User Experience design should be planned from the start. Whether your site has been online since the early days of the internet or you just went live last week, it’s always a good time to assess your work. A detailed UX review will allow you to view your site from your customers’ perspective. Even if you just launched, the way users see your navigation and messaging might catch you off guard.
This is where user experience optimization, or UXO, becomes important. It is a process that includes developing, designing, planning, and improving the user experience for your potential customers. UXO aims to make the site easier to use and boost overall conversion rates, allowing you to directly test and assess your results. Testing and analytics play a big role in UXO because tracking how users interact with the site provides valuable insights into what they like (or dislike) about your designs.
Sometimes even minor UX upgrades can help you gain more customers. The idea is simple: If a user isn’t happy with your site design, he or she will quickly move on to another. A compelling user experience will keep visitors interested, help them navigate the site, and drive them through your sales or conversion funnel in the most straight-forward manner. Additionally, a good user experience will help build trust and credibility.
We do a lot of UXO at ImageWorks, and here are just a few tips from our experts:
Story
Create a compelling story using visuals and text to guide your users through the important parts of your site. A good story is the best way to keep visitors moving toward your conversion points without losing their interest and while building an affection for your brand.
Hero area
This is basically the large banner are on the site. There are, on average, about ten things wrong with the functionalist, usability, and messaging in the average hero area, so it’s important to consult with a UX expert to make sure you aren’t wasting (or hurting yourself with) this important part of your homepage.
CTA placement
The location of your call to action is crucial. Strategic placement can be the difference between converting your visitors and being overlooked entirely. For best results, create a custom CTA strategy for every page.
Navigation
Most websites are created with the developer’s thoughts in mind, and this can lead to huge problems with your navigation. Instead of thinking like a developer who knows every component of the site he or she has built, UX specialists have to look at a site with a fresh perspective. Place yourself in the user’s shoes and create a navigation menu that is straightforward and easy to use.
Clarity
Your website shouldn’t look like something out of an episode of “Hoarder’s.” Visual clutter is damaging to the user experience, making it harder for visitors to find what they need. Websites that are designed for UX are clear and simple without being boring.
UXO is Everything
There are dozens of reasons why UXO is important, but the biggest one is simple: a better user experience will lead to more sales. While it may seem like a big undertaking, in the right hands, even small optimization techniques can yield big results.