UX design i.e. user experience design and in the simplest terms it is exactly what the words express. It is the design to enhance the user experience and the latest entrant in online ecosystem to boost business.
Though UX has become a phenomena when it comes to standing out in the online crowd, many of us are still untouched by its implementation and impact. We are still dealing with professional SEO agencies and search engines and haven’t paid heed to UX for better online business.
The lot that has grasped the UX and its nuances at the earliest is today running ahead on the competition and popularity. We have some very popular and head strong examples ahead of us that indicate the same.
According to reports in Forbes, in the first year of the company Amazon, the investment on customer experience was approximately 100 times more than advertising. When AirBnB became a $10 Billion company, Mike Gebbia credited UX for it.
Not all have understood the logic behind implementing UX and the fact that UX implementation demands an expertise and payroll. It cannot be side lined or part timed. Let’s us first get the thick and thin about what exactly is UX.
What is UX Design?
Nearly every business owner has understood the importance of online presence and most of them are already present on internet with their websites. Their web pages talk about all of their products and services.
Gradually, websites evolved with time with lots of features entangled together. While it ultimately makes the web page a gateway to variety of options, the website becomes ultra complex at the same time.
In the haste to reach and lure masses, the website owners forget to simplify this complexity and loose customers. In general, any person will spend only few seconds on a website. One with complex procedures that consume time or are difficult to understand will always be a turn down to the user.
With vast no. of substitutes available, the complex one may lose the race and the user friendly web page will be the winner. User experience is not only about user friendliness but also the ability to connect with the users. It is what the user takes back as experience after using the web page.
The term UX design is inclusive of number of factors like:
- The usability of the created website
- If the web page and content are easily accessible
- Is the webpage robust with quick feedback time
- If the website is designed keeping the aesthetics in mind
- The overall product is useful
- It positively impacts the marketing
- It achieves the greater goal of appreciating and incrementing human interaction
All the factors are implemented with respect to the user. UX design is implemented keeping in mind the emotional connect a user would experience while and after interacting with the website, that would compel a user to revisit the page.
UX design is definitely not going to build rapport with a user in one go and is a continual process. The first interaction will leave a good impression on the user, so that the user revisits the page. The user’s perception will evolve with the website interaction over time, and the final result of a good UX design will be an equally good user experience.
Importance of UX Design
The cluttered online ecosystem does not evaluate technology as a segregating factor today. UX design plunged in late and is running at the top, when we count on factors that add uniqueness to your website.
UX design is very important for any website and there are number of reasons responsible.
1. It Increases Productivity
Productivity is a target on wider level and UX design helps to achieve it. It helps you to set goals which give a better understanding of the product. The UX design process itself starts with answering certain important questions that are actually the goals or targets to be achieved.
The first question can be, “Does the website clearly speak of what is being sold?” If not, then the complete effort behind the website and products creation will be a waste. There will be no visitors and no customers.
- Define Purpose
“When, where and how should the product be purchased and used?” The user should immediately understand the purpose of the website and the process involved to use it. The website should have an easy to understand user flow.
- Bring Simplicity
“Will the user enjoy using the website”? The answer dictates the user to create user friendly, simplistic, attractive and responsive website. There can be a numbers of goals that can be set before creation of any website.
- Decide Target audience
“Who is the target customer?” The answer to this question helps us to find the target segment. Focusing on target segment brings forth a better result.
UX design process throughout involves surveys and user interviews to figure out the best website to be created. This helps in creating the right product. These goals keep the targets very clear to the developers and designers, helping in improving the development rate and increasing the overall productivity.
2. Enhanced Sales and Revenue
Good sales and revenue are the foremost parameters to evaluate the success of any business. The observations and statistics over time have spoken in behalf of UX design when it comes to counting return.
In one of the reports of research by Forrester, it is clearly displayed that for UX, every invested dollar brings back 100 in return. We can say that the ROI here is 9,900%.
A good UX design instigates the user to purchase more and comfortably complete the complete purchase transaction. Whereas a poorly designed website may somehow encourage users to visit the page but the checkout rates are relatively very low.
Marketing strategies and aggressive advertising can of Corse gain you customers and fulfill your short term sales goals but what about long term. User experience will be acknowledged by a customer after he completes one purchase. With poor user experience the customer may never come back and your long term goal will fail.
3. Creates Customer Base and Brings Customer Satisfaction
UX design is a very important factor when we talk about customer retention. For online community, customer retention is as important as acquiring new customers. The likeliness of purchase is more for the regular customers than the new ones.
If the user is not satisfied or not comfortable with using any website, it is abandoned and an alternate website may be picked up. This will affect the customer base of the website.
A good UX design will enhance the customer satisfaction and in turn the customers will stay loyal to the company.
- Word of mouth publicity
A loyal and satisfied customer will spread word making the company and website popular and attract more users. Your happy customers can work as brand ambassadors for your company and fetch more customers.
Your website can be made popular even on social media platform like Facebook generating even more traffic. Word of mouth advertising is one of the best forms as it reaches to masses with the least expense.
Woocommerce specialists can definitely help your website to find out the best UX way. UX design helps in generating traffic and increasing the probability of conversion of the user into customer.
4. Cost-Effectiveness
UX design helps in setting goals for the website creation. A defined target along with UX implementation helps in cutting down the training, development, maintenance and support costs.
Various website development companies with Magento 2 developers are available to develop your website but they have very visible targets to accomplish. This definition fastens the development process and rate.
If well planned, your site can have a lasting impact and thus, it prevents you from doing revamping again and again giving great ROI.
- Lack of UX plan is a costly affair
A website design that is created without UX perspective goes into an ever evolving process. With every obstacle faced by the customer, development and website maintenance is involved. The company needs to spend on them post release.
When created a website without a UX orientation, a great support team becomes mandatory to guide the users through the website. Any hassle in any process by a single customer will invite customer support. When calculated for masses and large customer base, the figure of support costing can be huge.
All these expenditures are unnecessary and sneaks in where there is an absence of UX design. One time investment on UX design is a better approach.
UX Design Process
UX designing involves a complete set of process and not to forget a payroll to hire experts.
1. Goal Creation
The first step is to define goals. The design team should discuss and find out the problems they are going to solve and what the target to be achieved is. A set of question is prepared and answered.
The team sits together to conclude the connection they want to establish with the user and the experience they want to impart. The experience can be simplicity, being knowledgeable, surprising or emotional.
2. Creating User Personas
Personas are implication of various user personalities expected to engage with your website. This step is about knowing your customer. Experiences for different personas are discussed and created.
These experiences are then analyzed on a global level. The voices and experiences that are to be incorporated are picked up and finalized.
3. Conducting Surveys
The existing data and statistics related to UX are first taken into account. Different users can have entirely different personas, so past survey reports can only be a bit of help. The major work is yet to be done.
Questionnaire is prepared for different personas and interview sessions are conducted with users to understand their expectation from the product.
4. Prototype and Wireframe Creation
Prototype is basically the sample of any product, in which changes are made. Several prototypes are created before the final product is delivered.
Wireframe is framework of any website or let us say it is a layout. Various prototypes of website are created. The team collects the opinions on these wireframes from all the members and one of them is finalized.
5. User Flow Decision
Different steps using which the user will move along and use the website is discussed and decided. This is called user flow. It is created in form of flow charts. These charts are again discussed and one user flow pattern is selected.
6. Designing
In a way, beatification of the website takes place here. The most effective design tools are selected to implement design patterns. These designs patterns include the designs of tabs, slides, drop downs and various other features.
Design pattern enhances the visibility, beauty and overall customer experience.
7. Testing
Whatever the implementation is, testing is of utter importance. After the first UX design prototype is finalized, it is put through testing.
The testing is basically to understand the impact of user interaction from this prototype. Most of the times different persons from inside the organization are involved into testing.
Finally, we have the UX design that needs to be implemented. All the implementations and steps are done with the goals kept in mind. The design elements should work in direction of achieving business goals.
Conclusion
We live in a digital era and your website is the face of your brand. All the ecommerce website design services have acknowledged UX design and it is now their integral part. Customers will acknowledge you and your brand with your website. It is your first impression to any user and it has to be the strongest.
Companies cannot afford to shed the weight of hiring a UX design team in light of their stressed budget as UX design is most critical for start ups and small companies. In this tough competition, UX design can help the newbie’s to get attention and create an impact against the biggies.
A website without UX design is going to directly impact its customer base. Good UX has become one of the prime expectations of user today and every website needs to inculcate it to stay ahead in the competition.
