Step into the user's shoes and try to understand the design from their perspective.
Ask a series of questions to find out what users want and need.
decide who you are trying to attract to your site tailor your design to their needs and wants
Having some sort of short questionnaire for users to complete can help you understand them better
Design something that encompasses your own interests. If you are a part of the target market, you may have extra knowledge in what others in that area may want to see, and you won't have any problems doing additional market research if you're already a part of said market.
Look at trending #'s
observe that websites are being looked at most often
take polls or surveys
step into the mind of a person who knows nothing about the internet
Research you main userbase, what they need and how they want to reach that need. This can be sorted into different categories of users, with different goals of different groups.
Observe and record how a user performs a function and what things help or hinder their experience
Research how users interact on other platforms that are similar
A good way to know your user is by conducting usability testing and performing contextual interviews. This will help you identify your user needs
In order to create a page that is user-friendly, one must first consider the demographic of those who will visit the page. For instance, websites for a younger age could include brighter colors whereas a website for a business would have to be more professional.
Research the brands audience and related brands audience. learn what they like and what appeals to them (i.e. look and interactivity)
Ask the users questions about what they want in and how they want to improve face to face.
A user-completed survey can offer feedback from the user himself/herself to determine his/her wants.
Look at their habits on what sites they go on
what is most popular or what is trending right now
surveys, and other type of tools to understand the users
observe how the user performs and know what kind of users you are aiming for and be sure you create something they are familiar with
One way to know your users is by engaging them through a contest, survey, wall topic, or etc.
