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!
Just prior to the pandemic, my partner and I planned a trip to hike several National Parks including the Grand Canyon. After a delayed flight, a rental car mixup, and a long, exhausting drive through the desert we found ourselves at the Southern Rim of the Grand Canyon — long after dark.
We stood together under some of the brightest stars we had ever seen (for city folks) and did our very best to imagine the vast beauty that was directly in front of us. But standing there in the dark, we may as well have been closing our eyes. Defeated, we grabbed a drink at the Bright Angel Lodge and toasted to our luck, retiring until the sun solved our problem for us in the morning.
What does this have to do with your project, you might ask? Well, our moment in the darkness is not very different from the incredible project ideas our clients bring to us . In some cases our clients may know the solution — or maybe at this point have identified a problem; but they require some guidance to ensure they are taking the best and most effective approach.
Accordingly, we are your technology, design, and digital experts, helping to guide your team from ideation to executable outcomes through our Discovery process. In this case, rather than simply waiting for the sun to come up, our team’s goal is to illuminate all the areas of your project that will help protect your timelines, project goals, calendars, and ultimately, your budget.
As a largely tech-agnostic agency, we are not in the business of churning out widgets. Instead, we are trusted by our clients to create bespoke solutions for their equally bespoke challenges and opportunities. In Discovery, our team investigates all of the nooks and crannies of the potential solution, while also establishing the best ways to serve as your partner in meeting your teams’ culture, work schedules and styles — where they are.
While every Discovery is unique, there are a few key principles we believe are vital goals for any discovery we take on:
Imagine if we woke up the next morning just before sunrise in order to see the first light hit the Grand Canyon. But, instead of grabbing our regular glasses we opted for a pair of horse blinders. After-all, we didn’t want the distraction of seeing all the other tourists around as we took in the sunrise, right?
As we partner with our clients, one of our first objectives in Discovery is to remove any potential “blinders” by bringing a larger group of stakeholders into the process. Although it may feel like noise to bring in more internal voices, we specialize in cutting through the chitter-chatter.. This offers a full, panoramic picture of the project.
This panoramic picture includes the “who,” “what,” “where,” but also the all-important “why” in every project, from each unique stakeholder’s perspective. While at times there is a straightforward solution to a problem, we know your organization has nuances that deserve consideration.
That’s where our experts come in: asking the right questions to make sure we are considering your internal processes, technologies, audiences, and skill-sets. Simultaneously, we are also making sure we clearly prioritize your goals, consider any potential constraints, and safeguard your bottom-line in the process.
As beautiful as the Grand Canyon is from the very popular rim, my wife and I did not travel all that way to simply stand at the top. When we set out to take this trip, we knew hiking down into the canyon was going to be a key part of the experience for us—we knew we couldn’t just treat it like another day-hike.
Just like a project, we could slap on a pair of hiking boots and set out down the trail–ignoring sign after sign that warns of the dangers that lay ahead. The easy hike down makes everything seem simple, but doesn’t fully take into consideration how difficult the eventual climb back out will be. These signs aren’t privy to how we pre-planned our gear or what appropriate training we did to make it a success (as seen by the hundreds of people needing to be rescued by rangers every year).
At Creed, Discovery is about alignment and understanding. In doing so we are creating a checklist of risks and considerations for your project. Our team are like expert hikers when it comes to your projects. Our packs are filled with all the vital pieces to ensure we avoid common challenges often encountered. And yet, no project is one-size-fits-all, making Discovery even more important!
When taking stock of your project and creating a roadmap towards a solution, we are creating our own packing list to make sure nobody forgets their inhaler, sunscreen, or hiking poles (even if they make you look dorky, we promise you will want them!).
So now that we have seen the sights and appropriately planned for our hike, what trail do we take? All trails lead to the Colorado River — one way or another — but each path has its own benefits and constraints. By taking that wider view of the canyon and preparing for the risks, we can now make an informed decision.
Maybe we realize that we want to get to a certain lookout point or have the goal of reaching the famous Phantom Ranch for a glass of lemonade. Perhaps we realize we have time limitations and can only plan for a quick afternoon hike. Maybe we are expertly prepared to do the famous rim-to-rim, i.e. hike the whole darn thing. Anything is possible, but until you have done the homework with the guidance of experts, you could be left alerting the national park service helicopter to save you and your project.
While our team may not be certified helicopter pilots, we pride ourselves on a thorough Discovery process that makes sure you aren’t forced to make a tough call, or experience discomfort along the way. In fact, our goal is to ensure the path is not only well-cleared, but has been expertly-guided to project journey success!
While each client and each project is unique, your Discovery will generally follow a five step process. Here is what to expect:
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.
Jana is Creed’s solutions architect and is exceptional at defining, solutioning, and consultatively optimizing clients’ tech solutions. She sets every project up for success with the highly-detailed work she puts in up front during the discovery phase. Jana started her career as a PHP developer in the private college space. Soon after, she joined Creed as a PHP developer. Since starting at Creed just over 10 years ago, she’s moved up to senior developer, learning many more coding languages and frameworks. Her keen eye for detail and planning has brought her into the application architect role where she is today.
Jana is Passionate About…
Accessibility. Jana is extremely passionate in her efforts to ensure that website accessibility is factored into every project that Creed delivers. Due to Jana’s passion to create positive change, Creed now has processes in place to audit user accessibility on all of our sites to ensure inclusion and access for all.
Key Skills
■ Strategy
■ Planning
■ Accessibility
■ PHP
■ Angular
■ C# .NET
■ Adaptable at learning coding languages
Notable Creed Projects
Delta Dental of Minnesota
■ Employer Services Portal
■ Broker Services Portal
Warners’ Stellian
■ eCommerce Platform
Special Olympics Minnesota
■ Fundraising Registration and Marketing Website
Luther Seminary
■ Mass Content Migration and Platform
Fun Fact
Jana has a green thumb – or as she describes it, she “can keep plants alive.” In addition to a bay window packed with thriving house plants, she tends to several gardens on her property.