It is all about user experience when it comes to digital marketing. But what does User Experience (UX) mean?
Last time while using an app or a website, you probably don’t remember the experience of using it all that much. You likely remember the content or the functionality pretty well, but experience didn’t strike you all that much.
And, indeed, it shouldn’t be like this in a digital marketing era.
If you do remember, it is probably because you had a bad user experience. The well-designed website should have the UX element blend seamlessly into the background. The only time should stand out is when it is so well designed that you consciously think, “Wow, this is a joy to use!”
What is User Experience (UX)
For a beginner, when a visitor comes to your site, whether it is a mobile site or a website or an app, even the post on a social media, User Experience usually, is their interaction of the site.
Do they leave that web page understanding what it is that you do? Whether they have gone away with the thing, they needed? Had it been a positive experience or have they left that digital place, website or an app or a Facebook page, with a feeling in the heart, oh! that was a chore.
Indeed, we have all experienced websites which have been ten pages deep and still has not managed to get the visitor to the by-product button.
How many clicks should measure User Experience?
How many clicks were made by the visitor to get to the cart? Although there is a magical three-click strategy. Three clicks… you have to make it in three clicks… that’s the pressure on a website manager to make the sale.
At times, it is different.
The website’s service and functionality are all different. It is not just similar for all websites or social media channels in a digital marketing world. Still, all sort of UX is vital.
Let’s say you have done a successful marketing campaign and managed to get 50000 people to your website. You cannot afford to lose 50000 people instantaneously because the user experience was very cumbersome. Any website cannot afford to lose such a massive footfall because of a low-grade user experience.
Let’s take on another example.
Suppose it is an emergency. There’s a guy with one hand on the pipe that has gone haywire, and liters and liters of water is coming out it every second. The guy wants to call for an emergency number of a home installation and assistance website. What do you suppose him to do? Fill up a complete form and describing his situation or rather you would be giving him a clickable phone number to get a rescue team for the emergency, he is in.
So, every situation must be handled uniquely. The different situation needs different user experience. The web site’s content decides what type of UX is necessary for its customers. It majorly depends on the purpose it has been opened for. Technology makes thousands of tasks vastly simpler, without which some tasks would not be possible at all. But when it comes to creating apps, competition is fierce. Ten apps may do the same job well, but the one with the best user experience will always be the most successful.
User experience is like how easily an app allows users to do what they want to do and enjoy doing it.
User Experience in Digital Marketing
When visitors open up a website, the website’s length of time to start and become proficient at working according to their wishes is directly related to the UX design’s effectiveness.
It is commendable when the digital platforms can start quickly, without over-guidance for the User or unnecessary reading of instructions.
User’s intuitive use of an app will develop from interacting with similar physical world tools. When a user swipes the screen to turn the page and pressing a 2d box made to look like a 3d button are typical examples of real-world conventions to make virtual interaction more intuitive.
Various factors influence a user’s interaction with a system. The factors have been classified into three main categories to address the range:
- User’s previous interaction
- System properties
- Usage context
Understanding representative users, working environments, interactions and emotional reactions help in designing the system. The overall user experience is a summation of smaller businesses at a digital platform. Sometimes, it can be affected by the factors outside the actual interaction episode. They may be branding, pricing, friends’ opinions, reports in media, etc.
Coherence & continuity
Established conventions of UX design can arise through natural selection where successful techniques continue to be replicated, and unsuccessful ones do not. The importance of design conventions lies again in user expectations. A particular design element may seem more effective or efficient. Still, if it goes against conventions, users may quickly become frustrated because they expect a button to be in a place, and it is not there. They expect a screen swipe to present a different page. These all add up to the best user experience in digital marketing.
Platform specifics
The particular platform under designing can have an essential effect on the interface. The difference between the two smartphone models may be relatively small, but the smartphone and tablet interface difference may vary substantially. Guidelines can differ significantly from one platform to the next and particularly between brands. Specific and rigid procedures of app developers also give way to newer and more efficient designs to enhance the user experience.
The Deciding Factor
We can see that design is a subtle science with many factors contributing to it. Getting it efficiently done is key to the success of an app or a website. For most users, how well that code translates into an enjoyable and frustration-free experience is the deciding factor for which app they ultimately choose to use.
A great user experience can align with several commercial platforms and functions. When an eCommerce platform is designed in a more user-friendly way, it increases the overall conversions. Clear communication of messages via channels relevant to each buyer personas can generate leads for significant business gains. It helps to stay informed about the organization and service offering. Ultimately, by matching website goals with users’ requirements, benefits can be shared by both in the long run.
User experience explicitly encompasses improvements to the website, making it easier to interact with or quickly understand. It makes things better for the website and users. The procedure of entering, exploring, and converting the response on a site must be designed effectively. It must be attempted with a strategy to give ease and efficiency to the visitor.
UX helps foster better retention rates that get established with an excellent user interaction that leads to trust-building and solutions to customers.
As a digital marketer, web developer or designer, it is essential to emphasize the importance of conversion rate optimization with good user experience in overall marketing. It assigns you peace of mind as better user experience reduces knock-off effects in a digital marketing world and paves a way to success.
