How to improve your website’s user experience
It’s never been easier to design a website. A wide variety of no-code platforms exist for creating attractive website designs and you can achieve effective and professional UI designs just by simply following the templates.
However, no-code web design platforms cannot solve the issue of user experience (UX). Templates are designed with a simple UX foundation, but not all businesses are the same, and not all content is the same.
All websites need UX design to give users the best possible experience while fulfilling their purpose. The problem is that nowadays most websites are pleasing to the eye, but they don’t meet the user’s needs when it comes to browsing or finding the information they’re looking for.
In this guide we will share some tips to improve the user experience on your website.
UX first, UI second
In a perfect world, it’s best to do your UX work before starting the UI design. No matter how many templates or drag-and-drop builders you use, it’s best to do some preliminary research on who’s going to be browsing your site and how you can give them have the best experience towards the outcome you expect from them.
The purpose of visual UI design is to help the user follow a flow of actions. Information, navigation and connections between pages are important pieces of the puzzle, but the picture is not completed without UX and UI working together.
If your website has already been designed and is accessible to the user, you will need to do an audit to analyze its performance, flow and user experience and then make changes to the interface.
Employ responsive web design
A website without a responsive design for tablets and mobiles will be accessible to less than 50% of your ideal clientele. That’s why it’s best to design the interface for all three formats from the start.
Ideally, the analysis done during your UX research should be transferred to each format version of your website. The user flow on a desktop is not the same as on a mobile, so make sure that all information is easy to navigate on all screens.
Likewise, the user must be able to switch from desktop to mobile and still browse your website easily. The functions should be the same and, therefore, the design should be intuitive.
Use responsive icons
One of the most common mistakes in web design is that the icons don’t respond to the screen format. This mistake can block the usability flow, as the interface becomes cluttered and it’s not easy to locate the desired information.
It’s always best to use icons in SVG format or as a programming language. This way, when the screen size changes, the icons change as well, maintaining a fluid interface design. Flaticon offers you a large selection of perfect and scalable UIcons to enhance the user experience of your website.
Don’t confuse the user
If you could simplify all UX tips into one sentence, it would be this: don’t confuse the user. Confusion is your biggest enemy if what you expect from the user is a series of specific actions.
How can you make sure your website is not confusing? Here are a few tips:
- For each screen format, maintain the unity of fonts used in headings, text, buttons, etc. For example, all H2 titles in the same color and size, and so on for all types of text.
- Look for simplicity in browsing. Organize menus in such a way that they only show the highest levels of content and then use tags and breadcrumbs to allow the user to navigate further.
- Use images and visual content consistent with the interface and your message. Make sure that all photos, illustrations and textures in the design make sense when placed together. Get rid of those that have no function – decorative graphics should be felt but shouldn’t be too noticeable.
- Avoid adding elements that look clickable if they are not. They can be mistaken for buttons. Make sure that only your buttons and calls to action are perceived as clickable. There are plenty of free website graders out there that can help you to optimize your site in this manner.
The importance of accessibility
It is worth mentioning that work on user experience includes a thorough treatment of accessibility. What does this work towards full accessibility consist of on your website?
To begin with, you have to consider all the different people who will encounter your website and who will want to navigate their way around it. Some will be visually impaired and use auditory screen readers, others will be color blind and unable to determine whether your action button is red or green. Still others will be deaf and will only be able to understand your videos if they have captions or subtitles.
There are many online resources where you can research accessibility, including some services that check your design to see if it is accessible.
Keep your design agile
A web page is never finished. Drop the idea that your website design is done once and that’s it. A good website should always have a team behind it, checking that everything is running smoothly, analyzing user flow and experiences until it gets the job done.
Agile design is on-going, ever-changing and holds the vision that everything can always be improved. If you are unsure whether one interface design is better than another in a UX sense, you can undertake A/B testing. Use the results to make changes to the interface to improve the user experience little by little.
It’s your turn now
If your website is getting visitors, but you’re not seeing results, it’s possible that the user experience is not optimized. With the tips in this guide, you can improve the interface with a design that provides the user with easy browsing and no confusion. Use Flaticon’s UIcons to help you achieve a smooth and responsive interface.
And remember, keep the design agile. You will soon notice the improvements in your website.
