Ways To Enhance Website User Experience
User experience has grown since the days when websites were only text and links, with no expectation of an experience. Instead, the emphasis was on making sure the website worked and supplied the necessary information. Users can now access full-fledged applications online that assist them manage their daily lives while also increasing their efficiency at work. Today’s user experience designers must delve deep to find use cases and establish workflows that boost consumer productivity. A modern online application user prefers to execute activities with the least amount of fuss and effort and in the quickest amount of time possible.
Let's explore how to create an effective user experience for your website:
Embrace the use of white space
For many, white space is one of the essential aspects of outstanding website design. Adding a margin (also known as negative space) around your content will help images and text blocks stand out.
Padding headings and content with white space can enhance user attention by up to 20%. Spacing can also create the sense to users that your website is open and ready to use.
The “breathing room” can help improve the readability and beauty of your text. However, you must also ensure that the utility demand is balanced against the necessity for white space.
The central concept is establishing what is most important to you and offering decent internet real estate while avoiding page clutter.
Buffer’s home screen, for example, is primarily white space with an explanatory subheader, value proposition, and call to action. Visitors are encouraged to explore your website more since it is open and transparent.
Use appealing calls to action
Visitors explore your site by following visual signals that lead them from one piece of content to the next. Calls to action (CTA) use large buttons and active language to assist users in navigating your website. CTAs are also used to motivate people to take the next step.
Consider the impact of colours on user psychology when designing your CTA buttons. Colour psychology uses various hues to elicit varied emotions and results from your website visitors.
While it may appear insignificant, the colour of your CTAs might increase conversions or disrupt the user experience. For example, Sitepoint experienced a 35% increase in conversion when they moved from a green to a red CTA button.
The words you use on your CTA buttons should be treated with the same care. As a general guideline, employ active verbs that compel them to act and demonstrate the rewards they will receive if they convert.
The more time-sensitive, emotional, and actionable your CTA, the higher your conversions will be.
Improve your page speed
Visitors to your website want and expect a quick and seamless online experience. Pages that load in 1 to 2 seconds convert faster than those that take longer.
According to Econsultancy, more than 40% of visitors leave a site that takes more than 3 seconds to load. People expect sites to load faster as mobile usage grows in popularity.
Understandably, because a slow-loading site can disrupt otherwise fluid surfing, expect more users to abandon your site before exploring it or discovering the products or services you provide.
So, what are your options? Use Google’s free services to evaluate your mobile and website speed. Other techniques also enhance page load time for mobile and desktop users online.
Create targeted headlines
Your headlines should be relevant to the information your target audience is looking for. Following this, I recommend incorporating keywords you are targeting in your titles. This method can assist you in facilitating browsing, attracting the correct audience, and encouraging additional content consumption.
Aside from significantly increasing user experience, employing the right headlines can dramatically impact your efforts in search engine optimization (SEO). Remember that Google gives headings more weight than regular material. Picking the proper keywords will improve not just your site experience but also your searchability.
Segment essential information using bullet points
Bullets can help your internet visitors quickly locate the solutions, benefits, and central aspects of your products and services. When you provide your propositions in bullet form, they become more appealing and easier to remember for visitors.
If you’re feeling very inventive, you can skip the circles entirely and utilize icons that symbolize the text, providing picture recognition and value to visitors who visit your site. Not only will visual assistance reinforce your messaging, but your visitors will also appreciate the variety.
Use hyperlink differentiation
When you add a link to a page, you urge the visitor to click on it. Following this, make sure your connections are clearly identified using visual signals. Text with different colours and underlined text can efficiently capture visitors’ attention to the link you want them to click.
According to a study by Karyn Grave, many regular web users recognize blue and highlighted text as links and click on them. Exploiting what visitors already know and their expectations can significantly contribute to your online success.
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel if it comes to hyperlink distinction. The following convention would be the better option. Also, when hyperlinking, keep the length of your hyperlink in mind. Generally, the longer the text link titles, the easier it is to identify them.
Keep your site pages consistent
Everything must be harmonious for there to be consistency. Everything should match, including fonts, button styles, design elements, header sizes, photo choices, and illustration styles. In other words, you must guarantee that everything is themed for the design to be consistent across all your pages.
Visitors who experience drastic design changes may need clarification and guidance. They may also perceive your website to be amateurish and untrustworthy. Massive design flaws may also cause them to abandon your site and never return.
Be mindful of your 404s
While search engines do not penalize you for soft 404 or page not found issues, your site users are not as forgiving. When visitors click on an image or a link, they expect to be sent to the next page.
A 404 error page, on the other hand, will not only frustrate but also offend your visitors. Worse, it may cause people to reconsider spending time on your website when they can always go elsewhere to find what they are searching for more quickly.
In addition to delayed page load times, receiving 404s can entirely disrupt the user’s trip as they navigate your site. Set up Google Webmaster tools on your site to check for 404s and crawl issues. You can also utilize online 404 checkers for free.
Ensure your site has clear and concise navigation
Your website’s navigation directs users to your most popular pages and items. Keeping this in mind, make sure your headlines are written in simple language. This is very useful for first-time visitors to your website.
You should also present only a few options, as this may confuse your visitors. While there is no set number, it is recommended that you keep it between three and seven.
Ask for minimal information
If you want visitors to sign up for your email list, ask for as little information as possible. Many websites now only require the first name and email address. Many people will find this absolutely acceptable.
When you ask for more information, the likelihood of visitors filling out the form drops dramatically. Remember, we live in a fast-paced society, and most web visitors need more time to fill out lengthy forms. As a general rule, request the information you require.
Conclusion
Great user experiences are no longer an option; they are an expectation that most customers have and are prepared to pay a premium for. However, building great UX necessitates in-depth knowledge of your target audience, which requires significant UX research as the foundation of an efficient UX design process. Having one in place will increase your chances of generating goods that suit your clients’ needs and are also simple and pleasant to use.
When developing your user experience design approach, consider accessibility, readability, simplicity in mind, and consistency in your user flow.
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