UX: 10 ways to improve the ''User eXperience'' of your website

Have you ever heard of user experience? Whether it's for a cafe, a shop, or a website, today every business cares about the experience lived by its users. Because satisfying customers gives a competitive edge, every company doubles its imagination to improve the User eXperience of its users.

One aspect that companies particularly focus on is the user experience on web platforms. According to a study published in 2018 by the Quebec agency Kabane, Canadians spend an average of 5 hours and 55 minutes online, across all platforms, which is a quarter of a day. The increased use of the web in Canada leads businesses to place User eXperience at the heart of their commercial strategy.

A site that is ergonomic, informative, intuitive, fast, and responsive. Here are 10 ways to improve the user experience of your website!

10 Ways to Improve the User Experience of Your Website

Source: Kabane

Appearing in the 90s, user experience (UX) is a term aimed at describing the user's feelings during their web navigation. This approach aims to continually improve the site's content to provide the user with a pleasant experience that makes them want to return to the site.

The UX designer's profession aims to take care of web platforms specifically designed to meet different users. This involves optimizing the user experience that touches both the structure of the data presented to them and the functionalities available to them.

1. Clear and Airy Design

Parallel to UX, there is UI (User Interface), characterized as the link between humans and the machine on a web platform. The user interface allows users to navigate a website easily without requiring too much concentration. To explain things even more clearly, UI is related to design, as it involves organizing graphic and textual elements to provide attractive content to the user.

You will understand that user experience and user interface are complementary. Studies have shown that a visitor takes no more than 5 seconds to decide whether to continue navigating a given site. After UI, which deals with design and ease of perception for the user, it is User eXperience that intervenes to retain the user through the ergonomics and intuitive navigation of the website.

According to statistics, 52% of users do not return to a website because of its design. So, regardless of your business domain, this aspect is crucial. A clear and airy design is recommended for any platform. Moreover, if you don't have a particular talent for design, hire a professional who can put all their creative skills to work for your website.

You will learn that it is essential to study the preferences and behavioral habits of your target audience and constantly work on the design of your online platform. The goal is continuous improvement, both aesthetically and practically, as this is an integral part of the user experience. Moreover, you will not be surprised to learn that 93% of consumers consider visual appearance as the first factor influencing the purchasing decision on an e-commerce site, according to Skilled.

2. Accessibility

Accessibility is now the key to the success of the UX of your website, as users increasingly use tablets and mobiles for their navigation, especially for online purchases. A study conducted by Kabane in 2017 demonstrated that mobile usage increased by 30%, while computers are declining by 20%.

For now, computer use in Canada still holds the monopoly, as the percentage of online browsing on the computer is higher than on smartphones. This leads us to think that web platforms still have improvements to make in terms of responsive design to make online navigation even easier and enjoyable on mobiles and tablets.

Source: Kabane

3. UX and Improvement of Editorial Content

Design certainly has its place on a website, but editorial content has even more significance. You will learn that the internet user in 2018 is very sensitive to how information is delivered to them. They expect the content to speak to them perfectly, hence the need to study their target audience. This is the basis of User eXperience. Avoid technical jargon and abstract words because today's internet user is in a hurry and does not appreciate long texts. They look for concise texts that get to the point quickly.

Choose light sentences and remove any words that could weigh down the text and are not essential to understanding. Ideally, replace adverbs and adjectives with verb conjugations, making the text more dynamic.

Do not neglect SEO in user experience, as even though it partly targets search engines, it is still true that using keywords in the titles and texts of a web page will encourage the user to continue reading, as they will quickly know that the information they are looking for is in the text.

4. User eXperience, for an Intuitive Interface

A web platform with an intuitive navigation is surely the key to reduce bounce rate and increase conversions. No user should, even for a second, wonder where to go to find the information they need.

To succeed in the user experience of your clients, use clear headings and descriptions to avoid confusing them. Using a breadcrumb trail is an excellent solution for the client to move forward confidently and go back if they change their mind or want to visit other parallel sections of the site.

The ideal is that even if the client reaches the end, they are still tempted to stay on your website, hence the interest in continuously suggesting an exit or an alternative route. If it is an e-commerce site, suggest similar products. In the case of an informative site, you can always suggest other articles to extend the reading and the presence of the internet user on your platform in the process.

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5. Use Call to Action

For each of your websites, it is essential to use calls to action to indicate to users what steps to take. Each message must be identified with a different color. Thus, buttons like "add to cart," "add to favorites," or "make a payment" must be easily identifiable in a distinct color to optimize the experience for your users.

Eliminate overly simplistic messages like "continue," "next," and "submit." Create short but complete sentences so that the user knows immediately what they are getting into. Needless to say, user frustration can easily lead to cart abandonment or even not returning to the site.

6. Chat Support to Be Closer to the Customer

Have you ever found yourself lost among the various products and features of a website? Are many questions swirling in your head? Suddenly, as if by magic, a window opens at the bottom of the page. An operator comes to your aid without you even asking. This is customer support via chat, another find to improve the User eXperience of a website.

Today, the customer is too solicited and too busy to write you an email or call your customer service for additional information about a particular service or product. Your competitors are taking the lead and employing people to be at the service of the customer when they need it most. And you know what? It works.

7. Understand the User

Surveys, field surveys, analyses, all means are good to study your clientele in order to conform to their desires and needs. There are multiple ways to know your clientele today, the most well-known being Google Analytics. This tool is perfect for improving the experience of your users, as it gives you access to a multitude of information about the behaviors of your visitors.

Ask yourself if certain aspects of your website are not working properly. If that's the case, don't hesitate to move forward by making necessary improvements. Start by testing changes on a sample of users, and if it works, then apply them continuously. And most importantly, measure the results at all times, so you are not caught off guard.

8. Loading Speed in User Experience

The slowness of a website deters many users and could have a negative impact on the user experience of an e-commerce site. Today, in 2018, users expect very fast loading speeds. In fact, several of them claim to leave a platform if it does not load in 3 to 4 seconds.

There are several ways to increase the loading speed of your website:

• Optimize your site to have as few lines of code as possible;
• Simplify the interface;
• Use images sparingly and reduce the size of images as much as possible;
• Use caching appropriately;
• Update plugins.

For more information on methods to increase the loading speed of your site, consult the following article.

9. Continuously Innovate

The web is always about innovation because it is pleasing for the user to discover practical functions that make life easier or save time. Innovation and the constant pursuit of excellence are part of the success of your User eXperience.

UX is especially an area where creativity and new ideas reign supreme, so avoid imitating other sites, as originality must be unique to each company. However, you can take inspiration by consulting the best examples of e-commerce website.

10. Approach It Strategically

Whatever decision you make to improve the experience of your users, always think STRATEGY and plan your actions thoughtfully. If you don't have the time or skills to handle this aspect, know that there are real professionals specialized in the field of User eXperience.