Common mistakes when designing for new customers

By Meem Nordin / August 13, 2024 / Design Strategy, Customer Acquisition

Have you or your team ever launched a product, a few weeks or months go by and you’re wondering why the conversion rate for new customers is not as high as you expect it to be?

In this article, I’m going to expand on a number of factors to seriously consider and common mistakes to avoid when designing experiences for potential new customers:

Ignoring where your customers are in their journey

One of the biggest misconceptions teams have about their prospective customers is assuming they all have the same questions when looking at your product.

The truth is, potential customers have different levels of awareness. You see, some customers may not even be fully aware if they have the problems that your product would solve for them. In fact, many product pages don’t even mention the customer problems they aim to alleviate.

One invaluable framework for thinking through how to best present your product to potential customers is the 5 Levels of Customer Awareness, created by legendary marketer Eugene Schwartz. It is incredibly useful in helping you shape those key first experiences with your brand for prospective customers at the right stage of awareness.

There are five stages of awareness that potential customers who visit your product page have:

Stage 1: Unaware

Key insights about potential customers at Stage 1:

They have zero awareness of the problem in their life that your product aims to solve and they are not actively thinking about it.
Since they aren’t aware of the problem, they don’t know about potential solutions or which products in the market can solve this problem for them.
Stage 1 audiences won’t be searching for keywords related to the problem because they’re oblivious to it. They need to be reached out to and they may take longer to convert compared to those in stages 2 to 5.
There is a huge awareness gap that you need to help prospective customers at Stage 1 to bridge. Simply sending them to a product page highlighting product features & benefits and a call-to-action button is not going to cut it. At this stage, it’s all about educating the prospects. You need to make the prospects know—and most importantly, care about the problem affecting their lives to grab their attention.

Stage 2: Problem Aware

Key insights about potential customers at stage two:

Prospective customers at this stage may be aware of the problem, but they’re in the early stages of understanding it and may not feel equipped to address it.
To resonate with this audience, you need to highlight the problem in a way that’s relatable, showing how it impacts their lives, why it exists, and how it’s entirely possible to eliminate it. You want to move them from being vaguely aware of their problem to really caring about it and being excited to solve it.

Brands that educate prospective customers about the problem they are facing in a meaningful way not only get the prospects’ attention but are also more likely to build trust with the prospects as they will see the brand as more knowledgeable compared to other players in the market.

Once you’ve educated the prospect about the problem, your opportunity here is to introduce them to a solution that works.

Stage 3: Solution Aware

Potential customers at this stage are already aware of the problem they’re facing and know there are solutions available.

They’re now evaluating which solution is the best fit for them, comparing different solutions in the market.
The key questions on their mind will be around how the solution works, the pros & cons compared to others and whether it's the right fit for them.
At this stage you want to help the prospect narrow down the solutions to their problem and educate them about the solution without overwhelming them. It is very important not to overwhelm or confuse your prospects at this point as confused customers don’t buy.
You want to filter out prospects who are not the right fit for your solution.

Stage 4: Product Aware

At this stage, prospective customers are aware of your product but they still need convincing.

Provide proof that your product works as they are looking for assurances. Social proof from real customers is key. If they can’t find it on your product page, they will look for it elsewhere.
They may still have a few objections in their minds. Identify the common objections potential customers at this stage have and address them directly on your product page.
Reduce any risk & doubt they may have in their mind about your product. The better you get at giving prospective customers assurance and effectively handling their objections, the better you will get at converting them into paying customers.

Stage 5: Most Aware

At this stage, your prospect is ready to become your customer.

Ensure your sign-up or purchasing experience is smooth and seamless.
Remove any distractions and be clear about what they’ll get when they become your customer.

From product-centric to customer-centric

Once you understand and apply this framework when designing touchpoints for prospective customers, you will:

Improve your conversion rate for new customers.
Reduce your customer acquisition cost (CAC), especially if you’re using paid ads to acquire customers.
Build trust with new customers as you’ve already educated them on the problem they're facing and why your product is the right solution for them.
Filter out prospects who are not suited for your product, meaning you'll acquire the right customers who are more likely to stick around, as long as your product delivers on its promises. Remember, your product isn’t for everyone—you want to acquire the right customers who will benefit the most from your product.

This framework helps you approach prospective customers in a customer-centric way, making them feel understood and helping them solve a problem in their life, rather than just focusing on your product features. Remember, customers care about themselves—their goals, their needs and their problems.

What you can do next

Conduct a design audit of your current new customer touchpoints such as your product page and landing pages where you direct potential customers.

Determine which stages of customer awareness do you want to target with each touchpoint.
Identify the gaps your design is currently not addressing for each stage of awareness.
Understand the common objections your prospective customers have & how you’re addressing those objections.
Analyze your current conversion rate and bounce rate for each touch point.

At a minimum, your designs need to address potential customers at stage 2 to 5 of the awareness framework. This is especially important if your product is a new or novel product in the market and offers a new way of solving a problem your target audience doesn’t fully realise they have.

Final Thoughts
Designing for new customers means understanding their awareness level and tailoring your touchpoints accordingly. By focusing on solving their problems rather than just promoting your product, you can improve conversion rates, build trust, and attract the right customers. Keep your customers’ needs at the center of your strategy, and you’ll create a more effective and customer-centric experience.