The Importance of User Experience in Website Design
Like most of us, I have zero patience for poorly designed websites - which makes perfect sense because web design is literally my job. But the truth is, nobody wants to waste precious time navigating through a cluttered, confusing or simply bad website.
We’d rather click ‘close’ and find something better.
Let’s be honest for a moment: how many times have you clicked on a link with genuine interest only to find yourself faced with a weird layout, messy homepage or feeling completely lost and thinking, “Forget this, I'm not bothering”?
First impressions count so much, especially on your website. When it’s the difference between making a sale and watching an exasperated visitor close your site, it’s absolutely worth ensuring everyone visiting has a brilliant experience.
UX might not sound like the most exciting topic, but investing time and money into creating an excellent user experience will definitely lead to more sales. Here's why:
Visitors won't struggle to find information, so they're less likely to feel overwhelmed and click away.
Good UX involves communicating value upfront, helping potential clients see why they should choose you over competitors.
Thoughtful UX guides people further along the customer journey, bringing them closer to saying 'yes' to your offer.
It provides a great return on investment: "every £1 invested in UX brings £100 in return. That's an ROI of a whopping 9,900%."
Effective UX increases conversions: "A better UX design could yield conversion rates up to 400%."
Pretty impressive, right? Let's explore user experience more deeply, and how you can create a beautiful, welcoming site that truly delivers results.
Understanding User Experience
UX (User Experience) design focuses on user satisfaction - specifically examining how easy your website is to navigate, how enjoyable it is to use, and overall how to optimise the visitor's experience while interacting with your site.
With thoughtful UX design, you can guide visitors around your website so they learn about your business exactly how you intend them to, eventually leading them to take your desired action, whether that's making a purchase, booking a discovery call, or signing up for your newsletter. It's genuinely win-win: your visitor follows the path you've crafted for them, and they enjoy a pleasant experience while browsing your site.
There are a lot of factors that play into good UX design, so let’s walk through five ways to improve the user experience on your website.
5 Powerful ways to improve your website’s user experience
Know your audience inside out
The foundation of excellent UX on your website is understanding who your website is for.
Revisit your customer personas, conduct some good old fashioned research, run surveys and speak directly with previous clients. Understand their priorities when visiting your site and consider how you want to guide them to their goals. Keep this in mind whenever you’re working on your website!
For a practical starting point, think about a website you visited recently yourself:
What information were you looking for?
Were you trying to learn something specific?
Were you hoping to hire someone for a particular service?
How easily did you find the information you needed?
This reflection will help you shape the kind of experience you want to provide visitors on your own site.
2. Embrace simplicity and responsiveness
When you’re building a website, it can be tempting to get swept up in the latest trendy online elements. An animated graphic here, some exciting banners there… but the reality is that your site can quickly become busy and confusing. The last thing we want is so much happening that visitors feel overwhelmed and rush for the 'exit' button.
Your design should be encouraging your website visitors to follow a specific path that leads to a desired destination. Choose a clean, simple layout and don’t be afraid of white space (it doesn’t literally have to be white!)
Give your chosen elements space to breathe, and remember that sometimes, less really is more.
➡️ Wondering what exactly you should be including on your website? Read my Ultimate Website Checklist.
3. Prioritise intuitive navigation
Just as with any journey in real life or online, clear navigation is absolutely essential. Provide visitors with a map to your site. Can they tell which page they're on at any given moment? Do they know how to move between pages or return to the homepage? Remember, establish the basics before focusing on purely aesthetics.
Easy navigation comes before snazzy design (although of course, you can have both!), so get that sorted before adding hidden buttons or animated features. CTA (call to action) buttons work brilliantly as standout elements that guide users exactly where you want them to go.
4. Go with the user flow
Your visitor's journey through your website should feel frictionless. Maintaining a good flow on your website is all about understanding the entry points for your users, the journey you want them to take and your end goal - whether that's newsletter signups, service enquiries, or call bookings. Take time to test your user experience with willing participants.
Observe them navigating through your site (without offering hints!). Which buttons do they click, and in what order? Does the navigation feel intuitive? Do they need several minutes to work out how to move through the site, or is it a seamless experience? Keep refining as needed.
5. Hire someone who knows good UX
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t worry. UX design is a skill that takes years to master, so if you’re a little confused, that’s totally normal.
Your best bet for creating a site with great UX is to hire someone who knows what they’re doing. Look for a web designer who specialises in UX, and understands just how transformative it can be to your online conversions, client relationships and overall business growth.
If you want to eliminate those 'not bothering with this' website visitors, then collaborating with a UX design expert is absolutely the way forward!
At Dmarzdesigns, I specialise in creating websites that find the sweet spot between your brand aesthetics, business goals and ideal client needs. Want to find out more? Get in touch!
