Three Design Principles for better User Experience
What is the perfect designing strategy to develop a user-friendly platform? Observation is the most critical asset of a designer when developing a design based on User Experience. A good design is not just the by product of creative ideas but a combination of multiple design elements chosen to bring the idea / imagination to life. When it comes to User Experience, some factors must be considered prior to the designing task. Can the visitor relate to your brand? Did he / she find what they were looking for? Is your product fit for the end-user? Are the features you offer easily accessible? Here are some principles which influence user experience and will probably help in creating a strategy.
The user journey on your platform should be similar to a storyline build up. The instant they visit your site, they should be looking for more of it. When you visit Facebook’s social platform, you can access every piece of content right from the homepage. In December 2011, Facebook rolled out the Timeline feature which, offered the complete history of the user in form of a storyline. Well, it’s not by chance that the platform boasts of a multi-billion user base today. Your platform, even if from a different genre needs a comprehensive site build-up. A unified theme requires your site to be easy to navigate, contains interesting product related stories and use of colors to fade or objectify a point. Gradually, you would observe the organic traffic streaming in, on a regular basis.
Creating new frameworks, costly plugins may help the site get a better appearance, but it is no good if the user doesn't click on the buy button. users must be familiar with your platform so that multiple visits can be expected later. To ensure the case, you should bank on delivering an familiar solution. Make note of sticky details of each OS. Ensure your product looks exactly same from platform to platform. Use familiar patterns and presentation styles even if it makes you appear naive. Eventually, customers consume what they find is useful and delightful. Your design initiates the first step to an eventual sale. Test your solutions and platform on actual devices. It would garner you a hands-on experience of the platform and offer you a better outlook on the way the user perceives your offerings.
User Experience based design is not limited to developing an attractive design. Rather, it should be easily accessible too. A majority of sales are made through smartphones, and most of them demand simplicity and focus on the offerings. Small screens imply fewer elements on each page and prominent buttons increase the click rate. A drop-down menu is a must so that every piece of information can be accessed from a single tap. Prioritize the link, button, or the piece of information on every page. Make the site easily readable. Cluttered information on a single page would lead the customer away from making a purchase. Refrain from using more-than-necessary auto refreshing information. It would create lags on a slow connection. Achieve clarity to focus on your product by hiding some features and removing others, which are lower on the priority list.
The primary aim is to minimize the complexity and ambiguity while making your platform accessible. If the screen is cluttered, you are set to lose customers over a period. Bank on responsive web designing to make your product lists accessible without any lag. If you allow the users to interact with products on their own convenience, there is a great probability that the visit won't be their last to your platform. Apart from a contextual theme, familiarity and focus on usability. Pay attention towards visual hierarchy which is established through the use of size, shape, color, orientation and motion.