What is the User experience?
The user experience or UX is the process of improving customer satisfaction with a product, in this case a web page or mobile application. It seeks to strengthen web usability and generate a superior sense of pleasure in the interaction between the client and the product. Nowadays it is the methodology that most determines the actions of companies to create or modify a design of a web page or mobile app. In this article I will indicate some user experience tips and keys.
Within the world of user experience there are many dimensions that I try to group below:
Functionality: look for a practical purpose for the web or app. That is, it is easy to meet the users’ objectives. Either make a purchase or contact the company.
Usability: the ability to navigate the web page or the app. Interaction design (IxD): the purpose of this functionality is to define and design a way for the interface to carry out its own actions and operations in order to comply with its established operation.
Information architecture: the way in which the information on the website or app is structured so that it is as comprehensible as possible.
Content strategy: it is important to choose a good content format, as well as the correct transmission channels to reach users.
User Interface (UI): is the type of design focused on the visual presentation. That is, make the web or the application beautiful.
Graphic design: it is related to the previous section, making the web visually attractive. Emotional design: it consists in creating a speech around the application or the web.
Accessibility: ability to access a website by all types of users, regardless of their technological limitations. Users must be able to perceive, understand, navigate and interact with the platform in a successful manner. You have to design a web page for all levels.
In the image that I show below one of the most important points of web design, the wireframes, is seen. We’ll talk about them next, but I think it’s important to see a picture of what they mean. The best way to pre-design an attractive website for the user.
User experience tips and keys
12 User experience keys
Once we have talked about the dimensions of the user experience, it is time to know how to get more out of it. There are many user experience tips and keys, here are the keys to the user experience:
Utility: all the content of the web must have a practical utility for the user. There must be no content or images that do not add value. Quality before quantity.
Ease of search: it is essential that the user find what they are looking for in the simplest and fastest way. You must fulfill your expectations as soon as possible.
Security: fundamental factor. Not only on web pages that ask for personal or economic information, but for everyone. Nowadays it is a factor that influences the organic positioning of a website.
Added value: related to the first point. We must offer added value beyond its practical functionality.
Desire: the user has to feel that he wants what we offer. The user experience is fundamental in this aspect, to awaken in your users more desire to interact. Usability: the effectiveness and efficiency of the web is fundamental for the satisfaction of users.
Agile UX: integrate user experience in web development methodologies.
Lean UX: will be the routines that predispose the teams to obtain high quality results.
Mobile-First: today the highest percentage of internet searches are done with a mobile device. For this reason, it is important to take into account the limitations of these screens, which means that the needs of customers must be prioritized. The final result is a site easier to navigate and understand.
Friendly: the page must be simple. People always look for simplicity, and it is a key element of good web design.
Test A / B: with this technique 2 different designs will be elaborated. We will try which is simpler and more efficient. The one that has a better performance will be the final design.
Wireframes: this is fundamental as a process prior to the creation of the web. It consists of a visual guide to the structure of a web page or app. In this way we will focus on content design rather than visual design.
As everyone knows, most visits and users to a web page come from mobile devices and tablets. That’s why Google has begun to give more importance to these devices. The pages should not be responsive anymore, but should be oriented from the beginning to those devices.
7 Tips to improve the user experience
Now that we know what the user experience is, its characteristics and its keys, it is time to act. To finish with this list of user experience tips and keys, I indicate below 7 tips to get a better user experience:
Web loading time: today users want everything in a more immediate way. Therefore it is essential to optimize the web and reduce waiting times. This feature also influences the organic positioning of a website, and Google recommends that it be less than 3 seconds. The average load of a website is 7 seconds.
Caring image of the web: the first impression is what counts, and on the internet it was not going to be less. The image we offer on a website is directly related to our brand. Therefore there can be no spelling mistakes, the colors should not be gaudy, the content should be attractive, like the images.
Clean and clear design: minimalist designs are becoming fashionable, clear and clean on web pages. Related to the previous point, it is important to emphasize that the fewer distractions there are, the more conversions we will get.
Visual content: videos better than images, images better than text, simple. An image is worth more than 1000 words, but you can not pass. Multimedia content adds weight to the web and its server, causing the web to load more slowly. Therefore it is important to have a good server. Also make sure to upload them to the exact size they will be displayed in, so that unnecessary copies are not made.
Keywords with suitable content: if a user has entered your web page it is because a search engine has taken him there. Make sure that the content of your web page is in tune with the selected keyword, but Google will penalize you.
Be clear and precise: there are many companies that offer services and products that hardly give indications about them, and that can not be. Indicates all its characteristics as well as its price. Users do not want surprises!
Few clicks: clicking is not something that users like excessively, the less the better. Therefore I recommend the use of scroll, essential for mobile phones and tablets. For this it is essential to comply with point 1, a fast loading time.
Web optimization is FUNDAMENTAL. One of the most famous internet programs to know if your website is optimized is GtMetrix. It will indicate our level, both speed and optimization, and tell us at what point we fail. It is essential to review our website in this type of tools. With this tool I finish the tricks and keys of the user experience that I want to share with you.
We are in a world where there are hundreds of pages and companies that offer the same service, a world in which we all look for a simple and fast solution. It is true that each user is different, but we must find a link between them all. In summary, the more we pave the way for users, the more satisfied they will be and the more likely they are to return. Take advantage of the user experience tips and keys that I have named in the article.
See you in the next article!
