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UX or User Experience design is how a user interacts with and experiences the different elements and features of a product, application, or service. UX includes how accessible, easy to use, and flexible the service is. Good UX is when it is easy to complete an action.
UX design includes designing keeping in mind interactions, branding, usability, and functioning of the software. UX design acts as a bridge between customers and the product.
Now one might get confused between UX and UI, right?
While UX refers to the experience that a user goes through, UI is the actual interface, the visual design of a product or service. Though UX is a subset of CX, good UX is one of the most critical factors of a solid CX strategy.
CX or Customer Experience is the way your customers perceive their experience with your brand. These include first impressions and the reputation that your brand has. CX refers to how a brand can achieve happy customers by focusing on service and retention. An extraordinary customer experience is essential for sustainable brand growth.
Good customer experience ensures loyalty and helps retain customers. It is often mistaken that Customer Experience is User Experience design.
While considering CX design, a brand focuses on the experience customers have with their brand and tries optimizing it. CX design pays attention to advertising, customer service, and consistency. It is about having a customer-centric point of view. UX is about the interaction, and overall experience customers have with your brand.
UX and CX play an essential role in building a marketing strategy.
Focusing only on UX is not nearly enough if you want to create a robust CX strategy. A website or app can be user-friendly, fast, and easy to use, but if CX components are not given proper attention, it could lead to a loss of customers.
Design and service are two of the most critical layers of CX. Support and design teams are at the centre of CX. For CX to work, they must be aligned.
UX and CX design are the foundation of brand identity. As mobile phones become one of our primary sources of entertainment, by being more frequently used, it is essential to design for mobile sites and apps as well.
CX innovations below are some of the best UX and CX practices that you can use to give your brand a unique identity
Make your design clear and straightforward. Users take one look at a site and can point out what stands out and appeals to them.
For example, Duolingo is a language learning application that is available on site and for android devices. The landing page here is simple, and it asks you to either login or directly select the language you want to learn while also providing an option to change the site language as per convenience.
When it comes to visuals and the human eye, certain elements overpower others depending on how noticeable they are. While designing, you must keep in mind what your customers will see first and design accordingly. For this, you can refer to the laws of UX.
For example, Duolingo is a language learning application that is available on site and for android devices. The landing page here is simple, and it asks you to either login or directly select the language you want to learn while also providing an option to change the site language as per convenience.
It is always best to be consistent while designing. It saves time and helps users achieve their goals without a high cognitive load. Consistent actions remove the need for users having to discover something new on every page of your site or app.
Example of consistent design where search bar, brand logo, categories, cart, and profile are placed at the top of most websites to avoid confusion
The average human attention span is about 8 to 12 seconds. It is said only to be decreasing over the years. Designers should keep this in mind and have content to a minimum and be straight to the point.
Overall, make UI that is mobile friendly and for all types of devices. Try to open up with an intro video on your landing page to give the customer an idea of what they are getting themselves into.
Your CX design must revolve around your customers, making it customer-centric. Observing and tracking CX metrics will help give you a better idea of customer experiences.
NPS measures customer experience and predicts business growth. It helps classify customers as promoters, passives, or detractors.
Measuring customer satisfaction levels gives you an insight into whether they enjoyed your product or not. It also helps understand how happy they were with their experience.
This applies to both UX and CX. Customers can be invited to rate their efforts on a scale from ‘very easy’ to ‘very difficult.’
Improving and levelling up UX and CX design for your brand will promote brand growth and help brand owners understand where there is scope for improvement. It helps understand what goes through customers’ minds when they explore a brand.
When users are happy with the UX, their minds are at ease, and it leads to them rating their customer experience, which then helps brand owners understand the customer better.
Keeping the above points in check would mean swift engagement between customers and your brand. User delight can now be achieved through minimalistic, simple design.