The impact of good or poor UX design goes far beyond the numbers, it’s also about what leads a consumer to trust. When people trust a company and their product then the conversions naturally follow.
In reality, user experience is all about trust. And much like in any relationship, trust is earned, strengthened, or broken down with every interaction.
When it comes to brand growth, invest in meeting consumers’ expectations and growing their trust, which can happen through UX.
User experiences are the lifeblood of any successful digital product. Whether that be a website, mobile application, or software program, the UX design of a product can directly impact the behavior and decisions of individuals that interact with it. If this reality isn’t kept at the forefront of development, the consequences can be severe for businesses.
Below we address four of the most common ways that poor UX design and execution can negatively impact user behavior:
A high bounce rate on a website or application can be viewed like walking out of a movie at a theater before it’s finished. It’s embarrassing and can be a negative sign to anyone who hasn’t seen the film that their money might be better spent elsewhere.
When a website receives a high bounce rate, referring to the percentage of website visitors who leave a site after viewing only one navigation point, it gives signs to search engine crawlers and site authority platforms that the website isn’t providing a quality user experience. This usually leads to lower search rankings and lower organic site traffic.
User engagement can be measured in various ways, including navigating menus, clicking through links, filling out contact forms, or even downloading digital materials.
Poor UX design makes it difficult or impossible to complete these activities, which can be a significant deterrence when supporting customer actions at any point of the sales funnel. Engagement levels have also become essential to how Google now ranks websites in their SERPS (Search Engine Results Pages) and has updated their ranking algorithms to include this metric.
One crucial metric directly associated with user experience is the impact that it can have on word-of-mouth marketing.
It doesn’t matter when you’re searching for a car or trying to find the best new restaurant in town, word-of-mouth remains one of the most relied upon sources for decision making. As the saying goes, “people buy from people,” and the overall success of any application or web service is weighed heavily on the testimonials of individuals who have used them.
UX significantly influences those reviews, either positively or negatively, and one bad experience usually outweighs ten great ones.
Of course, the most obvious consequence of poor UX design is that it leads to lost sales and revenue opportunities. Very few products or services online today are the only option for what a consumer is looking for. This makes unique user experiences an invaluable tool for differentiating brands from the rest.
Poor site navigation, lack of accessibility, inadequate mobile designs, and slow loading times are some examples of poor UX designs that can turn someone off quickly from converting into new business.
A UX Discovery from Creed can help you and your digital product come back from bad UX and rebuild your credibility to not only your users but search engines to increase new visitors to your site.
Modern-day consumers are much more aware and careful about the brands they choose to deal with.
With economic uncertainty ahead and the prevalence of digital threats, trust in the companies you are dealing with, the level of service they offer, and the security of your personal and financial data are not only essential but required. Having the right UX design approach can help foster that trust and build strong relationships with customers well beyond competitive pricing or product availability.
Below are some of the ways that good UX design helps to impact consumer trust for the better:
Most people have visited a website or downloaded an application that feels “sketchy.” Usually, these sites or apps are poorly designed and lack the functionality users have come to expect. Broken links, outdated pages, or slow loading times may make many people feel uneasy when sharing their personal information or completing an order that requires credit card details.
A well-designed and fully functioning website instills trust and reliability in the minds of modern consumers. When a brand associates itself with a positive and trustworthy design, it can help to build an overall positive brand image – one that holds high standards for customer service and security.
A good UX strategy helps businesses execute their desired message clearly and effectively. It also allows them to show consistency and authenticity across all platforms, from mobile apps to website design.
When a user experience is uninterrupted by frustrating pop-ups or ineffective redirects, it enhances the credibility of a website or application. It ensures customers can easily find what they need without feeling overwhelmed or confused. A seamless brand experience every time a user interacts with a digital product ultimately leads to longer customer relationships and a credible web presence.
The secret to winning over brand-loyal customers is creating a top-notch user experience. By offering customers seamless and enjoyable interactions, you’re almost guaranteeing they revisit in the future.
More than that, though, customers with an outstanding user experience when searching for new services or solutions are more likely to become brand advocates and share their positive experiences with others. Not only does this drive loyalty to the brand, but it also instills a sense of community and belonging in your customers.
It’s one of the reasons Creed clients continue to choose us over and over again. We have multiple clients who have been with us 5-10 years or even since the beginning of our agency. We’re loyal to you, and your customers can come to expect the same from your products.
Creating a UX design that is easy to navigate and visually appealing can help your business drive more conversions. A well-designed UX can provide a much more efficient buying or conversion process, making it easier for customers to get from point A to B without any friction or confusion.
By giving customers a personalized experience with AI-driven recommendations, reward programs and other value-added services all connected in one place, you can have a more efficient purchasing process for customers and unlock new opportunities for your business.
Creating an effective sales cycle depends on creating clear conversion objectives, and then incorporating a UX design that supports those objectives. When it comes to sales, this usually involves creating:
Creating a seamless digital experience for your customers is crucial for the success of your business’s online presence. By crafting a user-friendly website, visitors can effortlessly find what they’re searching for, building not only trust but a sense of ease and reliability in your brand. Crafting a positive first impression with simplistic and clear navigation increases the chances of customer conversion, ensuring that new sales can quickly transition to recurring sales.
Are your customers having trouble deciding what to do next when they land on your website? Utilizing a clear, easy-to-find call-to-action (CTA) is the perfect way to guide them through the sales funnel.
Not only should it be visible and instill urgency in visitors, but UX design also plays an important part in crafting successful CTAs that jumpstart conversions. Clear, concise CTAs should be placed on key pages, and visual elements like buttons, images, and hyperlinks can all be used to emphasize the importance of taking action.
Ensuring your website or applications are mobile-friendly is a vital component of a great UX design. With more people using their mobile devices to browse and experience products online, businesses need to prioritize making sure the user experience is optimized for the most common screens, devices, and operating systems.
Businesses should also be aware of accessibility and the importance of making sure their websites can be used by most users, regardless of any disabilities or impairments. Depending on the branch of industry many companies/digital products are legally obligated to make things accessible. By prioritizing mobility and accessibility when designing your user experience, you guarantee a smooth, enjoyable journey for all customers.
Integrating social proof can significantly enhance your ability to turn qualified prospects into loyal customers.
Sharing customer reviews, endorsements, and ratings allows your target audience to observe the quality of your offerings from neutral sources and fosters genuine trust in your brand. Social proof not only magnifies your business’s positive reputation but also instills a sense of confidence in potential customers, compelling them to convert
“Kudos for spending a bunch of time in the last few weeks interviewing… sales reps for the reorder app our team put together, and then presenting the findings back to them today. It amazes me how [you] can gather all that feedback and organize it in a way that is easy to understand for the client to prioritize enhancements!”
There is no denying that there is a strong correlation between the effectiveness of your UX design to the trustworthiness of your brand in the eyes of customers.
An intuitive, well-designed UX can be a powerful instrument to drive conversions and create an effective cycle that will compel customers to revisit and become part of a loyal following.
By incorporating user-friendly designs, effective CTAs, improved mobility and accessibility, and social proof into your UX design, you can help your business create a reliable and trustworthy environment for customers, ultimately helping to increase sales and drive revenue.
Interested in talking about how we can improve your UX/CX? Let’s Chat!
AJ is Creed’s leading authority when it comes to operations. He started his career in tech project management in 2011 and joined the Creed team in 2015 as a jr. project manager. His dedication to his work and natural leadership skills helped him move up the ladder into more leadership roles, first as our Director of Project Management, and then to his current role as Senior Director of Operations and Delivery. Through a consultative approach, AJ and his team of project managers help our clients meet their goals with open communication to ensure alignment with project delivery timelines and identifying work-flow priorities. His collaborative approach helps his team of project managers be the seamless communication conduits between our clients and our teams to help ensure we meet requirements and on-time deliverables.
AJ is passionate about…
Communication and equity inclusion – AJ believes open communication and an inclusive environment hold the key for a better way of doing business. He’s passionate about making sure that every team member gets an equitable stake at work. From the most junior position to the most senior positions, it’s his mission to ensure that everyone on his team feels like they have a seat at the table, that they have a voice, and that they’re valued.
Key Skills
Notable Creed Projects
Fun Fact
AJ comes from a musical background and began his career in the music industry, managing record labels and doing public relations for the bands on the labels. He also has a very extensive collection of vinyl.
Clark’s 21 years of experience in the tech space and deep understanding of custom technology solutions expertly position him to carry out Creed’s vision for technology and strategy. Clark has been with Creed for over 8 years – having started as the Director of Technology, he was recently promoted to Chief Technology Officer. As Creed’s lead technology strategist and consultant, he recruits top talent in the market, oversees large custom client projects, implements innovative solution offerings, and leverages emerging technologies to deliver exceptional outcomes for Creed clients.
Clark is passionate about…
Clark is passionate about building and inspiring teams. He strives to create an environment where everyone can do their best work and feel supported in their career development. By investing in his team members and helping them grow, he ensures that Creed always has the best people in place to meet the challenges of the ever-changing tech landscape.
In his role, Clark is responsible for developing Creed’s vision for technology and strategy. Clark is an expert in custom technology solutions and is passionate about his work, constantly looking for ways to improve existing solutions and develop new ones. Clark stays on top of technology trends so that he can identify opportunities for Creed to create custom solutions that meet and exceed client’s current and future needs.
Through his work at Creed, Clark has proven himself as a visionary leader in the tech space.
Key Skills
Notable Creed Projects
Fun Fact
Although Clark thoroughly enjoys all things computers, it may surprise some folks to learn that he enjoys being outside and outdoor activities like fishing, hunting and snowmobiling. And, unlike many of colleagues in tech, Clark has never seen Star Wars or Star Trek.
As the leader of Creed’s sales organization, Paul brings over 20 years of sales experience with a core focus in enterprise sales in the custom software development, CRM and digital marketing, IT, and e-commerce. In his role as leader, through a consultative approach, Paul puts together custom packages of Creed solutions to help achieve each client’s unique business goals.
Paul is Passionate About…
Skills
Notable Creed Projects
University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management
Through consultation Paul uncovered Carlson’s core needs, and put together a suite of custom solutions to address their needs for redefining their web application and site, as well as attracting potential students.
Fun Fact
Paul loves to hit the falsetto notes of Frankie Valli’s “Sherry” on karaoke night and he’s an avid snow enthusiast – in winter you can often find him cross-country skiing or skijoring with his husky.
Today’s expectations are much higher than they used to be regarding customer journeys, digital platform design, and the functionality supporting back-end systems. On top of that, organizations are also struggling to keep pace with the ever-changing security landscape pushing a focus on data privacy and compliance.
These new challenges have forced organizations to rethink how they approach their custom digital experience design and the tools and services they use to deploy them.
In this article, we’ll explore the challenges of the modern digital landscape and how to design a custom digital experience that balances security and usability.
Navigating the Complexities of the Modern Digital Landscape
The modern digital landscape is more complex than ever before. There are more devices, data, and touchpoints for customers to interact with. This complexity can make it difficult for organizations to keep up with the latest trends and technologies while providing a seamless customer experience.
Below we’ll cover three relevant considerations modern organizations should be making when deciding on a sustainable path forward for the development of their digital experiences:
The rise in data breaches and cyber attacks over the past few years has increased security awareness for both organizations and customers. As a result, organizations must take a proactive approach to security to protect their customers’ data.
Historically, security has been an afterthought in the digital experience design process. Front-facing features and usability improvements are often prioritized over proactive security measures, leading to vulnerabilities across multiple touchpoints.
As customers become more comfortable navigating through various digital experiences, their expectations for those experiences continue to increase. This has led to a need for higher UX standards across all industries.
Organizations must now focus on delivering intuitive, engaging, and frictionless digital experiences to meet the needs of their customers. This includes everything from the initial customer journey to the overall design of the applications or platforms that facilitate them.
Without a strong focus on the user experience, organizations risk delivering a subpar product that frustrates customers and drives them away.
The pandemic has forced many organizations to reevaluate their digital strategy and invest in solutions allowing their employees to work remotely. This shift has led to an increase in the use of cloud-based applications and services.
Cloud-based applications offer several benefits, including increased flexibility and scalability. However, they also come with their own set of complexities. In-house development teams have gotten used to working in silos, with little to no collaboration with other departments. This new reality can create unique challenges when balancing the security and usability of larger-scale, complex design projects.
Developing a solid security posture should be a top priority for any organization looking to invest in custom digital experiences. However, security can often be seen as a hindrance to the design process.
Any time “the brakes” are applied to the design team to assess and mitigate risk, it can lead to frustration and a feeling of being bogged down. So there must be a balance between security and design to create a custom digital experience that works for everyone. A security by design approach is the best way to achieve this balance.
Security by design is a proactive approach to security that starts at the beginning of the design process and continues throughout the development cycle.
The security by design approach identifies potential vulnerabilities early in the design phase. This allows for more time to implement countermeasures and prevents any last-minute surprises that could impact the overall timeline or budget. These proactive measures can include anything creating secure log-in-based portals, access control measures, or data encryption.
Security by design helps organizations to take a proactive stance on security rather than simply reacting to threats as they arise. This holistic approach is essential for organizations that want a strong security posture with digital experiences without sacrificing usability.
Creating a symbiotic relationship between security and design can be challenging. Still, if done correctly, it will result in a custom digital experience that meets all front-end and back-end functionality requirements and protects your organizations and their customers from potential security threats.
Minimizing Friction While Maximizing UX Efficiencies
Friction is the enemy of any digital experience. Too much friction can lead to customer frustration and, ultimately, a loss in business.
The most effective way businesses enhance their UX is to decrease the friction users encounter when using digital assets. Anything that creates a barrier in the form of a hassle, delay, extra step, or frustration for the user can be classified as “friction.”
There are several ways to reduce friction, but it’s important to remember that not all friction is harmful. In some cases, a little bit of friction can be a good thing. For example, adding an extra step in the form of two-factor authentication (TFA) can improve security while only minimally impacting the user experience.
But leaning too far left or right on the security-usability spectrum can have negative consequences. For example, implementing a TFA system that is too cumbersome or time-consuming will only frustrate users and ultimately lead them to look for alternatives. On the other hand, not implementing any security measures at all could be viewed as irresponsible.
The key is finding the sweet spot that minimizes friction while maximizing efficiencies across the entire user experience. This can be achieved through a combination of design, development, and security best practices tailored to your organization’s specific needs.
Practical Steps To Maximize UX Efficiency
There are several steps that organizations can take to reduce friction and improve the overall efficiency of the user experience while.
The first step is to assess the current state of your digital experiences and identify areas where there is room for improvement without sacrificing security controls. Once you understand where things stand, you can start planning for changes that will have the most significant impact.
One way to reduce friction is by streamlining processes and removing unnecessary steps for your users. For example, if users are required to fill out lengthy forms to access certain content or features, consider breaking up the form into smaller sections or providing default values wherever possible.
Another way to reduce friction is by reducing the amount of time it takes for users to complete tasks. One way to do this is by pre-filling forms with data you already have on users, such as their contact information or preferences.
You can also improve the efficiency of your digital experiences by providing users with more self-service options. For example, if you have a customer support portal, consider adding a searchable knowledge base or FAQ section that users can access before submitting a ticket.
Small touches like these can go a long way in improving the overall user experience and making it more efficient for users and developers.
Building a Custom Digital Experience That Works For Everyone
Developing a custom digital experience is no easy feat. There are a lot of factors to consider, and for many organizations, knowing what steps to take first can be overwhelming.
Creed Interactive has years of experience helping organizations design and develop custom digital experiences that are both secure and easy to use. But our work is more than just building websites and apps. We take a holistic approach to digital experience design, taking into account the user’s needs and the organization’s business goals.
Over the years, we have perfected this consultative design approach that takes into account the complexities of the modern digital landscape while developing sustainable solutions that solve real business problems:
Delta Dental of Minnesota
As the largest regional provider of dental benefits, Delta Dental of Minnesota serves over 9,100 Minnesota and North Dakota-based purchasing groups and over 4.3 million members nationwide. Creed Interactive had the privilege of launching a new benefits management platform that streamlined experiences for both employers and employees.
To maintain both security and usability, Creed Interactive gathered information to support the planning of a new portal implementation. Following detailed requirements, Creed Interactive developed a high-performing enterprise-grade platform that is HIPAA compliant.
At Creed Interactive, we’re excited to see what the future of digital experience holds. With years of experience in the industry, we’re confident that we can help your organization design and develop a custom digital experience that works for everyone – both your internal and external user base. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you achieve your goals.
Leo began his career at Creed as a college intern and came aboard full time as a junior developer upon graduation. His ability to solve Creed’s most complex back-end project work combined with his natural leadership skills quickly moved Leo up the ranks to become one of Creed’s more senior and highly technical leaders. Leo is passionate about leading by example and ensuring that his team has the tools they need to be set up for success. Day-to-day, you’ll find him working with clients to help define their project requirements based on their goals, then coordinating development and design teams to deliver beautiful, fully functional websites.
Leo is Passionate About…
■ Solving complex puzzles
■ Data visualization
■ Team relationships
Key Skills
■ Data visualization
■ Software architecture
■ Visualization charts
■ Table representation
■ Editorial custom solutions
Notable Creed Projects
ConvergeOne OnGuard
■ Customer access portals
■ Authentication authorization
■ Role-based experience
ConvergeOne Conversations
■ Custom distributable web chat
Fun Fact
Leo is actually his middle name – his full name is George Leo Southwick, XIII. That’s 13 George Southwicks (they all have different middle names) dating all the way back to the Revolutionary War.