One of the key components of any successful website is user experience (UX). If your website doesn’t offer your visitors a good UX design, they’re going to turn away from you and won’t be as likely to convert to customers. From websites to software, UX design is crucial in leaving a good impression on users of all types.
Learn more about what UX design is about and some best practices to consider when developing your website.
What Is UX Design?
UX design entails building websites and other products that offer helpful and meaningful experiences to their users. Good UX design will incorporate everything from aesthetic appeal and branding to functionality and navigability. With the help of effective UX design, you’ll be able to build a strong connection with users and ensure they get the most from their interactions with your business and products.
During the UX design process, you must create a look and feel that resonates with users and keeps them on board with your product. In turn, users will find usefulness and real value in their experiences with your brand.
UX design can complement other practices like search engine optimization (SEO) and blogging to help your website stay ahead of competitors’ online platforms.
UX Design Best Practices to Implement
To help you get the most from your UX design, whether redesigning your existing website or designing a new one, the following are some key best practices to give you some guidance.
1. Get to Know Your Users
When you get to work on UX design, it’s important to remember that you’re not your users. Designers frequently make the mistake of assuming that all users will interact with interfaces the same way they would, but this isn’t the case. Instead, you must empathize with your users and look at your website or other product from their perspective.
Think about what users specifically want from your user experience. What are some pain points that you can alleviate with your UX design? What do users want to see at various touchpoints when interacting with you?
You can get a better feel for what users want by mapping the customer journey and allowing users to test the UX. Find out what bottlenecks are keeping people from progressing and work to resolve them.
2. Know the Difference Between UI and UX
Another mistake designers often make is confusing user interface (UI) for UX, using the two interchangeably when both are similar but separate concepts. UX goes beyond UI, whereas UI is one component of good UX design. Specifically, the UI is the specific interface that users interact with, while the UX relates to the reaction that users have when they connect with that interface.
You can invest plenty of time in your UI, but you must ensure it elicits the kind of emotional response you want when it comes to the user experience.
3. Maximize Accessibility
In developing the ideal user experience, accessibility is another vital element for many users. Today, around 15% of the world’s population lives with a disability, translating to one billion people, and 75% of Americans living with disabilities use the internet every day, illustrating the need for accessibility on a global scale.
A few simple steps can help improve the overall accessibility of a website. For example, adding descriptive alt text to images allows it to be accessed by screen readers, which can greatly improve the experience for visually impaired users. Ensuring headings are used in a clear structure also helps those using screen readers to understand the page’s structure. Labeling the form fields makes it easier for users navigating with just a keyboard or changes in browser settings such as enlarged fonts, so they can gain more insight into what is being asked of them on each field.
Additionally, avoid using small font sizes that make it difficult to read, and use sufficient contrast ratio between foreground and background colors makes it easier for most people including colorblind users to better distinguish content. By covering these key elements, you improve your website accessibility tenfold.
If you can make your website and other products highly accessible to individuals with disabilities, you’ll maximize your reach and further establish a better connection with all users. There are plenty of tools you can use to gauge your website’s accessibility, which will help you develop a UX that works for everyone.
4. Keep Navigation Simple and Consistent
When browsing your website, users shouldn’t experience confusion at any point. When users move from page to page, the navigation should remain clear to help users move along without any issues. For example, you should incorporate a header at the top of the page that remains consistent, with clearly labeled buttons and dropdown menus that make it easy for people to find what they’re looking for.
You can also include a search bar to help people locate specific items on your website along with a footer that includes a sitemap, contact information, and other details that assist with navigation.
5. Develop UX for Short Attention Spans
The attention span of the average user today is far shorter than it used to be. One of the main reasons for this is the saturation of media that people encounter every day. When browsing online, for instance, people encounter thousands of ads and brands throughout the day, all vying for their attention in any way possible.
Today, the average attention span is around 8.25 seconds, which is less than a goldfish’s 9-second attention span. This decreasing attention span makes it necessary for brands to do what they can to grab and hold people’s attention with compelling, engaging UX design.
To cater to this need, you must be able to deliver vital information to users in a short amount of time. Doing so will entail keeping language and content concise, easily digestible, and high in value.
6. Don’t Be Afraid of Simplicity
You might be familiar with the age-old concept of KISS (“keep it simple, stupid!”), and this applies to UX design. In terms of website UX design, simplicity largely involves using plenty of white space. If your website isn’t too loud and contains ample empty white space to accompany content, this will make it easier for users to process the information you present.
Often, minimalization is one of the best ways to connect with audiences and provide them with the ideal user experience.
Use UX Design to Help Your Website Flourish
Strong UX design will go a long way in helping your website and, subsequently, your business thrive. The key is knowing what to incorporate and how to appeal to users’ wants and needs. However, you might not have the experience or resources you need to devote to developing your website’s UX. In this case, you may benefit from working with a reliable partner.
If you need some help with UX design, consider turning to the experts at Kore Media. We offer web design and development services that allow you to reach your audiences with a top-quality website that best represents your brand. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help fuel your company’s growth.
