Different companies aim for different things when it comes to their website’s design. Some go for aesthetics over functionality, and others go the other way, with functionality being more important than the overall look of the site. While both are important, focusing only on one will leave you with a site that is wanting. When you are aiming to please your target market, what you should always keep in mind is that user experience is what you should be aiming for.
No, we are not saying that you should forgo aesthetics or that you should let functionality suffer when having a website created. These are important to your visitors, and are in fact, part of the entire user experience package. What you need to do however is to integrate both of these into your entire website design ideas in order to come up with a site that has the look that pleases, is easy to use, and can satisfy the needs of your clientele.
As a whole, your website has to be three things – easy to use, pleasing to look at, and can help visitors accomplish what they came to your site for. This is what UX, or user experience, is all about. Being able to provide your site visitors with what they need, and giving it to them in such a way that is not mind-boggling and is pleasurable at the same time.
Why is UX Important to You and Your Company?
While UX seems to be made for your website’s users, what may not be obvious is that, it is actually made to benefit both sides. When your site visitors enjoy their time on your site, and they get to do what they need to do without too much difficulty, you end up with satisfied clients. Satisfied clients can bring about a number of things, and these include the following:
- Loyalty – you will find that when people find your site very helpful and efficient due to your UX centered design, they wouldn’t want to deal with your competitors anymore. They will not need to find others that offer what you have because they are satisfied with what they were able to do on your website.
- Increased revenue – some people visit websites to check out what these have and to see if they can find what they need there. If your site is difficult to navigate, too complex to buy from, or too cluttered to be easy to use, visitors will simply look for another company that offers what you are offering, but with a site that is not confusing or difficult to maneuver around in. If your site is geared towards the needs of your visitors with the use of UX centered design, you will find that revenues will increase because people will not need to go elsewhere for what they are looking for.
- More Visitors – what do you do when you enjoyed restaurant you went to, and you hear someone asking about where to dine that is great? You recommend that restaurant to them. The same goes for a website that leaves a visitor satisfied that they were able to do what they needed to do when they were there. Visitors will recommend your site to friends who may also need what you are offering, and you can credit this to not only having what they need, but also to having a site that is easy to navigate, and is great to look at. All thanks to the integration of UX centered design.
