How to improve the user experience on websites

Before knowing how to improve the user experience on web pages, it is important to be clear about the concept of user experience.

User experience depends on how pleasant and easy it is to interact with a website. To determine this, it is necessary to stop and analyze users' perceptions, behavior, actions, and satisfaction from the first contact until they leave the website.

It is essential for any company to understand that improving the user experience not only has a positive impact on the user, but also on the company, since it increases the conversion rate and, therefore, the visibility of the products or services offered.

>>What is User Experience (UX), and what is it for?<<

The improvement requires being meticulous in the analysis of what exists and in the solutions that are provided, since users, in a matter of seconds decide whether to stay on the web or not, and the fact that they leave, has a high probability that they will never come back and even influence the decisions of other users.

However, to learn more about user experience and what it is for, you can visit the following page: What is User Experience (UX), and what is it for?

This blog will address the following topic:

• Tactics to improve user experience and their consequences:
  
  • Using design strategically
  • Using original images
  • Creating a responsive and mobile-friendly website
  • Maintain consistency on the website
  • Do not annoy visitors
  • Provide information concisely and effectively
  • Provide captivating information for the target audience
  • Be careful with 404 errors
  • Conclusion

Having defined the user experience on web pages, it is time to delve deeper into the subject to learn the tactics that should be followed to achieve a different and pleasant user experience.

Using design strategically

To achieve this, you must start by having a well-defined group of users, in terms of needs, tastes, and expectations. From there, the design is defined as minimalist and simple or disruptive and unconventional. Each company must analyze and test which is the right strategy for its case.

To correctly define the user group, it is first important to know what a Buyer Persona is. That's why, in the following blog, you can learn it: What is a buyer persona

Use original images

One of the best ways to satisfy customers is to use original material, in this case, images.

Using your own designs or photographs instead of stock photos increases the attraction of visitors and motivates them to return because the content is innovative.

Moreover, it is not only about using original images, but also high-quality images in terms of content, resolution, and design principles.

Creating a responsive and mobile-friendly website

Nowadays, website users access a website through different devices, depending on the circumstances, and sometimes they even access the same web page on two devices simultaneously. This implies that the design must be adapted to each device, without losing consistency, information, or errors.

Among the most frequent devices are the computer, mobile, and tablet, but it is also important to interpret the target audience and analyze the website to know which is the device most used by them.

Keeping this in mind is vital, not only to improve the user experience but also to avoid being penalized by Google since the website loses priority in the search results performed by users.

Maintaining consistency on the website

Being recognized by users depends on the consistency of the elements and components used on the website.

When we talk about elements and components, we are referring to buttons, colors, typography, image climates, icons, title sizes, subtitles, and body text. All of them must be well defined, ideally, most of them should be defined from the brand book and if not, before applying the design or redesign of the website.

The coherence must extend to the whole page since in some cases, it is applied only to the sections that are considered more important, or even there are links or buttons that redirect to external pages and that makes the identity of the brand lost and also makes it difficult for the user to return to the main web.

Do not disturb visitors

Be careful with pop-up windows, advertising, and other windows that are displayed during the user's journey through the website, because thinking only about the welfare of the company, for example with the saturation of images or videos of sponsors and subscription windows, can break the comfort of users and therefore, the abandonment of the page.

 

Provide information in a concise and effective way

Websites must display useful and easy-to-interpret information, so it is essential to know the target audience to define the type of content, how to display it, and even the appropriate vocabulary.

It has been shown that the use of bullet points makes it easier to focus on relevant information and generates that users prefer websites that use them because they find the information promptly without having to read a lot of text.

>>UX Design and Usability in Web Forms<<

Provide captivating information to the target audience

Today, visitors to a website are certainly looking for a product or service, but deep down they are looking for much more than that, they are looking for an experience.

One of the ways to generate those experiences they are looking for is to offer content according to the needs of potential customers, to generate a connection with the user, and from this, the customer's interest goes beyond the acquisition of the product or service.

Establishing a relationship of trust with users creates a bond of loyalty between the user and the company and makes them prefer that website when purchasing products, and services or searching for information.

Be careful with 404 errors

It must be clear that users want everything on the page to work as expected and they also want to find what they want quickly and without inconveniences along the way.

This small detail of a page with a 404 error or a page that cannot be found defines whether or not a user stays on the page and even if they return to it again. Most users get frustrated when they try to open an image or access a section and such an error occurs.

This frustration causes them to leave the page, not to return, and not to recommend it to others, thus affecting the visibility of the company.

Conclusion

Finally, it is important to remember that every user is looking for a pleasant experience every time they access a website and wants the process to be effective and efficient.

To achieve this, it is necessary to follow each of the tips explained above and of course, always be at the forefront. In addition, it is necessary to make sure that the user never gets lost within the page and therefore, finds what he/she wants and thus creates a bond of loyalty, to such an extent that it influences their relatives, friends, co-workers, and even strangers.

It is definitely necessary to empathize with users to understand their real needs and work the experiences for them.

If you want to learn how to design with empathy, you can read the following blog: Designing with empathy (Design Thinking)