A WEBSITE REDESIGN FOR BETTER USABILITY
User experience and web usability are significant aspects of a websites core functionality that every company must pay attention to for the current and long term health of their organization. Usability, while seemingly invisible, encompasses everything from SEO, conversion ratios, user experience and authority in the market. Embarking on a usability path and building a strategy can be a challenging task, however it is one that will pay off in spades if implemented well and maintained through testing and optimization.
The benefits of adopting a website usability optimization strategy through redesign will affect all those who come in contact with the company – from prospective and current customers to internal stakeholders. Following best practices from design to development to offer the ideal user experience can deliver an increased level of positive association and better bottom line to the brand it supports.
What are the benefits of a usability redesign?
Faster Conversion
Its estimated that sites that have poor usability can lose up to three-quarters of sales due to user dissatisfaction. If a customer is unable to find what they are looking for easily (even if it’s there somewhere) they will abandon the pursuit and perhaps never return to the site. With improved usability, a site can increase their business by up to 75% which could mean the difference between a company surviving or thriving.
Builds Trust
Good usability is essentially the digital extension of a company’s customer service offering. When a user is able to accomplish their intended tasks as a result of high usability, they will return on a regular basis, and more than likely, will even purchase more per sale. Overall, the delivery of sustained optimized usability leads to a highly satisfied user and repeat business.
Reinforces the Brand
If the site of a respected company is not usable it directly affects the reputation of the brand it represents. The company may be world-class but if it’s digital face is less than ideal, this aspect can make or break the perception of the brand in the market. Offering better user experience will heighten brand recognition, lending the positive brand association that is critical in a competitive business landscape.
Better Bottom Line
From training to development, optimized usability has far reaching benefits for cost reduction. Many companies with intranets are neglected, making them difficult to use and ignored by stakeholders. More usable systems require less training making employees readily available for profitable work. While optimization may be a big task for some companies with outdated software, usable systems require less upkeep from a long-term development and upgrade standpoint.
A More Productive Culture
When optimized for usability, interfaces and internal systems are easier to use making them an appealing value-add for company employees who engage in content management and training. Data entry takes less time and is updated on a more regular basis, making information much more current and a creates a team that is in-sync.