Ask ten people what “UX” means, and you’ll probably get ten different answers. Some think it’s about fancy animations, others imagine a separate job that only big tech companies can afford. In reality, User Experience (UX) simply means how easy it is for someone to use your website.
If you’ve ever been to a site where you struggled to find what you were looking for, or were frustrated by the number of steps needed to do a simple task, you’ve encountered poor UX. We’ve all been there, and odds are you didn’t stick around to figure it out, and instead went to a site that was easier to use. That’s what I mean when I talk about UX: the difference between a website that just looks nice and one that actually works for the people who use it.
UX Is Already Part of Good Design
I’ve heard from others in the industry that “people don’t really care about UX.” Maybe they don’t know / use the term, but they definitely care about what it represents. Perhaps you saw the statistics on our front page, but they’re just a glimpse into the importance of a good experience for your site’s visitors. According to Toptal, smooth UX can potentially raise conversion rates up to 400%.
If you think about your own experiences when visiting a site, you’ll see why a potential client clicking through your site cares that:
- It loads quickly.
- They can find what they’re looking for without getting lost. Or worse, failing to find it and giving up.
- It loads fast and works well on mobile devices, which make up a great deal of traffic
- They trust you enough to fill in a form or make an enquiry.
People may not say “Wow, what great UX!” But they do think, “it was so easy to find what I needed.” They will be more likely to recommend your business to others or come back as repeat customers, in the case of e-commerce websites.
Words Are Part of the Experience
Most visitors come to your website with one goal: to do something. Whether that’s booking a session with you, checking pricing, or finding information about services you offer, considering their goals should be fundamental to the design process. I talk further about the importance of finding someone who incorporates good UX in ‘What To Know Before Hiring a Web Designer’.
In this context, good UX is simply removing the friction that gets in their way. When it comes to your text content (copy), this could mean:
- Writing headings and descriptive text that actually explain things.
- Making buttons clear and meaningful (“Book a Call” instead of “Learn More”).
- Cutting down unnecessary steps in a form.
- Keeping content short, readable, and focused.
- Write with your audience in mind. Avoid too much jargon or technical terms, unless you’re writing for peers in your field.
Long walls of text or jargon-heavy content can be overwhelming, and can result in people missing the information they were looking for.
Good UX Saves Everyone's Time
When your website does its job properly, people don’t have to email you asking how to book or whether your service is still available (which is a best case scenario either way!) Research shows, and I’ve personally found, that visitors who can’t figure something out usually won’t get in touch to ask you. They’ll just leave and find another website where the task is easier to complete.
That’s why I strongly believe that good UX should be baked into your site from the beginning. It’s a core part of development, not an optional extra or something separate from the visual design.
How to Tell If Your Website Has Good UX
If you already have a website and have found your search engine rankings falling without an obvious reason why, poor UX might be contributing. Or maybe you’ve had unexpected feedback and are considering a new website or redesign to fix the issues. Luckily, you don’t need a degree or heat maps to spot the some of the signs of good (or bad) UX. A quick way to test your site is to look at it through your visitors’ eyes:
- Can you tell what the business does in 5 seconds? If not, your headlines or copy may be too vague.
- Is the next step obvious on every page? A visitor should always know what to do next; whether that’s booking, enquiring, or reading more.
- Does it work comfortably on mobile? Buttons, spacing, and text should still feel effortless to use.
- Are contact details easy to find? Don’t make people dig for them.
These are simple questions, but they reveal a lot. If you find yourself hesitating or scrolling to figure something out, your visitors will too. That’s when it’s worth revisiting the design with fresh eyes, or with a designer who understands UX from the ground up.
You Don’t Need a UX Department
For an individual or small business, you probably don’t need to hire a separate “UX consultant.” The time and money it would take is likely better spent finding a good designer or developer who understands that it’s part of the process from day one.
When I build a site, UX isn’t a final checklist; it’s part of the conversation from day one. During the discovery process, we’ll talk about how layout, wording, imagery, performance, and accessibility all work together to make your website feel “right,” even if you can’t quite explain why. I’ll share more about that process in an upcoming post.
In A Nutshell
UX isn’t something extra. It’s not an add-on, and it’s definitely not only for big companies. It’s simply what happens when your website is built with your visitors in mind. It doesn’t need to sound technical or intimidating. At its heart, it’s just about removing friction so people can do what they came to do. That’s what good design has always been about, and I hope this post has made it feel a little less mysterious.
If you’d like to chat about your own website or start planning a new one, I offer a short, friendly online call, where you’ll have a chance to ask questions and see if we’re a good fit. You can book a time here or get in touch through the contact page.
