If you’re a business owner who doesn’t specialize in design, it can be difficult to identify what a good user experience (UX) should look like. However, the last thing you want to do is fund a major design project and then find out that the functionality is lacking, or that users leave the site or app because it runs too slowly.
Today, we’ll talk about five qualities that every successful UX will have in common, whether it’s a project, a website, an application, or something else. Read on to learn more!
1. Tell a Compelling Story
When it comes to branding, story is king. Whether it’s the user interface (UI) telling a visual story or the copy telling your brand story, everything should be cohesive and targeted toward your ideal audience. Visually, the project needs to pull them in like a fish to a lure, and the copy should hook them so that they’ll keep coming back to it.
The design should be interesting and natural without being distracting to the eye or interfering with the functionality. There should be plenty of white space to give the eye a break, and the colors used on the site shouldn’t clash with one another. The text should fit well with the rest of the design, using a font that complements the rest of the project.
2. Helpful to the Target Audience
In order to have a great UX, your project needs to help the target audience. For example – if your target audience is the elderly generation, your user interface shouldn’t be technical or confusing. It should be straightforward and simple enough that someone who wasn’t born in the digital age can understand it.
The designer should put themselves in the mind of the target audience and think, “What would I need if I were their customer? How would the design need to be laid out to best serve my needs?” The ability to be a chameleon is an important quality for a designer.
On the opposite side of that, if your target audience is well-versed in technology, your user interface can be as technical as you’d like – but it had better run smoothly if you want to impress them into trying your product or buying into your brand.
3. Seamless Functionality for Users
Speaking of seamless functionality, the project should look great on all platforms on which it appears. This means that websites should perform just as well on mobile as they do on desktop.
One of the traps that inexperienced designers commonly fall into is creating a beautiful desktop website that turns into a confusing mess on mobile. You’ve seen it before: the buttons are too big, you have to scroll left or right to see the page, and everything looks funky.
This is a clear indication that the designer didn’t have the user interface in mind when they were creating the project – and anyone who’s experienced the frustration of landing on a page like that knows how quickly they bounce from it.
A truly user-friendly interface will look beautiful on mobile as well as desktop. It’ll be as straightforward and easy to navigate as possible, despite the obvious differences that come from switching platforms.
4. Minimal Downtime/Page Loading Speeds
Speed is usually not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a well-designed website, but it’s an integral part of the process. Slow apps get sent to the trash can. Slow websites become a digital ghost town, a “no man’s land” because nobody is willing to take the time to wait for the page to load.
Another source of frustration for users is the inability to find what they’re looking for on an app or site. If it’s not laid out in an intuitive way, or users keep getting 404 error pages, they’re going to lose interest. The goal is to optimize everything as much as possible to provide a fantastic UX.
5. Fully Reflect Your Brand
Have you ever seen a site or app that seemed to get everything right, yet it still missed the mark? If that’s the case, it’s because the website wasn’t fully reflecting the brand. A site or app can have a great design and stray from the mission or objective of the brand. Perhaps it doesn’t appeal to the target market – or maybe it does a poor job of showing what you’re about.
As a business owner, it’s important to find a designer who can provide everything you need. This means that your project should provide a phenomenal user experience, have an intuitive user interface with flawless functionality, and tell a story while reflecting your brand.
Are you looking for a design company that can do all of these things? Choose Matcha Design. We’ve been in this business for decades and won several awards, but we don’t rest on our laurels. Every project is a new challenge – so send your challenges our way!
