The online world is changing. Web design is becoming imperative. Even more important than the actual content. In particular, one concept stands apart as the future —UX design.
When given 15 minutes to scroll a site, two-thirds of people prefer to look at something beautiful versus plain… even if the message being delivered is the same.
More intimidating still, the same study found that 38% of users will completely disengage themselves from a website if they feel that the content or its layout is unattractive.
That means they’ll leave your website simply because it isn’t pretty and easy to use.
The solution? The future is UX design.
But what exactly is UX design? And what does it mean for your business?
Let’s take a look at the nitty gritty of UX design and four reasons it can be the perfect solution for your company’s web content.
What is UX Design?
UX stands for “user experience” and is a form of web design. But it isn’t standard web design.
How is UX design strategy different from regular web design?
User experience design is all about enhancing your customer’s satisfaction, and in turn loyalty, by increasing the pleasure of usability on your website.
It’s designing a website with a “customer ease and fun first” mentality. And making that shift is very important for your company’s future.
In fact, whether you’ve thought about it or not, “fun” is a crucial driver when it comes to brand loyalty.
Over half of every generation (besides Baby Boomers, who still sit at a staggering 44%), site fun as a primary reason they are loyal to specific brand names.
That means if your customers aren’t enjoying the experience, or having fun when they’re dealing with your company, then you are losing clients.
Basically, you can say sayonara to a ton of potentially loyal die-hards if your business isn’t providing a user-friendly experience that engages customers on your website.
It’s a problem, and UX design is the answer.
In fact, there are multiple reasons why UX design is the solution to the “fun” fix problem.
Maybe you’re just starting your own business and looking to design your site…
…Or maybe you’ve been around for a while and it’s time for a website overhaul.
Either way, these are the four most influential reasons you need to incorporate UX design into your web content design strategy.
4 Reasons Why UX Design is Perfect for Your Business
There are a ton of reasons why focusing on the user experience can be beneficial for business.
In particular, let’s hone in on the top four reasons UX design can help your website convert more clients.
1. You’re Being Judged. Quickly.
A study found people judge your website in under a second of seeing it. Within three seconds, their eye has landed on a key element that will evolve into their first impression of your business.
What is drawing their eye? They certainly haven’t read the entire script on your home page in under five seconds.
They’re judging your competency based on the layout and design of your website.
Research has found that “instantly” liking a website has a strong correlation with higher customer satisfaction for that company.
Higher customer satisfaction equals better reviews and more repeat customers.
But, having an aesthetically pleasing design isn’t as easy as it seems.
Have you ever asked yourself “Why did you use that font? Those colors? That header image?”
These are the questions UX design answers, then integrates the solutions into a cohesive web design that exceeds user’s expectations.
Ultimately, UX design’s goal is to provide the consumer with a seamless, frictionless online experience. That first visit to your website is the consumer’s first impression of your company. It needs to be as smooth and satisfying as possible.
The easiest way to do just that is to simplify complexity for the user, which UX design focuses its concepts on.
Once that critical first impression has been made, users start to explore the site.
2. Content is King of ‘Return On Investment’
That first step has been made. An initial judgment. Now the user starts to delve into your content.
Almost half of Millennials, and almost one-third of every other age group expect brands to offer a unique and customized experience to suit their specific needs.
So customize it for them! Be unique!
Every detail is considered when you use UX design and focus on the consumer.
Everything in your website’s design needs to be deliberate and beautiful in order to provide the best exclusive consumer experience.
Why?
Client conversion. You want to make money.
UX design can convert your site’s visitors into clients. Every $1 spent on UX design is estimated to bring in $100 return. Talk about getting back your investment.
A combination of factors play into why UX design has such a great ROI.
Here’s a breakdown.
- Lowered support costs. A lot less inquiry is taking place if your site seamlessly explains who you are, what you do, and how to contact you. Less time, manpower, and money is spent on answering questions that shouldn’t need to be asked.
- Increased customer retention. More of your potential customers will stick around the easier you are to deal with. In UX design, the focus is on their experience. Your increase in their satisfaction means their increase in loyalty to your brand.
- Decreased customer acquisition costs. Your well-designed website means your bounce rate is decreased. In turn, you convert more people to paying customers from your website alone. This means you spend less marketing dollars elsewhere because your website is working harder for you.
- Increase in market shares. If you can’t keep people on your site, you’re less likely to make a sale. You’ll convert more reader to customers when you have a UX design optimized site. You’re facilitating the buying experience. You’re literally converting more customers because your website is easy to use. Less frustration for them, more money for you.
3. Less Time (and Money) on Web Development
Half of a developer’s time is spent on re-working a project.
At that point, it’s well past the prototype phase where things are easy to fix and well into the more expensive part of website development.
UX design eliminates this by thinking about user engagement and ease-of-use before passing the work on to a pricey developer.
The fact is, it’s cheaper to hire a designer than it is to hire a developer. So the more kinks that get worked out in the UX design process, the less money you spend paying a developer to finalize the project.
Your UX design team can be simultaneously busy iterating, creating, and testing while your developer is focused on backend services.
This shortens your development time — in addition to lowering financial costs.
4. Adapt (or Fail) for the Future Consumer
Today, customer’s experience accounts for 43% of their overall satisfaction. And in the next three years, that number is projected to increase to 50%. It’s all about the impression they walk away with.
Your business is setting up for failure later if you aren’t focused on the user experience now.
The current market is ever evolving to be about customer’s first. And without them, you won’t make any money.
UX design is the wave of the future.
Not only are people becoming experience driven more and more every year, the online world is where people are progressively spending their money.
Global spending has systematically increased each year online and will comprise almost 10% of all money spent worldwide by next year.
If you aren’t ready to offer these eager consumers a well laid out and easy to use customer experience with your site… someone else will.
Use UX design to optimize your business for the future and make sure your traffic converts to clients.
In the End
UX design means user experience oriented design. It’s about offering the consumer an easy and well laid out website experience.
This client-first web design is the next step in converting readers to your next clients.
The best forward thinking marketing companies are beginning to understand the investment in UX design’s full potential.
In order to stay ahead of the curve, you need to be fully informed as to how this can benefit your business.
UX design is important for your company because it will help your business by:
- Making the best possible first impression
- Generating an amazing return on investment
- Save you money in the development phase
- Prepare your business for the future
If you’re having trouble with your web design and are ready to create the next top-notch customer experience, you need to think about incorporating UX design into your content strategy.
Not only will this process save you money and generate the best first impression — it will be an investment for the future.
Stop creating your website based on the needs of your business and shift the focus to your customer by incorporating UX design into your web content marketing strategy.