You work hard to make a great product or service. You package it up, promote it, and market it to get it in front of plenty of target customers.<\/p>\n
But sales aren\u2019t taking off as much as you\u2019d hoped. So, what gives?<\/span><\/p>\n One factor to examine closely in this scenario is the user experience (commonly known as UX) of your product, service, and organization\u2019s website. You could have a sexy, new offering for your customers, but if they find it clunky to use or difficult to navigate, you\u2019ll likely watch your sales simply stagnate.<\/span><\/p>\n For example, <\/span>a report from creative software company Adobe<\/span><\/a> tell us t<\/span>hat \u201c38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content\/layout is unattractive.\u201d And the same report shows that another 39% of potential customers will stop engaging with a website if images won\u2019t load or take too long to load.<\/span><\/p>\n Obviously, UX matters. A good user experience often makes for happy customers \u2014 but only if you take the time to consider it when creating or polishing your product.<\/span><\/p>\n So, let\u2019s take a hard look at the basics of UX and examine how it can influence your customers.<\/span><\/p>\n What is UX?<\/b><\/p>\n Let\u2019s take a moment to unpack this loaded acronym. What does the UX really mean?<\/span><\/p>\n User Experience (also known as UX or UED) design is a user-centered discipline and growing field dedicated to crafting compelling digital experiences. In a nutshell, UX designers have the top-level responsibility to consider the needs of the end user (the person using the program, software or app the company is creating), while also keeping in mind the business goals for the product. It\u2019s how a person feels when interfacing with that system, and designers analyze those feelings..<\/span><\/p>\n UX designers focus on building a positive relationship with customers through accessibility and ease of use. The role tends to be highly technical and analytical, compared to the related role of User Interface (UI) Design. <\/span>Smashing Magazine<\/span><\/a> defines it well, saying UX encompasses components of utility, ergonomics, system performance and more. <\/span><\/p>\n Originally coined by Apple\u2019s former vice-president of Advanced Technology Don Norman, he created the concept of UX Design to broaden the idea of how customers interact with technology.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI invented the term because I thought human interface and usability were too narrow. I wanted to cover all aspects of the person\u2019s experience with the system including industrial design, graphics, the interface, the physical interaction, and the manual,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cSince then the term has spread widely, so much so that it is starting to lose its meaning\u2026 user experience, human centered design, usability; all those things, even affordances. They just sort of entered the vocabulary and no longer have any special meaning. People use them often without having any idea why, what the word means, its origin, history, or what it\u2019s about.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n But that doesn\u2019t give anyone a concrete idea of what the day-to-day duties look like for a UX designer. Primarily, the role manages big problems customers may face and breaks them down into creative solutions, according to one UX design pro.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cUser experience is all about solving problems in data driven and creative ways,\u201d says Sarah Menard,<\/span> Lead User Experience Designer at SAP and the Educator for <\/span>BrainStation\u2019s User Experience Design course<\/span><\/a> in Vancouver.<\/span> \u201cIn my current position, it\u2019s about solving extremely complex problems with a lot of moving parts. It\u2019s very challenging, and definitely lets me flex a wide variety of skillsets that ultimately feels extremely rewarding. I get to help people work more efficiently, and work with tons of brilliant colleagues from a variety of professions and backgrounds.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n How UX Makes Customers Happy<\/b><\/p>\n With the aforementioned explanations in mind, it becomes clearer by UX deeply impacts the way users interact with your product or website. But can you leverage UX principles to influence buying behaviour?<\/p>\n The experts over at <\/span>Guided Selling<\/span><\/a> break it down to a few factors to consider, particularly when building a UX-friendly website:<\/span><\/p>\n While these are just a few UX design elements that can encourage buying behaviour, they\u2019re high impact and worth incorporating into your next project.<\/span><\/p>\n Get Started in UX Design Today<\/b> P<\/span>repare for a career in UX design in just 10 weeks with BrainStation\u2019s immersive <\/span>User Experience Design Immersive Course<\/span><\/a>. This 400-hour course introduces students to the tools and methods of UX design by emphasizing both the practical elements and theoretical approaches used to guide the design of digital experiences. Students apply their learning by creating sketches, experience maps and user stories, and using software to create wireframes and prototypes.<\/span><\/p>\n For those who need to keep their 9-to-5 gig while learning new skills, BrainStation also offers <\/span>part-time courses<\/span><\/a> as well as <\/span>evening and weekend workshops<\/span><\/a> for those who\u2019d like to get a taste of UX before taking the leap. <\/span><\/p>\n\n
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