The difference between the success and failure of a business can simply come down to user experience. Some businesses fail to recognize the significance of cultivating this process. In this vastly evolving business and technological landscape, it is of high importance to prioritize user experience in order to reap its benefits. This demonstrates intentionality and will help your business get ahead. In this article, we would discuss the role of user experience in website design.
User Experience is the culmination of all the features of a product such as the website, the interface, landing page, the service and product as experienced by users. UX involves any form of interaction a user has with a product or service.
This is how the product visually appears to the user, how its features or aspects influence the user, how it makes them feel and how they interact to it. Donald Norman, a former Apple cognitive scientist, created the term in early nineties.
He believed that User-focused design should involve working with users every step of the project. While, Norman worked at apple he placed emphasis on empathizing with the user in order to enable them seamlessly access what they needed to.
There are more aspects to user experience besides providing a usable product. Below are various factors that contribute to a thorough service or product;
Important Factors Of User Experience
User experience specialists are highly demanded in the workforce. It takes about 7 seconds to make an impression on someone but in the digital world it takes less than a second. It’s the process of designing products that are useful, usable and delightful.
- Effectiveness: The core of this process is the ability to provide a usable experience that is effective. Your website, service or product has to be able to function properly. It should be useful and usable. This is the most fundamental stage. According to research provided by Zippia: 70% of online businesses fail due to bad usability.
- Accessible: Content should be accessible to all people including those with disabilities.
- Satisfaction: In order to keep your customers coming back, they have to be pleased with the service provided. So, effectiveness tied together with usability and efficiency make for a complete and potentially fruitful user experience. The brand identity and all elements of design should be desirable or able to impel feelings of gratitude, satisfaction and evoke emotion. Donald Norman provides a clear and in-depth explanation of this process as quoted below, “It is not enough that we build products that function, that are understandable and usable, we also need to build products that bring joy and excitement, pleasure and fun, and, yes, beauty to people’s lives.
Importance Of User Experience
The more time people spend on your website the higher you will trend on the search engine rankings. Good user experience helps keep people’s attention longer. So, it is key that your websites’ layout, or product design is appealing to your audience
- It Improves the Reputation of your Brand: First impressions are paramount to your brand in real life and in business. In the tech world nearly all first-impressions are design-related. While the User Interface is responsible for the first impression, the experience of the user will define this very first impression. It will make a mark on them, which will determine if users will find the brand to be reputable. This impression determines the reputation of your brand. Therefore, it is important to be invested in improving the user experience.
- It leads to higher retention levels: After your first impression is made with the design of your interface, If you find that your customers are returning to the website page, you have succeeded at retaining them. This demonstrates that you are able to identify their needs and accommodate it.
- Brand Loyalty: Users returning to a product or service are proof that a customer is happy with the experience. Zappio has reported that 96% of customers hold the belief that customer service is important for brand loyalty. Higher levels of satisfaction amongst users will lead to brand loyalty.
How to Improve User Experience
If you are wondering how you can create a more appealing user experience, don’t fret because statistics gotten from Zappio has been reported that with testing just five users 85% of ux/ui problems can be solved. Businesses can determine up to 75% of problems associated with their product or service or website by testing four users. To add to that, with just three users, 65% of challenges can be detected and resolved accordingly.
So how do you test users?
Get familiar with your users. Have discussions with them and observe them use your product. Ask questions that will help you get their opinions and ask yourself about the decisions they choose to make and why. Connect the dots and you will understand and learn a lot from your users and potential customers.
UX Tools to Help Improve UX/UI
1. Maze: It is a user research tool that offers 5-second tests, surveys, testing wireframes and prototypes on actual users. There is card sorting and tree testing. Also, it has a built-in panel of testers that can grant user insights in just 2 hours.
2. UXTweak: This user experience research tool has grown in popularity in recent times. It is user-friendly and helps business websites that are appealing to users and that can inspire users to return. This tool is easy to understand and is well-suited for everyone including beginners.
3. HotJar: Hotjar is a tool that helps consumers grasp how people use your website or app. It combines various analytics tools and feedback options, to enable businesses and consumers see what users are getting up to and hear what they have to say. This tool can keep track of clicks, scrolling, and movements. In real time it can show your visitor logs. This will be of benefit to you by helping you identify and spot any usability problems.
User experience has the ability to improve conversions, increase brand loyalty, and lead businesses to higher rates of retention. At forcythe, we understand the role of user experience in website design. It is a process you should seriously consider taking advantage. Putting your user first can be really great for your business. Now that you understand the role of user experience in website design, are you looking for a partner to help your business grow? then our expert hands at Forcythe are a good fit for you. Let’s talk
