When we think of user experience, usability usually comes to mind. However, there are many more considerations for UX these days, and usability is just one aspect of it. Similar to web design tools, UX guidelines and best practices are constantly evolving. It is probably time for an upgrade if you have been utilizing the same UX process for a few years.

If you want to make sure everything is in order or if you need to fully revamp your UX workflow (if you are constructing a new site, you might want to consider using a website builder), check out the 7 important laws of UX for 2019 and beyond.

1. Create with users in mind

Falling in love with “great” ideals is easy. Before we recognize that it is really infatuation—which eventually fades into something else totally instead of love—it is actually too pure and uncomplicated. For this reason, independent designers are more motivated by their ephemeral fixation with aesthetics than by customer needs, which is why they frequently rebuild their portfolios.

• “Is this something you want?” (Questioned in the course of user testing)
• “Is this anything you can use?” (posed during the testing of usability)”Is this anything you can use? (posed during the testing of usability)

We know it is not very romantic, but at least we will not squander money and energy on making the wrong thing—or the right thing done wrong. It is safer to ask users directly what they need and want. Yes, it will be safer, but it will also be frightening, and you will be relieved when the results are in, even if the feedback is negative.

Conjecture in place of qualitative consumer feedback might be perceived as a benefit rather than a cause for concern when done correctly. It can significantly boost the product plan’s clarity, positivity, and motivation. Positively interpreted, feedback can be one of our most effective resources!

User Examination

Even though you undoubtedly already know what user testing is and all of its benefits, here are a few underrated testing tips that are sometimes missed:

• Make regular use of dedicated testers by keeping track of them.
• Allow unrestricted access in exchange for regular feedback.
• Enjoy yourself while you use various apps to automate processes.
• Set up frequent team meetings to organize the input.

Overall, try not to overthink things and enjoy the process of building strong connections with your major advocates. Remember that the right web hosting provider can provide once your website launches.

Getting Input

When it comes to user testing, the biggest concern for designers is seeing customers in person or online through the use of solutions for remote user testing. But this is also the most advantageous way to build a relationship with our main supporters, in addition to being the most successful.

That being stated, do not suggest that in-person interviews are the sole way to obtain perceptive criticism.

These are a few great apps that might be quite useful when combined with automation tools like Zapier. Even by themselves, they are a great assistance.

Asana, Trello, Google Sheets, and Asana are all free tools for handling feedback. Two free tools for conducting feedback surveys are Typeform and Google Forms.

How a Zapier workflow works

“Zap” is another term for a Zapier. To make use of it, use Typeform to collect input, forward it to a Trello board’s “New feedback to discuss” column, and perhaps create a Slack announcement. Not only can these procedures save a ton of time, but they are also highly enjoyable to set up and allow teams to get feedback as needed. You could also store shared feedback files in cloud storage to keep everyone updated.

2. Give complete clarification

When customers get confused, a number of things happen. They get stuck, start to doubt our organization a little bit, and—most importantly—click the back button, never to return.

Unfortunately, people are impatient in our society since there is always something faster, cheaper, or better to choose. Users are something you cannot take for granted, thus openness is essential. However, precisely what does it mean to be clear?

Let us look at a few examples.

Colour

Color is one of the many ways that people can learn how to use and understand an interface. Even if the meaning of color varies among cultures and settings, color is likely one of the most recognizable parts of daily life in situations when it is human nature to recognize rather than recollect.

Would you like to report a mistake? Obviously, the best option is to use red.

Design ideas

In addition to color, other elements that can be used to establish clarity include proximity*, contrast, repetition, and proportion.

Contrast

In summary, contrast makes things stand out. Color, size, depth, and other factors can all be optimized for contrast, which improves clarity by directing the user’s attention. It is a nonverbal cue that makes it clear what the user needs to focus on above all else.

Repetition

Repetition serves as another effective means of bringing clarity to an idea. Is pressing a specific button the next stage in the journey? If so, show it several times in a contextual manner.

Proportion

Proportion and “size” are comparable, yet they differ fundamentally. Size is the measurement by itself; making anything enormous does not increase clarity if other elements are also large. In contrast, proportion is a relative measurement. By making sure that significant elements stand out just by virtue of their relative size in respect to other elements, we may maximize visual hierarchy.

Proximity

On its own, a tap target is just that—a tap target. But, the location of the link’s display can reveal a lot about its functionality and the context in which consumers should click on it. Users are informed that a tap target in the main navigation is a link, however it may not always be the link they require.

As an alternative, a series of horizontal cards with buttons on each one (imagine something like a pricing table on a pricing screen) shows that a decision must be made. Thus, as you can see, proximity indicates the relationship between different pieces, whether they are navigational objects or choice-based interactions.

UX copy

Not to be overlooked is the actual text. While imagery is purely subjective, language has the potential to be literal. Although the context may suggest the purpose of a button stating “Let us do this,” the additional cognitive load from this—as well as other contributing factors—just is not worth the chance to appear hip.

A well-worded confirmation can help a lot, especially in case of a lost connection. Clicking the submit button on a contact form implies that the user’s email was sent.

Words are important!

3. Give users authority

It is unfortunate that humans have not evolved to mind-read given the plethora of alternatives available on various websites and apps. Consider eCommerce sites, which frequently include a ton of

of products in numerous categories. Items can also be further identified by identifying characteristics like color.

This indicates that search results are frequently further refined by filters and tags, requiring more user input than a typical interface. However, this is not always a negative thing, and it is something that is not discussed enough. Customers wish to personalize their encounter.

The advantages of having authority

Control extends far beyond usability considerations to enhance the overall customer experience; a vacationer is not just looking for an Airbnb; they are looking for their Airbnb, the house that will make their vacation unique in a way that no (or not very many) other Airbnbs can.

Additionally, control might result in the creation of new features and increased user involvement. Consider this: even with a few usability hiccups, Slack users could form “Private Groups” by sending multiple people a direct message at the same time, long before the feature was even available.

Control gave users the ability to customize their experience to fit their own schedules until these setbacks made the feature itself necessary to implement.

The drawbacks of having no control

Lack of control frequently impedes micro-interactions, while control allows the user to make easy corrections and edits even in situations where user flows are intended to be somewhat linear (such as a sign-up flow or another form-based interaction). If this were a human-to-human conversation, a lack of patience would undoubtedly make things less than amicable.

Long forms should be divided into a number of smaller micro-interactions, where the user can save data at regular intervals and even move back and forth between sections. Additionally, a confirmation screen should be included so that the user can verify their input before pressing the magic button. If the user is able to go back in and fix errors after they have been “delivered,” it is an even bigger bonus.

Put simply, give the user the reins.

4. Foresee, then adjust

According to Hick’s Law, a user’s decision-making process is correlated with the number of options available to them; if the choices are too numerous, the user will not choose at all.

Analysis paralysis, or the inability to make a decision when faced with too many possibilities, is a term used to describe this type of cognitive overload. Let us examine two strategies for minimizing options.

Context

Fortunately, we can speed up user decision-making and raise conversion rates by maintaining basic layouts, both aesthetically and conceptually. Is it, however, easier said than done? After all, it can be challenging to make one feature take a backseat in favor of another, particularly if that other element is also reasonably significant.

The answer? Setting

One screen may not be as significant as another, in which case it makes sense to hide menu items that are not relevant to the present context in a hamburger menu (yes, the hamburger menu is not as horrible as we might assume!).

There are several data-driven strategies to lessen the danger if that appears unsafe. The preferable approach in this case is to employ heatmap tools, which can show us where users are actually clicking (or not clicking) as opposed to analytics tools, which track user behavior. If you would prefer to go cautiously, A/B testing can assist us in evaluating layout modifications on a subset of our audience before implementing them throughout the entire app or website.

Here are three tools to help you kick things off:

• CrazyEgg (A/B testing and heatmaps)
• Hotjar (heatmaps and on-site feedback tools)
• Google Analytics (free web tracking software)

Relation

Users no longer need to seek for relevant material thanks to artificial intelligence. Here are few instances:

• Additional Reading
• Comparable Books
• Items You Might Find Appealing
• Clients Acquired Additionally

These types of UI components are constructed upon data, either data gathered from the user themselves (ideally with authorization), or collected from other users (eg Customers Also Purchased).

In recent times, personalised experiences have shown to be extremely beneficial. Users enjoy products that appear to be made just for them, from Spotify’s Made For You Playlists to Netflix Recommendations. While the ability to customize products is undoubtedly a major selling point, the real value proposition is shown when artificial intelligence handles the majority of the work. Never forget to create dynamic items that consumers can personalize!

5. Retain uniformity

Although consistency has long been important for branding, it also significantly improves user experience.

The human brain is apt to acquire mental shortcuts, often without our conscious awareness. We simply accelerate when traffic lights turn green without thinking about it beforehand; we just do it without thinking.

Imagine for a moment that Go, Get Ready, and Stop took the place of the standard green, yellow, and red system. Of course, you would be shocked, and you would wonder what the hell is going on for a few seconds before speding away.

The issue is that, in terms of design, these few seconds are crucial. People simply expect things to make sense, and when they don’t, they can get very irritated very fast. Let us quickly examine a more modern example, which is posting content on Facebook.

that you had to swipe up to the top of the screen and enter your status in the input area in order to share something on Facebook. Even if you had never shared something in a group before, you would replicate that behavior since it would be expected of you. This is the perfect illustration of constancy.

Measuring consistency

Let us talk about color again. After completing an online form, we click, let us say, a blue button to submit it. Subsequently, we complete an additional form with a blue submit button. When we finally make the decision to subscribe, the call to action is… blue. Every interaction we have helps us see design patterns and learn how things work, which makes us faster, better, and more efficient overall.

One metric used to assess the degree of usability is task time, which highlights the previously discussed advantages of usability testing once more.

Both reliability and creativity

Consistency naturally stifles innovation, but if the long-term benefits to users outweigh the inconvenience, innovation has the potential to revolutionize the industry. An intelligent onboarding user experience (UX) that presents the app (or specific features) to users can be a good substitute in this case.

To put it briefly, remember the power of consistency!

6. Consider users to be clients and vice versa.

Users and customers are, after all, the same thing?

While everybody who uses the app or website is considered a user, some users are also customers, meaning they make payments to us. Some, well, we simply wish they were clients since, at the end of the day, cash is what keeps companies afloat.

However, what occurs when a user converts to a client? Do we lose interest in them? Actually, a lot of businesses do just that: they sell the product, give up on the client, and then find new ones to take care of since it is far less expensive to do that than it is to maintain existing ones.

It is called the “Churn and Burn” approach. For the majority of enterprises, that is extremely terrible business.

• Even after making a purchase, customers frequently feel anxious about it, which might cause regret.
• A negative client experience may result in their never coming back.
• Negative ratings may discourage other users from making purchases.

The solution? Treat customers like they’re still users. Go for hard sell at every opportunity, never stop giving. And vice-versa, treat users like your best customer, and they will be.

Client encounter

Are you wondering how to enhance the experience for customers?

Request comments, provide free updates, or just follow up to make sure the consumer is doing okay. Maybe remind them of our customer service or the fact that we are there to help with any inquiries they might have on social media to let them know we are available whenever they need us. How we handle users or customers when they are not acting like users or customers plays a big role in the customer experience. It demonstrates that we are concerned about more than just profits.

When speaking with them, use their name if you happen to catch it. People adore hearing their own names spoken!

7. Explain the value proposition.

Value must be expressed and explicitly comprehended; it is not understood subliminally. People are insatiably seeking instant pleasure, and when they finally realize they will not get it, it is far too easy to turn off the conversation and move on. Value propositions typically focus on the product itself, but users will feel more fulfilled if they can be reminded of the benefits of even the most tedious interactions.

Please understand that we will never be able to persuade people that filling out forms may be enjoyable, but sometimes a little encouragement can be just what they need to push through. The user will want to stay around if they sense your desire for them to do so.

In summary, approach each step as an enjoyable journey with distinct goals and rewards for reaching them. Additionally, just to be safe, remember to reiterate the benefits of the product to the consumer as they are checking out, for example.