UX Design UX design stands for User Experience Design. It is what your users see when they visit your website. And it’s everything from where the menu is located to which images you decide to use. You may not think these are important, but your website - your online presence - is the first impression your users will have of you and your business. Therefore, a well designed interface can go a long way.

Why it’s more important now than everUX design. It’s been propelled to the forefront of businesses and marketing due to the covid pandemic. Since we could no longer visit our favourite shops in person, we switched to visiting them online. The pandemic pushed everyone out of their comfort zones, but gave them no directions on what to do next or how to do it.

Many businesses had to adjust their business model and incorporate digital features like e-commerce as well as social media and email marketing over traditional marketing formats. One example of this, in the past, is when Spotify tested a lighter version of their theme over the dark one. But the people spoke and the majority vote favoured the dark theme we are all so familiar with now. UX design is why Apple hasn’t changed the basic shape of their logo since 1977. It’s why Canva updated its Terms and Policies because users didn’t want to have to dig through legal jargon to get to the answer they wanted.

Think of your favourite website even, maybe it’s for a shoe store, or a bookstore, or even your own website. Consider for a moment why it’s your favourite. Is it user friendly? Is it the visual design? Is it because the information you look for is easy to find and understand? No matter your answer, It’s due to the integration or adoption of good UX design principles. UX design and it’s key principles because consumers are what drive good UX design forward.

The Purchase Journey Not convinced? Consider the purchase journey. The average consumer goes through what is called the purchase journey when making a decision to buy a product. It can be shown through the Mckinsey Customer Purchase Journey.

This journey is used to understand how the average consumer makes their buying decisions, and how it is essential to have a well designed interface that makes it easy for people to buy your products or services through your website. And good UX design helps push consumers through this process.

What Now?There are some general best practices when it comes to UX design that all businesses should keep in mind when designing their website.

Start with the following tips:

1. Well placed business logo - typically centered or left-aligned at the top of the page
2. Easy site navigation, optimized for mobile use - keep your menu clear and concise
3. User-friendly colour palettes - don’t overwhelm users with a crowded and busy website, stick with a few colours that complement each other
4. Contact information and links to all social media - users need to know where and how to contact you quickly and easily

These tips can be applied by integrating some of the following (and it’ll boost your credibility):

• Customer reviews, ratings and testimonials
• Using colour palettes that are associated with positive emotions
• Features of awards and press articles
• Industry related content such as blogs and opinion articles
• Features of safety for online shopping experience

Switching from an offline business to an online one has its challenges, but it doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming. Spark now offers UX design services, so along with our team of marketers, writers, and graphic designers, we can make your website not only function efficiently, but look amazing.

Let us know if these tips worked for you, or leave a comment below if you have any of your own!