Are you still focusing on designing a website based on its aesthetic appeal in 2019? Trends have changed when it comes to what users expect the website to look like and it is more than just adding beautiful elements. Users tend to judge a brand based on the functionality of the site and not how it looks as a better user experience means more trust in your brand.
To create an effective website, you will have to follow these UX design tips;
- Improve Website Functionality:
The first step to provide users with enhanced experience is by developing a website which has all the functionality in place and operates as the users intend. All the buttons and links point to the right address and the site is error-free. You can check the site by pretending to be a customer and browsing through the site like they would. This way you will be able to identify the errors and glitches and correct it. You can also go through the comprehensive web analytics tool reports to understand the customer behavior and the page which has maximum bounce rate to identify such errors to rectify them.
- Better Usability:
Excellent user experience includes easy website navigation which means that the structure of the site needs to be built efficiently. Do not use more than 7-8 categories or else the site will look clumsy and confuse users. Add relevant sub-categories related to the categories for ease of navigation. Balance the sub-categories throughout the site so that it does not look odd. For e.g. do not add 2 sub-categories under one category and 10 under another, keep it close for a better understanding of the site structure. Keep a search panel on the top of the site so that users can easily find what they are looking for. Add text links as sub-categories instead of images to decrease the size of the page that will make the navigation faster to use.
- Reliability of the Website by User:
Good user experience also includes no downtime of the site and a fast loading site. A site which is slow would cause a bad user experience resulting in users rating the site as unreliable. To make the site fast, get rid of unwanted elements and JavaScript which may be good to look at, but do not deliver much value and instead slow down the site. Add the elements which are really required to make the user experience better and to keep the site fast.
- Convenience:
If a link takes the user to a landing page, the page should be designed such that whatever the user is searching for should be displayed above the fold on the page and the user need not scroll to find the information. Any Call-to-Action (CTA) should be placed in the first part of the page to be accessed instantly. Convenience will help to improve engagement as many users may quit the page if they do not find what they are looking for in a few seconds on the page. Try to use colors and symmetry to focus on the most important element on the page. What you want the users to see should be catchy.
- Testing the Website:
Once you feel you have the right website design, start testing the pages to make sure that your users think the same too. A/B testing will help you determine if you have the right design elements in place. When your visitors find what they are looking for right where it should be, the website engagement will increase. Check your analytics dashboard to see where you have improved and where do you need to work better.
Conclusion:
An efficient UX designer does not blindly start designing a site he or she likes instead he or she focuses on understanding the audience first and then based on what the audience would expect from the brand, design the site.
To create a successful website, you cannot get away by just focusing on the web design and its aesthetic appearance, the more important part to focus on is the user experience. Your website should be designed as per the buyer personas, their requirements, and challenges. Navigate through the site as the customer persona you have created to check if the functionality of the site is in line with your business goals. A website designed focusing on UX design will drive in more customers and improve the website engagement which you are ultimately aiming to achieve.
Author | Emily Forbes
An Entrepreneur, Mother & A passionate tech writer in the technology industry!
Email:- forbesemily@yandex.com
