Introducing The New Sleepretailer.com
An uncluttered approach to delivering the latest bedding and mattress industry news.
Just as many people resolve each new year to declutter their homes, we at Sleep Retailer have sought to clear some room in our digital home as well. We recently launched an updated website with a minimalistic and streamlined design. We went into this project looking to create clearer access to content, easier readability and an enhanced user experience. Along the way, we realized that our site refresh was not just about creating a new look and feel—the changes we were making also aligned with a larger and more important goal: to create a website experience that positively impacts mental health. For both physical and digital spaces, any efforts to streamline can go a long way towards de-stressing the mind as it moves through the space.
If you too are looking to update your brand or store website, we’ve rounded up a few of the key characteristics that can make websites more user-friendly on a practical and emotional level.
Clarity
Ensure that the point of your website is clear and that all directives throughout are as well. From the navigation bar at the top of the page to the titles of individual posts to the copy in the product descriptions, make sure the language you use is clear and approachable.
The first step towards greater clarity on our website was to evaluate our navigation. By removing and combining any excess navigation buttons, we sought to present our content departments more clearly and in their simplest terms: i.e: subscribe, newsletters, news, magazine.
Clarity minimizes anxiety. When content is difficult to understand, it can cause frustration and confusion and ultimately drive a user to leave the site if it feels too complex or hard to understand.
Brevity
With so many articles, sound bites and news updates on the average consumer’s devices, it’s easy for messages to get lost in the shuffle and for readers to feel overwhelmed. The clearest and most succinct message is more likely to stand out, be remembered and it will most likely feel refreshing to a reader.
At Sleepretailer.com, we eliminated excess text. We aimed to create a little more white space and make the images (worth a thousand words) a little larger. By removing the extra preview text, we put the emphasis on article titles as a means to eliminate distractions. When the featured image and title are strong enough, most users are deciding whether or not to click through based on those two elements alone—so why include more?
Simplicity
Once again, the internet can feel clogged and overwhelming for the average person and that’s why simplicity on your site is key. Using pared-down, straightforward copy, reducing the amount of unnecessary text and, in the case of retailers, streamlining product listings so that buyers can easily understand what each item offers them will support a much more comfortable experience.
If you are considering doing your own website refresh, remember to keep mental health and wellness in your design conversations. Think about how the way you present and receive information can help alleviate stress and deliver a less overwhelming experience. As you redesign, get to the heart of what you want site visitors to take away from their interaction and consider removing anything that does not contribute to that goal. It’s an exercise that will improve the user experience, but it will most likely make you feel a little lighter too!
