Designing Websites for a Great User Experience

by | Jan 22, 2015 | Website Development

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Have you ever noticed that some websites are smooth to navigate, while others make you feel like a mouse in a maze? It’s no coincidence that some sites are easier to navigate than others – they have invested in creating a positive user experience. User experience design, known as UX design is the process used to improve and enhance a visitor’s overall satisfaction and interaction with a website. It involves taking a detailed look at usability, design, marketing, performance and, most importantly, human interaction.

Poor vs. Effective UX Design

While poor user experience is usually quickly identified, a great user experience ironically often goes unnoticed by your website visitor because everything seems to be right where they expect it. Good user experience design engages the visitor’s intuition, emotion, and connectivity when navigating a website. This is essential for new companies that need to make a good first impression. Although some unforeseen circumstances may effect an experience, like poor internet connection or using a dated internet browser, it is important for you to control everything you can to make sure your website provides the best possible user experience. Fortunately, most of these factors can be measured and optimized by designers and developers.

User-Centric Design

The design process, as you may expect, starts with a creative team that develops the aesthetic, vision, and goals of a website. At this point, it is important to also consider the desired response from your users. Should they be surprised upon reaching your site? Excited? Relaxed? Energized? These goals are something that should be discussed by the entire team during each stage of development, from the CEO to the designers.

UX Design Testing

Once things are up and running, how can you tell if your design is effective? Simple. You must test it. Do the site’s tools work intuitively? How do users feel about the site overall? Are they using it with ease and enjoyment? Are the goals of the website clear? It will be easy to gauge whether the client and designer are happy with the site, but what does the end user think? Testing is essential in providing a great experience. In theory, with the continuous stream of data and analytics available, the testing process is never-ending. Your site should remain flexible to adjust its goals based on user interaction and feedback over time. This is where effective marketing comes in to play and the cycle continues.

If your website needs a refresh and you are looking for a team that designs for the user experience, NuGrowth Solutions can help. To find out how, contact the NuGrowth team at 800-966-3051 or fill out a contact form and we will be in touch.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row_inner class=”author-box”][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]Sabrina Reda[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”5/6″ animation=”none” column_padding=”no-extra-padding”][vc_column_text]

Author: Sabrina Reda

Sabrina develops and maintains websites for NuGrowth Digital clients. She applies her background in visual communication to the sites she creates to make them easy to understand and simple navigate, so clients’ prospects can find what they need and convert into leads.

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