Did you know that over half of mobile users leave a website after only 3 seconds? Or that 88% of website visitors are unlikely to return to a website with a poor user experience. Or that 70% of Gen Z users, soon to be the dominant consumer force, want websites to know what they want.
Consumer expectations are high, but unfortunately for brands, they’re not the only ones seeking good user experience (UX).
Between your website and users stands the search engine. Believe it or not, search engines care greatly about users, and UX matters to them too. Based on UX, among other factors, search engines decide on your site’s rankings in organic search.
In other words, poor UX affects not only user satisfaction but also impacts search engine rankings. Therefore, bad UX may not only drive away your prospective customers but also direct them to more UX-friendly websites – potentially those of your competitors.
Luckily, there is a solution.
User experience design is a set of tangible rules and universal principles — but it is also rooted in common sense. And all this makes it easy to implement into your site’s design.
Investing in user experience (UX) design yields ample benefits to your online business — it can improve user satisfaction, help achieve business goals, enhance brand perception, provide competitive advantage, and finally, increase your website conversions, sales, and customer retention.
An exceptional web design starts with a great user experience. So, in this article, we cover the most common pitfalls of UX design and ways to avoid them.
#1 Not Performing Target Audience Research
UX design is for the users.
Your website should solve real user problems, but you’re likely to build a product that fails to do so if you base it on assumptions rather than data.
To prevent this, invest in user research, ranging from simple surveys to in-depth interviews, usability testing, and tracking user behavior within the app.
Additionally, make sure to keep the users at the forefront throughout the design process. One way to do so is to create user personas that represent your target audience and work from there.
#2 Optimizing for Search Engines Alone
We’ve already mentioned that UX is just as important to search engines as it is to human users, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of good UX.
Prioritizing search engines over humans may get you with keyword-stuffed content, confusing navigation, or overwhelming design.
You can avoid this mistake by aiming for a good balance between the needs and wants of users and search engines. Create pages that are easy to read, visually appealing, and inherently intuitive — of course, ensure your site is in line with all SEO guidelines.
#3 Complex & Cluttered User Interface
There is only so much one web page can convey.
Naturally, you want to deliver users all the information on your product/service they need, sprinkle in some marketing lingo, and top it all off with flattering customer reviews.
However, going overboard with information can overwhelm users, and lead to frustration and even site abandonment.
To combat this issue, focus on the essentials — text and design-wise.
Visually, keep the interface clean and organized, and make good use of white space to prevent overload.
In the copywriting section, employ progressive disclosure by introducing the information step-by-step.
#4 Overwhelming Sign-up Process
Sign-up forms on websites, whether for product demo trials, accessing downloads, or creating a personalized profile, often lead to user frustration and can be time-consuming.
At a deeper level, users are often unwilling to provide unnecessary information or are concerned about how their private information will be handled. They may fear receiving spam, or simply see the sign-up process as too much work in comparison to the value they anticipate receiving.
Fortunately, you can address some of these concerns with thoughtful UX design choices.
Firstly, avoid making users fill in fields that aren’t necessary; you can always ask for additional information later. Keep field labels simple and intuitive so that users know exactly what is being asked of them.
Only request credit card information after the trial period has expired, and ensure that common concerns, such as the possibility of account deletion, no spam, no hidden charges, and more, are clearly addressed.
Remember, the main goal of a sign-up form is to ensure that users enter through the door.
#5 Jumping the Trend Bandwagon
Trends that come and go everywhere — and it is alike in the UX design realm.
While it’s crucial to stay on top of the trends, you shouldn’t hop on every novelty just because it’s trending.
Before integrating any design trends, consider how it will impact your users. Will it make your website easier to navigate, improve first impressions for new users, or streamline conversions?
#6 Disregarding UX Writing
If you’re wondering how website content fits into the design narrative, remember that content is an essential part of the user experience.
Labels, buttons, error messages, and any other text users encounter within your website all fall under the umbrella of UX writing.
However, UX content is frequently added to web pages as the last step.
To address this problem, make sure to design with textual content placement in mind. Moreover, leverage tools such as website heatmaps to identify high-visibility page areas and place the most important information there.
Remember that your content should have an on-brand personality and be mindful of word choice, as it can either motivate users or disempower them. Finally, write clear, concise, and engaging copy that your target audience will connect with and love.
To Wrap Up
Here are six of the most common UX design mistakes that can harm your relationship with users and impede your SEO efforts.
But all these mistakes are actually easy to avoid with a little research, thought, and planning.
When you’re stuck with UX design, consider what you find easy and great in the online realm, and what you would like to see on your favorite website — then transmit that idea onto your site design.
