Experience matters
User Experience, (or UX for short) — is a huge topic.
User experience is a part of the design process that you don’t hear about unless something goes wrong.
User experience is something we encounter everyday, whether it’s through an app, website, face-to-face or even on a telephone call. Developing a good user experience plays a huge part in whether a customer chooses to order from your website or use your service.
You’ve only got a few seconds to grab someone’s attention, so if you’re going to have a website or app, it needs to be quick to use and easy to navigate.
The Tiny Elements Make All The Difference
Small details can make a big difference to user experience, saving users’ time, making the experience more enjoyable. Think about it—when meeting someone new, how do you decide whether someone is truly kind and acting in your best interests? It’s not about appearance, but rather, the little things they do that really make you feel special.
In UX, the same principle applies; we decide whether a website is useful and tailored to our interests. While complex, retailers are a perfect example of this. Not only do these websites need to be well organised, but also need to offer a customisable experience, allowing us to filter search results to help look for a specific product. Consider Amazon.com, which is great for filtering products by department, as well as by reviews.
UX DESIGN
UX is how a person feels when interacting with a digital product. UX encompasses a lot of factors, some that are controllable by designers and developers and some that are environmental or just user preference. These factors include usability, accessibility, performance, design/aesthetics, utility, ergonomics, overall human interaction and marketing.
Why It Matters
Users decide in just a few seconds whether your site or app is worth their time. That’s the only opportunity you get to reel someone in.
Think about the connection and experience you want users to have: simple, surprise, formal and credible or emotional. Make sure your experience creates a shared story that will be familiar to all users. Then test, test, test.
You never can predict for certain how your site or app will be perceived.
Designing For The Right Audience
Your audience plays a critical role in deciding the overall look, feel and experience of a product, especially when it comes to dealing with the side effects of ageing. Therefore, colours, contrast, font size and navigation all need to be considered, especially for those with visual impairments.
You also need to consider that generations use technology for different reasons. For example, in contrast to Millenials, Baby Boomers make purchases for different reasons or interact with a product in different ways. In order to keep your audience engaged, you need to know where they’re coming from.