How To Measure User Experience

The experience that customers have while shopping on your website has a large impact on their decision to make a purchase from you or return in the future. Measuring your user experience (also called UX) can help you determine the quality that your customers are receiving and help you find ways to improve.

Why Should I Measure UX?

If you’ve spent a lot of time and effort building your website, it is easy to assume that your customers will have a great experience. However, that is not always the case. Anyone who visits your website is a potential customer, so you need to be able to view your site through their eyes. Even the smallest mishap can drive these potential customers away- slow loading times, difficulty finding information, or annoying pop-ups. If you want to make sure that your UX is the best it can be, here are some steps that you can take.

Do Your Research:

Take a moment to think about who you are to your customers, why your products are valuable to them, and what you can do to help them. Complete different tasks on your website to see how easy they are to accomplish. Are you able to quickly find certain products, FAQ’s, contact information, and important links? Do you have quick loading times, even when scrolling? Next, take a look at your competitor’s sites to see how theirs compare to yours. If their websites are easier to navigate, figure out a way to improve your own.

Test Your Website:

Running website tests is a great way to determine where you could use some improvement. A/B testing is a great way to get started. Start by testing your prices. Even a small adjustment to the price can encourage customers to make a purchase. Pricing an item at $8.50 vs $8.99 vs $9 doesn’t seem like it would make much of an impact, but it does. See which pricing your audience seems to respond best to.

Next, take a look at your Call-To-Action (CTA) buttons. Test out different phrases such as “Buy Now” vs “Add To Cart”. You can also test out different button sizes and colors to see what gets the most responses. There are many combinations you can try, so keep track of what your audience likes and what they seem to be turning away from.

Go through your copy and make sure that everything is clear and up-to-date. If you are writing copy for the first time, or decide that yours needs an update, create several versions. Make one version short and to the point, one that is silly and unpredictable, and one that is in the middle. Depending on the overall tone of your company, customers might enjoy a more casual tone, or prefer to stay more professional. Running tests helps you figure out what they are looking for- you just might be surprised by the results!

Try User Testing:

If you have the means, user testing is a great way to get unbiased feedback. Create several tasks for your test group to complete and track how long it takes them to complete each task. Asking them for feedback on your site will also help you make improvements. Decide how many responses you want, what your goal is, who your target audience is, and if user testing will be beneficial to you. If you are tracking your analytics and your website seems to be doing well, user testing might not be necessary.

Measuring UX is not always an easy task, but it is important to keep your customers happy and your site running as smoothly as possible. Websites are ongoing work, and keeping up with your UX helps you set a solid foundation that is sure to please.