We as consumers chose brands with great customer service. You definitely remember where and when you’ve purchased the product or service and received a sweet note, discount for the next purchase, or a small gift inside. These lovely gestures aren’t something you get after each purchase, but because of this such companies become our favorite places to shop.
The same approach is applicable to digital products like websites, mobile apps, and desktop software. User experience is as essential for digital products as customer experience to retail businesses.
Let’s analyze what user experience (UX) is, why UX is important, and why it’s worth investing in.
What is UX?
According User Experience Professionals Association user experience is every aspect of the user’s interaction with a product or service that creates the user’s perceptions of the whole.
User experience design is a broad term that includes multiple aspects:
- interactive map;
- visual design (user interface or UI);
- layout;
- information architecture;
- brand;
- readable text;
- voice tone;
- interface responsiveness;
- usability
- interaction between a user and a product.
UX is always built with customers in mind to improve the usefulness, easiness, marketability, and addictiveness of a product. UX design improves loyalty and customer satisfaction through user-friendliness, smooth interaction, and pleasure.
Why user experience design is important
Why is user experience important? If you use a website or other digital products to attract customers, UX matters a lot.
Let statistics speak for itself.
- According to Forrester’s research, on average, every $1 invested in UX brings $100 in return.
- A user-friendly interface can raise your product’s conversion rate by up to 200%, and a better UX design can boost conversion rates up to 400%.
- Businesses that were less invested in user experience (simply “design-centric” companies) still had their sales increased by 60%.
- A 2016 design study of 408 different companies found that the more a business focused on design, the more sales they saw.
- When UX improves the customer experience, it raises KPIs up to 83% in conversion lift.
- 8 in 10 customers are willing to pay more for a better customer experience.
Reasons to invest in UX design
Investing in UX design improves return on investment (ROI), search engine optimization (SEO), and helps you to be different from your competitors.
Higher return on investment (ROI)
The first reason why UX is important is higher ROI. Return on investment is a ratio that shows the profitability or loss of investment which helps to pick the most profitable business strategy.
To figure out what stops your potential customers from completing the purchase, use Google Analytics. Based upon the collected data you’ll be able to see what pages need better UX.
If you are in a retail business, try UX techniques that minimize the cart abandonment rate. Allow guests to shop without registering, provide more payment options, enhance the experience of interaction with the product, make the process of buying simple.
Apple wasn’t the first to invent the smartphone, just as Amazon wasn’t the first e-commerce retailer. What they did was change the way we interact with these products, making them easy to use. Such first-rate companies invest millions of dollars in the UX of their products, contributing to sales and revenue growth.
