Today’s pace of change is extraordinary. Technology seems to evolve as we sleep, presenting fresh opportunities and complexities with each new dawn. Even for the most tech-savvy among us, retaining the attention of visitors is a challenge. A strong user experience is key to guide your website visitors and retain their attention.
It’s all about mobile (or is it?)
With the significant shift in online usage to mobile devices, you may be inclined to focus your attention exclusively on mobile strategies. Don’t neglect the desktop.
Remember that iconic marketing statistic about the need to be exposed to a message seven times, to make it stick? It still holds true. While an August 2022 article from Oberlo pegs US mobile visits at 53.74% of web traffic, the desktop — cited as a “secondary touch point” in many cases – is often where the conversion happens.
The user experience — on a mobile phone, tablet, desktop or app — is key to keeping visitors on your site to drive toward those conversions. Usability is the practice of making the experience of transacting with your business or product simple and intuitive for users. Good usability guides visitors, enabling them to focus on the task they wish to accomplish, rather than the tools needed to get it done. In addition to your site’s navigation and design, your content, fonts and colors are among the relevant factors to consider.
Compare these recommendations to your own website (desktop, mobile and app)
to assess your user experience.
Embrace fonts that are clean and unembellished
- Select font sizes that are viewable on mobile without the need to scroll or zoom
- Choose clean typefaces that are highly readable — especially for mobile devices
- Avoid script fonts except as part of a logo or graphic
- Use designated sub-head fonts (H1, H2, H3, etc.) for headlines and sub-heads
- Consider bold or italic for emphasis (don’t underline copy unless it’s a live link)
- Utilize a consistent font family throughout your site
Be deliberate in your layout and design
- Utilize a mobile-responsive template to provide a navigable site on all devices
- Include graphical elements to make each page visually interesting
- Adhere to a color scheme for all page elements, including graphics
- Color preferences vary by demographic group: know your target audience
- Consider readability for users with color blindness when selecting colors
- Pre-launch, test your user experience on a variety of device brands, browsers and versions
Provide an intuitive navigation experience to guide users
- Make navigation clear, and direct visitors to key conversion elements
- Maintain a consistent navigation scheme throughout your site
- Provide a logical architecture with sub-menus and embedded links for additional detail
- Locate commonly-used elements in customary locations
- Guide customers with visual cues like arrows, call-to-action buttons and colorful indicators
- Adapt your mobile navigation to the device and technology aptitude of your audience
Offer an exemplary eCommerce shopping experience
- Clearly display ways to reach customer support (here’s why)
- Provide both live and online help via phone, email, chat and FAQ resources
- Display your policies for guarantees and returns
- Show shipping costs early in the purchase process
- Minimize required steps and be sure your pages load quickly
- Include product testimonials and customer reviews
Interested in learning more about website usability? Review more blog posts, or
This post was previously published on this site and has been updated for relevance and new resources.
