The key to user-centered design, as the name suggests, lies in fundamentally understanding the user. Acknowledging their goals by anticipating the user touchpoints within the design can pave the way to achieving unparalleled user experience (UX).
Mapping the user journey is crucial to optimizing interactions and improving UX design. It encourages designers to be mindful of user pathways as they outline the ideal layout and structure of the website. However, representing the entirety of the user journey can feel like a daunting undertaking. So to begin, it can be helpful to start by focusing user touchpoints.
What are Touchpoints?
The touchpoints within a website build the foundation for the whole user journey. They are essentially the specific interactions that a user has as they navigate throughout the site. This can include everything from click-able items in the menus and pages to engaging micro-interactions accomplished through animations. Each interaction within the user interface plays an important role in the overall satisfaction of the user and, ultimately, the user experience. Considering each touchpoint can reveal what drives user interactions, allowing designers to optimize every interaction.
Establishing Touchpoints
The first step to identifying the user touchpoints within the interface is determining the target user. This will help designers understand the user’s unique motivations, enabling them to see the design from the user’s point of view. Once the target user is established, designers can make a list of all the potential interactions a user could have throughout the site. In doing so, they can illustrate how attitudes might change as users move through their entire journey and find ways to improve the experience.
Establishing touchpoints is an important stepping stone along the way to mapping the entire user journey. In order to improve the user experience, it is important to understand the user and each potential interaction they could have as they move throughout a website. By taking time to understand the user’s goals and journey, designers have the basis to craft an enhanced user experience.