User experience is an integral part of the website design process, from early concepts to the finished product.

But what is UX, and why should you care anyway?

User experience, often called UX for short, is how your audience feels when interacting with a digital product or interface. UX covers all bases, from design and development elements to environmental factors and user preferences that can’t be controlled by designers.

Usability and accessibility are factors of UX, but they are not exactly the same thing usability, although they are related. UX is the “experience, emotion, intuition and connection a user feels when using a site or product”. Usability is more about how effective/user-friendly a site design is – a key component of overall UX.

Why is UX important?

However beautiful your site looks, if people don’t find it easy to read or interact with, it is effectively obsolete.

UX is important for any digital product, but particularly essential for:

  • complex sites or applications – require good UX design for users to be able to easily navigate and understand them.
  • retail or online sales – must be incredibly organised and have easy directions/processes for making secure payments.
  • start-up sites and businesses – your site is your first impression to users and impacts future traffic and business.
  • small-budget projects – good UX design can create momentum and drive your project or business forward
  • projects or sites that are expected to last a long time.

Poor user experience is instantly noticeable, and can quickly drive away potential customers as they become frustrated or struggle to understand the application or website. These problems create a negative impression of the site, and in turn the impression of your business will be a negative one.

The Usability Professionals Association defines six key benefits to adding UX to the design and development process:

  • increased productivity
  • increased sales
  • decreased training and support costs
  • reduced development time and costs
  • reduced maintenance costs
  • increased customer satisfaction.

At Real Point Design, we consider and implement clever and effective UX at every step of the design and development process. We understand how to create websites that look good, work well and, as a direct result, drive your business forward.

If you are a business based in Solihull, Coventry, Birmingham or further afield across the UK, and are looking for a web designer with the skills to build you an efficient and user-friendly site, get in touch today with Real Point Design today and get started on your project.