Underneath all this handsomeness, I’m just like most people. I like my coffee in the morning. I like my music loud. And, like most people, I like a deal. Thus, when all these Groupon/city-based daily deal sites started popping up here in Edmonton, I signed up for a couple in order to receive their emails. Being a designer, I looked at the sites with a critical eye: what design choices have they made? Why did they make them? Which are most effective?
By evaluating these sites, we can actually learn quite a bit about user experience and using design elements to drive user choices. We can also make an educated guess at the purposes of the site – obviously to sell coupons, but also to entice users to sign up for emails and perhaps other actions – and not always apparently in that order. Let’s have a look at 7 of these daily deal sites.
Groupon
Groupon is the undisputed king of the daily deal site – the inventor, if you will. Perhaps it’s because they offer the best deals; perhaps it’s because their site design is the best; most likely, it’s because they were the first. Their site design is also one of the best in this list. Nice contrasting colors; enticing imagery; a strong call to action (“Buy!”); good information hierarchy. The way they’ve broken the grid on the left, with the price tag, is a great way to draw attention to the cost of the coupon as well as the call to action button. Read the whole article >
