Always Design With The User In Mind
If you do business online, you probably have seen or heard the term UX design. You also may have seen it abusively used and inappropriately explained. However, there are key business values and benefits of UX design that experts fail to explain to the end user.
Defining UX
It is helpful to first define what UX design means to the business owner and how it affects the consumer at large. When contemplating the definition of the UX design, it can be challenging to explain because most people place emphasis naturally on the design aspect rather than on the “User Experience Design.”
Web Designers
Most web designers would never want to have their services devalued because of the client being unaware of its impact and effectiveness. It is essential to understand that the goal of any online business owners is to sell a product or service. For that reason, being clear about the concept and benefits of the UX design will only serve to improve their services and satisfy the customer. Designers have to be able to shift into the mindset of the user when laying the foundation for usability testing and during the creation of deliverables for pre-testing and post-testing.
The UX designer should consider:
- Pattern of layout that works best
- Important information and features to add
- Effective ways in drawing user’s attention to features and information
- Use information from user surveys, research and summarized usability testing results to integrate user feedback into design
- How to effectively communicate the benefits and value of specific features or app with the user
- How to get the user to take the next step
- How to utilize available UI elements such as panels, tabs and grids
- Ways to maintain consistency
- How to design a user interface (UI) to satisfy the business and product strategy as well as the user’s experience
The Value
First, it is important to understand the value attributed to the UX design. In everyday business life, the relationship that a customer experiences with a company is important to how the customer feels about doing business with this company. Is the browsing experience satisfying enough to remain a customer? You may be wondering what this has to do with the UX design. Glad you want to know.
The UX Designer
A UX designer’s main goal is to help business owners align the value of their product or service with what the user is expecting. Most business owners do not want to provide too much expectation and not deliver. Therefore, a UX designer will do what is possible to create an even and balanced alignment with both expectation and value at the forefront so that the customer is not overwhelmed by too much. It develops trust where the customer is not disappointed and appreciates that steps were taken to create a balance where one side doesn’t lose out more than the other. Subsequently, the customer and business owner will continue to build a long term and stable relationship of trustworthiness.The Business Owner
As an online business owner, it is imperative to pay close attention to the experience you are looking to craft for your potential customer, whether from an app, web store or online conference. To hold the prospect’s attention, you should be aware of the time that it will take.
For example, most users can only stay on an app for one hour or on a web conference for two or three hours. Gear your UX design towards this so that you don’t lose your prospect. Many online business owners watch the time that users spend on their website as an essential element of success. However, the amount of time doesn’t necessarily dictate that the user is enjoying the experience. It could be that the prospect is having a difficult experience with finding exactly what they are searching for. Therefore, it is important to efficiently design a website for good user experience and not just to sell a product.
Closing
The value of the user’s experience is the key to the UX design. The user’s experience is not something that occurs by accident. It is done by carefully planning, analyzing, investing time and making continuous improvements. The design should be presented in such as a way that the user will want to return because the experience was pleasing to them and showed that you respected how the user would utilize and appreciate the design. It is as if you knew exactly what they needed without being demanding. In other words, it is responsive web design that always keeps the prospect in mind.