Improving Websites Through User Experience Design – 8 UI Design Tips for DIY Websites
Good websites are able to provide consistently enjoyable experiences for the end user. In addition, they’re able to provide benefits for the website manager, like increasing company sales. The best websites take into consideration the lifestyle, beliefs, and abilities of their target audience, utilizing user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design to further the ultimate purpose of the site. If you’re interested in improving the experience on your website, start by following the 8 UI design tips described below.
1. Have a Clear Call to Action
First and foremost, you need to focus on converting your viewers into leads, be it through an email signup, a contact form, or a free download. No matter what approach you take, make sure that the call to action is clear and prominently featured on the page. Simplify content as much as possible to bring the call to action to the forefront, and be especially observant on the homepage and any landing pages.
2. Take Note of First Impressions
In the same vein of thought, make sure you keep a fresh perspective on the first impression you’re creating. You have literally a matter of seconds in order to hook viewers into actually browsing your site, so the initial impression is everything. Make sure that the page is well designed and that the content is at the forefront. Ask others to give you a fresh eye and always revise in order to make the best pages.
3. Keep Your Navigation Consistent
Consistent navigational elements are necessary in order to ensure that viewers can find their way around, navigating both backwards and forwards as needed. A good website builder should make sure the primary navigation is consistent throughout your entire website. Of course, this rule applies in other ways. Make sure that you use consistent navigational elements throughout page content, not just in the menu bar. Implement a breadcrumbs system if you think it will benefit site viewers and take care to make sure it looks the same every time.
4. Always Consider Readability
Content is key, so make sure that readers can fully absorb the content. Take the time to observe readability throughout the site, noting font choices, color contrast, the effect of text effects and more. Things like text-shadows and decorative fonts are hard to read in large amounts and are more suited to large headlines, while small body text should be a light and simple font, with good background contrast. You must also make sure that your text is easily understood and not cluttered with other page elements.
5. Remove as Much as Possible
Simplicity is key in modern web design. This same principle extends to user experience design, so you should always think about what you can take away. Removing all extraneous content helps to clarify the message and ensure a good experience.
6. Follow the Rules
As a society, innovation is a praise-worthy skill. This extends to web design, but don’t get too caught up in the idea. Some new, exciting and innovative sites provide a solid UI, but many neglect these principles in flavor of fluff and fancy effects. Sticking to the established rules of good web design like established layouts or navigation elements make for an easily understood site favored by most viewers.
7. Open links in new windows
This rule is simple but important. Every time you add a new link to your page, make sure you set it to open in a new tab or window. You don’t want viewers to exit your site completely every time they click a link.
8. Build for Your Target Audience
Last but not least, always keep your audience at the forefront of your website management. Your audience should influence every design and content decision, every marketing choice and really everything you do in terms of creating and utilizing a website. Make sure you have a clearly defined idea of who your audience is, comprised of their beliefs and abilities, demographics and lifestyles.
When it comes to user experience design for a DIY website, you really need to just stick to the basics. These UI design tips are simple and straightforward, but provide a good starting place. Take the time to make sure you’re following all of the tips and you are sure to see an improvement in consistent viewership and reader conversion.
Have you tried to improve your UI and UX design? What techniques did you use? Share your advice below.