Wikipedia & Linterweb

6 May 2011

What is User Experience and Why is It Important For Users And Websites?

Filed under: Uncategorized — Matthieu @ 16:45

Today, more and more web marketers are placing an emphasis on user’s experience. The topic has reached the point where the phrase ‘’user experience’’ has become tossed around so much. Now, it’s something that’s commonly glossed over, by both people who know what it means and those who don’t.

This is unfortunate because understanding the meaning of user experience and its usefulness in business is important for website owners. What is User Experience? is one of the largest factors that determine the success of a website. A website with a poor user experience is not only underperforming but can also be damaging to a business and brand over the long run.

 

 

Definition of User Experience in Websites And Design

User experience (or ‘’ux’’ in short), by definition, is an individual’s experience with a company. It encompasses all aspects of the consumer’s experience, including everything they see, hear, and their emotional reactions. There are many different factors that affect the user experience.  But the main ones are usabilityusefulness, credibility, desirability, accessibility, and value.

In terms of web design, user experience best practices focus on making a website easy to use and appealing to consumers. This is done by using content, image, and media to create powerful emotional responses. User Experience or UX design is very important because a lot of visitors won’t stay on-site if the design is bad.

The Importance of User Experience in Websites

User experience (UX) is important for web design because it significantly affects conversion rates. How a website looks and functions are factors that directly affect how interesting a product seems to a consumer and what their chances are of purchasing it. Here are some facts that highlight the importance of creating a positive user experience. A user interacts differently with every website.

  • Studies estimate that over 55% of visitors spend less than 15 seconds on a website. Best practices recommend focusing on catching a user’s attention in 59 seconds or less.
  • Approximately 40% of people exit websites that load slowly.
  • Studies indicate that 94% of users who distrust a website do so because of its design.
  • Easy navigation and original, engaging content are two of the greatest factors that affect how long a user spends on a site and the user’s experience.

The distinction between UX & UI

Still, you should take into account that User Experience is not the same thing as User Interface. Indeed, those two terms are interchangeable, but the User Interface or UI is all about how a service or a product works and looks on the surface. A professional User experience design company concentrates on the functionality of a service or product concerning how it will aid a user deal with a specific issue.

It is equally important for a good User Interface or UI designer to be a great software developer as well. If you don’t have a great UI design,  you won’t be in a position to create a great user experience. A great UI design can make the difference between a great user experience and human computer interaction from a poor one. A great UI design can make or break your online business. Just like great software design will save you a lot of cash in the long haul, the great user experience will save you a lot of cash as well. If you want your product to be successful, you need to make sure that it has a great user experience.

As an example, think about the visual design of a display on a mobile device app or the CTA button on a site. These two represent authentic UI components. The UX design uses such elements and establishes how they work together to establish the best experience for the user. Simply put: UI is a vital part of the user experience.

What Makes A Website’s UX Outstanding?

Well, there are several factors that can contribute to a good user experience on either web or mobile applications. The elements of user experience are as follows:

  1. Top-notch, relevant content
    Besides the overall functionality of your website or app, these need relevant content that will end up being useful for the user. The content must be tailored depending on the specificity of the services or products distributed.Moreover, it should offer insights on how those can solve distinct problems for your target audience. This is why having a blog on your website is more than necessary. It contributes to a great User Experience.
  2. Functional interface
    It is not enough to pack your site with information. That information needs ease of access, which can be provided with a well-thought interface. The best interface is the one that feels natural, and intuitive. For this, your website should be consistent concerning fonts, font size, colors, and the overall layout of the site.
  3. Simple to use
    A navigation bar, a drop-down menu, a link to the homepage on every page, or a search bar – all of these can contribute to a great user experience on your website!
  4. Credibility
    For the site to receive attention, it must be designed with a lot of focus on trustworthiness. You can add an SSL certificate to it, which adds a lot of credibilities when it comes to the user submitting personal data on your website or app.
  5. Automated responses
    Recently, a new addition to the user experience that improves the entire functionality of your website is represented by the addition of automated personalized communication. Automation can better user engagement, and provide a sense of attention to details. A chatbot on your site can offer answers to a specific set of questions.This is helpful because the user won’t have to wait for an answer, it will simply be accessed almost instantly. Besides, you can always opt for sending automatic responses to those subscribing to your newsletter. Welcoming users to your community add a lot in terms of trustworthiness and credibility.
  6. Human-based interaction
    Automated responses are not enough. Make sure you have some online communication ideas (such as forms). You should have a customer service team that replies in a timely manner to any query. If you fail to do so, users won’t visit again your site, or they will simply abandon their current visit to it.

Cette note est également disponible en: French, German, Spanish

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