The essence of UX effectiveness in enterprise web applications
In today's highly competitive environment, it is no longer enough to stand out in the market with an amazing service or product. Instead, better identification of application users' needs and a well-designed User Experience allow you to stand out from the competition and gain the loyalty of satisfied users.
What is a good UX?
User Experience (UX) is a series of impressions and reactions experienced by a person who comes into contact with a product (usually digital). From the moment of our first interaction with an application, feelings connected with its use, positive or negative, appear. The task of UX specialists is to design a product to make the usage process pleasant, intuitive and fast. All functions should be clear and available for different types of users and devices.
The primary goal of User Experience (UX) is to increase user satisfaction, so it focuses on all aspects of a user's interaction with a brand, product, website or application. It is primarily about what the user feels while using the product - does it solve their problems? Is it easy and convenient to use? If it meets expectations, there's a good chance that even more people will want to use it.
At the application design stage, an important role is played by identifying the users' goals, needs and habits, adjusting services and products towards them, and creating pleasant and clear use paths. A well-designed User Experience is the result of several elements. One of the most important is persuasion, i.e. influencing the recipient's attitude through a properly directed user experience. If we build in user-pleasant feelings associated with our service or product, we are able to establish a good and lasting relationship with them.
Why is UX Design so important?
It is worth investing in UX Design and putting user experience first because it will surely pay off in the future. Good quality User Experience and better identification of users' needs allow companies to stand out in the market, gain loyalty, satisfy users and gain an advantage over the competition and thereby ultimately owning more market share.
Well-designed, well-thought-out products and services enable quick implementation of new objectives. When buying, consumers are no longer guided only by the functionality and price of the product; they increasingly choose products that inspire and evoke positive emotions in them.
Well-constructed and analyzed customer experience has an important impact on the creation, development and use of applications or websites and their success in the market among masses of competing products. Involving UX specialists in the project can significantly increase the value of the product. IT companies have long understood that they design for people who will not necessarily be fluent in the intricacies and mechanisms of operating complex digital applications.
Benefits of a well-designed UX:
• providing a positive experience for the user
• building brand loyalty
• simplifying usage processes (e.g. shopping processes)
• increasing effectiveness (better conversion and/or lower operational costs)
What is worth paying particular attention to - 5 current aspects on which a well-designed UX should focus nowadays:
1. Accessibility
It is a must for everyone, especially for responsible and conscious businesses. There is a lot of talk about accessibility, especially in the design of architecture and urban planning or the workplace, but still not enough talk about accessibility to the digital world. Your website or app shouldn't exclude anyone because of age, disability or poor internet. It's also about adapting to the different abilities and conditions in which your product will be used. So that working on it is as effective as possible.
2. UX writing and microcopy
Try to make your messages as simple and understandable as possible. They should be understandable for an 8-year-old as well as for a specialist. It does not at all mean that the text on the page will become boring and bland. On the contrary, by using your brand's personality, you have the chance to create memorable texts. People like to get attached to brands with an exciting story or communicate in an interesting way and establish a relationship with the audience.
In addition to text, so-called "microcopy" is also essential. That is all the buttons, input labels, error messages, etc. Small, inconspicuous phrases can make the experience pleasant or miserable. Of course, these messages need to be understandable, but they're also a perfect space to show off your brand's character.
3. Understanding the sales funnel
The sales funnel is a tool closely tied to conversion (more on that in a moment). It's worth exploring and keeping this area in mind in order to design better websites that make a real contribution to a client's business goal. When you understand the concept of sales funnels and their stages, you will be able to design better conversion points. Funnels are strongly linked to user journeys. That's why it's worth knowing how a user navigates through your website so that with this knowledge, at each stage, you can boost conversions and transition to the next stage - all the way to the final stage, i.e. purchase of your product or service.
4. Conversion is more important than appearance
Of course, it's nice to design a website brimming with technical novelties, full of trendy styles and animations. However, most websites and applications are created to bring profit. This is not necessarily mutually exclusive, although it is clear that the visual layer is more important for many developers, which seems to be a big mistake. That's why it's so important for designers to gain the necessary knowledge of business and processes, to advise the client and propose such functionalities in the product that will really improve conversions. Such a person should focus on goals, prepare metrics, and conduct tests and studies that will allow validating hypotheses that, in the long run, will turn into facts.
5. Personalization
Skilful use of analytical tools and cookies allows you to discover information about your users - age group, gender, country, language, interests and preferences. All this can be used for better personalization of the website to a specific type of recipient. Because of this, the target group may be served appropriate vocabulary, slogans or graphics better suited to their tastes. In addition, online stores may present those products or promotional sets that historically have enjoyed this particular group's most significant interest and generated the most excellent chances of conversion.
UX is a fascinating field and a specific set of tools that help protect a business from wasted money and resources. It's also a way to help discover the weak points of a product or website, which, if corrected, can increase conversion and even build customer loyalty.
Click to get more information about ANXE's UX/UI Consulting & Design services.
.