From the mug we use to sip our morning coffee, to our favourite mobile applications and websites—much of our daily routine involves, even depends on, regular interactions with digital and material products. These interplays generate feelings that leave a lasting impression on us as users, otherwise known as UX, the user experience.
UX design is the art of thoughtfully shaping products in order to improve these experiences, and if you ask me, it’s the unsung hero of the 21st century. With the potential to improve and support our complex relationships with products and technology, UX is becoming an increasingly integral part of the design industry.
So, what is user experience? And why is it so important? We’re going to answer these questions, diving into the ambitious ideas and principles that drive the UX world.
What is UX design?
Albeit its significance, UX, which stands for user experience, is equally as misunderstood to the general public as it is a part of our everyday lives. UX is a field of design whose “human first” approach emphasizes supporting users as they interact with a particular product from start to finish.
As consumers, we have experiences with every product we use—maybe it's navigating a website to make an online purchase, using a mobile app to order food, or even something as trivial as opening an umbrella. These encounters provoke a range of opinions and emotions associated with the product; it could be frustrating or satisfying, high quality or poor, significant or forgettable, necessary or superfluous, etc.
By designing strategically, the ultimate goal of UX design is to develop or improve a product so that it provides the best possible experience for target audiences from start to finish.
What is the difference between UX and UI?
They sound similar, but when you understand the differences between UX and UI, you’ll realise that they’re far from interchangeable. While both UX and UI (user interface) design involve shaping the best possible end product for users, there's a definite distinction between the two disciplines.
UX design involves an analytical process that’s concerned with the entire picture of a product’s design and launch—from user research and prototyping, to marketing the product. It's the job of UX designers to bridge the gap between the needs of the user and those of the business or brand.
If UX is about constructing an entire experience, UI hones in on shaping the visual and tangible elements that users will interact with. UX and UI designers work together harmoniously to develop a product—and each role is equally vital to its success.
Let’s say you have a UX/UI design pair working together on a website design; a UX designer will focus on the site’s entire flow and functionality, consulting with product designers, analysts, users and marketers along the way. In this case, they’ll use this process to discover what features are needed to give visitors a smooth website browsing experience, and hand over their insights to the UI designer.
From there, a UI designer will make the aesthetic decisions necessary to bring these solutions to life: the size of images, arrangement of content, amount of text and so on.
They’ll ask questions like: What is the best website layout for the user? How much information should sit on the homepage? Is the interface as a whole visually appealing and engaging?
What makes a good user experience?
Successful UX design can only be accomplished with a deep understanding of users’ wants, needs and values. And as any designer will tell you, the definition of good user experience can’t be pinned down to just one factor. Each interaction between user and product represents unique potential, and every design has its own goals.
Usability is not enough
Most people assume that a product with good UX design is one that is simply “usable.” But that would mean any product that manages to bring us from point A to point B has a good user experience.
While usability is important, it’s not enough to satisfy the entire scope of the user experience. A product might be usable on a surface level, and still manage to disappoint users along the way. Furthermore, context needs to be taken into account—what is considered usable for some might present challenges to others; and a product that formerly solved a solution, can appear outmoded today.
A classic example of this is the old Heinz glass ketchup bottle. You know, the one that required users to “tap on the 57” and patiently await their condiment to pour out of the bottle. When Heinz first released their classic ketchup bottle toward the end of the 19th century, this interface was an innovative solution. The bottle allowed users to consume the product, and the employment of glass made it possible to see how much ketchup remained.
Flash-forward to 2021, and we’re acutely aware of the fact that Heinz’s plastic squeezy container is a far more convenient option for removing ketchup from the bottle. It’s fast, it’s easy, and most importantly, it taps into a unique group of target users—kids. While a glass bottle is noticeably difficult for children to manoeuvre, they are equipped to handle the plastic option with ease.
7 principles of user experience
If not only usability, then what qualities contribute to a good user experience? Let’s discuss some dependable guidelines and look at how they can be applied to website design. The following are seven core principles that outline UX:
Useful
Usable
Findable
Credible
Desirable
Accessible
Valuable
Useful
Does the product or website serve a purpose? The first indication of good UX design is whether or not the end product presents a solution for the target user. Without a distinct use, it won’t succeed in a market full of purpose-driven products.
What is or is not useful can also be determined in the eyes of the beholder. Sometimes, a product fulfils a specific value that is not practical or obvious to others, such as aesthetic appeal or pleasure.
How is usefulness applied to your small business web design?
When designing a website, usefulness is when the site itself will help users accomplish a specific goal; such as making a purchase, acquiring information or signing up for a course.
Not only that, but usefulness should be evaluated with each element of the site’s design. When arriving at an online store, for example, you might have questions about a certain product. A visible live chat feature on the site’s homepage seems like the perfect solution for getting answers. You send a message and wait, until eventually you realise the feature wasn't activated by the owner. This design element is superfluous, setting false expectations for the user and resulting in poor user experience.
Usable
The most successful UX designs enable users to reach their end goal intuitively, efficiently and successfully. While a product can definitely serve its purpose without high levels of usability, it is less likely to succeed in the market. But a product that makes day-to-day tasks easier and more efficient for users will absolutely stand out.
How is usability applied to your small business web design?
A usable website is one that helps users to accomplish their goals quickly and efficiently. Let’s say you arrive at a fitness website. Your reason for visiting this site is to learn more about the teachers and classes themselves, and ultimately to sign up for a class.
Imagine two possible scenarios for booking: one requires you to jump around the website until you find an obscure sign up form, fill out your personal details, and wait for the Yoga instructor to send an email before confirming registration. In another case, you find a prominent “Book Now” button at the website header, which leads you to an online booking calendar. You choose your preferred class, pay for it online and immediately receive confirmation that you’ve successfully signed up for the class.
While both scenarios are technically “usable” in the sense that they’d get a user from point A to point B—there is a definite distinction in the level of user experience. One is easy-to-use, seamless and satisfying, but the other requires many steps and a long waiting time that will frustrate customers.
Findable
How useful would a product be if your target audience can’t find it? In UX, findability means ensuring audiences can locate and access a product when they want it. In the case of using a digital product like a website, this would require them to find the content they’re seeking with ease.
How is findability applied to your small business website?
One of the criteria for creating a website with good UX is guaranteeing users can identify the web pages they need. This is done by anticipating what aspects of the site are the most important for visitors and displaying them in a convenient location.
Picture yourself arriving at a restaurant website whose advertising promises customers they can conveniently order delivery online. You find the menu and decide what you want, but there’s just one (big) problem. After browsing the homepage and searching through the site, there’s no indication of how or where to place your order. Visitors to a site like this will feel disappointed when they can’t find what they need to complete their intended action of ordering food.
Credible
Credibility is all about honesty and living up to the reputation built around a brand. This is especially important if we consider the emotions of targeted users. A user expecting a certain quality or encounter with a brand, based on advertisements or word of mouth, will feel deceived if they aren’t given the experience promised to them. On the other hand, brands with established credibility will acquire long-term users who trust in their product. That forged relationship will likely proliferate toward new, loyal customers.
It’s likely that a website or product won’t get it right on the first shot, but that doesn’t have to come at the cost of credibility. Brands can be held in high esteem by their users just by listening and responding to their complaints and requests.
How is credibility applied to small business and start-up websites?
There are many reasons businesses create websites: to strengthen branding, give customers a convenient place to accomplish tasks (e.g. making a purchase) and to build an online presence. Whatever the goals are, a website is a place where brands can establish themselves and offer even more value to customers.
A credible small business website is one that is updated, functioning and provides a true representation of the brand or business it serves. Let’s say you arrive at an eCommerce website advertising a spring sale for 20% off all purchases. You choose your items, arrive at the checkout and make an online payment only to discover that you were charged full price because the sale has ended. An experience like this will leave users with a negative impression of the brand, since their website content is unreliable and out-of-date.
Desirable
By fostering an aesthetic and emotional connection between a brand and its target users, businesses will generate feelings of desirability toward new products, events and other offerings. As long as the brand lives up to its expectations, this is a great way to kick-off the user experience, which will ultimately create a ripple effect of excitement surrounding your product.
Another benefit of cultivating desire around a product or brand is that users who own or interact with it will likely show it off to their friends. This can feed into a ripple effect of new audiences who’ll want to test it out.
How is desirability applied to web design for small business?
Making a product desirable relies heavily on authentic and consistent branding. By creating a logo, choosing distinct brand colours and writing enticing advertising copy, a brand can strengthen its impact in the market. All of these elements make it recognisable and trusted among target audiences.
When it comes to web design, this means ensuring that all elements of a website are on-brand. For example, arriving at a site that doesn’t include the brand’s logo or business name, or uses unrelated colours and language, will likely confuse customers. While it doesn’t directly affect their feelings about the end product, a user in this situation would probably leave the site in search for a familiar brand.
Accessible
Accessibility means removing barriers that will prevent users with disabilities from using a product. This includes designing products, applications and websites that can be used by individuals with a wide range of capabilities, and ensuring that they can successfully complete their end goal without frustration.
While this aspect of user experience is often overlooked, it can benefit your business altogether by extending your market reach to individuals who seek accessible products. Additionally, when you improve the level of accessibility of your website or product, it will often make it easier to use altogether.
How is accessibility applied to web design?
There are many important details to consider when making a website accessible—colour contrasts, font sizes, alt texts and more. It is important for businesses to ensure that their sites meet the most basic accessibility requirements in their area.
While accessibility is a responsibility, there is also a benefit to businesses who pay attention to it. An accessible website will help strengthen the perception of a brand, improve performance and minimise legitimate legal risks.
Valuable
Creating value for your brand or product is the lifeline of the user experience. It can best be defined as the sum of all the individual characteristics mentioned previously. Since each user comes with a unique perspective, the aspects discussed will resonate differently with every individual, and certain elements of UX may be more valuable to some over others.
By covering the qualities discussed above, a business or product is much more likely to appear valuable to target audiences. Ultimately, value will help brands to bring satisfaction to their users and succeed in a market full of options.
Websites with great UX design
Since we’re in the website creation business, it seems only fitting to take this knowledge of UX design, and see how these methods can be applied to create a beautiful and functional site. From logical layouts and clear micro-copy, to engaging with current UX design trends, the following websites with great UX design provide an example of what a great user experience looks like:
As far as eCommerce websites go, Extra & Ordinary Design provides a seamless and enjoyable online shopping experience for visitors. While browsing through their unique pottery designs, users can easily filter the display to show the type of items they’re interested in within any given price range.
Once a user clicks on an item, they’re navigated to a dedicated product page which includes valuable details about the design, including the materials used, prices and shipping information. Should visitors decide to make a purchase, all they have to do is click “add to cart,” check out and pay—a seamless process guided by impeccable micro-copy and design.
HERoines is a non-profit organisation aimed at motivating and supporting women. Because of the importance of their mission, it's imperative that their site is informative, inspiring and generates new interests and support for the organization.
Here, parallax scrolling facilitates a continuous flow of information, creating an engaging experience for visitors at each section of the site. Additionally, a horizontal scroll is used to create a banner of inspiring quotes and calls to action, such as “join now” or “donate.”
Large fonts and contrasting colours make the website easy to read, improving accessibility for users who might otherwise have trouble. The colour scheme emphasizes strong branding, which is a helpful way to foster a trusting relationship between the organization and website users.
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Whether you're starting from scratch or need a redesign, we’ll create a user-friendly website that provides a positive experience for your customers and positions your business for success.
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