As a web designer there are a few "suggestions" that clients throw at me all the time.

• Can you make my logo bigger?
• Can we have only pictures and no text?
• Can we have a flash website?
• Can you be sure to keep everything "above the fold?"

In this post, I'd like to address the concept of above the fold.

The term comes from back in the days of printed newspapers. The best photographs and most attention grabbing headlines were placed above the newspaper fold to entice buyers to purchase that particular issue. There was literally no way to see what was on the bottom half unless you made the purchase, costing you money.

For years now, the term above the fold has been used to represent the information that is placed above 600px on a website. According to the people who use this term, users aren't willing to scroll on a webpage. The fact of the matter is that this does not cost the website visitor anything other than a quick flick of the finger on the scroll wheel. It's free, unlike a newspaper. There is no reason someone won't look below the fold unless you have a poorly designed website.

Take a second and read this quick post called "Life Below 600px" by Paddy Donnelley. I subscribe to the concept of the build up. Simply put, provide information and graphics that a website user will want to see. Then entice them to scroll down and want to see more by even more great graphics and written content. Maybe the best example you can find out there on the internet is the website for Charity Water. I want to scroll on just about every page on this website. The data is presented so well. There is breathing room around everything and pages have important information 3000px down. I saw it though.

We analyze the statistics and how our iMinistries website is interacted with on a regular basis. We've also noticed on all of our pages, users are willing to scroll. With the above the fold concept you'd think that most of the clicks to our "Free Trial" or "Pricing" button would happen only at the top of this page. Clearly, we are getting many clicks all the way at the bottom. We believe this is because we've presented the information on this page in a simple, clean  visual way and have provided content that our website visitors want to see.

On a Church Website, what do you think should be above the fold?

1. Katya's Non-Profit Marketing Blog

2. UX Magazine

3. Mashable

4. A List Apart

5. iMinistries Blog

Over a period of six months we monitored the usage of all of iMinistries websites using Google Analytics. Some results were to be expected. Others surprised us. From these statistics we've come to the conclusion that the convergence of technology, social media, and design/UX create a healthy church web presence.

Technology

Definition: The platform your website is built upon, and how you manage website content.

A church should be using some sort of content management system (CMS). Website content includes, pages, blog entries, sermons, news, and events. This technology should be SEO friendly and easy to update.

Why?: People come to your website for content (see the astounding numbers below). It is important to present that content in a way that is easy to find and interesting. A CMS is the best tool for completing those tasks because:

1. A CMS helps you organize your content.
2. A CMS lets you concentrate on the content, instead of the back-end technology.
3. A CMS makes your website findable on search engines.

Social Media

Definition: Outlets used to engage and connect with users and draw traffic to your website.

Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo, YouTube, and LinkedIn are a few examples. Newcomers are Google+ and Pinterest--both showed good results in the first six months, but not enough to give much thought to them yet. We plan on revisiting this in another six months and are curious to see if that changes.

Why?: Social media hubs like Facebook give you a level of personal interaction that is usually lacking on your main website. Twitter and video sites can also help your content be shared to audiences who wouldn't normally come into contact with you.

Design/UX

Definition: How your website looks and functions.

Is it easy to navigate and find content. Is your website visually appealing? Is it simple? Your website should look professional. This design should be carried over into the social media outlets to create a uniform online presence.

Why?: What good is content if your visitors can't find it? Or if interacting with your website is not a positive experience? Your UX leaves a lasting impression to users, most of the time within seconds of their arrival.

The Infographic

Put all these things together, and you have a healthy web presence. Here is a visual representation of our data:

1. Welcome them to your doorstep.

Trick-or-treat style

On your website

2. Don't scare them away.

Trick-or-treat style

On your website

3. Give out quality goodies.

Trick-or-treat style

On your website

4. Evaluate steps 1-3, improve, repeat.

Trick-or-treat style

Which candy was a hit, which wasn't?		Buy more of the hit, none of the dud.
How can I get more traffic?		Coffee for the parents?
Were younger kids too afraid of the decor?		Ditch it in favor of more visitors.

On your website

Which content was a hit, which wasn't?		Create more of the hit, get rid of the dud.
What are visitors searching for?		Does navigation make sense for the user?
How can I lower my bounce rate?		Simplify home page with less ads and banners.

Your feedback

Want to improve your church website's user experience (UX) and don't know where to begin? Start with by asking yourself these four questions.

1. "Is There Too Much Stuff?"

"It's all about removing the unnecessary."
- Jonathan Ive, Senior VP of Industrial Design at Apple

We've already talked about how removing superfluous features and content can make it easier for your visitors to find what they're looking for. Help your users out by making the most-asked-for information front-and-center. You don't want your website to end up looking like the stop sign in the video below.

2. "Do Users Have To Think?"

This step, taken from Steve Krug's UX opus, Don't Make Me Think, calls you to help make the decisions users have to make as easy as possible. It only takes seconds of indecision before users become frustrated, so don't press you luck by trying to be cute with "creative" menu titles, for example.

Think like your user would think when creating your website navigation. Where would Average Joe look for your doctrinal statement? What would Jane Doe name your Contact page?

3. "Are My Users Happy?"

“Don’t lose sight of user delight.”
- Mark Pincus, founder of Zynga

• Posting video announcements instead of your weekly bulletin
• Adding web-only content from your pastor or church leaders
• Creating blog posts that ask engaging questions and encourage comments
• Showing your weekly service online

4. "Do I Make a Good First Impression?"

"We’re psychologically hardwired to trust beautiful people, and the same goes for websites."
- Dr. Brent Coker, University of Melbourne

In a new University of Melbourne study, Dr. Brent Coker found that users' trust in a website depends heavily on its visual appeal. This appeal starts with your home page (or other landing pages, if you have them). An attractive church website home page is clean, colorful, organized intuitively, and expresses what your church stands for.

• Check out Visual Swirl's list of 60 Best Church Website Designs for inspiration
  (iMinistries' own Harvest Oakville is on the list)

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Learn more about UX

I read a lot of blogs and books on how to create great websites, but few have been so immediately impactful to me as Steve Krug's usability tome, Don't Make Me Think. It is often regarded as THE book on making websites easy for users to find what they want. Below is a nugget of truth from this book.

Three downsides to asking for more than you need

1. It tends to keep you from getting real data.

"As soon as people realize you're asking for more than you need, they feel completely justified in lying to you. I often tell my clients that e-mail addresses are like heroin to marketing people, so addictive that it doesn't strike them as odd that 10% of their subscribers happen to be named 'Barney Rubble.'" - Krug

2. You get fewer completed forms.

"The formula is simple: the less data you ask for, the more submissions you'll get. People tend to be in an enormous hurry on the web, and if the form looks even a little bit longer than they expect, many just won't bother." - Krug

3. It makes you look bad.

"People who really want your newsletter may just through hoops to get it, but make no mistake, it will diminish their impression of you while they're doing it. On the other hand, if you only ask for the info you need, you've established a relationship with them you can get more data later in subsequent exchanges." - Krug

Three guidelines for your online forms

1. Only make me provide what you need to complete this transaction.

You only need my name and e-mail address to send me a newsletter. So only ask for that.

2. Don't ask for a lot of optional information.

The sight of a lot of empty fields can be overwhelming. The less you ask me to fill in, the more I actually will.

3. Show me the value of giving you my info.

Tell me exactly what I'll get by registering. Show me a sample newsletter. Answer your Contact Us inquiries quickly. Explain where your user's donations are going.

LEARN MORE ABOUT UX

So, Add More Stuff ... Right? Wrong.

1. Remove extra content

• Who are you?
• Where are you?
• What time are your services?
• What do you believe?
• How can I interact with you?

2. Remove user uncertainty

• "Where do I go to find out [question]?"
• "What does that word mean?"
• "Is this the right page?"

3. Remove superfluous design Removing friction, or distraction, from a user's experience will go along way in making them want to return. Create a home page with simple, clean graphics that link to the content that answers the five user questions above ... but don't go overboard. Use these guidelines to help keep your website from looking like Las Vegas: 3-5 home page banners 2-3 ads in your side column Only 1 of those ads rotates Only use images if they help to understand a page's content 1-2 inline images per page Small social media icons Be more Google than Yahoo.
	LESS IS MORE ...
	... MORE IS LESS

LEARN MORE ABOUT UX