Have you determined it’s time for your company to overhaul its website and you’re leading the effort? Are you planning a website redesign and want to improve user experience? Redesigns can be a great way to bring your website's design methods, user experience methodologies, and strategies up to date.
Visitors spend less time on a website if they don't feel that the design is tailored to their needs. So, what can you do to make sure your website design is worth the visit?
Here are 5 simple UX tips to remember if you need to redesign your website:
Prioritize Basic Functionality
It's an exciting opportunity to rebuild a website. By implementing some of the ROI-driving trends that aid in online conversion, your organization can improve the appearance and feel of the brand and improve the return on investment that has been made into the site. However, this work can be a trap and if you are not careful, you’ll chase bells and whistles over basic fundamentals that actually lead to conversion.
Instead of focusing on the "fun" design elements, start with the utility of the makeover. Strip the site back down to its bones and focus on using wireframes to outline the site, not final pixel-perfect designs. Analyze your data and make informed judgments regarding your website's navigation and content before you pick designs because the look good to you or your team. Answer the question: “what is the primary objective of this website?”. Starting at the beginning of the design process will ensure you actually make an impact with this redesign.
Create Responsive Design
Many modern website design trends may be ignored, but accessibility is not one of them. Any new or redesigned website today must use responsive design. Your customers access your company’s information at work, on the go, or from their residences. When a computer isn't available (or even when one is!), people utilize a smartphone or tablet to look for information.
Designers must create a responsive web design, which means that a website's information will be shown differently depending on the device used to view it. This includes desktop computers, cellphones, and tablets, allowing you to ensure that your site appears excellent on any device.
This means more than just fitting the elements from the desktop onto a smaller screen, it means considering the entire structure and layout of each page in a whole new light. Consider how the majority of people hold cell phones and interact with the screen. If your buttons are positioned far from easy thumb-reach or are too small to hit, you’re missing the point of responsive design. You may even consider removing content from the mobile experience because it adds to scrolling effort or breaking it into smaller chunks. Your design agency should show you that they took these use cases into consideration.
Improve Page Speed
We’ve become an inpatient species so page loading speed impacts user experience because slow-loading sites frustrate us. Slower page-loading can influence conversions if a visitor is in the middle of an action and gives up and quits before it is finished.
According to studies, if a web page takes more than three seconds to load, 40% of consumers will quit it. You must ensure that your website loads in less than three seconds. Otherwise, you risk losing visitors who might otherwise convert and purchase from your site or request a meeting.
Website data tools, such as website speed optimization plugins, should be included in the website design to identify, monitor, and correct website performance issues. Make sure you benchmark each page of your current website and mark any that are performing below the 3-second mark. As you do the redesign, you may not be making huge changes to all pages but you should prioritize compressing images, reducing scripts on pages, and following best practices to improve page-load speed.
Focus on Page Structure
Again, go back to basics and make sure the structure of your page makes sense. Is the call to action clearly stated and restated after supporting evidence has been displayed? If you have additional calls to action or other links are they appropriately placed or leading the user away from your objective?
Remember writing an essay? You started with a thesis (your CTA) and outlined your supporting evidence. A web page is no different so make sure it hits all of the points (if you have too many, break it up) and then fill in the sections with easy to understand content (copy and images).
Strategize Website Copy
Speaking of content, now is the time to reassess everything you have written on your website. This is often more important than any design changes you make but often gets overlooked.
Remember that most people will judge your site in seconds, so make sure the wording is plain and straightforward. Every word you choose, every sentence on your site must have meaning and offer information and evidence to your customer as to why they should convert. Make sure your brand shines through the writing but don’t be verbose and don’t try to make too many points in the same section. Again, users are scrolling through your site at breakneck speed on a tiny screen, you need to give them clear, concise information.
Understand your Audience
The aesthetic attractiveness of your website is important, but don't choose designs based only on how they look and feel to you. Your company's website isn't for you. It's for your intended audience. If it doesn't resonate with them, it won't help you improve conversion rates. If you don't understand your target market, your website will become a depreciating asset rather than a rewarding investment.
To take your market research to the next level, create data-driven marketing personas of each of your customers. Find out which other websites your target audience visits and imitate or improve the flow and user experience of those receiving the most traffic. Understand what speaks to them most and capitalize on that in your redesign. Interview customers who did and did not convert and understand why. Connecting that with any website data you have from your analytics tools can paint a picture and help you make decisions about your website that will actually improve it.
Conclusion
Users expect to be able to locate what they're seeking quickly in today's digital world. Many customers also want a website experience that is personalized and adapted to their needs. If you need to achieve these, collaborate with a web design consultancy that knows how to strengthen your strategies.
Torch Digital Labs has a simple mission: to assist businesses in achieving their digital objectives by utilizing the incredible resources available today. Our view is that technology should not intimidate anyone but rather empower them to use it to build their business. Work with a web design consultancy to ensure your customers stay longer on your page!
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