5 Web Design Principles For Better User Experiences

In the 90s, when the internet was simply a platform for accessing archives of information, websites were no more than digital versions of printed-out brochures. But the 90s is an era long gone, at least in terms of technological progress and cultural evolution.

Those old-school, boxy websites written with generic copy in neon-coloured fonts supplemented with ancient imagery, scream a universal message: This business hasn’t moved with the times.

Still, this doesn’t mean you have to create something so modern or futuristic that you can no longer relate to the identity of your business or your brand.

We'll design your website in such a way that feels true to your offer and your values; in a way that’s interesting enough for new people to check out what you’ve got.

This is even more important for commerce websites. To get customers in, the shop front must first look attractive. But the work doesn’t end here.

The paradox of web design is that achieving simplicity is a complex process.

Cutting through the unnecessary can seem like a bothersome task, but think of your website as a drawer full of clothes - lots of interesting and useful stuff are housed in there.

To quickly find and take the clothes you use and need most, saving you time and frustration, the drawer needs systemised sorting, efficient item placement, pleasing presentation, and easy access.

Ask your potential and existing customers for feedback, along the lines of...

• Is it clear to you what I’m selling?
• Is it quick for you to find what I’m selling?
• Is it easy for you to buy what I’m selling?

If your website isn’t clear or quick or easy to use, it’s time to declutter and to think about practicalities and positioning.

One of the ways you can keep your website clean and clear is to use grabbable words in short sentences.

Make a list of all relevant and powerful keywords that best describe your business, products, and services, and infuse those keywords in your copy.

Use hooks that will attract your visitors’ attention enough so that they would read through the longer texts.

Check that your text headings, subheadings, text sizes, spacing, negative space, and images support your copy.

Also read: Your Website Is The Digital Home of Your Business: How To Run It Right

To know which keywords work best for your business, first you have to know who your audience is and what they look for in relation to what you offer.

For instance, if you’re running a commerce website that sells electric guitars, you’ll want to use graphics and typefaces that will appeal to the sensibilities of electric guitar fans.

Your potential customers will also likely be very different people. An electric guitar collector will shop differently from someone who’s buying her first electric guitar. To understand how different people might use your website, create ‘user personas’ or customer profiles, and think of features or shopping options that might be useful for one or two personas.

Yes, you want your customers to have a smooth browsing and shopping experience when they’re on your website. But you don’t want them to just go in and out without a purchase.

Think of your homepage as the ‘reception’ or ‘information centre’ of your shop - a good starting point to guide your visitors from.

Here at ‘reception’, you display the things you want to promote more: new items you want to introduce, high-demand items you want to upsell, low-demand items you want to phase out. We call this visual hierarchy.

Make your navigation links visible, readable, clickable. Check that your links work, and that they link to the correct page.