Small businesses, large corporations, personal brands, or e-commerce—regardless of the scale or form of your business, your website or application is often the key touchpoint with your brand, and potentially the primary driver of your business goals. So, let’s explore what UX design is and look at five key elements you can implement on your site.

What is UX?

Simply put, User Experience (UX) refers to how easy and enjoyable a website (or app) is to use. The goal is to help visitors find what they are looking for and achieve their objectives. One important part of UX is User Interface (UI), which focuses on the layout and design elements that users interact with.

Why is User Experience important?

Websites, online stores, or applications that are unintuitive or difficult to navigate often turn visitors away. Poorly designed UX—or worse, no UX design at all—leads to high bounce rates, lower conversion rates, and ultimately reduced revenue. Users, with a wide array of other options available, will typically seek what they need elsewhere.

You wouldn’t open a brick-and-mortar store where products are disorganized and departments are poorly structured, right? The same applies to an online store: if products and content are scattered and the information architecture is disorganized and hard to navigate, users won’t achieve their goals, leaving them frustrated and with a negative impression of your site.

Whether you’re collaborating with a developer on a large project or taking a DIY approach to your website, implementing the basic principles of UX is essential.

There are many ways to improve the UX of your digital product, website, store, or app. Most of the changes you’ll want to make fall under one of the five principles outlined below.

Principle One – Relevance

Visitors come to your site with a specific goal in mind. Your task (and ours as designers) is to deliver high-quality UX that helps them achieve this goal efficiently. Therefore, avoid cluttering your website with irrelevant elements that don’t serve the user. An excellent design is one where nothing can be removed without losing functionality—only essential elements remain.

If you’re an e-commerce store owner, you already know what your users are looking for—specific products. So, instead of highlighting general information about your store or brand values on your landing page, prioritize showcasing high-converting products and providing clear, intuitive navigation based on UX research.

 

This brings us to positive and negative space. Positive space refers to areas filled with content, while negative space (also known as white space) gives breathing room to your composition. I often hear clients say, „Why so much empty space?” or „It looks too bare.” A digital product isn’t a print ad where every square inch costs money—you don’t have to limit yourself. Negative space allows your content to breathe. Don’t suffocate it. This ensures users experience a balanced layout that feels harmonious.

HOT – https://design.google/

NOT – https://www.art.yale.edu/

Principle Two – Usability

Whether users are shopping, exploring your services, or browsing your blog, your website must be user-friendly. Here are some key processes worth auditing on your website, e-commerce store, or app:

• Checkout process: Is adding products to the cart and completing the purchase simple enough to encourage sales?
• Forms: How easy is it for users to find, fill out, and submit forms you need them to complete?
• Account creation: Can users easily find the registration page, and is the process straightforward?
• Browsing: How easy is it for users to navigate from one blog post to another or from one product page to the next?

A strong example of UX optimization in e-commerce is store.google.com. After adding a product to the cart, only two steps separate me from making a purchase—one step helps me achieve my goal, and the other is designed to increase the cart’s value. Well, the world is full of compromises.

HOT – https://store.google.com/gb/

 

NOT – https://pl.shein.com/

 

Instead of creating a lengthy checkout process with multiple steps, a shorter customer journey reduces the likelihood of users abandoning the purchase due to confusion, frustration, or time constraints.

Principle Three – Navigation

 

It’s easy to overlook the importance of site navigation. Although the menu takes up very little screen space, it plays a vital role in the overall user experience. The more content you have on your site, the more crucial it becomes to have a clear and organized navigation system.

Well-designed information architecture supports content discovery and navigation, making it easier and faster for users to find what they need. This encourages them to stay on your site longer. Why has Allegro been so phenomenally successful? Because when a consumer decides they need a specific product, the entire process—searching, finding, and purchasing—takes just a few clicks, all thanks to a thoroughly researched and well-designed search and payment process.

Hot

NOT – https://www.art.yale.edu/

Principle Four – Accessibility

Accessibility in digital products demonstrates care and respect for people with disabilities and those with limited digital skills. They may use screen readers or other tools to modify their online experience. Every visitor, regardless of their health or skills, should be able to achieve their goals on your website or app.

The best way to ensure accessibility is to follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

• For example, alt text provides a brief description of an image when the browser cannot load it. It is also used by screen readers to inform visually impaired users about the image’s content.
• Additionally, proper contrast between text and background colors, appropriate font size, and layout are crucial. Avoiding fast-flashing images is also essential.
  A well-designed UX is the digital equivalent of a wheelchair ramp for a physical store—it’s a basic necessity. Standard, right?

Hot

NOT

I won’t point out poor examples of accessibility in UX here, as it would involve criticizing many well-known brands. Unfortunately, many accessibility issues are invisible to able-bodied users, but for those with impairments, such limitations quickly become obvious.

Principle Five – Familiarity

Most website owners want their site to look unique. While this is understandable, it’s still important to adhere to common web design standards.

With so much time spent online, users develop certain expectations regarding website layouts and the location of specific elements. If your site doesn’t meet these expectations, users are more likely to feel confused, frustrated, and struggle to find what they need.

HOT – https://girlswhocode.com/

NOT – https://www.zara.com/pl/

 

What’s familiar and avoids cognitive overload?

• A logo in the upper left corner, which always redirects users to the homepage, regardless of where they are on the site.
• A menu at the top of the page.
• A call-to-action (CTA) within the visible portion of the screen.
• A search function in the header.
• Social media icons in the footer or main menu.

All of these elements meet standard expectations and provide a familiar interface for users.

 

Key Takeaways

The key to the success of your digital product, website, e-commerce store, or application is providing users with a simple experience, ensuring they stay on your site and become loyal, returning users.

1. Relevance. Understand what your users want and provide only those elements that are essential for achieving specific goals.
2. Prominence. Highlight the most popular aspects of your site. This is an obvious solution for ensuring high-quality UX.
3. Usability. This primarily relates to how smooth the conversion process is for the user.
4. Navigation. Make the most popular elements of your site available in the menu to help improve conversions.
5. Accessibility. Users with various abilities must know they can navigate your site—this could mean additional sales for you.
6. Familiarity. When it comes to the visual interface or icons, it’s safest to stick to widely accepted standards or objects from the physical world.
7. Significance. Place the most impactful aspects of your website front and center to ensure optimal UX.

Do you have any questions about UX or its core principles? We’d be happy to answer them!