User Experience: What it is and Why you Should Care

User Experience

TechsPlace | User experience (UX) is defined as “Every aspect of the user’s interaction with a product, service, or company that make up the user’s perceptions of the whole. User experience design as a discipline is concerned with all the elements that together make up that interface, including layout, visual design, text, brand, sound, and interaction.”

Many liken UX to customer service because it involves meeting the needs of customers as seamlessly as possible. If truth be told, there is more to creating a powerful user experience than meets the eye. For starters, it goes beyond having a visually appealing site with eCommerce chatbots and responsive design.

Essentially, a great user experience is all about making the end-users happy. To achieve said objective, brands need to have a thorough and clear understanding of the priorities and needs of their site visitors.

 

Why User Experience Matters

To fully appreciate the significance of user experience, let’s take a look at some interesting statistics:

  • If your site content is not optimized, a whopping 79% of visitors will abandon your site and seek information elsewhere.
  • Some research indicates that mobile users are five times more prone to leaving a task unfinished if their website is not optimized.
  • A staggering 88% of visitors won’t revisit a website after a bad experience.
  • An interface that’s well-designed can increase a website’s conversion rate by as much as 200%.
  • Exceptional UX design has been known to boost conversion by as much as 400%.

Not convinced yet? The experience of some of the world’s top brands should give you a clearer insight into the importance of user experience:

  • ESPN’s revenue increased by 35% after implementing a few of the redesign suggestions recommended by their community.
  • Adobe found out that 39% of their visitors leave their site if an image loads slowly or if their site’s loading time is slow.
  • KoMarketing discovered that 51% of visitors to their site consider contact information as one of the most crucial elements missing from websites.

 

Why You Should Care About User Experience

Not everyone may be aware of it, but neglecting user experience can jeopardize some of the most important aspects of your business, including brand reputation, customer loyalty, and sales.

 

Customer Loyalty

At least 52% of website visitors admitted they would stop engaging with a brand after a frustrating mobile experience. What’s even more alarming? A staggering 79% of visitors who are not satisfied with the information they are getting from your website will visit your competitors instead.

This is not surprising. Undeniably, visitors don’t want to stay longer on websites that lack the information they are looking for. If you struggle to entice new prospects and retain the current ones, improving user experience should rank high in your list of priorities.

 

Sales

If your website’s main purpose is to drive online sales, user experience is one aspect you should focus on. It is important to keep in mind that slow loading websites caused many brands $2.6 billion in lost sales annually.

At least 60% of consumers consider slow connection, lack of information, and a small screen as some of the primary reasons they won’t purchase from a brand. In line with this, check your site’s conversion rate. Are you happy with it? If not, poor user experience is the likely culprit.

 

Brand Reputation

When your website is not aesthetically pleasing, consumers and visitors might take it against your brand. While unknown to many, at least 94% of first impressions are design-related.

Another 60% of visitors revealed they wouldn’t recommend poorly designed websites. Without a doubt, the impact of user experience on your brand’s reputation is massive.

 

Different Ways You Can Improve User Experience

Surprisingly, there is no shortage of effective ways you can use to improve user experience. The following ideas would be a good place to start:

 

Audit the flow of your site

Check the structure of your site. Also known as a sitemap, check if your site’s structure can help your visitors effortlessly and quickly find out what they are looking for. If multiple steps are needed to get your users’ information, consider redesigning your website’s flow and structure.

It would also be a good idea to use a user testing tool to help you get an insight into the site paths deemed simple and complex by visitors. Apart from good site structure, it is also important that you make headings work for you.

 

Test your website

One of the most effective ways to assess if your website provides a superb user experience is through user testing. Fortunately, there are countless tools available at your disposal nowadays. Some tools are even designed to help you ask visitors about your website’s content, functionality, and design.

 

Final Thoughts

The importance of user experience cannot be overstated. Without user experience, your website will be a pain to use and a challenge to navigate. If you want to stay competitive and take your business to the next level, ensure this important aspect is not overlooked.