Why everyone should understand basic UX principles

Essential UX principles to add to your tool belt

Most small business owners’ eyes will glaze over when the word ‘UX’ comes up. But UX (aka user experience) is nothing to be afraid of – it’s simply user-first design.

Good UX helps set your business up for success by making your customers’ experience as easy and hassle-free as possible.

In this article, we break down some of the basic principles of UX and how it can impact your customers.

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You’ll better meet your users’ needs

Meeting your users’ needs is at the heart of good UX design. While there’s a long list of UX design principles, we’ll whip you through some of the essential ones.

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Persona development

It’s hard to design for your users when you don’t know who they are. Persona development helps represent the different types of audiences you have. Personas open insight into things like your target audience’s:

  • Needs
  • Motivations
  • Concerns
  • Interests
  • Demographics
  • Purchase behaviour

Equipped with the knowledge of who you’re talking to and what they need, you can tailor your design to meet their needs and create a seamless experience.

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You’ll have a logical flow of information

The order of information is important – having a logical flow of information on your website can make the experience easy or confusing. Here are some key UX principles to getting that order down pat.

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Wireframes

You wouldn’t build a house without a blueprint. Wireframing is like the blueprint or skeleton structure of a website. It breaks down the order of elements on the webpage, such as the content, images and interactive elements in a logical order.

Wireframes help you think about the flow on each page and place information into a hierarchy of what’s the most to least important.

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Customer journey mapping

Customer journey mapping is a birds’ eye view of every experience your customers have with your brand. It’s an invaluable tool to put yourself in your customers’ shoes and get insight into what does and doesn’t work.

Customers will interact with your business across multiple touchpoints, such as in-person, over the phone or on your website. Customer journey mapping can help identify gaps or opportunities, as well as common customer pain points.

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Pain points

If you don’t know your customer’s pain points, how can you offer them a solution? Pain points on a website can be simple problems with a simple solution.

For example, a common pain point your customers may experience is difficulty finding your contact details. This could be enough for them to give up and abandon the website.

If your website has a nice, natural flow and meets all your user’s expectations, you can help overcome any pain points and barriers to provide a great user experience.

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You’ll make your website accessible to everyone

UX design focuses on removing any potential obstacles for the user. Whether they are temporary or permanent, physical or cognitive, you don’t want to create hurdles for your customers.

This is where web accessibility comes in. By designing with accessibility in mind, you’re giving your website a better chance of improving the experience for everyone.

An example of a permanent disability could be a visual impairment. Some potential solutions could include:

  • Easily navigable menus
  • Clear typeface
  • Clear colour contrast
  • Alt-text for images so that screen readers can understand it.

On the other hand, a situational disability could be having a broken arm or trying to watch a video on crowded public transport without headphones. Tweaks to the visual design, content and website functionality can help create a better and more inclusive web experience for all.

You know business, we know websites

Nobody knows your business better than you. Present the best of your business with a website that is functional, well-designed and UX friendly.

Our small business websites have options for every business – from a stunningly simple website to something that’s custom-made for the best user experience possible.

Get in touch with the team today to learn more about how we can help you with your business branding or design project.