To highlight the importance of user experience (UX) in website design, I wanted to paint the picture of what UX actually is through giving you examples of bad UX which you will have, no doubt encountered at some point.
Think about the time when you were on a website looking for specific information, like a contact number or when you got completely lost on a site. Scrolling to the bottom of a web page without being given any clear direction of what to do next is also an example of bad user experience. Another is when buttons don’t work or take you to the wrong place or a bad link or when you have to fill out a form and add your country and need to scroll through every country before getting all the way to the UK right at the bottom. We have all been there, right?! That’s why we can’t allow your website to be another site that’;s guilty of these things as there are plenty of things we can do to avoid them
User experience (UX) is crucial in website design because it directly impacts the success of the website. UX refers to the overall experience that a user has while interacting with a website, and it encompasses factors such as usability, accessibility, visual design, and content.
As a web designer, I consider UX in the design of a website, so right at the beginning stages of designing a site I look at the goals of the site, the navigation journeys we’ll want to take your website visitors on and translate this into a site that considers UX at the core.
But other than users getting lost or frustrated and leaving your site, there are other reasons why UX is so important to a website that you may not have considered:
Here are some reasons why UX is so important in website design:
User engagement
A positive UX encourages users to engage with the website, increasing the time they spend on the site and their likelihood of returning. If a website user likes the site and how it works, it’s likely to be more memorable and they’re more likely to return for more business.
Conversions
A good UX can increase the likelihood of users completing desired actions on the site, such as making a purchase or filling out a form. If these actions are nice and quick and simple for your website visitors to complete, they are much more likely to do them and have a positive experience.
Brand perception
A website with a positive UX can enhance a user’s perception of the brand, leading to increased trust and loyalty. Remembering that your brand is so much more than just your visual identity or a logo here. Your brand is represented by every online and offline touchpoint it has, so if your website provides users with a positive experience, this will help you grow a great reputation.
Search engine optimization
Of course SEO comes in here. Search engines consider UX when ranking websites, so a website with a positive UX is more likely to appear higher in search results. Google is incredibly sophisticated in how it ranks websites and if you have visitors all leaving your website at a certain point or after a certain amount of time, it’s likely this is down to bad UX and this can affect how your site is ranked on search engines.
Competitive advantage
In today’s competitive online landscape, a website with a positive UX can give a business a competitive advantage over others in the same industry. Think about all the websites there are out there. So much noise and digital clutter in the online world. If you can make your website stand out above the rest by having outstanding UX this will put you head and shoulders above others in your industry who aren’t considering UX in the design of their websites.
So investing in UX design is essential for any website that wants to be successful in engaging users, converting customers, and building a positive brand image. Any business can have a website, but it’s so important to stand out from the crowd with something memorable and unique as well as offer your website visitors an experience that won’t just blend in with the rest.
Find out more about how I can help your business stand out with a memorable, bold website that considers your goals and UX in strategic website design.
