Great UX (user experience) is about delivering the most valuable solution to the problem a user is trying to solve.

When it comes to websites, we have a few factors to work with. And to deliver truly exceptional UX, it’s important that they are all optimised.

Branding

The foundation of strong UX is a purposeful brand with consistent and engaging brand elements. That means a combination of colour palette, logo, fonts and visual theming that effectively captures your business identity.

A brand with a clear and compelling personality – one that’s distinctly differentiated from its competitors – is more likely to stand out. And when the brand has been developed by a skilled brand designer following an effective brand strategy, the resulting web design will have a greater chance of resonating with the site’s visitors.

Understand the user’s intent

Websites are capable of solving a wide range of user problems. Understanding this from the get-go is crucial to developing effective UX.

For example, someone who wants to buy a pair of shoes will be motivated by a completely different set of factors than another person looking for a new home builder. It’s important to develop UX in line with the website’s unique purpose.

Our UX designers use techniques like user research and empathy mapping to understand the audience they are trying to influence and engage. With this in mind, it’s important to define the action you’re hoping to achieve. That way, we know what success looks like for each page on your website.

Latest design principles

While there are some design principles that remain impervious to change, web UX design is a constantly evolving art (and science). This is partly because design and visual trends naturally evolve. But it’s also due to the progression of implied web design principles.

There are a number of continually evolving expectations inherent in web design. Elements like the hamburger menu, the hierarchy of header tags and the positioning of CTAs (calls to action) have evolved over time. But when executed effectively, these provide users with easy signposts for how they should use a website.

Great UX should take into account the latest platform requirements and device types. And it should reflect the value that new advancements in design technology can bring. New and emerging features like animations, gesture controls, voice UI and in-app communications should be factored in to provide users with the most intuitive and natural experience possible.

Harness the latest technology

One of the most uniquely exciting aspects of web UX is its ability to couple stunning design and cutting edge technology to deliver an experience that’s far more immersive than a static design could ever be.

One of the reasons Distl was quick to embrace React as our front end technology of choice is its significantly improved load speed and ability to deliver interactive elements in a way that more traditional technologies simply can’t.

The benefits of great UX

Marketers will often focus on early stage metrics like click-through rates and keyword rankings when trying to improve the cost per acquisition (CPA) of a campaign. And over and over again, we’ve seen even the most beautifully executed campaigns fall flat due to poor website UX.

Visitors to a site might arrive with high expectations after seeing powerful marketing creative only to be let down by poorly devised UX. Just like that, a conversion waiting to be made is wasted.

If you’re curious about whether your website’s UX is up to scratch – or about what opportunities there are – reach out and we’ll provide a complementary UX review from one of our UX experts.