As we move deeper into a world of digital media it has become increasingly popular for people to publish content on various platforms. Basic websites, e-commerce websites, blogs and social media are amongst a few of the ways people publish information daily.
It is now easy for one to publish information on their own. Blog and social media software are affordable and easy enough for just about anyone to use. However, communicating information that is easy to understand through a pleasant user experience is another story. Making good content visually appealing and navigable takes the skills of an experienced designer. If you look at successful web businesses you’ll notice that they create enjoyable experiences for their users. This should be your goal as well.
Defining User Experience
User experience is a term used to describe the overall experience and satisfaction a user has when using a product or system. It most commonly refers to a combination of software and business topics, such as displaying information on the web or mobile device.
Based on this definition, user experience is the characterization of what a user feels while using any product. This can extend from a car to an electronic device to a magazine or a child’s toy. Most commonly, the specific term user experience is applied to that of software, web applications and digital devices.
Why is This Important to Your Content?
For the sake of conversation we’ll take a look at user experience as pertaining to the web. The point of most websites is to display information in an effort to promote a product or service. Users interact with this information to arrive at deeper goals (purchases, more information, etc.). If your interface is not designed well your user experience will not be optimal. On an e-commerce site, ideally you want a user to access your information and proceed to the purchasing process as easily as possible to produce sales. By investing in the time to create a good user experience it will pay for itself in the long run.
User Experience Honeycomb
In an effort to develop a user experience that is successful you may need to review how your interface design and content performs. This can be a tough topic to tackle, however by reviewing the seven facets of a user experience you can begin to develop some answers fairly quickly.
As seen in the above diagram the seven facets reference various attributes of a user’s experience. Ask yourself the following questions to find where you can improve.
1. Is your product or service findable? – Remember that for most users, their first interaction with your product or service begins at a search engine where they attempt to find the answer to a particular need. Using techniques like search engine optimization can launch your product or service to the top of Google or Yahoo search engine results page and get you noticed.
2. Is your product or service accessible? – These days your software application or website can be accessed practically anywhere and from any device. Making your software application or website cross-platform and cross-browser compatible not only makes your software application accessible to users with disabilities, it will also open doors to users with different operating systems, browsers, and mobile devices.
3. Is your product or service desirable? – Leverage the power that identity and branding can bring to your desirability and credibility (facet #7), especially if your brand is well-established. Remember, people are very visual. Capitalize on this to make yourself desirable.
4. Is your product or service usable? – Design simply, design for your users, and keep that design consistent to make your product or service usable, especially for those users that are using your system for the first time. If your users can’t find what they need or are distracted by all the clutter on a page, how will they perform the action that you want them to with your software application (submit an order form, sign a petition, etc.)?
5. Is your product or service credible? – Establish yourself as a credible source for the product or service that you are offering. Trust is the key to persuasion. Your users need to trust you before they can be persuaded by your message.
6. Is your product or service useful? – Relevance is king. Focus your message on the reason why your users would take the time to find and access you. For instance, if your site is a digital photography site, talk about digital photography.
7. Is your product or service valuable? – If your users perceive that their overall user experience from your product provides them with value they can’t get anywhere else, they will keep coming back and may even spread the word to others about what you offer.
User experience is easily overlooked by many businesses, especially those on a tight budget. However, it can play an important role in the initial creation or redesign of your website or software application if taken into consideration initially.
Have you found a way to improve your user’s experience? If so, how?
