Most likely all web designers, both professionals and novices, would agree that user experience is one of the crucial aspects of web design. User experience refers to how a user reacts to a product, which is a website in our case, and it can be either positive or negative. Naturally, the goal of a web designer is to create a positive user experience because that will add to the success of the website.
Apart from taking into consideration who the target audience is and what their interests are, two things are particularly important for creating a positive user experience – visual appeal and functionality of the website.
Visual Appeal
For a user to be instantly drawn to your website and have a positive user experience, it is essential that your website is visually pleasing and that it matches the topic of the website.
For instance, if you are making a business website, you may want to avoid using bright or pastel colors. In addition, when choosing the style of typography, you shouldn’t choose cursive fonts as they might put off those users who are solely interested in business-related content. On the other hand, if you are designing a website that is also a lifestyle blog, you should be ready to go the extra mile to make it more interactive and pleasing to the eye. Spending a few extra minutes on choosing the perfect font is also a good idea.
Functionality
Another important thing that you should keep in mind when working on ensuring a positive user experience is functionality. You should make it sure that everything on your websites runs smoothly and that there are no glitches and bugs. It is important to think about what it is that the user will want to do while using your website and how to make it possible for them. They should never struggle to find information on your website, because they have numerous options to look for information elsewhere on the internet. You should give the users as many reasons as possible to stay on your website. Therefore, your website must be easy to navigate and it must run smoothly.
Balance
As in many other areas of life, balance is very important in web design too. Both the functionality and the visual appeal of your website are important, so you must pay attention to both of them equally. A beautiful website that is very hard to navigate will make the users frustrated and disappointed and will make the look for another website. The same goes for a website that functions perfectly, is well-organized and easy to navigate, but looks as if a three-year old designed it.