What Exactly is the New Web Design Trend?
New trends in web design and development come and go, but this one is here to stay. So what exactly is the new web design trend? It’s called a user-first approach to web design. This new way of designing websites prioritizes the needs of users first, rather than focusing on what’s best for business owners or marketing teams. What exactly is the new web design trend? The user-first approach puts website visitors first, rather than the marketer’s needs or business goals. If you’re ready to dive into the details on what exactly is the new web design trend, keep reading! We have plenty more useful information about why a user-first approach is beneficial and how to implement it in your projects.
Why User-First Web Design?
While it’s true that the needs of users are already at the core of many designers’ work, many design teams still prioritize the website owner’s needs above all else. This results in a lot of websites that are difficult to use and filled with content that is hard to find. This is especially true of websites that are designed with desktop visitors in mind, rather than those who are visiting on a mobile device. Most businesses will want their website to include lots of calls-to-action, such as forms that prompt the visitor to subscribe to a newsletter. However, these types of prompts are often incredibly annoying. They distract visitors from the content, and might even scare them off.
How Does a User-First Approach Help Websites?
A user-first approach to web design is all about thinking about the needs of your user. You might be wondering how this benefits your business, let alone your website. After all, if you’re trying to go the extra mile to make your visitors feel comfortable, shouldn’t that be your main priority? Well, yes and no. By focusing on providing your users with an engaging and easy-to-use experience, you’ll actually be doing your business a lot of good in the process. Let’s get into some examples that show how a user-first approach to web design will boost engagement, traffic, and conversions.
What Does a User-First Approach to Web Design Look Like?
A user-first approach to web design won’t look the same for every project. However, there are a few key elements that you’ll want to keep in mind throughout the design process. If you’re just getting started with this approach, these five key elements will help you get on track to designing a truly user-friendly website. Let’s get into each one in more detail. - User research - The best way to learn about your users is to ask them questions and study their behaviors. Sure, you can conduct surveys and read blog posts written by other designers. But until you get your hands dirty with user research, you won’t truly understand your users. You can conduct user research in several ways, such as - Information architecture - If you’re not familiar with the concept of information architecture (IA), now is the time to catch up. This refers to how you organize the content on your website. It’s also the starting point for a user-first approach to web design. - Visual design - Above all else, a visually pleasing website will help you win over a new audience. But visual design isn’t just about putting pretty pictures on the homepage. It also includes things like call-to-action buttons, images that prompt action, and more.
User-first practices in web design
Now that we’ve covered why a user-first approach to web design is beneficial and what it looks like, let’s dive into some user-first practices that you can implement in your web design projects. These practices will help you move beyond a simple user-first approach, and truly create a website that’s designed to meet the needs of your users. - Don’t assume users will scroll - When you’re creating your page layout, don’t assume that your users will scroll upwards. Many people will only scroll as far as they need to in order to find the information they’re looking for. So it’s up to you to make sure that important content is visible near the top of your pages. - Create visual hierarchy - A user-first approach to web design isn’t just about making sure that all your content is visible to the user. It’s also about making sure that the most important content is seen first. - Keep calls-to-action limited - As we mentioned earlier, many marketers will include a variety of calls-to-action on their website. Even if you have an incredibly engaging blog post, you might want to include a subscription form for your newsletter. However, you should be careful not to overdo it. Overloading your visitors with CTAs will only prompt them to close out of your website.
How to Use a User-First Approach for Your Website
Now that you understand what a user-first approach to web design is, and you’ve seen how it can help boost engagement, you might be wondering how you can implement this approach in your own projects. Let’s walk through each step of the design process, and provide tips for how you can put the user first at each stage. - Start with your user personas - Your user personas are your central focus in the user-first approach to web design. Start each project by pulling out your user personas and reviewing them. What are their goals and frustrations? How can you address them through your website? - Conduct user research - Once you’ve got your user personas in order, it’s time to conduct user research. What devices are your users using to access the internet? What are their goals when visiting your website? - Create an IA - After you’ve conducted your user research, it’s time to create an IA. An IA is the backbone of your website, so you must get this right. - Visual design - A visually pleasing website will help you win over a new audience. It’s also an important part of a user-first approach to web design.
Final Words
Design trends come and go, but one thing remains constant: The user experience is king! A user-first approach to web design will help you create websites that truly serve your users. This means that visitors will stick around longer, engage more deeply with your content, and ultimately make your business more money. It’s up to you to incorporate a user-first approach into all aspects of your design process. From creating your user personas to visual design, there is no room for error. Once you’ve implemented a user-first approach, you’ll be amazed at just how helpful your website truly is.
Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/app-blur-business-cellular-telephone-221159/
