It happens without warning – and sometimes without mercy. You’re visiting a company’s website for the first time when you’re immediately shocked, confused and even horrified by the design. The layout is chaotic. The colors are crazy. The navigation feels like a maze. You quickly escape by clicking the X button on the browser window and swear to never return again.
Within seconds, that company lost a potential customer because its website wasn’t designed with the user in mind.
This is why user experience design matters.
User experience design (or UX design) is just one of the many things that should be considered when designing a successful website – but it may be the most important.
A Website Is A Journey – Not A Destination
A website shouldn’t feel like a digital nightmare. A website should feel like a journey – an adventure users want to experience because it’s designed specifically for them. After all, the purpose of a website is to provide a place where users or customers in any part of the buyer’s journey are invited to explore the brand and product.
What exactly separates a good website experience from a bad experience is detailed (and every website should be designed specifically to the expectations of its users), but here are the basics.
Simple Interface
A website should feel natural and intuitive – not like a puzzle game. It’s more than just the layout, colors and font. It’s every part of the website: the navigation, the sitemap, the way a button looks when the pointer hovers over and every other little thing that may not seem obvious.
Engaging Content
From the homepage to the blog and everything in between, all the content on a website should be relevant, insightful and engaging. But equally as important is how the content is presented. Even the best content can get buried with a bad design.
A Human Touch
Users want attention and support – and they want it immediately. Forms and chatbots help deliver a high level of customer service that users have come to expect.
Cyber Security
Users want to know that all of the information shared on a website remains private and protected from any virtual threats, especially their name, email and financial information.
Providing a simple, engaging, personalized and secure website helps ensure users are having a good experience. When a website is aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate, customers will want to spend more time browsing. The longer they browse, the more time they will have to understand and appreciate the product. The more they appreciate the product, the more likely they will make the purchase. There’s no surprise that websites that are designed with the user in mind have increased SEO traffic, improved customer satisfaction and a higher ROI.
When you’re ready to create the best website experience for your customer, reach out to our team of design experts!