Effective UI and UX Stategies to Power Your Website

UI and UX are extremely important when it comes to modern design strategies. Most people aren’t even aware of it, but the sites they visit the most have been carefully crafted based on demographic data to keep them interacting more and staying on the site longer. But this isn’t possible without a solid interface that is easy to use and navigate. This helps define the user experience by giving an audience the tools they need to engage with your website or service.

These include the following:

• Easier navigation on what could be a complex site full of data.
• Retaining the user’s attention based on where you want them to focus at a given time.
• Easy-to-use systems such as categorized navigation and search tools.

These are all easier said than done, and you will need to implement some pretty complex design rules if you want to achieve maximum flow for your website. So, here are some tips.

Design Based on User Flow

Whether your site is for commerce, information, or entertainment, there is always a flow that it has. A good site is designed with user flow in mind and caters to the audience based on what they need and how they are likely to interact with it. All users are different and have different needs, but a well-targeted core demographic helps when designing the bulk of your site’s flow, and the way that a user interacts with your site can be essential for providing what they need.

A good example would be a site designed using NetSuite that contains a lot of data on a specific subject. Reliable NetSuite developers are keenly aware that users may need to arrange and sort data, for example. Imagine a doctor looking up symptoms for a specific case. This could be very time-consuming when time is something they may not have. It would help to allow a user to find what they need using search bars, industry icons, and sorted detailed lists.

Adopt a UI and UX Visual Hierarchy

There are many design rules that can be applied to web design, and they are all there to help guide your users in some way. One of the most useful is using a visual hierarchy. Studies have shown that most users can’t concentrate on many things at the same time, and this can become confusing to the point where they will click out of your site. A visual hierarchy allows you to direct your customer or audience’s attention where you want it to be for their and your benefit.

When designing this, keep in mind where you want a user to focus first, second, and third. Overlapping design elements are a standard and effective way of doing this. For example, most websites have an image and some text. Images are excellent for catching attention, and text helps inform. But more often than not, these are separated. Overlapping them can provide both benefits at the same time. You can overlay text on top of images for dynamic focus and flow.

Keep the Target Audience in Mind

You can work very hard at identifying the target audience for sales, so why fail to use them when designing your site? Always keep the target audience in mind when designing the UI and UX of your site. This is one of the trickiest parts of developing a website, but here are some tips:

• Begin by defining who your target audience is based on core demographics.
• Create content that is relevant and useful to the target audience and market it well.
• Reach out to influencers involved in your target audience via social media platforms.
• Don’t forget that you can use targeted advertising methods to attract an audience.
• Consider marketing options that attract specific people, such as referral marketing.
• Use modern targeting systems such as hashtags on your site and social platforms.

The whole point of developing a site for an audience is to help with a specific problem for a specific group of people. And this must carry on into the overall design of your site. Addressing needs and incorporating them into a site’s design adds the value that your users are seeking.

Simplify All Processes

A convoluted site that is hard to use won’t attract many users. Power users may be able to handle poorly executed elements, bad color balance, and complex navigation. But most users will simply click out and go somewhere else. You should never sacrifice the message or information over attracting the right people, but you must also need to make your site as simple to use as is humanly possible. There are a few things you can do to simplify a site’s UI and UX.

Reducing the element of human error is one of the hardest things to get right. For example, you can disable buttons after a user has used them to avoid duplicate data submissions. Of course, this applies in specific cases such as form data acquisition. However, you can also use systems such as data categories when searching, data validation and verification methods (like address matching), and customizable experiences. A simple but powerful site is a rare but effective one.

Apply the Golden Ratio to Your UI and UX

There are tons of methodologies you can apply to your site for a better visual appearance. Standard design rules such as threes, complimentary colors, and text-to-background contrast are perfect examples. However, there are also advanced techniques that beginners and even some seasoned designers may not be aware of. One of these is the Golden Ratio. What the hell is that? The Golden Ratio is a method of design with a perfect attention ratio on the page.

The Golden Ratio applies the method of the Fibonacci Sequence, but it is actually much older than that and was even used by ancient Free Masons when they built cathedrals and temples. Simply put, the next number in a sequence is the sum of the previous two. You can apply this to designing pages where you insert what you want users to focus on most as the ratio gets larger. Imagine a snail shell overlaid and place what a user needs in the largest spaces of the pattern.

Update Your Site as Required

Web design and development is an ongoing process, and when you have finished one amazing design, it’s immediately time to think about improving it moving forward. There are many reasons for this, including changing design rules, addressing fluctuating user expectations, and even rebranding. Some of these changes can even be very small and hardly noticeable but can make a massive difference to a user experience, such as adopting a clearer typeface.

You can also make changes that affect the overall usability of your site, such as improving page speeds by minifying code, installing a more robust search feature, and enhancing the website’s security features. In short, it’s never acceptable to design a site and then leave it. There are many things that will define what your site needs to be at any given time, and these can change drastically. A responsible and caring designer will address these and meet them head-on.

Summary

User flow is one of the main reasons for using effective UI and UX strategies when designing a functional website that delivers what users need. It always helps to identify the target audience and keep them in mind throughout the entire development process. Further to processes, the functionality of your site should be as simple as possible for user flow, direction, and accessibility, with ongoing changes and improvements made as needs and usability dictate.

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Bogdan Sandu

Bogdan Sandu, a seasoned designer with 15 years of diverse experience, has been designing websites since 2008.

Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients.

His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8.

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