Improve your website’s user experience with these five tips
Why is it worthwhile to invest in UX design? Because, Forrester tells us, on average, every $1 invested in UI & UX design brings $100 in return. That’s an ROI of 9,900%. With numbers like this, it’s a no-brainer to start implementing UX best practices right away. We asked Yakkety Yak UX Designer Cesar Molina to weigh in with his expert advice on user experience principles that promise to improve any website. Here’s what he had to say.
Top 5 UX Best Practices
First things first, Cesar’s most important principle of user experience design is to always keep the end user in mind. But how do you do that?
1. Make sure your content is relevant.
Ask yourself these questions when looking at your website: Is the content on it relevant to your intended users? Do the pages reflect the purpose they were designed for? Does the voice and tone of your copy reflect your company’s branding? Make sure the overall experience of your website is cohesive across pages and uses clear, understandable language that is appropriate for your intended audience.
2. Establish and maintain trust.
As Cesar puts it, “We have to make sure that the design [of the website] is based on credible principles and UX best practices.” These include information architecture, visual design elements and intelligent navigation. For example, for e-commerce-based websites, it’s important to have social proof in the form of testimonials, reviews and media callouts throughout your website. You should also add value propositions by calling out services and other guarantees such as free shipping, 24-hour support and easy returns—whatever makes the most sense for your brand. These are two ways to begin establishing trust and maintaining it throughout your sales funnel.
3. Make navigation easy.
The orientation of your website is paramount. You want to make sure the user doesn’t get lost or confused about where to go as they explore your site. Be sure to provide clearly defined paths for every potential user. Utilize intelligent navigation and include appropriately titled pages and relevant content on each page. Your calls to action, or CTAs, should be highly visible and use direct language that allows the user to know exactly what they’re clicking on and where it will lead them before they take the action.
4. Aim to stimulate and excite through your content.
Ask yourself these questions when considering your website UX: Is the copy stimulating and exciting for your target audience? Do the images demand attention? How do all of the elements compare to your competition? Your content needs to stand out and be unique while also functioning in a way that feels familiar and intuitive for website visitors.
5. Functionality comes first.
The design elements should be light, easy and convenient—and most importantly, functional. Only relevant and important elements should exist on the page, so that you don’t confuse website visitors. Think about the navigation bar, forms, buttons and other website elements. Do they all work as one would expect?
“The less a person has to think or do to reach their intended goal, the better the UX design is,” Cesar explains. When it comes to UX best practices, the less a user spends thinking about the design system in place, the better the user experience.
Wondering if your website needs a refresh? Yakkety Yak can help you figure out how to make your website shine from a user-experience perspective. From branding to UX design to content creation, let us help you implement the website of your dreams.
