How users experience the interaction with your product or service has always been an important part of any business. It wasn’t as crucial before as it is now when companies take special care of how users feel.
Years ago, it was all about how you created the design layout of your store, or how your salesperson greeted and treated customers. Considering that many businesses shifted online, especially during the global pandemic, the user experience became a key component of a sales funnel.
This is backed up with a recent survey by the UN, where more than half of the respondents claimed that they shop online more frequently. This presents itself as a great opportunity for businesses that operate online.
In this article, we’re going to cover what are the integral parts of a great UX and design, what should be your main focus and what to look out for.
What does UX really mean?
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The best way to define user experience (UX) is—all the emotions and attitudes your users have about a particular product or service. Since we are talking about UX design, we’re referring to the emotional response your product, website, or software provokes in users.
Also, the functionality and usability of your product are no less important. You need to take care of all these if you want potential clients to become your regular customers.
Having a great design might attract a lot of customers. People enjoy viewing great, symmetrically designed visuals, but if they can’t figure out how to use your app they will quickly forget you.
Everything needs to operate like clockwork, so be sure to follow these suggestions:
- Usability: Your product needs to be fairly easy to use. Users need to find paths without trouble, or they will move on. Try to listen to feedback, so you can improve.
- Reliability: Everything about your product has to be working properly. If any part of your product disappoints users, they will move on fast. We can assume that your product isn’t unique on the market, so remember that disappointed users can find another option.
- Findability: Any important information that the customer might need, should be easy to find. If they are having a hard time finding it, they might bounce away.
- Usefulness: This probably goes without saying, but your product needs to have a purpose or a solution to the user’s problems. If they don’t understand how your product helps them then you might have a problem.
This is something that should be taken care of before the launch of your website, app, or product. Giving your users an enjoyable experience might give you a loyal following. Having a great UX can bring an ROI of 9,900%!
Create loyalty with a positive experience
Users often remember when they had a great experience on a particular website. All the information they needed was upfront or easy to find. They found a solution for a problem, and they accomplished it with ease.
This is done by understanding the world from your customer’s perception. If you can put yourself in their boots, you’ll be able to recognize what they need. You need to define what your average consumer looks like, and what their problems and needs are.
This way you can determine what key components you need to add or reinforce in order to build customer loyalty that will bring them back. If users associate you with positive feelings, and they know what they get from you is valuable, they are more likely to return.
Keep users at the top of your mind
The best way to create loyal customers is by following their feedback. If you tailor the design and usability to their needs they will be satisfied and might stay with you in the long run. They’ll notice that you’ve worked on fixing the problems and will be happy that you listened to their feedback.
Successful companies understand the power of feedback, so they carefully listen to the words of their users. It’s important to understand that the users don’t have the same perception as you, and they aren’t as emotionally attached to the product as yourself.
They can probably notice flaws and bugs more easily, and they might help you a lot before the official launch. Using scalable user experience testing and interviews can give you a picture of how users feel about your product.
Consider a usability testing tool that can allow you to connect with your users. You’ll get real people to test your product which will help you ensure that it will be easy to use once it’s officially launched!
Remember that reviews are important
Don’t overlook reviews. Listen to the user’s opinions, as they are usually willing to give you a piece of their mind. Even if they’re brutally honest, you should be thankful as they are giving you a real suggestion.
Nothing should be more important than how your users feel when interacting with your product. Not only will they decide to leave or continue rolling with you, but they can also influence public opinion of your product.
Let’s say you are trying to find an app you need. You don’t know which are the best ones, so you open a few of them on App Store or Google Play store. They all seem great at first glance, but how do you know which one is the real deal?
You scroll down to the reviews. Other users love to leave a review, unveil flaws or praise the great parts of a product. People understand how marketing teams can exaggerate, so they love to take other customers’ words as a guide.
That’s why you must have everything set up perfectly before the official launch. Those initial users need to like how your product is designed, how it functions properly, and that everything is understandable and easily found. It’s also a good practice to use a video maker to create a product video covering all the key features and benefits of your product. This helps your customers understand the specifics of your product and how it fits into their lives.
Brands that design the user experience to build loyalty
Netflix is one of those companies that first come to mind. They really work on improving experience, by making it possible to use Netflix on any given device. Listening to the voices of users, they make slight changes daily with the main focus on providing a better experience for everyone.
Nike made a great decision with its NikePlus membership program. Nike+ connects users with stores, events and gear, providing valuable information and educational content. It’s tailored to fit anyone’s needs by allowing personalization of every aspect from music and workouts to apparel recommendations.
Uber is an example we shouldn’t forget when talking about user experience. They’re focused on one of the most important things about UX — simplify the process for users. If you can remember how ordering a taxi could get complicated, think of how Uber is easy to handle. A few taps on your smartphone and your ride is ordered. So simple and with a greatly designed interface. Consumers know what they get and they quickly become loyal customers!
Final thoughts
To better understand our point you can look at the highest-rated apps on the market and read the reviews there. It’s refreshing to see users being pleased so much with an app. Reading praises from real users might influence other users to give it a try.
The conclusion is that you need to make sure you have a well-designed interface that’s pleasing to the eyes which will improve brand loyalty, with the simple fact that it’s easy and enjoyable to use. Emotions and the experience you create for your users have become an integral part of an online business.
We should be insisting on putting on a smile on people’s faces, and helping people use our products effortlessly and in a timely manner.
Customers can recognize when they aren’t your priority. So, you need to create a great relationship with them. To accomplish that level of trust, you need to put an emphasis on evoking positive feelings and experiences.
Author Bio
Lindsey Allard is the CEO of PlaybookUX, a video-based user feedback software. After seeing how time consuming and expensive gathering feedback was, Lindsey made it her goal to create a solution to streamline the user feedback process.
