Decoding User Experience

Why you need to become BFF’s with a UX designer:

Five years ago, user experience (UX) was not something many people considered when developing their websites. Sure, having a solid design, critical content and making sure the site was easy to navigate were important, but was that enough to truly define great user experience?

UX designers have been gaining momentum in their craft for way more years than you would believe, quietly cultivating some of the most popular products and websites we use today. Do you really think Apple would be where it is if not for brilliant UX design? Maybe… but they’re Apple.

A man trying to understand UX design

In all seriousness, all of the major websites and social media platforms we use have been, and continue to be, shaped by UX design. For the rest of us “regular folk” trying develop websites and brands within the wild world of UX can be terrifying and confusing as hell. However, it’s 2019, which means it’s something we can’t just avoid eye-contact with anymore. So, buck up my friends!

Kay, but how the heck do you do it?

Step one: don’t panic. Step two: don’t throw your computer at your cat (that’s mean) and step three: keep reading because we have outlined two super helpful (and easy) tips to punch up the experience for your users and keep them on your page longer.

1) Share Your Story.

Do you ever wonder what it was that made personal blogs explode in the first place? Why would people want to read about other people’s (who they don’t know, by the way) lives? Simple, because they are sharing a story. Their story. And the more real, relatable, and authentic the story, the more captivated we, as the audience, become. People who visit your site need to know why they should care and they don’t want to work for it.

PRO TIP:

Start out by writing your ‘why’, make it as personal as you feel comfortable with, then whittle it down into an elevator pitch; a couple captivating sentences that fully describe who and what you are. Once you’ve got that, make sure it’s the first thing people see when they visit your website.

A gold pineapple showcasing user experience

Speak Darling, Speak!

To parlay on what we discussed in the above tip, a fairly simple (in terms of not being coder-centric) way to boost your visitor’s experience is with your words. By sharing the information you need your customers to know, with a voice that actually resonates with them, changes their experience on your page. They are able to digest what you are conveying and thus, planting the glorious see for brand loyalty.

PRO TIP:

Be yourself! Use language you normally use in your everyday life. You could probably do without dropping an ‘F’ bomb, but write your blogs as if you were writing an email to a friend. If you’re speaking on behalf of your brand, ask yourself: what is my brand’s personality? Are you funny? Sassy? Are you everyone’s best friend? Or are you wise and kind? Whatever it is, you need to use it.

If you don’t know what your brand’s voice is then you’ve got bigger fish to fry. User experience is important but before you even get to that stage in the game you need to know the basics of your brand, like who you are and what makes you different. Once you’ve got that, make best friends with a UX designer or just use these tips. At the end of the day, the key is to be AUTHENTIC. Always.