SMPL Q&A: 3 questions on digital brand experience with Jenna Isken

SMPL Q&A is a blog feature in which we interview experts on all things relevant to branding, design and simplicity. In this Q&A, we speak with Jenna Isken, senior marketing manager, about the value of a strategic digital brand experience.

What challenges do you face when executing a mobile-first strategy?

The biggest challenge with a mobile-first strategy is that, though the term feels outdated, its underlying logic is not. Those using mobile-first strategies were the first to design websites around the way people engage with them. While new technologies have made the term ‘mobile-first’ feel antiquated (today there are other points of entry such as watches, apps and tablets), the underlying theory behind the strategy—designing with an eye to user experience—is more relevant than ever.

Is it best to start with a responsive website or app?

It’s important to start with a user experience map. When a user comes to your site, what’s going on around them, what device they’re using and the information they seek affect their interaction with your site and their feeling about the experience. Thinking first about how users interact with your brand digitally will help you design a strategy that incorporates the right information with the right time and delivery method.

How can brand be a tool for this approach?

Brand is a lens through which to understand user experience and determine where you can be most impactful. The digital world can feel ominous and it’s easy to get lost if your approach to technology is to keep up with the Joneses. For example, Southwest tracked their user’s digital customer journey from desktop to phone and designed their digital experience around what each audience needs at each touchpoint, while delivering on their brand purpose: “To connect people to what’s important in their lives through friendly, reliable, low-cost air travel.” Southwest changed the organization of the information and call to actions between the desktop, phone and app to better meet these different needs. Log on to the desktop and special offers are highlighted. Open the same site on your phone and access to check-in and flight status is readily available. Finding where user needs overlap with your brand can add significant value and help determine where to focus—from strategy to technology to design.

Jenna Isken is senior marketing manager at Siegel+Gale. Follow Jenna on Twitter: @jennaisken