To generate a good user experience (UX) and ensure you communicate effectively with your audience, start by following a user-focused design approach. User Experience is most often talked about in reference to websites, but a user-focused approach can help refine all of your marketing efforts and materials. The more you take your customers’ needs and preferences into account, the better your response will be.
1) Understand Your Users
Each type of user (or customer) that you have, whether they’re brand new or a returning customer, is going to have slightly different needs. You should start by understanding their goals, needs, behavior, and what motivates them. This research can be done once for general use and then tweaked for specific marketing pieces.
It can be time-consuming, but we recommend getting real feedback from real users. And you don’t need to delay your launch until you have this feedback. You can also gather data and use it to develop new iterations or make small improvements over time.
2) Start with Function, Not Form
Determine first how the piece needs to function and outline the pathway. On a website, for example, create a journey map to lead the different types of visitors to the information they want and the information you want them to see. If you start with design, it’s harder to fit functionality in on top.
On the other hand, it’s important to remember as well that UX isn’t UI. Your user experience is more than just the user interface and functionality. Experience encompasses UI as well as the emotional response to the design and messaging. So, while you should start with function, you can’t afford to forget the form.
3) Don’t Confuse Yourselves with Your Users
Typically, your team is not going to be a perfect match with the target user, and it’s important to separate what you like from what works better for them. When it comes to an internal debate with your team, circling back to your user data from Tip 1 can help settle the discussion quickly and get you closer to the right solution.
Some of these steps may seem obvious, but it’s easy to get caught up in the turmoil of internal discussions and multiple revisions. Before you know it, you’ve lost sight of your customer and their needs. If you can refocus on their perspective, you’ll communicate more effectively and make a better overall impression.
Read more about UX and Accessibility or check out more tips on developing a great website.
