Everyone is thinking of their own ways to improve upon the user experience – since every organization, designer and developer has their own tried and true strategies in place, this idea diversification is remarkably constructive to the user and design community. Of course, every brand (whether a startup or an established organization) has a unique strategy, planned concisely to appeal to their own market segment(s) – while sticking to what works, it important to ‘change it up’ from time to time and experiment with new strategies to find a new pathway to better UX and conversion. Below are some roads less traveled that can result in the optimal experience when implemented and tested.
Build Community
Use actual evidence via social proof from clients that proves your value, getting them to elaborate on the services or product that you’ve provided them, and the excellent experience that came with it. You know you’re the best – clearly project that to your audience; they must be told and shown. With limitless options flooding users in every market, brands must rise to the challenge and beat out the competition with their own excellence. What better way to do so than to tell a story, create an experience associated with the brand, while creating a meaningful, lasting connection?
Streamline
While dynamic effects can be modern and may have an aesthetic factor that appeals to certain displays, having a clear style of font/color/type will provide the necessary distinction and easy navigation through a site. Don’t forget – consistency is key. Users learn the paths and use those visual cues to peruse through the website, easing the search process. Don’t make it more complicated than it needs to be, confusion – do not sacrifice function for form!
Simplify
Studies have shown that while having many options may seem like a good idea (providing as many choices as possible, displaying all of the details, etc), people actually find too many choices to be debilitating – which may result in no action being taken whatsoever. The reason: when confronted with too many options, users may find that they regret making the final choice, feeling as though the other options would have served them better. Therefore, when displaying choices, group them concisely and even make recommendations to assist your audience.
Be Clear
Directness is appreciated when delivering your brand’s message – any uncertainty suggests that the vision has no confidence or the call to action is unnecessary. Avoid indecisiveness by using strong action words that encourage authoritativeness and confidence in the brand.
Declutter
You may believe many calls to action seem like the best strategy for conversion – think again. Any links that are inserted before the main CTA can distract from the original goal. Removing link clutter will create balance and increase usability and understanding.