It is a common misconception that UX design is just about making something look pretty. It's so much more than that. UX design impacts user conversion, engagement, and retention, impacting everything from your product metrics to your bottom line. In this post, I'll discuss various ways that your UX may be holding you back and what you can do about it.
"User Experience Design is how a person feels about using a product." - Jeff Gothelf (Lean UX movement)
Lack of information architecture
Before UX design can even begin, you need to create a solid information architecture. Users don't want to have to dig to find the information they are looking for. Instead, they want content to be easily digestible and easy to find. You should organize content across your site so that navigating to it is intuitive to your audience.
Another way a lack of information architecture impacts your product is by affecting conversions and engagement - which in turn affects retention rates. If users have to spend more time on your site searching for what they need, chances are they won't be back.
Poorly designed navigation
When a product uses poor navigation, it's hard for users to take advantage of all the features and content available. The result? They bounce from page to page - or worse, they leave your site! This hurts metrics such as conversions and engagement rates which in turn affect retention rates.
While this may seem like a no-brainer to some, a surprising number of product owners don't invest the time and money required for creating a well-designed navigation system.
The best way to ensure that your users can quickly navigate through your site is by using proper user testing - not guesswork. User experience design should be informed by data from real-world tests rather than subjective opinions.
Improper labeling for controls and features
When controls, buttons, and features are not appropriately labeled, users can get confused or frustrated. This is especially true for first-time visitors who may become discouraged by this lack of clarity - causing them to leave your site rather than try again later.
Microsoft found that up to 50% of people abandon websites because they don't know how to use some part of the design. For your users to take advantage of all features and content available on your site, labels must be clear - giving them an idea about what each control, button, or feature does.
These are just some of the most common UX mistakes that product owners make, which negatively impact their metrics, including user conversion/engagement rates, retention rates, and more. While it may seem like a daunting task to improve these critical areas by implementing better information architecture, labeling controls/features more clearly, and improving the design of your site. The result will undoubtedly be worth it.
Unclear status messages, warnings, or alerts
When system status messages, warnings, or alerts are not clear to users - they can become frustrated. This is especially true for first-time visitors who may become discouraged by this lack of clarity - causing them to leave your site rather than try again later. It's crucial that you make it easy for new users to see your product's current status.
For example, if you plan to shut down your site for an hour for maintenance purposes - make sure users know about it! This will ensure that they don't get frustrated when accessing unavailable features or content on your website. It will also help ensure that they come back later once everything has been updated.
If you're not sure how to go about creating better system status messages, warnings, or alerts - it's a good idea to do some user testing beforehand. This will give you insight into what your users expect from the design and help you streamline improving this critical area.
Too much text and poor readability
Many product owners are under the false impression that if you throw more information on a page, it will help conversions. Unfortunately, that isn't the case. Most users won't take the time to read everything they see, especially when so many other options are available online. When writing your content, keep your users in mind and remember that it's better to be concise than wordy.
Many designers fall into the trap of designing a beautiful landing page only for there not to be enough white space on the screen. It's essential to have just enough text to overwhelm viewers with too much content but not too much to make it difficult for them to find the information they need. White space gives users a chance to breathe and allows their eyes to quickly move around your page without feeling overwhelmed by clutter or text that is too small.
Conclusion
These are just some of the most common UX mistakes that product owners make, which negatively impact their metrics, including user conversion/engagement rates, retention rates, and more. If you want to find UX issues on your web app easily, Look-see can help. We automate the UX audit process so you can get the insights you need in minutes. There's enough to worry about in the product design process. You shouldn't have to be a UX expert as well. With Look-see, you can find UX issues impacting your product and make improvements. Come have a look-see!