The best web design is no longer necessarily visually appealing. Instead, the best web design will be one that puts the Web user first. A user first website not only looks great but also feels intuitive, easily accessible and interesting for the user. As soon as a user visits a website they ‘re not just looking for it to be intuitive and quickly load and have information displayed in a usable way. If those expectations aren’t met, they will quickly leave the site and are most likely never going back to it again. So designing with the user in mind has become one of the most important aspects of successful online business, creation, and organization.
Understanding User-Focused Web Design
User-focused web design is a type of web design process in which real users’ needs, behaviors and preferences are taken into account at every point of the design process. As opposed to random designs because of trend or personal preference web designers are looking ahead at how users will interact with a website (and their goals) so all web design decisions are made with usability and functionality in mind. The best web designs anticipate user expectations and minimize the amount of effort required making the entire process seamless and enjoyable from start to finish.
Simplicity as a Core Principle
Simple is one of the cornerstones of user-centric web design. If you have too much information or a lot of animation and pages with too much clutter it is a major turn off for users. If your designs are clean and filled with white space you are giving users less things to worry about. By having information in an organized fashion users should be able to easily understand what the information says and take correct action. The other benefit to user-centric designs is that they generally work better across all types of devices and are faster to load.
Intuitive Navigation and Structure
Navigation is a critical aspect of a website design. The best websites are designed to make it intuitive and easy for the user to navigate through the content they ‘re interested in. The navigation should be easy to find and a reasonable fit for user expectations. When user navigation feels natural, when they ‘re browsing through a website they ‘ll not get confused or have to follow directions. A well designed site eliminates any confusion and makes it easier for the user to explore it.
Mobile Responsiveness and Device Flexibility
As we all know, with the rise of smartphones and tablets (of course), responsive design has become a very important design trend. Responsive design is a web design that adapts its content to every screen device available at any given time and type and size. This will give you the best possible viewing experience for people on a small screen. It will make it very easy to browse around the site, and will make sure that people get the same experience no matter what device they ‘re using to access the site. Unresponsive websites are a major loss of users vs. credibility for their companies.
Speed and Performance Optimization
Web page speed is a very important aspect of user focused design. Every website visitor wants the page to load immediately and delays when the page does not provide the same results can mean frustration and abandonment. The best website designs will be optimized for speed, including using efficient code, compressing imagery and leaving the least amount of unnecessary elements in the page. Because having a fast loading website will improve the overall user experience ( and hence rank higher ). It shows that you care about the user experience and therefore is likely to promote the user to stay longer on your site.
Clear and Readable Content Presentation
Content is all the king and how it’s presented is instrumental in building user experiences. In a user-focused website design you consider readability factors like appropriate font styles, spacing, and contrast. You want headings to be easy to read, and paragraphs to be clearly written. Instead of filling the screen with tons of information the best Web Design makes the pages fragmented into digestible chunks that the user can easily navigate, find the important information, and have an easy time understanding what you’re trying to say.
Visual Hierarchy and Consistency
Visual hierarchy shows how important different objects on the page are to a visitor. The best web designs use size, color, and placement strategically to make it easier for your viewer to find and occupy relevant content and actions. A unified visual experience helps you create trust with your audience. Your graphic design will help your audience feel more comfortable with your brand and that the visuals are part of your overall identity.
Conclusion
Web Design with a user goal is a combination of empathy, clarity and usability. By principle – by simplifying the web experience in such a way that it’s easy to use, intuitive, responsive, fast and accessible; by creating contents which are both useful and meaningful for users. With the competitive digital landscape we have at our disposal today understanding and supporting users is no longer a choice, but an obligation. With more and more users knowing what their website is and trusting it, they will be much more likely to use the website’s content and come back for the next visit. Coming up with a Web Design with a User goal allows for Websites to become a user-focused, useful and delightful online experience.
