There is no denying that User Experience (UX) is one of the most critical factors of web development. After all, it is about how swiftly an idea is converted into reality and presented before the users. UX includes usability, accessibility, and satisfaction and eventually decides how easy (or otherwise) the overall experience of accessing a webpage or application has been.
Let’s understand user experience in detail.
Understanding User Experience (UX)
Everyone talks about the importance of UX, but what is it anyway? Let’s understand with an example. As a business owner, it is essential to have a problem-solving attitude and to present the whole digital business seamlessly before the target audience. For example, a food delivery service may list the best restaurants with outstanding discounts and offers. However, if the users cannot browse through the alternatives, the web has an unusually high downtime, or there are issues with payments, such an app would not be able to reach its target customers.
UX can be defined as the complete interaction between a customer and a digital platform. This includes all the aspects of an individual’s digital journey, from accessing the application to availing the services. UX is much more than visual elements only. It includes several other factors, such as ease of functionality and accessibility. If you want to know more about the design process or want to know the proposals, refer to this article on writing great web design proposals.
The overall quality of UX has improved significantly in the past couple of decades. With the reduced attention spans of the target audiences and higher levels of competition in almost all industries, the importance of UX has become more critical than ever.
Major web development companies must put UX at the forefront of development. Irrespective of the nature and size of an enterprise, the most crucial aspect of developing a website or application is to amplify its business idea before the target audience. If you are a business owner looking for appealing UI/UX in the web development space, you need to know the top web development companies that help you to create user-friendly UI. However, having a handy list of companies for web development companies having experience in UI/UX development can help.
Before approaching these companies, let’s first understand UI and its importance.
Importance of User Experience for an Enterprise
Let’s move on to the benefits and importance of UX.
Higher Engagement and User Satisfaction
When a web development service provider pays special attention to UX, it ensures that the digital product is aesthetically pleasing, easy to navigate, and functional and provides a seamless user experience. When the UX meets the user’s expectations, the overall time spent on the website or app increases. If you want to have high engagement, you might need a company that can outsource cross-channel design work. Refer to this blog about cross-channel design work to know more about outsourcing web design.
Better Conversion Rates for an Enterprise
UX helps improve website conversion rates and eventually supports revenue growth for an enterprise. This is particularly critical in the case of digital businesses where conversion rates are based on the robustness of the digital product. As the sales funnel of a digital business is quite complex, UX helps ensure that users can browse through different parts of the funnel effectively.
The sales funnel can have multiple friction points, which could be improved by improving the UX. For instance, working on navigation, calls-to-action, and checkout processes is essential to reduce friction points. So, if an enterprise aims to make a sale or simply wants the user to sign up for a newsletter, working on such friction points through improved UX can be pivotal. In the long term, it promotes revenue generation and attains business goals. Here is a case study that shows how Redleo’s web design achieves a 70% client acceptance rate.
Improves Brand Loyalty
For any business, one of the long-term goals is to gain customer loyalty. Some of the most popular brands worldwide have expanded their operations in different parts of the world, banking on the intense loyalty they enjoy in different markets. Further, the costs incurred by an enterprise in gaining and retaining new customers are comparatively lower if such loyalty is attained.
Reduces Bounce Rates and Better User Retention
For a customer, browsing through a website that is easy to use, visually appealing, and responsive to user needs helps create a positive perception of a brand. On the other hand, unattractive, unresponsive, or even outdated websites can make a customer think poorly about a brand and the end products offered by it. Hence, with improved UX, the overall retention rates improve, and bounce rates are significantly reduced.
Key Principles Used for UX Design by Web Development Companies
Any web development company should align closely with the client’s business idea and objectives. As the digital product of one sector is completely different from the other, a web development company should have experts who know the pulse of various industries. In addition, the developers should be able to use the latest technologies to create and improve UX.
There cannot be a strict regulation or mantra to create the best digital product UX. It depends on the product, target audience, client budget, and other considerations. However, a few factors should be considered and could be used as general guidelines while designing or redesigning a product’s UX. Here are the most critical and common principles and elements a web development company should take into consideration:
Principle One: Responsive Design for Accessibility
Any designing company or individual designer should keep the importance of responsive design for accessibility as the foremost priority. This aspect (responsive design for accessibility) ensures that a website adapts seamlessly to different screen sizes and devices. Hence, optimizing the landing page for accessibility functionality is quite critical.
The overall experience should be quite similar if a user accesses the website from a tablet, phone, or laptop. This ensures that the digital product reaches a wide range of target audiences, including people with disabilities. This aspect not only improves UX but also ensures commitment to inclusivity on the part of the enterprise.
Principle Two: Intuitive Navigation and User Flow
The next aspect of a good UX is intuitive navigation and user flow, ensuring users can navigate through different websites and applications nonchalantly. These include clear navigation menus (such as sticky menus), logical page layouts, and intuitive user interfaces. A designer should also be able to map a user’s journey and streamline the navigation process. The website should be designed so that a user reaches the exact point they are looking for.
Principle Three: Visual Design and Aesthetics
Interestingly, visual design and aesthetics are the third things on the list. Even though it is not a strict criterion, it is always advisable to consider responsive design and navigation before going deep into visual design and aesthetics. Having said that, it is equally critical to understand that visual design and aesthetics are crucial for the overall success of the digital product.
The selection of color scheme, typography, and overall layouts decides the look and feel of the website. It also closely connects with the brand message a company needs to convey to the target audience. Using the best web development frameworks can also be critical.
The Future of UX: Implementing AI and ML in Web Development
With the introduction of the latest technologies, such as AI and ML, the overall quality of UX in website development has been drastically improved. As AI tools can help evaluate a large volume of data within a ridiculously short period, they help provide personalized, predictive, and contextually relevant experiences. There is also a significant improvement in communication and interactions. Pattern analysis and predictive analytics are also possible using these latest website development technologies. For more information on how AI can help your website, please read this blog.
Summing up
For a web development company, it is critical to understand that UX is the most vital factor that eventually decides the success or failure of a digital product. With this, customer loyalty and revenue generation goals are also attained. UX should be on point and designed after considering the expectations and requirements of the target audience. However, there are various challenges that a web development company should take care of. This includes budgetary constraints, technological limitations, and educating clients and stakeholders about the resources required for an impeccable UX.
About the Author
Emily Thompson brings a wealth of expertise as a Senior Content Specialist at Space-O Technologies, where she plays a pivotal role in bridging the gap between intricate software development concepts and accessible content. With a career spanning over a decade in the software development field, Emily’s insights are a product of both experience and passion.
