The Importance of UX in Web Design
UX stands for User Experience and it is the most important factor in web design. It matters more than the style, appearance, and content of a website. If your platform doesn't deliver good user experience, it isn't going to thrive, regardless of how pretty it looks. According to a recent report, around 77% of digital marketing agencies believe bad UX is a significant weakness. (https://www.slideshare.net/sodaspeaks/the-soda-report-volume-1-2014) In this article, we discuss why UX is so important and how you can improve it.
What is UX?
User experience is what people feel when they interact with a website or an online platform. Visitors have a good user experience if everything loads quickly and the platform works without any glitches. Visitors have a bad user experience if the platform loads slowly and the app hangs frequently.
If the website doesn’t perform as well as expected, people will click the back button and visit competitors. No website is completely immune to the competition so if you want to get ahead, you can’t afford to compromise on user experience.
Why is UX Important?
It is easy to underestimate the importance of user experience. Most designers, especially ones with little to no experience, focus on the design and features of the website. They’re constantly on the hunt to create a new and exciting platform. Sometimes developers can lose sight of user experience in the process. Here are some reasons why it is important to keep UX in mind:
- Google Focuses on It – Google is focused on user experience and will only rank websites that provide a good experience at the top of its SERP. The Rank Brain algorithm is specifically designed to determine just how user-friendly a website is. (https://searchengineland.com/faq-all-about-the-new-google-rankbrain-algorithm-234440) If your website isn’t up to the established UX standards, it won’t rank high and won’t be visible to a wide range of audiences.
- Retaining Customers – Businesses need a steady customer base to get consistent income. This can only happen if you have the ability to retain clients and ensure they keep coming back to make a purchase at your establishment. Websites that deliver good user experience are more likely to help you retain customers. People are more willing to abandon sites and businesses that don’t work as they expect them to.
- Company Reputation – Most people determine how trustworthy a business is based on the website’s quality. If your site is slow to load, difficult to navigate, and looks old, customers are less likely to trust your business. If you want your business to have a good reputation, you need to make sure your website delivers the best possible user experience.
- Impressions – A good first impression is essential in the modern competitive business world. If people don't have a good experience with your brand on the first contact, they won't bother going further in their business dealings with you. That's why it is important to make sure people have a good experience from the get-go.
As you can see, there are several reasons why it is important to focus on the user experience of your website. A great way to check if the platform lives up to expectations is to navigate it from the user’s perspective. Visit the website on your desktop and mobile phone to get a clear idea of how it performs on all devices. If you can navigate through the website smoothly, without experiencing any delays, there’s no need for optimizing or redesign. If you encounter several problems, you might need to hire a professional to assess the platform thoroughly.
How to Ensure Your Website Provides Good User Experience?
Experienced designers never lose sight of UX and always make sure every aspect of the website works as expected. There’s no one size fits all when it comes to this aspect of web design. Experts often take the customer’s requirements into consideration when they plan the UX. Here’s a look at the factors they consider:
1. Target Audience Persona
One of the first things people look at is the target audience persona. Experts examine the client’s business carefully to understand their target audience. They look at things like age, education, gender, ability, and several other factors before creating a website. For example, if your business caters to a lot of Spanish-speaking people, you might need a website with both English and Spanish text to improve overall user experience.
Understanding the target audience is one of the best ways to create a great platform that delivers the best user experience.
2. Focus on Structure
A website should have great structure and clear logic to deliver a good user experience. Make sure the most important menus and links at the top and the least important ones are still easy to access and visible. You need to follow the layout people are familiar with and consider predictable.
Some designers go overboard when they’re trying to create something unique and that does more harm than good. It is important to maintain a predictable structure and just experiment with the colors and designs to add some uniqueness.
3. AB Test Everything
A/B and multivariate testing is a great way to understand if the design works well. You can assemble a team of users to test different versions of your website and determine which one provides the best experience.
This will help you refine the website and ensure only the most efficient version makes it to your real customers.
4. Mobile Experience
Most people use their mobile phones to look for products or information, which means your website should function well on the mobile platform. Google has shifted to a mobile-first index and will rank websites based on how they perform on a mobile platform. That’s why it is even more important to ensure your website works well on these devices.
Check how your site performs on Android, iPhone, and other devices to get a clear idea. You can also check its performance on different browsers for the best assessment.
Experienced web designers will make sure your website delivers the best user experience and draws more customers to the platform.
Author Bio:
Brij Bhushan Singh is a Professional Blogger and Content writer. He is working with Hridik IT Consulting. In his professional life he has written many useful articles about Android Development, iOS development, WordPress, Social Media, SEO and almost all about Digital Marketing.
