User Experience (UX) encompasses all the details of website users’ interaction with a brand, its products, and its services. Getting user experience right is a combination of technical and creative skill sets that, when implemented correctly, can convert prospective customers to paying customers. Human behavioral studies have revealed that 75 percent of website users will make a value judgment about a brand’s credibility based on site design, and 94 percent of first impressions about a marketer are made based on design-related factors.
While some web designers seek to differentiate a site by emphasizing creative aspects over function, most users have become accustomed to familiar methods of navigating websites. Using familiar and friendly navigation techniques provides easy access to information about a brand and its products and services. Navigation that appear to be unique, overcrowded, and confusing can frustrate users and send them the way of a competitor. Experiential design, thoughtful layouts, quality user experience and SEO sitemaps are just a few ingredients for a successful website that will engage and retain the attention of users and guide them through the purchasing journey.
A strategic website design facilitates improved search rankings, increases organic traffic, and converts potential sales leads into loyal customers. The creative side of web design can be achieved by producing impactful blogs, developing how-to videos, and utilizing sharp images. Consistent and complementing use of fonts can make written content easier to read and understand. The combination of design and color can work together to influence and motivate consumer behavior and is a key factor in effective and efficient messaging. Studies have revealed that color can often be the sole reason someone purchases a product. In one survey, 93 percent of buyers said they focus on visual appearance, and nearly 85 percent of respondents indicated that color was a primary reason for the decision to purchase.
All website pages should load quickly and correctly across various devices. Functionality should be consistent and dependable with little need for consumers to experience utilization problems. Focus functionality on consumers’ expectations and create a journey from research to purchase that is seamless and personal. A great user experience will build brand loyalty and result in repeat customers eager to make additional purchases.
Keep the effort simple, consistent, intuitive, and customer centric. Begin with a plan that seeks to accomplish specific goals and objectives. Identify the brand’s best potential customers and include relevant and identifiable calls to action (CTA). Design and develop a website that is functional, consistent, secure, and user friendly across all devices, especially mobile. More than 56 percent of website and social media platform visits are from mobile devices. If your website is not optimized for the mobile experience, you will be missing out on the majority of conversations.
Website Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is a set of standards for online and mobile content developed by technology and accessibility experts to fully address consumers with accessibility issues. It is important that any web design complies with WCAG and ADA regulations. Consistent court rulings appear to extend the ADA to not only a business’s physical locations but also to a business’s website and mobile app. In addition, consumers favor businesses that foster an inclusive approach to social issues.
Establishing website metrics is critical to gaining a meaningful understanding of how a brand’s website works. Before releasing a new website establish comprehensive testing protocols to identify and correct any performance deficiencies. Once a site goes live, content errors and defective functionality can tank even the best effort. And remember, nothing is forever. With time all things wear out, need repaired, modified, updated, or just plain scrapped. A website is just like any other high-tech piece of equipment. Once completed and sent down the online road, a website should not be forgotten. It needs to be updated on a regular basis, fine-tuned to maintain its optimal speed, and routinely customized to reflect the latest technology, search engine algorithms, regulations, internal navigation, and overall useability.
At Junction Creative Solutions (Junction) we create websites that tell a brand’s story, move a user through the path of engagement, and ultimately mobilize a user to take an action. To learn more about how Junction can design, develop, and implement a quality, high-performance website for your brand, call 678-686-1125.