Imagine you walk into a brick-and-mortar store and find that the layout is chaotic, the aisles are disordered, the products are difficult to locate, and the associates are unresponsive. Would you recommend this store to your friends? Probably not. In fact, chances are you probably would leave and head to another store to make your purchase.
Now imagine it’s a website.
End users have similar experiences with websites and physical stores, yet it’s common for brands to neglect to put themselves in the consumer’s shoes when designing their online “store.” Instead, they design for themselves, and this negatively impacts user experience and, by extension, the company’s bottom line.
Some of the things that matter in end-user focused web design include ensuring that the home page is simple and striking, that navigation is easy, and that the user can get from shopping cart to checkout with a minimum of clicks. Cluttered, confusing landing pages, difficult navigation, and too many steps that must be clicked through are major turnoffs for customers.
These elements remain just as important no matter what industry your business falls within. Retailers, financial and legal professionals, musicians, landscapers – across all fields, end-user experience in relation to your website is one of the most important elements of your marketing strategy. The easier and more enjoyable your website is to use, the longer your visitors will stay – and the longer they stay, the more likely they’ll become paying customers.
That’s why it’s important to identify any potential problems with your website’s usability and make changes – or, if you’re creating a new website, to design it from scratch with the end user in mind. Your website is the easiest way to get information about your business to your potential customers, so you’ll want to be sure you’re taking advantage of all it has to offer.