Effective user experience design can fuel ecommerce success. A good interface makes a site easier to navigate, eliminates headaches during checkout and can make a brand stand out. UX gives merchants a chance to meld form and function to create a positive impression on users.
According to UX Planet, creating a UX is one area where design and business professionals can often find common ground in terms of priorities and goals. Creating a good design requires that organizations consider key issues ranging from data presentation and visual elements to security and opportunities for users to provide feedback, the news source explained.
There’s a lot to think about when establishing a UX, but here are three tips to help you get started:
1. Be unique, but not to the point of disruption
A Business News Daily report presented web design ideas that are gaining momentum for 2018, and its guidance sheds light on an important distinction on the sector. On one hand, the article urged merchants to avoid demanding highly specific features or forcing storytelling where it doesn’t fit. However, it also recommended using content throughout the site, taking advantage of unique, branded imagery and taking time to tell your brand’s story. These goals aren’t contradictory.
The problem comes when organizations focus so heavily on getting their brand across that they don’t try to fit those themes into the experience. Instead, they put the brand first and the UX second. Instead, it is important to design and develop the site in such a way that the branding fits in with the experience, creating a smooth, intuitive interface.
2. Build for your audience
People interact with technology in diverse ways and often come with widely variable expectations. UX Planet recommended organizations make their design decisions with a specific target audience in mind. This includes understanding the social circles that influence expectations, tech literacy of users and their willingness to trust ecommerce.
3. Align design and development
“Development decisions should inform design and vice-versa.”
It can be easy to slip into a mindset in which the design aspect of the site is separated from the technical development happening in the back end. Creating a positive UX hinges on aligning these two elements of the site to create strong, simple navigation. Development decisions should inform design and vice versa.
Creating an excellent, branded UX often requires a great deal of work and specialized skills. If that seems intimidating, consider reaching out to a third-party specialist. At Pixafy, we provide consulting, design and development services to help brands create the ecommerce site they need to drive growth.
