UI (user interface) and UX (user experience) are usually where properties have the opportunity to rise above the competition. How your website looks and feels to your prospective residents matters... a lot. When UI/UX is done well, it can instill confidence in your website visitors and can ultimately result in more traffic and more qualified and converted leads. When done poorly, it can create friction with your website visitors and ultimately result in a lost lead and money left on the table.
We recently rebranded and relaunched Razz’s website, using the psychology of design and thoughtfulness around our customer’s needs to create a website that showcases the kind of lead-generating websites Razz creates for properties.
To further elaborate on the importance of a website for properties and the design of it, we sat down with Mateo Quintero, Manager of Website Design for Razz to hear a bit more from an expert:
Hi Mateo. We’re curious, why do you think a website is so important to a business, specifically in multifamily?
I mean the answer is simple. It’s your biggest supporter for lead generation and marketing. In our very digital world, you need a website. It is essential to a business’ success and credibility. I, as a renter, might see all of these properties in a Google search and which ones have websites. I would more than likely give the most attention to those that have a website over the ones that don’t.
The properties that have websites that provide more for me as a renter, reflect more credibility because they have all the information I need. So, in some ways, it gains a sort of trust with renters, including me.
It also means that not having a website, or a functional website, is like handing your business over to your competitors and neighboring properties because they're ahead of you on this. They're going to be more reachable and searchable if you don’t have one.
Most definitely. I say in 2023, you need a website 100%. There are no ifs ands, or buts about it.
So, we’ve established having a website is non-negotiable. But now I am curious as to what you think a website needs at its core to be functional, first and foremost?
Well, the average user is researching from their phone. So, a website has to have a mobile-first design. Your prospective residents shouldn’t struggle navigating your website on a mobile device. Not having a mobile-friendly* AND mobile-responsive site is going to create friction for your website visitors and ultimately leads to more bounce rates. So, you must make sure your website prioritizes a design that transfers well to a cell phone.
*Here’s a good layout of the difference between mobile-friendly and mobile-responsive:
Mobile-friendly – Websites that are mobile-friendly can still load quickly on a cell phone (i.e. a few seconds or less.) They are typically pages that are shrunken-down versions of what you would see on the desktop screen. While this allows mobile users to view, browse, and use the site, it doesn’t necessarily make it easy. Login and password bars can become hard to click, buttons can easily be “fat-fingered,” and user experience usually gets put on the back burner. Being mobile-friendly is only one part to having a full mobile experience.
Mobile-responsive – Websites that are mobile-responsive are pages that have been reformatted to reproduce what you experience on the desktop. This means that instead of shrinking everything down, clickable items are enlarged, and pictures are resized and reformatted. This also safeguards the user experience when turning the mobile device from a vertical view to a horizontal view.
In your opinion, tell me the 3 most important aspects in designing a website for properties?
Navigation, usability and accessibility. I feel like those three go hand in hand. With navigation, you want to present a clear way of navigating through your website while also giving them exactly what they need. For instance, on a property website you want to make it easy to navigate floor plans as well as an easy way to maneuver through virtual tours and things of that nature.
Usability goes back to making the website easy to move through. Mobile-friendly, mobile-responsive, etc. There shouldn't be any issues with your website that might incite frustration among your website visitors.
Accessibility comes down to making the website accessible for all people. Let’s say someone visits your website and they are visually impaired or have other disabilities that would impact how they consume the content on your website, you need to ensure ADA compliance is built into your website. Essentially, make the website accessible to everyone.
Makes a lot of sense! So now that we’ve got the structure of a well-built website, you might now be designing content and visuals. How does a good website use content and visuals to create a connection with the user? What does that look like?
For me, I think it's all about storytelling. I see a website like a book. So, when you land on a website, you're seeing the cover of that said book. The colors, headers and banners will be the first look of your business’ brand. Then the navigation acts as the chapters of each book, where you can navigate the rest of the brand’s story. Then you have obvious call-to-actions that serve as a sort of cliffhanger to go to the next step of the user journey.
So the story, between all of the imagery, videos, content and copy, all of that needs to come together in a way and reflect how you want your website visitors to feel as they navigate your website.
I love the storytelling metaphor and think that’s a great way to look at it. How would you say the use of color and visuals affect the user experience of a website? What kind of impact is that going to have?
This is where psychology can really come into play. Colors, for example, have a direct impact on moods and emotions. It’s why some people might paint their bedroom yellow for a positive effect on their mood. Colors invoke emotion and it’s important to note that when choosing the more prominent colors of your website.
This also translates into the imagery and iconography you might place on your web pages. For example, your homepage is going to be the first impression a renter has about your property. Again, it goes back to what kind of story you’re trying to tell and how you’re trying to make these website visitors feel about your brand.
As an example of how we used color and visuals, we at Razz created websites for properties with one of our clients based in Denver. They wanted to showcase a more active lifestyle with their website. So, now, you can see pictures or short videos of people hiking and the goal is to get the right renters to say, “Oh, yes! This is something I love to do and a part of who I am. I feel like I would belong at this property.”
By the way, videos are a huge plus. I believe there’s a statistic that says you are 66% more likely to convert a lead with video or moving pictures than still images. Moving pictures will capture more attention simply because it jumps out more to the average eye.
I see your point! Design really does have a psychological reference to it. So obviously you want to provide website visitors with the information that they need, but would you say is the line between too much content and too little?
Well, you definitely don’t want to overwhelm prospects with your website content. While it’s important to give them the information they need, you can design your website in a way that does so without distracting or overwhelming them.
Say you have a lot of copy you want on your site. You might balance that out by pairing a few sentences next to an image or video or some type of iconography. In today’s reality, not many people are going to read every word on the screen as much as they might have a long time ago. So if the copy, or what you’re writing on your website, is important for them to read, you can better capture their attention by pairing it with some sort of visual just to break it up a bit more.
From a visual standpoint, think about what a renter needs to actually see. Interactive floor plans, virtual tours, and carousels of units are a functional way for renters to see the actual property itself, even digitally. That’s the kind of content that will initiate a renter imagining themselves living at your property.
This was so helpful! Thanks, Mateo. Also, Razz’s new website looks amazing! Considering all you mentioned around UI/UX, where did you apply that understanding with Razz's new website?
When it came to our approach of the new Razz website, we wanted to focus on telling a story of what Razz and our platform can do for our clients. To achieve this, we aimed to establish ourselves as a team of creative thinkers through strong visuals, bold colors, and effortless animations that draw the user's attention and encourage further exploration.
Of course, we also considered all the important UX elements that make a website successful—accessibility, responsiveness, and usability. Ensuring the website is intuitive and easy to navigate, with clear calls-to-action and logical page flows.
Overall, our approach to the new Razz website was to create a visually stunning experience that tells a clear story of what makes Razz best in class. Our website is merely an extension of what we can and will do for properties and their websites, too.
Interested in using our design experts at Razz for your websites without spending tens of thousands of dollars? Let's chat.
