with your audience, which has led to the belief that they will eventually become unnecessary. Web design and development need to adapt in order to remain relevant.
“I don’t believe websites are going to be obsolete in terms of people going to get information about a brand for a specific purpose,” McIntyre says. “The way that people are going to interact is going to change a lot.”
He also sees a shift toward a more chat-based, as opposed to text-based, conversational website which will ultimately provide more of an immersive experience.
“You can have a website or a web app and it’s a vessel and that’s all well and good,” McIntyre says. “It might look nice but if it’s not effective in terms of resonating with the audience, then all it is a website.”
Learn more about BJM Digital on their website and follow them on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. To keep up with Ben McIntyre, follow him on LinkedIn.