U​ser Experience: What it is and Why You Should Care

Here's something not many people know: lurking beneath the surface of everything they do is something known as user experience (UX). If you are like most people, it's something you probably never considered. However, if you use the internet, UX is important to you.
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Essentially, UX covers the how, when, what, where, and why someone uses a service or product. User experience is how users feel when interacting with something, including web design. Some also liken UX to customer service since it involves ensuring customers' needs are met as seamlessly as possible.
 
There is more to creating a great user experience than meets the eye, and it goes beyond creating an aesthetically pleasing website with responsive web design and eCommerce chatbots. UX is all about pleasing the end-users. To achieve this objective, a clear understanding of the needs and priorities of website visitors is required.

User Experience: Why It Matters 

If you want to fully appreciate the importance of user experience, let us examine some interesting statistics:

• A staggering 79% of website visitors will abandon a site and look for information elsewhere if a website's content is not optimized.
• Research shows that mobile users are at least five times more likely to leave a task unfinished if a website is not optimized.
• A whopping 88% of visitors will not revisit a website after a bad experience.
• A well-designed interface can increase conversion rate by as much as 200%.

 
Not convinced? The experience of some of the leading brands in the world should give you a clearer insight into the importance of UX.

• According to Adobe, 39% of their visitors leave their website if their load time is slow or an image loads slowly.
• ESPN reported a 35% increase in revenue after implementing some of the redesign recommendations provided by their community.
• KoMarketing found out that 51% of their visitors consider contact information as one of the most critical components missing from most websites.

User Experience: Why You Should Care 

When UX is neglected, some of the most crucial aspects of the business can be compromised, including customer loyalty, sales, and brand reputation.

Customer Loyalty 
Over 52% of website visitors revealed they stopped engaging with a brand after a disappointing experience. What's even more alarming is that over 79% of visitors that are not satisfied with the information they are getting from a website will typically visit competitors.
 
This is not surprising as visitors don't like staying long on websites that don't have the information they want. For those that struggle to retain current customers or entice new prospects, improving user experience is one of the first elements they should look into and improve.

Sales 
If the sole purpose of your website is to generate online sales, UX is one element that should rank high in your list of priorities. It is crucial to remember that slow loading websites have resulted in $2.6 billion in lost sales yearly.
 
Over 60% of consumers consider lack of information, a small screen, and slow connection as some of the reasons that prevent them from patronizing a product or service. If you are not happy with your website's conversion rate, the likely culprit is poor user experience.

Brand Reputation 
When your website is not visually appealing, consumers and visitors are likely to take it against your brand. This might not be common knowledge, but at least 94% of first impressions are design-related. Also, 60% of visitors revealed they wouldn't recommend poorly designed sites to others. Undoubtedly, the impact of UX on brand reputation is huge.
 
Ways to Improve User Experience 

Surprisingly, there are many ways you can improve UX. If you want to improve user experience, the following tips should get your efforts off to a good start:
Audit your website's flow. 

Check your site's structure or sitemap. Assess if it can help your visitors quickly and effortlessly find what they want. If the process involves multiple steps before visitors find what they are looking for, consider redesigning your website's structure and flow.
 
It would also be ideal to use a user testing tool to get a better insight into the site paths considered simple and complicated by visitors. Aside from good site structure, it is also recommended that you make headings work in your favor.

Test your website. 
User testing is one of the most effective ways you can assess if your website provides a superb user experience. Fortunately, there is no shortage of helpful and powerful tools you can use nowadays to test various aspects of your website. Some tools are also designed to help you get an insight into how visitors view your website's design, content, and functionality.

Final Thoughts 

The importance of UX cannot be overemphasized. Without UX, a website will be challenging to navigate and a pain to use. If you want to stay competitive and take your brand and business to the next level, UX is something you cannot afford to overlook.