User Experience – This is how the purchase becomes an experience that will be remembered
In the case of user experience (better user experience or user experience), the term user experience is also often used. It describes all aspects of a user’s experience when interacting with a product, service, environment, or facility.
The user experience deals with functional and emotional factors that affect the customer journey and influence the purchase. Usability (user friendliness) is a decisive factor in the success of the UX. Only websites that can be used barrier-free benefit from conversions.
User experience vs. usability
In connection with emotional shopping, the terms user experience and usability (operability) are used again and again. The user experience describes the emotional experience that the customer experiences when shopping in the online shop and contributes to the customer building an emotional relationship with the provider.
Usability, on the other hand, looks at an online shop from the point of view of usability.
The user experience deals with the experience of “joy of use”; it is therefore crucial to design a website or an online shop in such a way that the user can not only interact with the website content without barriers but is also emotionally engaged.
User Experience Design (UXD): Decisive for the Online Shop
A few years ago, it was still absolutely necessary to focus on usability, but today there is an increasing need to optimize your own online shop for user experience and thus to better convince the user. Thus, UXD measures are crucial for Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO).
In addition to user-friendliness, emotions are also crucial, which arise on the basis of the web design and can be used to positively influence the user and lead them to buy.
The goal is to convert users with better online shops into customers faster and better.
In the following, we have compiled elementary tips for your online shop that show how you can improve your UX in the online shop through targeted UXD:
User Experience Design (UXD) tips for online shops
UX Tip 1: Page Speed
Many online shop operators forget factors such as page speed in the context of UXD. Loading times are crucial for the speed of website construction. Users have little tolerance for slow-loading resources. Against this background, you should always keep an eye on the loading times of your online shop with Google PageSpeed Insight as an elementary user experience factor.
UX Tip 2: → Mobile First
When looking at the online shop, the desktop version of the shop is always a popular choice. But today, in many cases, more than half of the access is via mobile devices, and the mobile version of the online shop does not receive as much attention as the desktop version.
UX Tip 3: Easy Navigation and User Intent
When designing category pages, you should think about user intent. What is the goal of a user who reaches the target page, and how can this user be optimally guided to his or her goal?
At this point, you should think about design elements such as flat or tile designs. Here, the user quickly gets an overview of the current navigation options and can navigate better through the page structure of the site.
UX tip 4: A/B testing methodology
Every online shop is recommended to test designs statistically, to run design elements against each other in an A/B test, and to use the higher-performance element for future landing pages. Only iterative testing of landing pages and design elements brings long-term success in improving the user experience.
UX Tip 5: → Storytelling for the Joy of Use
Using a website should be fun, and users like nothing better than exciting stories and the classic hero’s journey. The user wants to be guided through an arc of suspense and encounter exciting details on his journey through the website. Attention to detail is always rewarded with satisfied users in web design.
UX Tip 6 → Increase utility!
In addition to usability, utility is also crucial. What added value does the online shop provide in addition to the physical distribution of goods? – Does the user get guides / whitepapers / eBooks / checklists here? – You should consider how you can sustainably increase the utility value of the online shop.
Conclusion on the user experience in the online shop
UX is a process that is not completed overnight. A lot of tests and considerations are required to keep improving the user experience and to make the online shop more successful in the long term. Here it is better to take many small steps than to stumble with big steps.
User experience is not a module that can be built into your shop, but rather a process that deals deeply with your own target group and the interaction of users with your own website. Put yourself in the position of your own potential customers and start thinking like them, then questions about the user experience will sort themselves out almost automatically.
