4 simple steps to design a solid user experience.
UX, or user experience, is every interaction your company has with people on your website, mobile site, applications and properties or online services. It may seem like a tiring amount of situations to consider, but design a solid user experience means focusing on the user, no matter where they are.The goal of a good UX is to help users do what they want to do when interacting with their business. It can be tempting to just think of details that help communicate what you want people to know (such as product information) and what you want them to do (like clicking the "buy now" button). But the goal of a good UX is to help users do what they want to do when interacting with their business.
That is why you should consider how your experiences online and in the application are making people feel. Are you confusing them? Are you coming off as cold and uncaring? Are you hurrying them?
By taking into account the feelings of your audience, you can create a strong user experience that organizes all your information and interactions in a way that is pleasing to people. And, when the user experience of your site or application makes people feel good, they are more likely to stay and become customers.
Read also: Difference between Interaction design & UX Design?
Steps to design a solid user experience.
To create a user-friendly user experience, take some sticky notes and follow these four steps:Step 1: Take action
Think like potential customers. What actions would you like to take on your site or in your application? For example, they may want to find information, watch videos, comment, research products or services, and maybe make a purchase.Write all these actions on separate sticky notes. Then organize those actions in a flow of users or the order that potential customers would do. You may need to make duplicate sticky notes, as some actions may occur several times on your site or in your application.
Make sure that each action can be completed in five steps or less. For example, "to shop", people would have to:
- Land on the home page
- Click on the product category
- Click on the product page
- Check out
Note that a step does not necessarily mean an individual click. For example, in this scenario, step 3 requires multiple clicks, such as selecting the color of a product and adding it to a basket.
Step 2: Get emotional.
Then, use sticky notes of different colors to map out what feelings or emotions you want people to have when they complete an action. For example, when people arrive on your homepage, you may want them to feel welcome, excited and curious. Or when they make a purchase, you may want them to feel satisfied and happy. Your UX can invoke these different feelings via a combination of color, navigation, shape, content, or sounds.The right combination of elements depends on the identity, voice, and style of your brand, as well as who your target audience is.
Let's say you have a spa with a luxury brand identity and want people to feel peaceful and calm when they visit your homepage. You would probably use quiet sounds (or no sound) and a sophisticated design instead of loud music and neon colors.
Step 3: Start sketching.
Now you are ready to sketch out how each page or frame of your site or application should look. You can do this using a notepad or a whiteboard. This will help you have a better idea of what actions should occur on what pages and what elements will help people complete those actions.For example, if a spa requires people to easily select their chosen treatment category on the home page, the sketch on that page should include four categories of buttons: body treatments, manicures, massages, and facials.
You can use the UX flow you created in your sticky notes and sketches as an outline to create your site or application, whether you do it yourself or hire a designer and developer.
Step 4: Test early
How do you know if you have designed a strong user experience? Performing tests on time and frequently, and making the necessary changes.If you have the budget, you can run a pre-launch user experience investigation. This type of research gives you feedback on the usability of people who are representative of your target audience. In addition, A/B testing (testing two different versions of UX simultaneously) for your site or application can help you determine which UX helps you and your customers best achieve your goals.
If you do not have an additional budget, you can still do an informal version of the A/B tests during the sticky notes phase. Propose different options for actions and flows, and try them with friends and co-workers. Ask them which actions and flows work best. Ask them to show you how they would complete each action. Be sure to ask open-ended questions to get more answers than yes or no, and focus on clarity and efficiency.
Designing a solid user experience does not have to be complicated, and it is not necessary to be an expert in technology to map customer-friendly experiences. All you need are some sticky notes to write down the actions and emotions of potential customers, a whiteboard or a notepad to sketch out how your site or application should look, and your willingness to test early and frequently.
If you want to know more simple steps to designing a strong user experience, kindly contact web designing training in Chandigarh.
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