What Really Matters for Credit Union Websites?

What Really Matters for Credit Union Websites: REVISITED

In the fall of 2007, we released a white paper about credit union website design called "Website 'Standards' – What Really Matters for Credit Unions Online?". It is still the most downloaded article on our website. We often refer our clients to the article to provide them with a deeper understanding of why we design credit union website interfaces the way we do, and what the meaning behind our seemingly traditional methods really is.

As we enter into a new year and a new decade on the web, and as I continue to get the same questions from clients about the best methods for interface design, branding, and online marketing for credit unions, I feel that the topics in the original white paper are as relevant as ever, and are often being overlooked because of a shift in focus to new options for content delivery on the web. Therefore, I have decided to provide a (slightly) revised version of the paper via this blog in a multi-part series called "What Really Matters for Credit Union Websites: REVISITED". I hope it is found to be as beneficial as the original. Here we go...

Part One: Standards Should be User Experience Guidelines, not Development Guidelines

The definition of web “standards” is often vague. What I’ve learned is that the goal of web development standards and accessibility is to make the web usable for disabled individuals, and to make web pages flexible in a way that allows them to display across platforms and displays on different devices. These methods are potentially beneficial in many ways but are only beginning to become widely adopted. Because the web is still new, we all feel a need for some kind of standards, its just a matter of what needs to be standardized and why.

We can only hope that eventually, there will be one universally accepted method of developing websites. There are signs pointing to this becoming a reality with the advent of more service-based and cloud computing technologies. Right now there are many different methods that depend on many different variables, including the firm, the developers, the designers, the software and languages used, the hosting platform, the timeline and budget, the maintenance methods, and (though ironically often forgotten)… the users. What really matters for credit unions on the web is to follow some simple common sense guidelines and to implement features and content because they achieve goals, not because they can be implemented or because a competitor has done it. The web (for any business) will always be about achieving business goals via the rapidly changing and new medium. One thing that is absolutely imperative to achieving those goals is a happy web user.

There is a more important type of standard that is being overlooked.

Imagine if every time you purchased a new novel at the book store you knew it would be printed on paper and bound, but you didn’t know how the pages would be organized, if there would be chapters or a table of contents, if it would be written with proper grammar or spelled correctly, or if the pages would be numbered, lettered, or even in any kind of order. That is the equivalent of what is happening on many web sites today. There is rarely a balance between methods, style, creativity, usability, and presentation. Hence, there is a great need for standards that define best practices for the user experience.

General user experience standards should relate to things like instant brand recognition, placement of navigation and content (by type), layout integrity and flow, effective placement of marketing messages, or consistent integration of third party modules or external sites. These examples just scratch the surface, but there are no real “standards” set forth for these types of implementations. Standards can also be employed that relate directly to the target audience of a website. For instance, the credit union member is the first and main focus of the credit union, therefore it should be the first focus of the website and how it is developed. What do members want when they come into the branch? That is probably similar to what they want from the site. The audience doesn’t care how the site is built, as long as it is easy to use, focused on them, and does what they want it to do. This is especially true in the case of a credit union member.

As credit unions we have a unique opportunity to employ these ideas because our customers’ needs are focused. We have the chance to define some credit union website standards. How do we do that? To find out, stay tuned to Cloud 9 for the second part in this series... "Set Yourself Apart by being Un-Original"

Comments

Thanks for your comment! We feel it is important to assist all credit unions in better understanding how to be successful on the web. The more the industry understands, the better our work becomes. It all starts with a well planned, designed and implemented site. Keep an eye out for the rest of the series on What Really Matters for Credit Union Websites. Jason

That was an inspiring post,
This is a great explanation as to what is of importance to credit union websites,
Thanks for writing, most people don't bother.