It’s the Way I Feel About You: (A Quick Guide to Making Great Website UX Design)

Websites are easy to create. Great websites are not. And with the more discerning tastes of the marketplace, coupled with increased functionality and content demands, putting together a stunning website is almost as demanding as dating; and when it comes to great User Experience Design, it is strikingly similar.

Every designer knows that just like in relationships, UI is not just about looks: it’s about the feeling too. User experience is an emotional process, and not a purely logical one. In fact Nick Babich of the Adobe Blog in his article Emotionally Intelligent Design Is the Future of Mobile UX argues that human beings seek an emotional bond with technology which is why many people feel frustrated when interacting with many digital products. Companies like the Ottawa’s Website Design Company, carry out a special session for usability planning to ensure that their client’s site users get a great feel while interacting with their online content.

A website, quite like a hot date, might have the content equivalent of a nuclear physicist’s brain, but if it (and he) doesn’t communicate properly then it leaves you feeling alienated.  So here are a few tips to get the feelings right from the first date, or the new user experience:

1. Avoid Being Corny:Have a Unique Design (or at least a unique touch to an old one)

While it is common place for many web designers to resort to the default UX settings of a themed website, you don’t want to come off as corny. Default themes are like pickup lines everybody uses them; and so it feels so cliche.  If you can’t build from scratch, at least make some unique modification to whatever themed design you are adopting. Be creative women love a creative guy.

2. Constant Eye Contact: Provide Visual Feedback.

Lack of eye contact can ruin a date; and same applies to the UX. If you have ever stared at a mouse, hour glass or loading screen while waiting for a page to respond, then you know how frustrating and un-pleasant an experience the uncertainty can be without any visual feedback. Ottawa’s Website Design Company – Fullview Design equally says that Colour Contrast is also a very important visual tool, according to this article.

It was not cool in the days of the Sony Play station 1 to stare indefinitely at a loading screen wondering whether or not something had gone wrong, it is not cool now. Experts state that if a response will take more than 7 to 10 seconds, users generally hope to be prompted by a progress indicator or a message box. So just like on a date, always try to make eye contact.

3. Say the Right Words: Give Audio Feedback.

While it may not spell doom for your website, the absence of audio feedback can make the user feel very alienated. More importantly in the event of any severe impediment or malfunction, the audio response of the website should be a key signal. You don’t want your date to leave you guessing if something is not wrong, nor should your website leave the user in the dark.

4. Know His/Her Different Moods i.e. know Your Interfaces:

A person responds differently based on their moods at any point in time, likewise a design experience will vary based on different platforms and devices it appears on. While it may seem a bit tedious, it is key to ensure that the UX is consistent on each device: that is what differentiates good design from great design.

Hopefully with these tips, you are on your way to creating great websites that are not just visually stunning but also feel great to use. Remember, looks may be deceiving but feelings don’t lie.

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