When Hollywood producers create a movie, they aim to get the viewers to enjoy what they see from the first second until the very end. As a viewer, you anticipate an experience filled with laughter, thrills, inspirations and emotions. When creating your website, you expect to maintain the same intend to create a memorable and charming experience that leaves a long lasting impression on your users.
An effective website is determined by various factors, such as the amount of traffic into the site and the time people spend on the site. The longer the users stay on the site, the more they will interact with you and your brand.
User experience (UX) is essential in determining the success of your site. To enhance the user experience, ensure that the site is accessible and easy to use. The aim is to give the visitors a seamless experience so that they can stay longer and explore more while you try to avoid a high bounce rate. There are some crucial factors to consider in improving the user experience, as illustrated below.
Design a website for your users
Start by analyzing who your target audience is. When designing the website, keep the target audience in mind when integrating the various features to give them what they exactly want. Also, consider getting feedback from your users on the accessibility of the site, and consider their feedback in your website redesign process.
Integrate less info
Most of online visitors tend to have a decreasing attention span, approximately 8 seconds. Therefore, you have to maintain their attention with an engaging content strategy. Every page should correctly highlight the most important details about your brand. If you have more content, provide links to where more information can be found.
Create a nice flow
The navigation process should be smooth and seamless. Establish a nice flow that takes the conventions that meet the users needs into consideration. The flow in each website should be easy to follow.
Integrate visuals
It is said that an image is worth a thousand words. A photo helps keep the users attracted and focused on some strategic details. You may use a quality image to lead the visitors to crucial details.
Written text
Written text is essential in providing significant details of your brand, products and services. Make sure to make it easy to absorb and use only words that your audience would be using. A technical manufacturer of large production machinery that only sells to B2B clients will need a different approach compared to a sneaker shop trying to connect with B2C clients with an eye for a specific field in today's athleisure fashion culture. Also make sure to use the keywords they would use to Google the things you write about.
Pay attention to the where you want to integrate these text fields. Will people scroll all the way to the bottom or do you want to have a summarized part of the text front and center on top of your page, break it with a few illustrations and continue your text with more in depth info.
Navigation tool
Like a GPS, the menu navigation bar guides the user throughout the site. A well-structured navigation bar keeps all features visible and comfortable to explore. Connect the logo back to the homepage as most users often click on it expecting to be taken back to the homepage. Also, stick to the conventions to give the users a secure experience.
Large white spaces
The white space (negative space), is the blank space around the various features in the site. The white space is essential in organizing elements into distinct sections to create a clear and orderly feel. Ensure that the images, icons, and text have efficient space for the viewers to quickly identify them and to have a clear flow of events on the website.
Header
Just like in the newspapers, include the most important details on the first page-the homepage. Place the most essential details on the most visible spaces, particularly on the top of the page (above the fold).
Provide links
The links provide essential connections to all the sections of the site. The links are like the real-life tour guides as they guide the visitors to where they want to go. Consider opening the content that leads to external links on a new tab, while opening internal links within the site.
Integrate call to action buttons
The Call to Action buttons direct the visitors to what you want them to do. Ensure that the call-to-action buttons are placed in strategic locations, with a contrasting color and a few words to guide the user effectively.
Contact details
What if the users are interested in getting in touch with you? Make sure that your contact details such as email, phone number, and address are strategically located. These details are typically located at the bottom of the page.
Social media links
In the modern world, social media platforms help to drive traffic to websites. Integrating social media links is essential in driving traffic to and from your social media channels to your website and vice versa.
Music and videos
If you wish to integrate music and movies into your site, then make them frustration free to use. don't start the music or videos automatically. Let the users have the option of either playing the clip or just leaving it behind.
Mobile accessibility
Please take into consideration that most users access the net through their mobile phones. Ensure that your site is compatible with different smartphones to give the users a more accessible experience. To set up a mobile-friendly website, and to understand more accruing benefits, consider exploring this article about how you can design your website with a mobile first approach.
The footer
The bottom part of your website should be as informative as the top of the site. Place links to other pages like: About Us, terms and Conditions, Contact, Privacy policy, and social media links to give the users easy accessibility to these details. Remember that when the users skim through the middle section, their eyes rest on the bottom part. So, put some effort in it and ensure that also the bottom section of the site is well designed.
We hope that you now know everything about improve the user experience on your website. Don't hesitate to reach out when you have any question regarding user experienced focus webdesign. Contact us today!