A Digital Experience Agency

Boo! UX is not-so-scary

Does the mention of UX scare you? Have you felt overwhelmed with the idea that your website’s user experience doesn’t deliver? Instead of fearing the truth, face it. Let’s start with some realistic tips to delivering a better user experience.

Knock, knock. Who’s there? 

Your users – that’s who. And it’s critical that you get to know them and what they experience on your website. Start with sampling to identify populations, observe those groups of users and survey them about specific interactions and experiences. It’s haunting to know how many website owners don’t know what their users experience. Understanding who your users are, what they love and what they hate on your website will help inform how you can move towards delivering a better user experience.

Trick or treat

Often referred to as “cognitive load,” users shut down when they view overwhelming, irrelevant and excessive content. Simply put, the heavier the cognitive load, the less likely the user will complete the task. A game of hide and seek with the add to cart button, when really the user just wants to complete their purchase, is not fun. In fact, users who are frustrated become impatient and often will abandon what they were trying to do on a specific page or website. And when a user doesn’t feel like it was a treat to visit your website the trick will be on you when you review conversion performance metrics. So here are a few treats your users will appreciate:

  • Less is more (user’s don’t read)
  • Always light the user’s path from A to B
  • Be consistent and logical, especially with call-to-actions
  • Limit choices to the right time and place
  • Let the user relax while your site does the heavy lifting
  • Give your users affirmation, confirmation or a large size candy bar (We know that’s the house all the kids will be talking about on Halloween night.)

Skeletons in the closet

Lastly, deal with the skeletons in your closet. Is it you who put shiny objects on your homepage while neglecting the full path to conversion? Or have you ignored investing in a fully responsive experience? Remember, mobile isn’t just a different device or operating system, it also includes different user behaviors and needs. Whatever it might be – too many clicks, a fragmented experience or the forgotten experience, you need to acknowledge them and start taking steps to improving them.

Don’t turn your light off to UX. Use it to test, optimize and overcome the fears you and your customers experience with your site. 
Let us know what other tricks or treats you’ve found in your UX pursuit and what costume you are sporting this weekend in the comments below.