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The reliability of a website is frequently judged only on its appearance. The phrase aesthetics is excruciatingly imprecise, subject to both personal preferences and trends, which means the whole user experience is even more crucial. It’s all about getting inside your visitors’ heads with good UX design. It’s anticipating their every move and designing a website that’s easy to use, intuitive, and fun.
Unfortunately, there is no simple solution or silver bullet when it comes to good UX design. It’s the result of a slew of minor adjustments. Each one contributes to a better user experience on your website. Keep this checklist in mind the next time you start a UX project. It will assist you in staying on track with your business objectives, comprehending your users, and avoiding costly mistakes.
What are the top things you need to keep in mind when designing UX for a new site? When it comes to UX design, there are many different factors that come into play. However, some of the most important ones are functionality, content on the page, and simplicity.
If you’re working on a website design project, be sure to use this UX checklist to guide your work. By covering all the bases in terms of user experience, you can create a site that’s easy to use and provides a great experience for your visitors. Remember, the goal is always to put your users first. If you do that, you’ll be well on your way to designing a successful website.
Table of Contents
01. Repetitive actions or frequent activities feel effortless
Did you know that repetitive actions, like filling different forms with the same information, can actually be a strenuous task that doesn’t help the user achieve his or her goals faster? This means you’re frustrating users by asking the same things frequently when they try to engage with your content and fill out a form on the website. If a user realizes that you’re taking a long time to fulfill his/her requirement then there is a chance to bound back from the page. Such things give them a quick way to search for other similar businesses that can help them in a faster way.
The best way to fill this gap you need to analyze your user’s behavior on all services and product pages. You can get the help of the Google Analytics tool to analyze user behavior. With this tool, you can know important reporting metrics like time on pages, engagement rate, tracking events, conversions, and much more to find repetitive actions that are present anywhere. To avoid this you can give them autofill data that they have entered already while signup for an account on the website. For example, if a user has already an account on your website and now he/she wants a new purchase on your website then you do not need to ask for information that you have already asked for.
02. Errors are easily recoverable by users
When users take actions mistakenly or incorrectly and don’t get the desired results, they are often frustrated, guilty, or both. If you want to maintain user confidence and satisfaction, it’s important for them to feel able to go back to where they were and not need to start all over. That’s why it’s important when designing your website for errors that might happen by accident repeatedly, like selecting the wrong option in a dialogue box, that you allow people to retry their actions.
There are ways to prevent many of these errors feasibly. You can show through error messages. Error messages should be worded clearly so that they provide adequate information on what happened while working on the website. The text should also ideally include steps that can potentially fix the issue. What this does is educates users (when they aren’t at fault) and lead them to self-correct the issue before reaching out for help from support.
When conducting usability tests, make sure that you create scenarios where the user will most likely perform tasks to test what happens when they make a mistake. If a user is filling out an application, for example, provide them with fields for contact information and a credit card number. Create error states for these fields so that the user can see how easy it is to recover from errors on the website.
03. Users are adequately supported according to their level of expertise
It’s important to make sure that novice users of your product have a smooth learning experience. However, once they are already familiar with the product, that should give place to tools that help them. Also, take note of what other new features your product has, and do not hesitate to show them off in order to keep the user engaged and eager to explore more of your website.
One of the most important things when it comes to usability is ensuring that users are adequately supported according to their level of expertise. For example, if a novice user were to run into a problem, they should be able to find the answer on your website’s FAQ page or in a related video. Also, if experts are running into problems with your interface, they should be able to contact you through chat or email.
04. Accessing help does not impede user progress
Customers of any type know the importance of a product’s help section. Allowing someone to ask for help in any part of your product allows for continuous progress. That being said, assistance does not need to be reached before a user can resume progress — just another option for them to take.
The most annoying thing about getting help is that it interrupts a user’s workflow, often when they are in the middle of something. So when you create test scenarios for your product, make sure that it offers users an opportunity to let them get back to what they were doing before they clicked on the “Help!” button.
05. No more than three primary colors
It’s difficult enough to create a website or brand that stands out with too many colors. So the recommended number for any brand is 3. But it’s not a fixed number so business professionals should not be worried about risks from using more than three. The color wheel is about variety, giving you a range of choices to choose from when planning your design. And it’s important to remember that the more combinations you have on your website, the harder it will be for visitors to navigate and understand what your page is all about.
When it comes to color, one of the keys to understanding its importance is that it helps us process information. This leads to improved clarity of the intended message. So how can you do this with a product that you’ve already created? By including a range of colors across your product or service, you give people access to your brand and the entire function that comes with it.
06. Color alone is not used to convey hierarchy, content, or functionality
You may think that having a product that is accessible is a plus. For example, you might think that three bold colors on the page will make everything stand out. However, relying solely on color to convey hierarchy, content or functionality means that people with visual disabilities, such as color blindness, will not be able to use your product and will be an excluded demographic. And while this may sound inconvenient at first, it’s important to understand how people with disabilities view the world differently — and how they use products differently. For this reason, it’s important to keep accessibility in mind when creating any digital product.
07. The user is directed to the required action through a visual hierarchy
Visual hierarchy is crucial to a user’s experience with your product. Not understanding what users look at when they interact with your website or app, can affect their experience and take away from the order of operations that you want the following. Properly guiding user interactions by paying attention to visual hierarchy is an important part of understanding how people should interact with your pages.
In order to better understand how the flows inside your product work, you need to first understand visual hierarchy. Users rely on the product’s hierarchy and clues to know what to do and where to go. Make sure that you are setting clear cues for the user and that you are guiding them properly so that they can complete their task with ease.
08. Items on top of the visual hierarchy are the most important
Users can swiftly scan information and prioritize content based on their current needs thanks to visual hierarchy. The items at the very top of the visual hierarchy must be the most significant to the company and the most relevant to the users.
Screenshot your digital output, then blur it with a Gaussian blur radius of roughly 5px. When you look at the final product, you’ll immediately notice the hierarchy and which pieces stand out. Are those the most crucial for the company and the user?
09. Primary and secondary acts are visually different
The key to ensuring people will be able to easily interact with your product is by making your primary action visually distinct from your secondary actions. This way, the user won’t be confused about what each action does and will be less likely to make mistakes when interacting with your product. For example, “Submit” and “Cancel” must be clearly distinct from one another.
There are many ways to create an experience that works well for your users, but one of the most important things is understanding what they need and giving it to them – or at the very least giving them a good way to perform their intended tasks. This is something you must do when conducting usability testing.
10. There are no abstracted interactive features
When it comes to digital products, there are a lot of expectations that come from our past experiences with other products. Our past experiences have taught us what buttons should look like and how they should work, but also taught us that interactive elements can feel abstracted and require an element of pressure or force in order to activate them. That’s why it’s important for users to be able to interact with your digital product so that no matter who you are, no matter where you are, and no matter what device you’re using, you can find your desired result.
In some cases, looking for areas where common patterns are not used may be a good starting point. When reviewing your product or website, look for links that don’t look like links.
11. The submission of the form is confirmed visibly
All of your products should be checked for where input can be completed, with a few important items in the process. Firstly, you should have a confirmation window in order to make sure that the user is satisfied at the end of their input. This helps prevent them from accidentally erasing any changes they’ve made during input. Secondly, after the final input on your product, you should trigger a confirmation screen asking whether or not the user was successful in completing their first action. This is helpful as it can be stumped on by users as well as help gain clarity on what happened to them during the whole process.
When it comes to your website, form submissions are a crucial part of your business. After the user has input all the necessary information, it is then your job to check that the data was entered correctly. It is important to make sure that you have event tracking on the form submit button and confirmation page or message to know where users are facing errors and what you need to do to complete a user action successfully.
12. Alert messages are consistent
Alert messages are meant to give users an immediate message that they need to pay attention to. When you have a consistent alert message, it means the user will always understand what immediately deserves attention and be able to act accordingly. If we were to have the same visual style but different names for each of the alerts, then the user would have to do more mental work every time a new alert showed up.
When creating an alert, utilize the same color scheme and position them in the same area. This will allow people to easily identify what they are viewing as an alert, instead of having a visual jumble.
13. Navigation is consistent
If you’re creating a product or service, think about how your users will navigate through it and what obstacles might prevent them from completing their goals. A navigable design brings in the perfect balance of efficiency and ease of use so that your users feel comfortable while they are using the product. Consistency is key: make sure your navigation is consistent throughout your website or app.
Users come to a website looking for something, and then they leave because they can’t find it. Or they can’t understand how to navigate through your website. It’s important that you stay on top of your site’s Navigation throughout the whole process. Look to make sure that every link is clickable and that there are no dead-ends or broken links.
14. There’s room for improvement
As designers, we’re always thinking about how to enhance the user experience. But sometimes, as a brand grows and as new features/content arise, keeping your interface design fresh becomes challenging. How do you retrofit your current design to support more categories/topics without breaking it? Designing with room for growth means that major design and development efforts scale easily across the interface.
When you create a new product, it’s important to think about the future. What content will grow over time? Will videos be an important part of your marketing strategy? There are many ways to get people talking about your product or service. The best thing is to ask all stakeholders what they think will happen in the future and how this might impact the product moving forward.
15. There are no more than two different font families utilized
One reason some designers stick to using two font families for simplicity is that it’s easier for users to recognize the hierarchy in a document. For example, if you have Arial and Helvetica, users can easily tell whose text is which by reading their typefaces. Moreover, when you have more than two fonts in your chosen design, there’s a risk of confusion between the different text styles. Without the distinction of the text styles, your font hierarchy will be more difficult to decipher and your usability will suffer.
More than two fonts are not usually recommended because it can be difficult to balance the resulting typographic hierarchy. For usability and visual purposes, sticking to two simplifies your typographic hierarchy, which improves comprehension. One way to make sure your designs don’t look sloppy and hard to read is by including only two font families in every design: one serif and one sans-serif.
16. Text content fonts must be at least 12px in size
Again, this isn’t a hard and fast rule; you could theoretically use smaller sizes for very particular applications, but readability is drastically diminished at widths below 12 pixels. Check all of your material to ensure that the typefaces used are at least 12 pixels in size.
17. Labels, headings, and acronyms should all be in lowercase
It is well recognized that limiting the usage of uppercase words makes it easier to grasp — it is less visually weighty and easier to absorb. It should only be used for emphasis or in very specialized situations, such as acronyms. Conduct a thorough content review and ensure that capital terms are restricted to headings, labels, and acronyms alone.
18. Content and controls are separated using different font styles
What is content and what are controls — that is, what the user may interact with — must be identified. Size, color, positioning, font, and other factors can be used as indications. The usage of several font styles or families ensures that the user is not confused and can quickly recognize what can be interacted with. Make a list of all controls in your product and make sure they stand out from the rest of the content. Pay attention when conducting usability tests.
19. Font size and weight distinguish content types
It has a significant effect on readability and understanding. Making a clear separation between headers, subheadings, and paragraphs helps to prevent mental overload when absorbing information. It also has aesthetic advantages, as it looks and feels better.
How to put it to the test: Make sure that headings, subheadings, and paragraphs all have various font sizes and weights while analyzing the text inside your product.
20. Proximity and alignment are two of the most important factors to consider
The user tends to group items that are functionally or contextually similar together. A navigation bar is an excellent example. Following this pattern and grouping elements that are related ensures that the user understands your interface right away. To test Look for items that are functionally comparable and see if they are grouped (if possible).
21. For multi-step operations, a progress indicator is useful
Especially with multi-step procedures, the user may become overwhelmed or question how long it would take to complete. A progress indicator aids him in locating himself, but it also fosters a sense of success and minimizes dropout rates. Check all of the processes in your product where there are several steps to complete a task, and make sure that progress is signaled via an indicator.
22. Foreground items (such as content and controls) stand out against the background
Important for persons who have visual impairments. It also aids in the user’s comprehension and learning curve. Navigation is aided by clear separation, which draws attention to the buttons and improves overall usability. Take a screenshot of your product and blur it with a Gaussian blur to a radius of 3 to 5 pixels. Can you determine what’s in the front and what’s in the background when you look at the finished product?
23. Align buyer personas to reader personas
Not all of your customers will read your material, and not all of your readers will purchase it. However, before you even consider UX, you should have a good understanding of both your buyer and reader personas. These fictionalized, generalized portrayals of your ideal clients will aid you in creating more useful content. A more tailored user experience is created when your buyer and reader profiles are aligned.
Giving your reader a variety of formats, industries, and verticals to choose from can help a lot. Knowing their area of expertise or job function can also be beneficial.
24. Make sure the journey makes sense from every angle
A good user flow will help your users get to where they want to go. Do you want them to schedule an appointment with you? Do you want to buy something? Do you want to get your ebook?
Not everyone will begin at the beginning, and not everyone will have the same objectives. Make sure your user has a clear path from beginning to end.
25. Communicate an easy-to-recognize brand message
It’s difficult to communicate in a foreign language. Even more difficult is finding language that reflects your brand’s personality and is consistent across all media. Before you begin, your copywriters should draught a clear set of brand rules. Make sure you and your designers have a copy of the guidelines in front of you at all times to ensure consistency. Your writers—as well as your customers—will be grateful.
26. Check usability on all devices
There is a wide variety of devices on the market, each with its own screen size, resolution, and other peculiarities. The same product can look very different on each one of them. It’s important to remember that users do not see only what you see on your screen. They may notice something that you did not even know existed. So do not rely solely on your screen for usability testing. Test your product on as many different gadgets as possible to avoid missing potential problems.
27. Find your speed sweet spot
A website’s load time is an increasingly important metric to consider when building a website, as it affects user experience and conversion rates. Before you save money on hosting or a CDN, keep in mind that 40% of people would abandon a website if it takes more than three seconds to load. Reducing the time it takes for your site to load from eight to two seconds can increase conversion rates by 74%
In addition to the impact on your bottom line, slow load times are hurting your SEO, with Google ranking faster websites higher in search results. The average page load time of top-ranking websites is around 1.5 seconds.
28. Make UX KPIs work for your business goals
Key performance indicators should be included in every project (KPIs). What distinguishes these from tried-and-true conversion rates? They enable you to go deeper into the problem in order to find a solution. A KPI could be the time it takes for your users to click, for example. The longer this goes on, the more evident it becomes that there are roadblocks in the way, such as load time or content length.
29. Get feedback from your users
Your customers are the ones who will make or break your product, so it’s important to keep them on board and happy. The key to keeping them happy is providing top-notch customer service. It’s not just about fixing bugs or giving refunds—it’s about understanding your customers and their needs so that you can provide a better experience for them.
If you’re in the business of building software, your customer service team is one of the most important elements in ensuring success. Here’s how to ensure they are doing their job properly:
Make sure they know what they are doing: Make sure your customer support team knows how to handle issues related to usability, user experience, and other technical problems. Customer service should be able to recognize when there is an issue with your app or website and give feedback on how to solve it.
Align teams: Make sure sales personnel are recognized and set up a method where customer service reps may promptly report usability issues. Align your teams and make them know you expect them to contribute to the improvement of your product.
Set up a feedback loop: Your customer service team is the key to resolving UX issues.
30. Who are you and what do you do?
Your next major task will be to immediately inform your visitors. What’s your name? So, what exactly do you do? And what kind of worth can you bestow on them? This is known as a value proposition, and it’s so significant that it warranted its own blog post. You just have a few seconds to persuade your visitors, so make the most of it!
A well-crafted value proposition clearly states what makes you unique and differentiates you from other companies in your industry. It also describes the tangible benefits a customer will experience from working with you.
31. Make sure visitors can get in touch with you
Eliminating any concerns or anxieties that your visitors may have is an important component of UX design. One of the most common concerns for new visitors is whether or not they should trust you – especially if your website is brand new.
Showing them that there is a real person behind the scenes is one method to alleviate their fear. Include a physical address, a phone number, and an email address that is valid. (NOT a contact form — people are more likely to distrust them than an email address.)
Use a live chat box to allow users to ask questions right away.
32. Even better, leave breadcrumbs so they know where they are
Use ‘breadcrumbs’ to clarify where they are in the process, in addition to offering them a quick restart. This is where large progress bars come in handy. If you’re in the middle of the checkout process, for example, let your user know where they are and what they need to do next.
This is, once again, simple psychology. Going for a walk, for example, is far more exhausting when you don’t know where you’ll finish up. When we have a map, we feel considerably more at ease. The same concept can be used on the internet.
33. Use hierarchy to show users where to go next
You should, hopefully, have a well-defined ‘user journey’ in mind. Let’s imagine you have a website where you teach online courses. The following is an example of a simple user journey:
> Read the most recent blog > Sign up for the email list and download the free report before enrolling in your paid online course.
You can design a visual hierarchy to send users where you want them if you have a clear journey. You’d make sure your blog was the first thing people saw in this scenario. Then you’ll start including a lot of links to your mailing list in your emails.
34. Group related items together
This is designed for eCommerce websites, but it can be used on any website. Similar and comparable objects should be kept together. It means that your visitors and clients will receive a lot more personalized experience as if you’ve anticipated their demands.
Physical products, such as Amazon’s’more like this’ selection, can be used in this way. Using a related content area, you may accomplish something similar with blog posts and articles.
It keeps users on your site longer, lowers bounce rates, and gives them a more personalized experience.
35. Keep everything consistent
The last thing you want is for a visitor to think they’ve navigated to a different website after clicking a link.
Ensure that your navigation bar remains in the same location regardless of where you are on the site. Make sure your logo is constantly visible and that the color scheme is consistent. While it’s tempting to use a ‘signature’ color, it’s always best to stick with one or two main colors for the brand instead of using them all over the place.
If you have an image that represents your business, make sure it’s used consistently throughout.
36. Design the layout for eye scanning
The way we read a book is different from the way we read a website. When we’re reading a book, we usually start in the upper left corner and scan down the page—we look at every word and see each line of text as it comes into view. But when we flip through an online magazine or scroll through a webpage, our eyes dart around. We scan for anything that stands out to us.
We read websites in an F-pattern most of the time, but big pictures and calls-to-action are known to attract our attention first.
So when you’re designing your website, ask yourself: What do you want people to notice first? And what should they notice second? Because if you don’t have a plan, your visitors will use their own judgment to decide what they want to look at.
37. Build trust with testimonials and social proof
The majority of visitors to your website are on their guard when they arrive. They’re wary of new websites by nature and aren’t ready to buy from you just yet. As I previously stated, reducing these barriers and making customers feel at ease on your website is an important component of UX design. People will feel more at ease if you use a few well-placed testimonials and factoids. We like to see that other individuals (ideally significant names) have utilized and approved your goods or service.
38. LIMIT CAPS LOCK TEXT
There are, in fact, more important reasons than that. Uppercase text is read slower than lowercase text. As a result, scanning and reading are significantly more challenging (which is how we generally read the internet).
Caps lock should only be used when you truly need to make a statement. This might be when you are angry and want to shout, or when you are excited about something and want to emphasize it. In both cases, it will help you avoid looking like a fool because it slows down your ability to communicate effectively.
The key takeaway here is that capitalizing letters doesn’t improve readability but does slow down reading speed. So unless you have a good reason for using caps lock (such as shouting), avoid using it altogether because it’s just plain annoying!
39. Find a way to empathize with your visitor quickly
The goal of user experience is to create a connection with your user by simulating human interaction. What are your visitors’ aims and dreams? Empathy is a big component of this. What has been holding them back up to this point?
Let them know right away that you understand their situation. You can do this by using a picture they can relate to or a statement that summarises their main concerns.
Your visitor will think, “This website understands me!” which is a fantastic user experience.
40. Test user experience by using UX/UI design tools
There are many reasons why you might want to use UX/UI design tools, and this list is just a snapshot of some of the main reasons. Whether you’re looking for a way to improve the user experience on your website or to create better user interfaces for software applications, these tools can help you get the job done. So whether you’re starting out as a designer or are already an experienced professional, make sure to check out these tools and see how they might benefit your work.
How VOCSO can help?
The importance of companies connecting with users through a consistent, intuitive user experience. Every time you interact with an app or website, you’re entrusting your personal data to it – and that means these organizations need to be held accountable for the way they collect and use this information. Customers are now aware of what companies are doing in their name, and if companies want to succeed in a competitive industry like digital marketing, they must create experiences that are both seamless and personalized.
As a business owner, you know that good customer experience is key to success. That’s why it’s so important to find a UX design company that can help you craft an effective user interface for your website or app. Not only will this make your customers happy, but studies have shown that user interfaces with well-designed elements can result in increased revenue and lower costs associated with customer support. If you’re looking for a company that can help you create a high-quality user experience, VOCSO is the top name to work with!
We’re a leading web design agency that understands your website is not only a representation of your business but also an extension of yourself and your team. We work tirelessly to ensure that every detail on your website is accounted for, from the layout and design to the functionality and SEO. Whether you are starting from scratch or need a refreshment after years of stagnation, our team can help turn your vision into reality. Check out our UX/UI design projects or contact us today to get started!
Conclusion
Overall, following these UX design checklist items will help ensure your next website project is successful. By taking the time to consider each item on the list, you can create a user-friendly website that meets the needs of your target audience. Do you have any other tips for ensuring a successful website project? Share them with us in the comments below!
