UX still critical for attracting engaged users

User experience is the name of the game. It’s the big thing for web-friendly endeavors and is often the difference between success and failure.

So what is it?

User experience, or UX, is kind of self-explanatory. Simply put, it gets to the relationship that people share with the products and platforms they interact with. In your case, that probably includes online design, whether that plays out in app development or in standard digital sales and commerce.

As in the physical world, the experience clients find when interacting with you on the web is a defining trait for building your brand. You only have one chance to make a first impression — would you let your brick-and-mortar storefront pile up with junk, confusing signage and a hodgepodge of poorly organized products? We’d guess not! The same mindset applies to building UX for your digital footprint.

So what makes for great UX design? Even for digital natives who grew up on the Internet, getting around on the web is not always as intuitive as picking our way through a physical shop. Thus, UX often centers on ease of access, whether the given design makes things more convenient for the user. Features like site menus and search functions are examples of things that fall under the UX umbrella. If you regularly use mobile apps, odds are you’ve encountered programs navigated through gestures such as tapping or swiping. That too is an example of UX design.

When done correctly, these designs are so easy to handle that they fade into the background, allowing users to focus their attention on content, whether that be product listings, blog posts or whatever else they might browsing. For a business leader, that’s exactly what you want. After all, every second a potential customer spends getting frustrated trying to navigate your site is a second they’re not using to consider your wares.