The Ultimate Guide to UX Design for Conversion Rate Optimization
User experience (UX) is an important component of any conversion rate optimization (CRO) strategy. The goal of optimizing UX is to improve your audience’s website experience, so they are more likely to continue their journey, whether that be taking the desired action, reading blog posts, etc. In this blog post, we will discuss the essentials for implementing principles that can lead to more conversions.
Integrating UX Principles
A well-thought-out UX design can lead to improved user satisfaction and higher conversion rates. But, to do so, it’s important to understand and implement some fundamental principles.
Understand Your Audience
Everything a UX designer does should be rooted in the principle of user-centricity, meaning making decisions based on what you know about your audience. To do this, research your audience’s behaviors and preferences. You can use surveys, user segmentation, and usability testing to learn more about users.
Visual Hierarchy
Visual hierarchy is a design principle that determines the order in which users process information on the page and interact with the interface. In other words, visual hierarchy creates an organized layout that guides users toward content. Some examples of this include:
- Size and Scale: making elements, such as images, and text larger to draw attention to it. This is useful when you want to direct users’ attention to the most important information. A good example of this is the hero image at the top of the webpage. This large image is striking and relevant, setting the tone and drawing attention to the page.
- Color and Contrast: strong, bright colors attract more attention than dull ones, as color theory suggests. Creating contrast between colors can also draw attention. This is important for CTA buttons, important text, and images.
Effective CTA Placement
Calls to action (CTA) placement is important, as you most likely have specific actions you want your website visitors to take. CTAs should be placed in a central, eye-catching position, such as above the fold (the area users see before having to scroll), which is proven to get more views than those below the fold. Another effective placement includes at the end of the “Z pattern”, which is the pattern Western readers tend to scan pages, going from left to right and top to bottom. Lastly, placing a CTA near relevant content or forms helps users understand its purpose. Depending on how users scan your webpage depends on where you place the CTA. This is where A/B testing comes in handy.
Testing Your UX Design Elements
Using A/B testing, create variations of different website elements and test them against each other to determine which performs best. This helps designers refine the website for optimal conversions.
User Journey Mapping
User journey mapping is a visual representation of a user’s experience, breaking it down in steps. This helps organizations improve user experience and increase engagement. The steps to creating a user journey map are as follows:
- Define Personas and Goals: Create user personas based on data you’ve collected about your business – who is buying your products/using your services, stakeholders, etc. Consider what their goal is, whether it’s making a purchase or filling out a form. Based on their title and goal, each persona may need a different journey map.
- Identify Touchpoints: Identify all key touchpoints, or actions the user takes along the way. This could be clicking the menu, exploring the ‘About Us’ page, looking at the ‘Services’ page, then finally, clicking the ‘Contact Us’ CTA button.
- Journey Phases: The next step is to break down the user’s experience into phases or stages. A high-level view would look something like:
Discovery > Exploration > Purchase > Repurchase
- Capture User Actions and Responses: Gather data about what the user personas do, think, and feel.
- Opportunities: At this step, you’ll start to see opportunities for change. For example, maybe you’re losing users at the Purchase stage. Maybe there’s an issue with the system or perhaps an offer would get users to purchase.
Consistency
Be sure to use the same design elements throughout your website. This includes fonts, colors, and layouts to help create a sense of familiarity, predictability, and trust.
Let Concept Handle UX Design for CRO
CRO is a common goal for many websites, but it can be tricky to master. If you need help with UX design - with conversion rate optimization in mind - let Concept help. With our full-service marketing agency and experienced design team, we can optimize your website for conversions. Contact us today.