There is a plethora of information out there from former CEO’s and case studies about the many reasons why businesses fail or how to avoid failure of your small business, bad color and design is not usually one of the reasons given, but with more and more businesses existing exclusively online, color, design, and UX/UI is an issue for businesses today. It’s no longer enough just to have a website. Your website is directly connected to the success of your business, and it needs to be treated as such with frequent updates, quick reactions to changing markets and, especially, the changing demands of your customers.
Today, we look at the color, design of a few companies that failed last year, and the reasons why. These highlighted companies were featured in the The New York Times article, How Six Companies Failed to Survive 2010. While many of the reasons they failed span beyond design an usability it’s always a good idea to keep yourself familiar with all the pitfalls of running a business. You can read the full explanations and find out more about each company in the original article on nytimes.com.
Wesabe.com – Mr. Hedlund acknowledges, Mint had a better name and better design and was easier to use.“We wanted to help people,” he said, “but it was too much work to get that help.” – nytimes.com
Gotham Concierge – Tied to financial market, luxury service.
iparents.com – Focused too much on enhanced functionality and not enough on marketing and getting new users.
“Too much time and money were spent on enhanced functionality, like text-alert reminders about appointments and the ability to turn family photos into refrigerator magnets.” – nytimes.com
Large Format Digital – A questionable investment + mortgage crisis.
Petite Palate – Investors were skittish after the market crash + unwilling to make changes to their product, which would have increased the likelihood stores would have carried it.
Classic business fails include poor management, lack of planning, insufficient capital,… but these lists seem to have trouble keeping up with the changing times. Here are few things to consider beyond the basic list:
– Be able to React to Changes, Quickly.
– Don’t Compete, Collaborate. – Businessweek
– Solve a Unique Problem. – 7 Reasons My First Business Failed by Neil Patel (Crazy Egg and KISSmetrics)
– Listen to Your Customers.
What are others ways you can avoid failure?
