User Experience (UX) is receiving increasing focus and investment from companies. People are looking to improve their brand, boost customer satisfaction and convert site visitors into sales. The concept of creating a website design which delivers the best experience and presents the right image of your company is not new, however. In the 1980s, Tom Glib published Principles of Software Engineering Management, in which he cited a return of up to $100 for every $1 invested in UX. For all businesses, the development of a good website should help increase product sales as well as strengthening the brand image. This articles explains why investment in UX pays dividends.
Start Their UX Off Right
First impressions matter and this is particularly true when it comes to website design. Most users will not wait for a slow page to load and will click away when the functionality fails or the website is too complex to use. Poor UX websites have a high bounce rate. In our fast paced society, simplicity is key. Consumers don’t want to battle with convoluted website designs to complete a purchase in their lunch hour. By not investing in UX, you are immediately losing consumers. Without these customers, you won’t see sales. A great UX will not only keep people on your website but will also increase product sales by boosting your conversion rate and therefore your profits.
UX and ROI
A considerable investment in UX will provide you with a beautiful, functioning website. It should also see a significant return on your investment through the conversion rate. A good website will increase product sales: it’s a proven fact. People will buy more products from a website they enjoy using and are more likely to return to it in the future. Companies who have launched new websites with enhanced UX have reported a significant increase in sales as well as web traffic overall.
Although the initial cost of UX design may seem substantial, it is cheaper in the long run to invest in a great design from the beginning rather than trying to edit an existing website or smooth out kinks in a cheap UX site. It is more expensive to redesign a flawed product. Spend more time and effort in the first place getting the website design perfect. Companies waste vast amounts of money reworking old websites, a cost which is sometimes up to 100 times more expensive than starting from scratch. Often building on existing software is a false economy when it comes to UX. Start again, do thorough market research and conduct tests as you go to achieve the best UX product.
Does Anyone Notice UX?
Finally, for most users, the fact that they are enjoying a good UX is subconscious. Few consumers visit a website and consciously analyse how it reacts, but they do register ‘good’ one. They form an association between the great website design and the brand. This makes them more likely to return to the site in the future and also recommend it to friends. This leads to an increase in product sales without businesses spending anything on advertising.
So to answer the question this blog posed, you should be spending a decent proportion of your company’s marketing budget on UX, an investment which will soon be returned to you once you have a beautiful, functional website design which not only increases product sales but also boosts your brand identity and relationship with your consumers.
Written by
Bianca Stephenson - Content Specialist
You know how they say content is King? Well, meet the Queen. Engaging and exciting content is what I’m here to create. Whether it’s websites, print, digital, or social graphics – I take your brand’s vision and industry trends and turn them into high-quality content.