On the surface, the user experience is just what the name suggests – a user’s experience navigating a website. But for web developers and designers, the UX is responsible for ensuring every user has an enjoyable experience navigating your website. And how much a user “enjoys” a website isn’t qualitative either – it’s quantitative. And for business owners, UX is a very smart investment that offers a return of $100 for every $1 invested.
In this article, we’ll take a look at five ways business owners can achieve measurable improvements in their website’s UX along with some real-world examples.
Related: The 8 Best Examples of Website User Interface (UI) 2021
Why is User Experience important?
Typically, any website has only 5-10 seconds to make a strong first impression. If the user is unable to find what they are looking for in those ten seconds, perhaps due to bad directional copy or annoying popups, they will very likely leave.
This is one of the reasons why the average bounce rate for websites is 48% – because users are forced to close the tab due to a poorly designed user experience. On the other hand, taking a planned approach for your site’s UX can increase conversion rates by up to 400%.
Another reason to invest in better website UX is that a poor design has further consequences. For instance, Google, through numerous algorithm updates over the years, has emphasized that websites should be designed with the user in mind, whether that’s by breaking walls of text into smaller chunks or by properly formatting pages (like using the right headers). Additionally, Google also takes into consideration metrics such as page dwell time, page speed, mobile responsiveness, etc
Last but not least, a good user experience is also vital for customer retention. Research suggests that after a poor user experience, 88% of users are less likely to go back to a website.
In essence, if you want your website and your online business to be successful, it’s a good idea to begin by designing the website’s UX around your target consumer. And here are five ways through which you can do just that:
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Chatbots
According to a study by Accenture, 91% of consumers are more likely to shop with brands that offer a personalized user experience. And a chatbot (along with other forms of conversational AI) has become a cost-effective tool for personalization. They personalize the user’s experience on your website by allowing customers to communicate their needs and preferences back to the company sharing relevant and by providing relevant offers and recommendations
This automated feedback loop is also useful for providing prompt answers to customer queries 24/7.
All of this helps vastly improve the user experience which ultimately raises the rate of customer retention and the website’s profitability.
Helpful chatbots with immediate answers
The chatbot service, MobileMonkey’s website chatbot is an excellent example of this. The company strategically uses its chatbot to help users find the right service based on their requirements. Additionally, the chatbot also proves to be a free demonstration of the company’s own service. In a similar fashion, chatbots can be designed to take reservations, directly sell products, check delivery status, and so much more.
With the help of a chatbot, MobileMonkey made the user feel more valued by immediately offering the user the information they were looking for, thereby improving the user experience
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Readability
Often, while creating an appealing site design for visitors, businesses overlook the most basic details, such as readability. Even something as minor as font size has a significant impact on your website.
Here are some things to look out for while assessing the readability of your website:
- The content on the site should be relevant and grammatically correct
- The user should be able to distinguish between different elements on the web page
- The visual presentation of the content shouldn’t act as a barrier for the user
Negative space used to drive a point.
This website design checks all the boxes for good readability! With a minimalistic layout and contrasting colors, notice how the site isn’t hard on the eyes and even looks aesthetically pleasing.
That said, while the excessive use of negative space works well for the target audience (seeking minimalist designs), the same might not work for others. This is why it is extremely important to know your users – their tastes, preferences, and goals.
Read the text on the web page and you’ll notice authoritative and grammatically correct copy. Grammatical errors, typos, and weak copywriting are not only confusing, thereby deteriorating the user experience but they also make the site seem less trustworthy. the user can immediately grasp what the business is trying to communicate to them. The concise text enhances the readability and consequently the usability of the site by a whopping 58%.
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Avoid too many or too big popups
As we established previously, you have 5-10 seconds to make a good first impression on the user. In that span of time, if a user is forced to close an ad, email newsletter popup, or a video that auto-plays, the likelihood of a user leaving the website increases substantially.
The whole point of having a good user experience is to keep customers engaged on your site and ultimately, retain them. Pop-ups, especially poorly designed and planned pop-ups such as online-exclusive contests or promotions, do the opposite. More often than not, they are invasive and more than just an inconvenience to a user as they disrupt the sales funnel and the natural customer journey. Mistakes like these could not only disrupt the user experience but also cost the business a potential customer.
An apt example of this can be email newsletter popups. Email newsletters can be a great way to grow your customer base. But at the same time, having a potential customer’s first impression of your site be an annoying pop-up is more likely to steer them away.
A better way to implement that would be to send that pop-up after a user has spent more than a minute on your site. If they find the answer they are looking for and are satisfied with the value they get from it, we bet that they would want to remember your website.
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Unoptimized mobile website
An example of what not to have in the present day
If a website is not optimized for mobile browsing, mobile users are five times more likely to quit a task.
Apart from PCs and laptops, mobile devices are now used by the majority of people to access websites. As a result, you must ensure that your consumers can effortlessly access your website on their mobile devices.
Moreover, avoid using a complicated layout for your website because most consumers prefer a simpler layout. If these small changes are implemented on your website, it can result in a better user experience and a higher conversion rate.
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Test your UX
The easiest way to guarantee a good user experience for your site is to thoroughly test it.
Currently, only 55% of businesses perform user experience tests for their websites. Some critical issues that come up while performing such tests include:
- Slow website speed
- Problems with site load on different browsers
- Slow image loading speed
- Glitchy layout for the mobile version of the site
A simple usability test performed on a group of 5 different users can detect 85% of problems that are affecting your site’s user experience. Here are a few simple tests that you can start with:
- A/B testing: This strategy involves evaluating two versions of your website to see which offers the best user experience. A/B testing can be done by changing up website elements, CTAs, or even testing out an alternative design for your existing website.
- Feedback: For improving the user experience of an existing website, you can ask existing users or customers what issues they faced while using your site. This can be done through a simple feedback form or through a simple “Found what you were looking for?” and Thumbs Up/Down prompt on different pages.
- Heatmaps: A heatmap tells you where your users click the most and where they are engaged the least. For example, If you run an online publication, heatmaps may be especially useful as they communicate what kind of content your users like to see on your website and what they would like to see less of.
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Wrapping up…
Having the mobile version of a site run smoothly should be a priority for a business. It signals that your care about the demographic of your consumers that primarily use their smartphones to access your website.
As business owners, we’re sure that you know that time is money. With the rise of eCommerce and the power of online business development, this statement has taken on even greater significance. A strong user experience on a company’s website indicates that they genuinely value their customers.
If you are planning on improving your website’s UX, it’s a good idea to get consult experts, like Big Kitty Labs.
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