What makes good UX design?

From apps to websites, devices to software: user experience can make or break a product: but what makes it good?

We have all been there, ordering products, buying tickets, or booking services on a poorly designed app or website. Bad user experience (UX) is simply frustrating and can make or break a decision.

If it’s difficult to access a service, your customer is simply going to look elsewhere to find the easiest solution.

With a wealth of tools, tips and expertise, there really is no excuse for giving a bad user experience. Here are some basic UX tips to get you started in designing a better UX.

Remember what your goal is

If your service is to sell a product, you need to make sure the user experience guides a user to purchase, easily and swiftly. Your UX should take that person point A, to point B – simple right?

Too frequently, UX is designed with unnecessary features that detract from the core of what you are offering. It’s no good if you can attract a consumer, but they get distracted before completing their purchase.

In the case of UX, less can certainly be more, and a great example of this is Facebook Messenger versus Facebook Messenger lite.

Think about usability

Following from the previous point, your service needs to get people from point A to point B. They are going to need to learn how to do this, which means you need to make sure that this is easy, accessible but also memorable.

If accessing your service is frustrating to learn, again the consumer will seek an easier option, it is only natural. Whereas if they remember your UX being easy to navigate and remember how to use it, you become the easiest, and therefore, the go-to option for the service you are offering.

Consider your design and ergonomics

This applies heavily to the UX of your apps, have you ever tried to tap that button all the way at the top of your screen? If you have one of the larger smartphones that can be a tall order.

This all goes back into thinking about how to make a user’s journey through your app frictionless, and part of this is making sure the app is well laid out, and can be used with just one hand.

Source: SmashingMagazine.com

This image shows a heat map of just how you need to think about the use of screen space in creating a good UX. If all the important functions of your app are hard to reach, this is going to lead to frustration in the user.

Frictionless, intuitive and goal-orientated UX is a powerful tool to drive sales and engagement, and following these UX tips will help you get there.

We’ve helped loads of brands, including Ladbrokes, Imagination and Asos, improve their user experience. If you want more of these tips, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

UX Connections, the UX agency with UX/UI consultants to help your digital product succeed.