Web Design: The Chatty Shopkeeper Syndrome.

Fifteen years ago, when I left university, I saw web design as an aesthetic quest. I wanted it to be beautiful, to be pure. But over time, and after crafting hundreds of pages, I realized that beauty without understanding is just a silent monologue.

Recently, I had the pleasure of giving an online training course to professionals from all backgrounds  on customer-centric web page design. It wasn't just a transfer of technical knowledge, it was a moment of camaraderie where we deconstructed an all-too-human habit of talking about ourselves before listening.

The chatty shopkeeper syndrome

Imagine walking into a store. Before you can even open your mouth, the shopkeeper jumps on you: "We've been open since 1950! Our manufacturing process is patented! Look at the quality of our shelves!

Absurd, isn't it? Yet that's exactly what most websites do. They talk about their years of experience and their tools, but they forget to ask: "What do you need today?".

To break this cycle, we've explored three essential pillars:

• UX (User Experience): Building an effective page structure to make the journey seamless.
• Strategy: ensuring that the message is tailored to the right person, at the right time.
• Copywriting: Using persuasion ethically and clearly.

The spark: The four user temperaments

The highlight of the course was undoubtedly our discussion on temperaments. One participant had a real revelation. He smiled and confessed: "Our site was built by engineers, for engineers. We speak wonderfully to the Analytical, but we've completely forgotten about the Impulsive!

It's a classic trap. For a page to convert, it must know how to whisper in the ears of four distinct profiles simultaneously:

1. The Analytic: Worse than Pierre-Yves McSween, he wants numbers, data, ROI and comparison tables.
2. The Empath: Florence Longpré personified: the empath needs to see that others have trusted you. They look for customer testimonials and logos.
3. The Impulsive: The little Bruny Surin of the web, he wants things done fast. He needs visible calls to action (CTAs) and a simple offer.
4. The Artistic: Like Yannick Marjot, he wants to see it to believe it. He reacts to strong visuals, videos and infographics.

Understanding this, we realize that a web page is not a monolithic block of text, but an ecosystem that must reassure the skeptic while facilitating the impatient.

From laboratory to reality: the ei3 example

To illustrate how these needs can be harmonized, we analyzed the ei3.com website, which I had the pleasure of designing using these principles. I think of it as an open-air laboratory.

On this site, navigation doesn't just list products. It segments the experience according to three angles of analysis:

• By industry: Do you come from manufacturing or technology?
• By role: Are you an executive, IT manager or operational team member?
• By challenge: Are you looking to increase productivity or secure remote access?

This structure captures attention in less than 7 seconds (the golden rule of the "Hero" section), so that users immediately recognize themselves in their own issues.

What I've learned over the past 15 years

Sharing these insights with passionate professionals reminded me why I love this profession. After 15 years of refining my understanding of human behavior, I realize that the most effective strategy is often the simplest: start by understanding, not by selling.

Creating a customer-centric page means putting your ego aside to become the guide to the buyer's journey.

Web design is no longer just about pixels, it's about connection. And to see participants leave with the tools to transform their own sites into genuine places of exchange is, for me, the greatest achievement of all.