I'm David Bailey, a UX designer about to launch a new web design and maintenance business serving small businesses, nonprofits, and churches in the Springfield and Dayton, Ohio area.
Before I launch my business website, I want to make sure the design communicates the right things to the right people — not just what looks good to me personally. This is a two-phase research study that asks you to respond as someone who might hire a web designer.
There are no wrong answers. Your honest gut reactions are exactly what I need. This should take about 5–7 minutes.
Below are three different design directions for the same web design business. Imagine you're a small business owner, nonprofit director, or church administrator looking to hire someone to build or maintain your website. Which layout makes you most likely to reach out?
Scroll through each design preview. Pay attention to your first impression — does it feel professional? Trustworthy? Like a business you'd feel comfortable hiring? You can click any card to select it as your preferred layout.
Version 1 — Light & Editorial
Light background, serif typography, blue accents. Calm and considered.
Version 2 — Dark & Direct
Dark background, heavy display type, warm accents. Structural and confident.
Version 3 — Dark & Structured
Dark background, grid-based pricing layout, alternating light sections. Organized and contemporary.
The layout is settled. Now I need your help with color. The same layout is shown below with four different accent colors. Each one communicates something different — and I want your honest reaction, not what you think I want to hear.
This business primarily serves small businesses, nonprofits, and churches in the Springfield and Dayton, Ohio area. When you look at these color options, try to think about which one you'd trust most if you were making a hiring decision — not which one is your personal favorite.
These colors are shown on the layout you chose. If you'd like to see how they look on a different layout, use Change layout below — you can switch and come back to compare.
Emerald Green
Growth, stability, local rootedness. Uncommon in the web design space.
Deep Teal
Sophisticated, calm, trustworthy. Bridges reliability and warmth.
Raspberry
Bold, distinctive, unconventional. Memorable but uncommon for this industry.
Scarlet Red
Energetic, urgent, action-oriented. Classic and attention-grabbing.
This kind of real-world feedback is exactly what good UX design is built on. I genuinely appreciate you taking the time — your responses will directly shape the final design of this business.
Once I've collected responses from everyone, I'll analyze the results and use them to finalize the design. If you left your name and I have follow-up questions, I may reach out — I promise to keep it brief.
This study is also being documented as a UX research case study showing how real user feedback drives design decisions. Thank you for being part of it.
— David Bailey, Bailey Technology Workshop