If you want to compete in the current digital marketplace, a website or web app is not enough. You need to have a compelling user experience that customers to learn and use. Otherwise, given the competitive nature of the current market, your website or web app will fall into obscurity!
With that being said, many organizations inadvertently damage the user experience by overlooking fundamentals aspects of web and product design.
In order to help you avoid these potential shortcomings, we have identified some of the most common fatal design flaws that companies should avoid.
#Is the User Experience Really that Important?
The user experience is an essential component of web design. In fact, it may be the single most important metric in terms of impact on your overall success.
A lack of optimized content can cause four out of five visitors to leave your page, jumping over to a competitor or conducting a search for more options.
In the digital marketplace, your website is not so different from a physical storefront or office space. If prospective clients cannot get in contact with staff or find the information they need, then they will most likely leave.
While you may be hesitant to invest in a website overhaul, doing so can substantially improve the user experience for your customers.
#Top 5 Fatal Design Flaws You Must Avoid
With a firm grasp on the importance of user experience, as you’re planning out your website, avoid the following fatal design flaws:
#1. Tedious Navigation
The best websites are easy to navigate. They have clearly visible headers and are well organized.
Visitors on your site should be able to quickly locate relevant tabs for products and services. If they need help, they should know how to contact you quickly and easily.
A tedious navigation layout can negatively impact the user experience. If users cannot readily locate the information they are looking for, then they will “bounce,” leaving your site. A high bounce rate usually correlates to reduced revenue and lower customer satisfaction.
#2. Unresponsive Features
Having a website that is jam-packed with features and functions is a great way to keep users engaged — as long as they work, that is!
An unresponsive website will create a lot of friction during the purchasing process. Most modern users do not have the patience to reload pages or wait for the functions to become operational.
#3. Slow Page Load Speeds
Speaking of consumer impatience, slow page load speeds can kill your site traffic. Users quickly become disinterested in pages that are sluggish and move on to the next relevant search result.
While it may not seem like much, even an additional second or two of load speed can negatively impact the user experience.
Slow page load speeds also harm your site in another way. Google’s search algorithms assess your page load speed when ranking your site.
Consistent loading problems will hurt your rankings and make your site harder to find for consumers. All of that time and energy that you invest in SEO best practices will go down the drain. Don’t let that happen!
#4. Failing to Be Mobile Friendly
Every year, the number of consumers that access eCommerce sites exclusively from mobile devices is on the rise. If your site is not mobile-friendly, then you are missing out on a huge potential customer base.
Users that attempt to navigate to your site from smartphones and tablets need to be able to efficiently engage with your content. If you fail to optimize your site accordingly, it can cost you a sale and may even damage your brand’s reputation.
#5. Irrelevant Content or Images
Audiences expect you to provide them with valuable, well-crafted content. Incorporating too much promotional content onto your website can cause visitors to become disinterested in working with you.
Irrelevant images can also damage the user experience by muddling the message of your marketing materials.
Make sure to include quality content on your site. In addition to service pages, you should incorporate blogs that provide users with informative content. You should also use imagery that pairs well with each article, blog, or landing page.
Having a cohesive site with high-quality content will help you generate leads and convert casual visitors into consumers.
#With Pulp: Creating a World-Class User Experience
Does your current website exhibit some of the design flaws above? Want some help creating an innovative user experience? Need to replace your outdated online presence with a modern website that will drive conversions?
With Pulp can help. Our team has a reputation for creating world-class websites and building applications that customers love. We know what it takes to take user experience to the next level, with performant features, quality content, and intentional design.
To learn more, contact our team for a free consultation today!