Crafting a compelling experience that goes beyond the design
As with other products/services, User Experience (UX) in relation to websites is simply how people feel when they use such. Nevertheless, UX is more than ‘just’ a pretty website. Of course, it is essential to be aesthetically pleasing, but it also needs to consider emotional satisfaction. Being driven by needs and experiences the use of more technology comes into play and therefore it is essential to keep it as user-friendly as possible.
UX Strategy
You can measure the quality of the UX strategy based on these three main factors :
- Usefulness
- Usability
- Branding
UX defines and meets the user’s needs by following guidelines, hence it is not necessary to reinvent the wheel. On the contrary, use standards that have been developed over time, that the user is already adapted to, eg. a logo is found on the top left or middle and when clicking on it you get back to the landing page.
UX Strategy In Detail
Considering the following will help to get the most out of your web design regarding UX.
1. Usefulness
What is the goal of your website? It is crucial to understand the purpose of your site and its usefulness to the user.
The layout of your site should be set up accordingly.
2. Usability
As mentioned in the introduction, visiting and navigating through the website is basically all about the frictionless experience of a user.
3. Design
The Design and UI (User Interface) refer to the aesthetic quality and obviously go hand in hand with the UX of your site. If your website looks up to date, you keep your user engaged and interested, build trust and visually tell your brand story within the website.
4. Responsive Optimization
This popular, fancy word means nothing more than having your web design layout adjusted to different viewport sizes e.g. desktop, mobile, tablet. After all 52% of website traffic accounts to mobile devices.
5. Performance
Make sure that everything on your website functions properly. Also check links and buttons, to make sure they point to the correct links.
Always keep an eye on your website load. People’s browsing on the web has become very efficient and if your website doesn’t load fast it is very likely that the user will abandon it and look somewhere else.
The Very Benefits of UX (and UI)
A website presents the challenge to provide the user with essential information about your business, services or products, but also gives the opportunity to act as a 24h sales channel that can inform, convince and excite.
- Gain User’s Trust
A well build and appealing website can in fact leave a positive impression with your users, and will help gaining credibility of your quality services/products and trust in your business’s values.
Having a website that is the opposite might result in negative associations with your business. - Build A Relationship With Your Customers
A good website will not only tell the story of your business, but also engage your users in it, so they will become a part of it. Creating such meaningful, maybe even sharable, experiences will improve the overall customer relationship, loyalty, and brand awareness. - Save on development costs
Having a structured and well thought-through website, does not only benefit your visitors, but also yourself (the owner). Firstly, it will improve your SEO immensely and secondly, when updating your site with new content it will be done a lot quicker and efficient!