The interaction between users and your company, as well as your product usage, plays a part in the overall user experience (UX). This includes more than just an app landing page but also the signup and onboarding process. Every component within your app has an impact on the UX and how users view your brand. The user experience determines if people will stay on your app and remain engaged; if free users will become paying users; and if there will be any customer churn.
UX is not limited to any one team or job within an organization; everyone can benefit from understanding user experience (UX), but it's an even more crucial concept to product teams. To create engaging and fulfilling app experiences, a multifaceted UX approach involves human psychology, responsive design, interaction design, user research, and so much more.
An understanding of UX design principles will prove to be crucial as you attempt to fulfill the needs and wants of consumers. But what are those principles?
User Research
User research is an analytical technique used to gain a better understanding of target audiences and what they desire in an in-app experience. It uses qualitative and quantitative resources such as questionnaires, observational studies, focus groups, card sorting, and more for data collection purposes. These tools enable UX researchers to learn more about user behaviors, product perceptions, and their practical usage in everyday situations.
User Personas
User personas provide product teams with answers to one of the most essential questions: Who am I designing for? For maximum effectiveness, user personas should be created using extensive research such as interviews or observations with real users -- this allows designers to get a deeper insight into their target audiences so they can create an app that exceeds expectations. An effective persona template should be easily recognizable and memorable, while also being as concise and text-light as possible -- this will allow users to internalize the information presented as well as make it easier for developers to keep them in mind when designing products.
Use and Purpose of the App
UX design must focus on the purpose and usage of an application, with user satisfaction being at the heart of its success. A user-friendly app will increase customer loyalty and sales for any company. To be successful at this, though, you must understand user psychology. Consideration should also be given to the user journey: from product UI to backend. If someone is interrupted while they're using the app (i.e. a friend stopping by or someone gets a phone call), they should still be able to pick up where they left off.
Usability Testing
The usability of your app is absolutely key to creating a fantastic customer experience. Your customers may quickly abandon you if they cannot navigate or locate what they need in your app. Usability testing involves assigning a certain task to one person or to a sample group of your target audience and watching/listening as they complete it. You can get a better feel of what works and what doesn't work, as well as any details that may help improve user experience. By collecting this data, you can uncover issues that might not have become evident during an earlier test and address any necessary adjustments before your app goes live.
Feedback and Validation
One of the key principles of UX is incorporating user feedback into your design process at every stage. This involves testing your app with real users, gathering their feedback, and making necessary adjustments. This validation ensures that your design meets the needs and expectations of your target audience. Incorporating feedback starts with usability testing -- a key step in the process where real users interact with your app.
Information Architecture
Information Architecture (IA) is another essential element of user experience design. It ensures all users enjoy an integrated and usable product experience from entry, searching, locating, using, and performing their intended actions. A truly effective information structure needs several considerations, such as user behavior, future-proofing, and content strategy. The singular aim is to deliver relevant content at just the right time -- but this can be challenging because different users often have different needs and expectations. IA focuses on organizing, structuring, and labeling content that works for all users. And not just boxes -- wireframes and sitemaps are also instrumental in the planning of apps.
Intuitive Navigation
At every point in the UI UX design process, intuitive navigation should be top of mind. Users should easily be able to find what they are looking for while being made aware of any successful action taken by them. One way to create intuitive navigation is by using familiar elements and patterns -- this will make your app stand out and make it easier for users to understand. User testing may help gain insights and identify areas of confusion or frustration. Users that find it a struggle to navigate an app will quickly lose interest and may never come back, and that's certainly not what you want!
Consistency
Consistency unifies various user interface elements into an accessible and predictable system for users, allowing them to transfer their knowledge across contexts without becoming frustrated or confused. Consistency also acts as an intuitive design element by helping users find what they need with no hiccups. Designers must carefully consider all aspects of a product for creating an optimal user experience (UX). This includes its code, content strategy, and marketing materials. For example, if one marketing material uses casual language and another one uses formal language, users may be confused about what your visual identity truly is.
Visual Hierarchy
Visual hierarchy is an effective design principle that facilitates easy user navigation of web pages. It uses various elements such as size, color, contrast, alignment, and proximity to create order and draw attention to key information -- elements that cater directly to human perception and have a role in UX design. Many users find that larger text is easier to read than smaller text -- drawing attention more effectively. Similarly, vibrant colors often stand out more than muted hues, but both qualities are important in mobile UI design since small screens can restrict strategies like large spacing or different font sizes.
Responsive Design
Responsive design enables someone to look at apps on devices with different screen sizes and dimensions; giving users a better experience overall and increasing search engine rankings. However, responsive designs do have their challenges. One drawback of responsive design is how much time can be spent developing six different versions for all types of screen sizes and orientations. UX designers can reduce this workload by using user analytics to determine which screens most often access an app.
Error Handling
When someone encounters an error, they are typically given messages like, "An error has occurred." Unfortunately, a phrase like this will not give users any useful information on what caused the problem. Error messages that clearly explain why an error has occurred and suggest how to fix it help decrease frustration and build trust in your app. For the best user experience, use wording that even non-technical users can understand.
Performance Optimization
Performance optimization is about enhancing the efficiency and speed of your app or website so it responds quickly to user inputs, loads content quickly, and does not take up unnecessary device resources. This involves things like optimizing code for better execution, reducing file sizes for faster load times, and streamlining UI for smooth interactions. By making performance optimization one of your priorities, you can improve user experience -- users typically go for apps that are responsive, fast, and do not slow down their devices or drain too much of the battery.
Accessibility
Accessibility in UX design is about more than complying with certain standards or regulations. It's about allowing every app user(regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities) to have a chance to interact with your app. This means considering elements like color contrast for those who may be visually impaired; providing clear and simple language for those who may have cognitive disabilities; and ensuring easy navigation for those with motor disabilities. It also includes compatibility with assistive technologies(i.e. screen readers or voice recognition software).
Incorporate User Feedback
User feedback is an integral component of UX design. It gives insight into what users think about a product and ways in which it could be improved and can be collected via various means such as surveys, in-app messaging, and email. But you should know that user feedback should be an ongoing process that is continually tested and improved upon. As much of this data can be extracted through web analytics tools, it would be more beneficial to directly ask users what they need and want.
Improve Your UX With Insights From Brightscout
We know these concepts might be a bit overwhelming, but don't worry! At Brightscout, we got you covered. We're an elite agency of global builders that brings companies to the next level. Talk to us and let's skyrocket your business!
