UX – or how to create the perfect user experience and optimize online visibility?
I recently had the pleasure of attending a UX training course for marketers, which was organized by DIMAQ. For me, developing my skills is extremely important, as it allows me to provide even better services to my clients. I decided to delve deeper into User Experience because it dovetails perfectly with SEO, which is my specialty. I can refer you here to an article where I explain the benefits of combining UX with SEO precisely: Sxo – what does it mean?
What is UX?
At the training I learned several definitions of UX which allowed me to create my own understanding of the topic. For me, user expirence is about satisfying users’ needs (not creating them), maximizing facilitation and creating positive experiences at three stages: before, during and after purchase. Purchase is the conventional term here, denoting the stage of experiencing a product or service. UX does not just mean a well-optimized website. A good impression accompanies all human interactions with a product, service or company, which are studied at so-called points of contact. The goal of UX is to improve the experience and create positive emotions.
How to make good UX?
Understanding the user
First of all, it is necessary to understand the service and “get into the shoes” of the user. This allows us to create a persona, i.e. an imaginary person to whom we target our activities or product. Knowing demographic information, gender, age, goals, needs motivations values, behaviors, habits problems, challenges or technological preferences. With all this information, we can create the perfect product for our persona, or de facto target audience. This is the greatest inspiration. Creating a persona is based in some part on estimates and guesses. Therefore, it is essential to conduct research to verify our vision of the target group. The goal of UX is to involve as many people as possible in using the product.
Pre-purchase impressions
UX begins as soon as the user gets to know the product, this is the first point of contact. The impression of an unsolicited phone call from a company selling insurance can be very different from getting to know the same company by receiving a nice flyer or clicking on a visually appealing ad on the Internet. Choosing the right path to reach potential customers and selecting the type of marketing is key.
A pre-purchase impression can also be a website visit. For the sake of example, let’s consider an online store. A website that is not adjusted in terms of UX can cause bad emotions in the user. A negative impression can cause:
- slow-loading page,
- popup,
- advertising with a hidden cross,
- non-intuitive menus,
- no search field,
- no contact information.
These elements are many and can vary depending on the specific business, so I will not give a specific method of avoiding them here.
Impressions during purchase
Staying with the topic of the online store, a customer who has already had a good impression in the first contact, has read the offer, the prices, the descriptions wants to make a purchase. This is where another critical point of contact opens up for us. Check:
- After adding to the cart, will the customer receive confirmation of this?
- Is the shopping cart icon visible and changes when products are added?
- Is the shopping cart interface clear?
- Is it easy for the customer to change the quantity purchased?
- Are the payment and shipping details clear?
- Is an upselling strategy implemented?
For the user, even the slightest frustration can cause them to abandon the purchase. Taking care to make the site intuitive to navigate, ensure the transaction is secure and easy to complete helps the user go through the purchase process painlessly and without experiencing negative emotions.
Impressions after purchase
It’s easy here to be disappointed with the product you bought, the way it was packaged, the shipping time, the lack of instructions, receiving damaged merchandise, not being able to return it, or making it difficult to contact the seller. In the world of green promotions, it can also be frustrating to pack a small product in a large cardboard box filled with lots of plastic.
Response to errors
Error response should take place at each stage. The types of errors that can occur are numerous. It would be ideal to predict all of them, which is not very realistic. Therefore, testing is important, continuous monitoring, but the most important thing is to respond to them. A positive solution to a problem or the nullification of negative impressions can easily be turned into a positive feeling. I Example: a 404 error on
It may happen that a user ends up on a non-working page. You should then apologize, in addition, it is worth adding some compensation.
II Example: Facebook failure
There was a Facebook failure two days ago. Working in a social media agency, a good step would be to contact clients and explain the situation. This minimizes the stress and worry of clients about suspected hacking or loss of social media accounts. In addition, it gives a nice impression of the agency’s concern for the client.
Not just websites
As I wrote in the introduction, UX is not just about websites or online stores. It’s also about the experience of visiting a hospital, using a plumber’s service or realizing an inflatable rental service at an event, and in all other spheres of life. UX designers have quite a challenge to meet the ever-increasing demands of users. Since we work in the Internet marketing industry, I will mention that our product can also be content. Taking care of its readability, content value, simple language, weaving in graphics, the font used, the tone of speech and whether we are writing the truth have a significant impact on the positive user experience. Negatively, users perceive so-called clickbait. Did it happen to you to click a very intriguing introduction to an article, and after reading it turned out to contribute nothing and not even answer the question from the headline? What did you feel then? Probably nothing pleasant. That’s why in any field, whether it’s website design, service delivery or content creation, it’s crucial to put user experience and satisfaction first, which is the foundation for building positive relationships and brand loyalty.
Minimalism and simplicity
Nowadays, we are overrun. We are attacked from everywhere by banners, pop-ups or ads. As a result, banner blindness has caught up with us, significantly reducing their effectiveness. For this reason, it is necessary to make it as easy as possible for users to reach any information and functionality.
Help the user make a decision without making extra effort:
- Don’t block access to content – control drop-down menus or pop-ups
- make suggestions – e.g. how to fill out a form, instruct in case of mistakes, add suggestions for related products
- Ensure minimalism and aesthetics of the interface
- Ensure sufficient information – not everything simple works. Product and price alone may not lead to a conversion, in this case a purchase.
All UX design should be done in the spirit of HCD (Human Centered Design). The human brain is designed to expect a response after an action is performed. When this is missing, the user feels frustration. This is a mistake. So let’s make sure that we have a response, for every user action and facilitation at every possible stage.
Emotions above all
Everything the user deals with evokes emotions. It depends on our work and approach whether these feelings are positive or negative. It would seem that we shouldn’t care if the customer likes our website, or the color of the box in which he receives the product. Nothing could be further from the truth! Every step, every word or piece of information evokes certain feelings:
- Tailoring activities to individual users’ needs and preferences makes them feel important and valued.
- On-page content can make users feel smart
- A name thank you in the form of an email for the purchase will make the customer feel appreciated.
- Storytelling can create a positive brand tower
- Creating space for expression strengthens sense of belonging
It can be concluded that emotions increase conversions.
Summary
UX, or User Experience, is a key element in the design of products and services, aiming to satisfy current user needs and create a positive experience at every stage of interaction with a product or service. Understanding the user is the foundation of good UX, and creating persona helps design products that are ideal for the target audience. Pre-, during- and post-purchase impressions are important, where purchase is a conventional term referring to the experience of a product or service. UX is not limited to websites, but applies to all aspects of interaction with a company, product or service. The key to good UX is minimalism and simplicity, allowing easy access to information and functionality. UX design should be guided by the principle of Human Centered Design, providing a response to every user action and making it easy to navigate at every stage. Emotions play a very important role, as everything a user interacts with evokes certain feelings, and customizing actions can significantly increase user satisfaction and brand loyalty.
Let’s design websites, objects and services in a way that is simple, aesthetically pleasing and usable at every stage of the user’s contact with the product.
