“People ignore design that ignores people.” - Frank Chimero, Designer

A website is more than just a collection of pages connected by links. It is a medium for people to connect, interact, and exchange ideas and offerings. With all the interactions happening online, the design and functionality of a website determine whether the user takes the action as intended by the website owners.

Factors such as design, loading speed, mobile experience, etc. shape the overall user experience - whether good or bad.

Designing a good UI/UX is simple when a business understands its users. In this article, we discuss 10 UI/UX tips that would help boost your website's conversion rate and ensure that visitors take the action you want them to.

User interface and user experience (UI/UX) are sometimes interchangeably used and often considered the same, but the two are distinct.

UI refers to fonts, font styles, cards, colors, micro animations, and other visual elements that you interact with while using a website. UX refers to the entire interaction you have with a website and includes elements such as user flows, wireframing, user research, loading times, etc.

For a website to be successful, it requires both good UI and UX. For example, consider a ride-hailing app that looks great and has intuitive navigation (UI). But if the app loads slowly or makes you click through numerous screens to book a ride (UX), you'd lose interest and start looking for alternatives.

On the contrary, if the ride-booking process is easy but the app's design is dated and you cannot figure out how to navigate options, you'd certainly not use the app again.

The following 10 tips we have compiled would help ensure that your website visitors take action as you want them to - be it subscribing to your email list or booking a consultation call. Let's get started.

1. Good hero section

The first section that appears on the homepage of a website is called the hero section. This section can also be called the decision section - a section that determines whether a user stays on the website or leaves.

A good hero section typically consists of elements like a background image, illustration, video with text, and a call-to-action. The key is not to overdo it - keep it simple and follow a minimalist approach.

2. Using 1-2 typefaces

For a small business website with limited pages, it is recommended to work with only 1-2 font families while a large website with multiple pages can use 2-3 font families.

Using more than three font families isn't in sync with a good UI. If such a need arises, you can always use the same font in different ways with colors, font weights & font styles.
 

3. Choosing a base color

4. Adding visual elements

Visual elements like pictures, illustrations, icons, and other design elements make websites appealing and engaging to users. However, visual elements are only effective when used in a simple and minimalistic way. Following are the three things you should keep in mind:

• You should only use one type of visual element on a webpage, be it a picture, illustration, or 3D icon. Mixing elements may work in a few cases, but overdoing them may confuse your users.
• If you're using vector graphics or illustrations, make sure they match the base color theme of your website.
• If you're using icons, make sure they are of only one type, be they outlined, filled, multicolor, or 2D/3D.
   

5. Effective use of color contrast

If you want to differentiate elements on your website, using color contrast is a good option. You can add color contrast to elements like text, visual aids, call-to-action buttons, cards, etc. Here's a good example depicting effective use of color contrast:

6. Clear call-to-action

A clear call-to-action (CTA) is the first characteristic of a good UX, as it tells users what they need to do next. Without clear CTAs, users might be unable to figure out how to book a consultation call or purchase a product/service - whatever the intended action is.

CTAs should be designed with color contrast to make them stand apart from the rest elements on the website. Here's a good example depicting the effective use of the call-to-action element:

7. Make the user journey simple

A well-crafted user journey enables users to achieve their goals as quickly and easily as possible - be it purchasing a product or signing up for a service. Design teams create user flow maps to outline the steps user would take to complete their intended task.

Users must also have a hint of what page they are on. You can do this by highlighting the active menu option or using breadcrumbs.

8. Reduce the use of text

Nobody likes reading long paragraphs even if they're full of helpful information. Instead, you can use short paragraphs with light color shades to improve readability. 

Including visual elements like pictures, illustrations, icons, etc. with text would further help increase user engagement. 
 

9. Effective use of whitespace

Whitespace is the gap between elements on a website. Using whitespace effectively makes the content more digestible and accessible to the user. Brands like Apple have effectively utilized whitespace from early on to showcase their products.

Here's an example of Google and MSN. While Google utilizes whitespace to let users focus on one thing, MSN's landing page may confuse the user on where to look first.

This practice is common with news sources like Time, NBC News, and The LA Times which have adopted infinite scrolling to reduce bounce rates on their sites.
 

10. Reduce website's loading time

Websites with faster loading times rank better in search results and also contribute to an overall positive experience as users can achieve their goals more quickly.

The loading speed of a website is majorly dependent upon visual elements like pictures, videos, or illustrations. For instance, if you're using an image with a file size of 1MB for the desktop site, it is recommended to reduce the image size by 30-40% for tablets and mobile devices.

Designing a website that's appealing, engaging, and easy to use is crucial for a business as it contributes to an overall positive user experience.