When businesses first started introducing their brands online, there was a vast difference in approach. Some brands led the way, while others are still completing the transition. However, there is no denying that times have changed. Website design is now a cutting-edge industry, one where the true movers and shakers are constantly competing. Who can offer the best user experience, the most unique design and intuitive AI assistant? Almost all major brands have thrown their hat in the ring with one innovation or another, including Starbucks and other fast food chains. The innovative apps, mobile-friendly websites, and custom service software have defined the standards for consumer and B2B customer service.
Time and time again we see articles about how to act and think like the big brands. They suggest you'll be successful if you read the same books that powerful CEOs have read. Small businesses model their marketing after campaigns that worked well for international corporations. Big brands customize everything from the inside out, hiring a combination of department employees and outsourcing agencies to fine-tune their image and marketing assets. The only way to break through and define the new cutting edge is to design custom software and innovate as you go.
Sometimes to achieve your goal you need to understand where the idea comes from. "The cutting edge" is a turn of phrase that means the sharpest, most forward possible point. The cutting edge is defined by the leader in an industry or idea. Whoever has designed the smallest microchip to date is at the cutting edge of microchip design. Brands strive for the cutting edge by reaching for the latest stable technology but the brands that make the papers are the ones that innovate something new and redefine the cutting edge for everyone else. If you have the capability of reaching the latest stable template technology, how much further is it to designing something the industry has never seen before?
When it comes to web design, most consumers have seen it all. They know the standard templates by sight even if they don't know their names. This makes every template site easy to navigate but also difficult to remember. Even if you buy the most cutting-edge website builder package, you are still using a feature set designed by the website builder. You may have the ability, team, and ideas to innovate but your website is not invested in a template that doesn't allow for that. A custom website is completely different.
With a custom website, you can alter it in any way you want. Infinite pages, encapsulated web design, and unique branding are all easy to accomplish. But even more importantly, you can update the website at any time with more custom programming.
Your industry is both your area of expertise and your competition. Naturally, you want to be an industry leader because then everyone else is subtly competing with you. Your innovations impact the whole industry as others mimic and improve upon your work. To be in that position, you need to do something exemplary. Inventing a new website innovation that streamlines your work or improves customer experience is one of the top ways to innovate right now.
Currently, computer technology is far outstripping the solutions we have applied to it. Anyone who wants to become an industry leader has a very good reason to consider how to use the current tools available. Analysis, dashboards, and artificial intelligence can be applied to so many things. Not to mention the possibilities of layered UI design, 3D rendering, and multi-platform integration. If your experimentation can set an inspiring example for your entire industry, you will rise do the top no matter what size your company was to start with. If something about your design goes viral, you could be looking at global exposure overnight.
Many brands are putting all their energy into improving mobile and website customer service. Rewards programs and accounts, favourites, and AI personal assistants are all the rage but there is plenty of room for improvement. Spend some time exploring the best apps of the age and think about how they can be improved. What would be more intuitive? What would be even more convenient? Try to connect app capability with solving everyday problems, and you are far more likely to see mass adoption.
Customer service is a fantastic area for website design because web app and online portals are your primary way to reach out to your customer base. One direction to seriously consider is voice-controlled AI assistants. Smart home and mobile device personalities are highly popular, and many industries are experimenting with their own chat and voice personalities. If you invent one that is both appealing and useful, they could be the new hands-free friend. Especially if your software is industry or niche specific.
Of course, where innovations are most needed are inter-office and industry solutions. All those tiny detailed tasks done by employees every day can and should be streamlined by software solutions. If you offer a web application that helps customers do their work, helpful cutting-edge improvements will be appreciated by thousands. Your goal, in this case, is to solve pain points in a smooth and enjoyable way. Your user interface might even make efficiency even more rewarding with small animations. When your software is surprisingly easy and a delight to use, professionals across all relevant industries will be interested.
But it all starts with custom software. Working within a template may provide a certain number of guaranteed features, but only custom development can create the innovation needed to reach the cutting-edge of industry technology. Whether you are manufacturing goods, providing a service, or running an eCommerce market, give yourself feature flexibility by custom designing and expanding your own software.
If you'd like more information about how to design innovative custom software, contact us today. We'd be happy to consult on your brand, web design, and even transferring your website from a template to custom design.