Creating and understanding great user experience (UX) for your audience is one of the most vital keys to success when it comes to the digital world. The user experience or UX can be any experience from the physical, sensory, emotional or mental that your audience has when they use your service or product.
Digital marketing‘s wide array of techniques vary per user. In order to attain a successful marketing goal, you have to have your own building blocks which we have discussed from our previous article: Building Blocks of Marketing Strategy. User Experience is one of the important things that you have to consider when strategizing.
UX Design Guidelines
In able to understand UX design, you must first understand the similar-sounding jargon in this field. We are here to guide you to the terms you should know when it comes to UX Design. Here are the words that you must know:
- User Experience (UX) – this is the overall pleasure when engaging with your product or service.
- User Experience Design (UXD or UED) – this is the term used to describe the application process to a digital platform with validated concepts, techniques and functionality.
- User Interface (UI) – the UI is what your audience sees when they are using your tool or platform. This is usually in the form of your actual website, software, or device with the user interacts.
- User-centric Design (UCD) – first, we have the UCD relating to the theory of design that prioritizes the needs of the user above all else. The UCD places the user at the center of the entire experience – after all, the goal is to create a good UX to get converting customers.
- Usability – this term refers to how efficient and slick your platform is, and whether or not it’s user-friendly.
Two Categories of Online UX
Now that we have the basic terms covered, let’s move on to the two broad categories of online UX. The first is the Functional UX which relates to the user experience components that contribute to the practical use of the tool. This can be anything from working technical elements, search and links to navigation.
The next online UX category is Creative UX. This is a little bit more tricky to explain. But it usually refers to the “wow” factor of the visual and creative elements of your UX.
UX Qualities
So, what makes the development of good users experience? There are a few qualities a UX need to have in able to be called “good.” Check them out below.
- Findability – ask yourself these questions: is your website/app easily found on the internet? Does the search engine rank high?
- Accessibility – can your customers use it whenever they need it? Is it compatible with electronics devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptop and any other mobile devices? Does it work great even on a slow Internet connection? Can everyone use it – including the disabled?
- Usability – is it extremely easy to use?
- Desirability – will your audience find it compelling enough to use? Will the UI provides a pleasant experience for your audience or will they dread using it?
- Credibility – does your website look legitimate enough for people to trust it?
- Usefulness – does your UX add value for your customers and audience? What will they get in return from spending time interacting with your website?
There you have it, the six qualities of a good UX design. Now, what will you get out of creating a good user experience for your audience and customers? Well, there are plenty of benefits you can reap from a good UX, especially when applied to digital marketing strategies.
User Experience Design
Having a great user experience design is an incredible way to make your brand or your website different from everyone in the market. As a result, you get a competitive advantage over your competitors.
If you provide your customers with an easy-to-use, fun experience, intuitive design, then they won’t have any reason to look elsewhere. If you make your customers happy, then they are more likely to stay and convert.
In the long run, all customers who enjoy the service you provide will become loyal customers. Some might even be brand evangelists who will sing your brand’s praises far and wide. Those are the customers you want, and those are the customers worth investing a good UX in.
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It also means you can get your digital tools to work faster by applying UX concept. The earlier, the better because you will have time to improve and provide a much better functionality at a lower cost. Why? Okay, this is because there are features and components that you can take out that are just clutter and not needed. You can focus on the main user experience in this way.
Optimizing this method leads to easier and cheaper websites for various channels to manage, update and support. Here are the core principles of a good UX design
User-Centric Design
Obviously, you need to focus on the user experience. It is always surprising that when designing the user experience, the user is often forgotten. There are plenty of business owners, marketers and web developers who focus on creating the web platforms they want and what they think is best.
However, in able to create a good UX design, it needs to be user-centric. This means interrogating what the user needs, and designing the website based on the user. To help focus on creating a great user-centric design, ask yourself the following questions:
What features would facilitate and improve the user experience?
- Who is the user?
- What are your platform’s expectations and desires for the user?
- Why does the user actually come to your website?
- What are the capabilities of the consumer, the internet capabilities and the technologies available?
- Which features can promote and improve user experience?
Usability and Agreements
This section is about making it easy and intuitive to use the digital assets you are creating. This includes adhering to generic protocols and clearly common rules or how items can be viewed and arranged on the worldwide web. This usually includes:
- Links are always blue and underlined
- Putting the logo on the top left-hand corner and linking it back to the homepage
- Navigation menus at the top or left of the web page
- Placing search boxes at the top of the page with standard wording such as “search” or using a magnifying glass icon
Simplicity
Next, there’s simplicity. When it comes to creating a good UX design, the simpler option is almost always the better one. No complication required. As long as it is user-friendly, then you are on the right path.
Credibility
Lastly, you want your website to look trustworthy and legitimate to your audience. This is one of the biggest considerations you need to think of for your web users. This is one of the main factors that makes them instantly decide whether to use your website or not. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Does your website look like it’s made by professionals?
- Did you provide prominent contact information (phone number, address)? Are these easy to locate on your website?
- Do you have an informative webpage and a personal ‘about us’ section?
- Did you provide genuine testimonials from previous customers for your potential customers to see?
- Do you have any trust badge, logos of associations and your awards displayed on your site?
- Are you up-to-date with fresh content?
© Image credits to Anni Roenkae