Is Your User Experience (UX) a Big Failure? It's Time for a UX Review!

Posted by ImageWorks Creative Team May 07, 2015

User Experience design is something that needs to be planned from the ground up. Whether your site has been around since the dawn of the internet or you just launched last week, it’s never too late or too early to review your work. A thorough UX review will help you see your site the way your customers do. Even if you’ve only just launched, the way your navigation and messaging are perceived might surprise you.

That’s where user experience optimization – also known as UXO -- comes into play. This is a process that involves developing, designing, planning and evolving the user experience for your potential customers. UXO focuses on making the site more user-friendly and improving overall conversion rates, so you can directly test and measure your results. Testing and analytics are huge parts of UXO since measuring interactions with the site offers the best insights into what your users are loving (or hating) about your designs.

Sometimes even minor UX upgrades can help you gain more customers. The idea is simple: if a user isn’t happy with your site design, he or she will quickly move on to another. A compelling user experience will keep visitors interested, help them navigate the site, and drive them through your sales or conversion funnel in the most straight-forward manner. Additionally, a good user experience will help build trust and credibility.

We do a lot of UXO at ImageWorks, and here are just a few tips from our experts:

Story

Create a compelling story using visuals and text to guide your users through the important parts of your site. A good story is the best way to keep visitors moving toward your conversion points without losing their interest and while building an affection for your brand.

Hero area

This is basically the large banner are on the site. There are, on average, about ten things wrong with the functionalist, usability, and messaging in the average hero area, so it’s important to consult with a UX expert to make sure you aren’t wasting (or hurting yourself with) this important part of your homepage.

 CTA placement

The location of your call to action is crucial. Strategic placement can be the difference between converting your visitors and being overlooked entirely.  For best results, create a custom CTA strategy for every page.

Navigation

Most websites are created with the developer’s thoughts in mind, and this can lead to huge problems with your navigation. Instead of thinking like a developer who knows every component of the site he or she has built, UX specialists have to look at a site with a fresh perspective. Place yourself in the user’s shoes and create a navigation menu that is straightforward and easy to use.

Clarity

Your website shouldn’t look like something out of an episode of “Hoarder’s.” Visual clutter is damaging to the user experience, making it harder for visitors to find what they need. Websites that are designed for UX are clear and simple without being boring.

UXO is Everything

There are dozens of reasons why UXO is important, but the biggest one is simple: a better user experience will lead to more sales. While it may seem like a big undertaking, in the right hands, even small optimization techniques can yield big results.

 

Contact us for a UX review. We’ll look at your site through fresh eyes and provide insights that will help grow your business.

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