Knowing UX principles and taking user experience into account play an increasingly important role (fortunately) in website design today. A friendly, easy-to-use, and above all secure site is an inseparable part of building trust in a brand or company.
Solid foundations
In web design there are many elements that can affect whether users feel comfortable and safe while using a site. Below we present a few key aspects worth paying attention to on a website. These are the absolute basics that should be taken care of from the very start of your online presence.
An SSL certificate
An SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate is a key element of ensuring data security on a website. Thanks to it, data transmitted between the user and the server is encrypted, which protects it from being read by third parties. The presence of an SSL certificate can increase users’ trust in a site, especially when the browser displays a “secure connection” message. The minimum option is a free certificate. Choosing paid, more advanced solutions can positively affect the professional image of a site.
Page speed
Page load speed is crucial for the user. It’s worth remembering that clicking a link — for example in an ad — is not the same as the user actually visiting the site, and loading delays increase the share of people who decide to abandon it. Optimizing performance by minifying CSS and JavaScript files and using fast hosting can help. A simple tool for assessing website speed is Google PageSpeed Insights.
Readability and visual scanning
A website should above all have practical value, which is why visitors rarely read its content “cover to cover.” Visual scanning plays the main role in the process of getting to know a website. Using clear headings, bulleted lists, and graphics can make it easier for users to quickly find the information they need.
What is worth paying attention to during design?
- Font choice and size: legible, appropriately large fonts that are easy to read on different devices and screen sizes. Suitable spacing between lines and paragraphs also improves readability.
- Contrast: low contrast can be hard to read, especially for people with visual impairments.
- Content structure: using headings, bulleted lists, sub-points, and paragraphs helps organize content in a way that’s easy to understand and follow.
- Avoiding an excess of text: large blocks of text without breaks can be overwhelming and hard to read. They are also unappealing to users, most of whom follow the principle of least effort. It’s worth breaking content into smaller parts.
- Color and visual elements: using colors and graphics can draw attention to key elements and help organize content, but overusing them can distract and reduce readability.
- Responsiveness: a site should be legible on every device, regardless of screen size. When creating website mockups on desktop, it’s easy to forget how users actually use online resources. Let the guiding principle therefore be Mobile first.
Regularly monitoring and removing broken links
Broken links can frustrate users (the “404” error) and lower the perceived credibility of a site. They also reduce the site’s ranking and can negatively affect its organic search positioning. That’s why it’s important to regularly check and fix any broken or expired links on a website. You can use one of many solutions available free of charge in a basic version, such as the Screaming Frog tool.
Transparency and complete information
Good UX is not only about technical matters, but about the whole of the experience while using a website. When building a website, it’s worth making sure a few sections are present that can give users additional information about the company. This increases the business’s credibility, which can positively influence a potential customer’s decision-making, and also increases our control over the message about the brand available online.
Reviews from satisfied customers
Customer reviews can be a powerful trust-building tool, using the mechanism of social proof. Placing reviews or testimonials from satisfied customers on your site can help convince new users to use the services or products offered.
Partnerships, certificates, awards, case studies
Presenting partnerships, certificates, awards, and interesting case studies can further confirm a company’s credibility and competence. For many users, information about ties with reputable partners or holding prestigious awards can be an argument in favor of trusting a brand.
“About us” information
An “About us” page should contain information about the company, its history, values, and people. When users have a chance to get to know the company a little better, they may be more willing to use its services. It stops being an impersonal entity and gains a “human face.” What’s more, for younger generations of consumers, the values a brand identifies with and its actions for sustainability, community support, and so on, matter significantly in purchasing decisions.
Convenient contact
Presenting users with a variety of contact methods — such as a contact form, an active email address, and a phone number — can translate into more inquiries about the company’s offer. It’s also worth duplicating the contact details in the site footer. This way they are always available to the user and don’t force them to wander through the subpages of our site to find contact information. Providing links to the company’s social media profiles, in turn, encourages users to follow and get in touch through those channels.
Adding a live chat or an AI chatbot to the site can also prove to be good practice.
Business address
Providing the company’s physical address can further increase users’ trust, showing that the company really exists and is not a “shell company.” In an era of increasingly widespread online scams, information about a company’s registered address makes it easier to verify. This is also useful for business partners, who may look on the website for the details needed to issue an invoice or place an order. If your business has no physical premises, or its address is not the same as the place of registration, it’s worth presenting this appropriately on the site — so as not to mislead users.
UX research — the key to creating better products
Research in the field of User Experience plays a key role in the design process, allowing creators and brands to better understand users’ needs and behaviors. There are different types of UX research, the most important of which are generative and foundational research, and usability testing.
Generative and foundational research
Generative research allows for a general understanding of users — their needs, preferences, and behaviors. Its aim is to provide broad context for the process of designing websites or physical products. The duration of such research can vary — it lasts several days, weeks, or even months, depending on the complexity of the project and the scope of the analysis. This research is important at every stage of design, and its frequency depends mainly on the pace of product development and the resources available.
Foundational research is more detailed analysis that focuses on specific aspects of use or interaction with a website or product. It can concern, for example, the construction of an interface, understanding the needs of a specific group of users, or evaluating existing product features. Its duration also depends on the scope and defined goals. Foundational research is often carried out at those stages of product development where detailed information about functionality or the interface is needed. Its frequency can depend on changes in the product and on user feedback.
Usability testing in UX
Usability testing is a key element of the UX design process, allowing designers to understand how users really use a product or website and how it can be improved. The aim of usability testing is to identify problems with the user interface, obstacles in navigation, or bugs in product functionality. These tests can be carried out at various stages of design, from early prototypes to final products. Their duration can be relatively short, usually from a few days to a few weeks, and their frequency depends on the pace of product development and available resources.
Usability testing can be conducted in many different ways; the most important are:
Concurrent testing:
In this method, users use the product or interface while a moderator observes their actions and asks questions. Concurrent testing allows for immediate collection of feedback from participants and quick problem-solving.
Focus group testing:
Focus group testing involves gathering a group of users who discuss the product or user interface under the supervision of a moderator. This method can provide deeper insight into users’ needs and expectations.
Heatmap analysis:
Heatmap analysis involves collecting data on user behavior and presenting it as a characteristic graphic that differentiates areas by activity. This way you can track where users most often place their mouse cursors on a website, where they click (clickstream maps), or where they scroll the page. Heatmaps can help identify the places that attract the attention of site users and those that are ignored.
A/B testing:
This involves comparing two versions of a product or user interface by presenting different variants to users randomly assigned to one of two groups. This method allows you to assess the effectiveness of different solutions and identify the one that works better.
Navigation testing:
In short, this is a study of how easy it is to move around a website or app. Users are given specific tasks to complete, such as finding particular information or a product, and then rate the difficulty of completing those tasks.
Generative and foundational research and usability testing are key tools in the UX design process, allowing designers to better understand users’ needs and behaviors and create products that are intuitive and satisfying to use.
They work both at the product development stage and during its operation, for introducing any changes and improvements. The choice of the right usability testing method depends on the goals of the research, the type of product, and the resources available.
Emotions in UX: a key element of creating satisfying experiences
In the world of UX, users’ emotions play a key role in shaping their experiences with products and websites. Ensuring positive emotions can be decisive for the success of a given solution.
When designing a website or developing a new product with an eye on good UX, it’s worth keeping three basic issues in mind. These are:
Empathy
Understanding users’ needs and emotions can help create more empathetic and effective UX solutions.
Satisfaction
Creating user interfaces that satisfy users and give them positive experiences can contribute to building brand loyalty.
The risk of negative emotions
Users’ negative emotions, such as frustration or confusion, can lead to abandoning a site or product. That’s why it’s important to minimize the risk of such emotions by ensuring an intuitive and friendly UX.
Emotions play a key role in UX, influencing the way users perceive products and websites. UX designers should take them into account when creating user interfaces, in order to ensure positive and satisfying experiences.
Here are a few key aspects related to emotions in UX:
Informing about the status of actions being performed
Clear and understandable messages about the status of the actions a user performs are key to ensuring positive experiences. Users want to know what is happening when they perform actions on a site. That’s why it’s important to provide appropriate progress indicators, success messages, and information about any errors. This kind of feedback reassures the user that a process — for example buying a product on the site — is proceeding without errors.
“Pain reduction”
“Pain reduction” refers to eliminating or minimizing factors that can be a nuisance for users. This can include simplifying registration and payment processes or minimizing the number of ads on a site. “Pain reduction” can translate into a higher conversion rate on the site.
Giving the user control
Giving the user control over their interactions with a product is a key element of ensuring a positive user experience. It’s important to provide clear navigation options, intuitive forms, and the ability to personalize the interface.
Aesthetics and moderation
Aesthetics play an important role in shaping users’ emotions while using products and websites. A thoughtful and attractive design can evoke positive feelings and have a good effect on brand perception. Equally important, however, is keeping moderation and avoiding excessive “cluttering” of the interface, which can lead to confusion and trigger negative emotions.
Personalization vs. customization. The key to a positive user experience
Personalization and customization are two key strategies that help companies ensure a positive user experience during interaction with a website or product. Although these terms are often used interchangeably, they are not the same.
Personalization refers to the process of taking a user’s data and preferences into account in order to optimize their experience.
This means that personalization systems use information such as browsing history, product preferences, or purchasing behavior to deliver personalized recommendations and content. Personalization aims to understand and give users what they are looking for, even before they ask for it themselves.
Customization is the process that allows users to adapt products or services to their individual needs and preferences.
Customization is the process that allows users to adapt products or services to their individual needs and preferences. This means that users themselves have control over what they want to change or adjust so that it better matches their personal tastes. Customization gives users a sense of control and participation in the process of creating products.
The example of Netflix
Netflix is an excellent example of using both personalization and customization. By analyzing user behavior, Netflix delivers personalized recommendations of films and series based on viewing history and user preferences. In addition, users can create their own profiles, adjust their watch list, and receive recommendations tailored to their individual tastes.
Personalization and customization are key strategies in UX. By using them, companies can build stronger relationships with customers, increase engagement, and improve the shopping experience, which translates into customer loyalty.
Trust, functionality, and engagement
As you can see, the basic principles of UX design are quite logical, and the first step in creating a good design can be to consider the most common mistakes and unfriendly elements we encounter on websites. Let’s design sites we would want to use ourselves — that’s the starting point, and research and analysis, including publicly available studies, along with data from numerous tools, will let us confront our opinion with users’ real behavior.
In the digital world, where competition is growing, creating websites that not only meet expectations but also evoke positive emotions is becoming essential to success. That’s why it’s worth investing time and resources in designing sites that are functional and, at the same time, engaging and satisfying for users.
