You may have heard “UX design” more than once and not given it much thought, but trust us: if you run an ecommerce business, it’s something you should definitely consider. Here we’ll explain why.

What is UX design?

UX is an acronym for User Experience. We may say that UX design focuses on what the user perceives before, during and after consumption.

And why is it so important? Because it allows us to think about the design of a service or product from the perspective of the end user and not from the perspective of those who are developing it. We have always thought first of the product and then of its potential consumers. This new vision precisely reverses that logic.

A small clarification: we must not confuse UX design with UI. While the former refers to the overall user experience (i.e., how easy it is to navigate through our site or perform some action within it), the latter refers exclusively to how our user visually perceives our page or application.

If you want to learn more about their differences, this article will be very useful.

What are the benefits of UX design?

As we have already seen, the benefits of UX design are many and, consequently, having a team of specialized designers will be too. Let’s take a look at some of the important things they can solve for us:

• Reducing costs of our products or services

Yes, although it may sound like a slogan, it has been studied that the appropriate investment at the design stage reduces costs in the future. Robert Pressman, in his book “Software Engineering: A Practitioner’s Approach”, explains that for every dollar invested during the design stage, 10 dollars would be spent on the same problem during the development stage and 100 dollars if the problem must be solved after the product is released.

• Generate a tighter bond with our users

Thinking first of all about our users will make them feel heard and valued, and consequently strengthen the company-customer bond. But not only that: it will also allow us to adapt what we offer to their specific needs. For this reason, it is important to test and involve our users in the whole process. We must make them feel important because, in the end, they are important.

• Build trust in our product or service

Today, it is not enough to have a great product. The experience carries a lot of weight in users’ minds when it comes to choosing and consuming a product or service on a sustained basis. A good experience shows customers that we care about them, which generates trust in our brand.

Increase your ROI

“What possible relationship can there be between UX design and ROI?”, you may ask. Everything has to do with everything.

Today in design we have many quantitative tools. One of the main ones is usability, that is, how easy an application or interactive product is to use. This concept was thought up by Jakob Nielsen more than twenty years ago and if you suspect it is important, let us tell you two things: first, you are right and, second, you should read this.

Nielsen divides usability into 10 principles (also known as Heuristic Principles). Why is this something new? Because design was always thought of from a qualitative point of view, i.e. without objective measurability. The division of the user experience into these 10 principles allows us to assign specific values to them and, consequently, to measure how profitable our decisions are.

And, knowing the profitability of our actions, we can easily measure our return on investment.

Apply UX design to your ecommerce

At BROOBE we decided to give you 5 fundamental tips to improve your users’ experience:

1. Keep it simple

A tidy and minimalist site will be much more intuitive and pleasant for your users. Make sure the information is accessible and visual. Your ecommerce is your store and the more organized it is, the better the experience for your users.

2. Quick buying process

It is important that the purchase process is easy, fast and reliable. A user who feels comfortable when buying is a user who is likely to return. A good option could be to enable the option of purchasing without registration.

3. More images, less text

Visual content is crucial for a good online store experience. Use quality images and videos that show the details and finishes of your products. As for descriptions, make sure they are concise and specific (it is important that your users do not have to go to other sites to get information about the product). The text accompanies, but the image must be the protagonist.

4. Be a guide to your users

Let your user navigate through your site easily. Guide them, but don’t overdo it. It is important that our users feel freedom and autonomy to move around and, at the same time, find what they are looking for.

5. Keep your site updated

Few things show more interest in your users than keeping your site updated (in terms of price, stock, new products, seasons). A user who goes all the way through the purchase path and finds that the product is not available, is a user who will no longer trust us.

We have solutions

You have already discovered the importance of UX design for your ecommerce: a better usability will make your users satisfied and that will translate to your sales. Do you need advice to take your website to another level? Contact our team of experts and we will help you achieve it.