The user experience is easily one of the most important aspects of successful website design. If your website wasn’t easy to use, then a lot of people would leave it immediately. If a visitor can’t figure out how to use your website, there’s no reason for them to stay any longer.
Poor functionality really has a negative impact on visit duration and site engagement, which means that even if your site looks great, no one will click or read anything!
Designing a great user experience requires more than just good design as it requires an understanding of how people interact with websites and what they expect from them. According to Magicdust, poor functionality causes 42% of people to leave a website.
Make sure your website loads quickly.
If you’re running a business, then the speed of your website is critical. It’s not just about making it easy for people to find what they’re looking for, but also about making sure that they don’t get frustrated and leave. Google’s own research has shown that users leave sites that take longer than three seconds to load.
Improve navigation.
The navigation of a website is an important part that can make or break the user experience. It’s a key component in helping customers find what they’re looking for, and allowing them to browse through different pages without having to search again. If the site is well-designed, users should be able to navigate through your site with ease and find exactly what they’re looking for quickly.
Make sure your website is accessible to all users.
Making your website accessible to all users is a good way to ensure that your site can be used by as many people as possible, including those with disabilities and older users. Accessibility should be a highly prioritized concern for website owners. Those with accessible designs stand to reap the most benefits, by way of both wider access to their site and increased web traffic from search engines.
Keep it simple and concise
Use simple language, short sentences and bullet points when possible. Don’t use jargon or technical terms unless they’re necessary for describing your products or services. Too many choices can overwhelm a user and cause them to leave your website without completing their desired action. Keeping your website simple will help ensure a smooth user experience.
Use a mobile-first design approach.
In a mobile-first design approach, you start with the smallest screen size and then progressively enhance for larger screens. This contrasts with the traditional desktop-first approach, which begins with designing for larger screens and then scales down to smaller ones.
The benefits of using a mobile-first design approach include:
A better user experience because you’re designing for the most common device first
Greater accessibility for all users, including those of older browsers and screen readers, because they don’t have to scale up or down as much
A good user experience design approach will keep visitors on your site, convert them into leads and help build customer loyalty.
Websites without a good user experience are likely to be forgotten by visitors, who are less likely to return. A poor user experience is not something you really want to risk, even if you have a popular brand or exceptional products.
A usable and user-friendly interface will help boost your search engine rankings as well. A positive user experience can also lead to more clicks, longer visits, higher sales and higher conversion rates.
