Once you’ve attracted a visitor to your website, there’s a fine art to maintaining their interest and encouraging them to stay on the platform. User experience, although subjective in nature, prioritises your visitors’ emotions and attitudes alongside the practical, meaningful and valuable interactions they have with your website.
‘User experience’ is centred on how a person perceives the usability and efficiency of your website. However, it’s important to recognise that user experience is ever-changing and will continually modify over time as usage patterns change, design styles develop and technology progresses.
If you’re wondering whether the user experience you’re delivering is up to scratch, here are 6 key questions you should ask:
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Is your website easy to find online?
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Does your website look credible?
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Is your website accessible for all of your visitors?
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Is your website easy to use and simple to navigate?
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Is your website’s design and content appealing?
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Is your website useful for visitors or does it offer valuable information?
After answering these questions, you’re likely to have a list of points that you’d like to work on.
Here are 7 important steps to consider to ensure your website is designed with the user’s experience as top priority:
Research and analysis
Start by reviewing your existing website and ask colleagues, friends or family to give their feedback on the current design, layout and how user-friendly it is. The next step is to speak to your customers. Ask them questions about your website and listen to their answers. Your customers should provide a good indication of what is and isn’t working on your site. Ask for feedback on what could simplify their journey, what features they enjoy and what they would change about the platform. You could also take time to review what your competitors are doing well and what you could improve upon.
Recognise different user types
Seek to understand the core reasons why users visit your website and how they navigate through the platform. For example, this could be: browsing, comparison shopping, education, enjoyment or searching for specific content. Understanding how key segments of visitors use your website will enable you to streamline the journey and improve accessibility specifically for your site and users.
Less is more
Less is always more when it comes to website design. The visitor should not need to complete numerous tasks or click through endless pages to find what they are looking for. Extra pages, cluttered layout and hidden buttons are likely to distract the user and you may lose them along the way. Navigating through your website should have as few steps as possible.
Simplicity is key
Think big buttons, check boxes, easy-to-read text, locatable links and clear navigation. The user shouldn’t struggle to read, find or access any part of your website. Ensure each element and every step is as simple and clear as it can possibly be. In return, the lack of clutter will help to make your website much more streamlined and the simple design will be more visually appealing.
Don’t forget mobile
Would your website design and functionality work on a mobile device? It’s not only vital nowadays that your website is designed for mobile but it’s a good guide for how you develop the design and layout of your desktop site. As you have less space to play with on a table or smartphone, you need to consider carefully how text is used, where buttons are placed and how the user can navigate between pages. Maintain this approach to your standard website platform as it will help you to develop a more simplified layout and design.
Test your new design
Don’t rely solely on your own feedback of your new web design. It will be easy for you to understand patterns and navigate through a site designed and use daily. It’s important that you understand how your new website translates with both existing and new users. Get feedback from friends, family, colleagues and existing customers before going live with any big changes.
Plan for the future
The user experience is dynamic and will never be completely finished. Any new designs or structures to your website platform should be part of an ongoing strategy. Be certain that you will be able to continue developing your website and brand around this design into the future. Leave yourself space to make changes, alterations and upgrades as necessary.