Humans move about the world by experiencing it. Everything we do/see/touch/feel/taste is an experience, and we use that experience as a natural feedback mechanism. Positive, purposeful experiences drive us to repeat the behaviours that created those experiences. They make us loyal advocates. Positive and effective experiences drive engagement.

A good user experience (UX) design is imperative to creating loyal, engaged users and employees. It makes a difference in data accuracy, work output, and even profit margins. It is about solving problems and optimizing results, and good UX designers are more pragmatic and analytical than creative.

Experience design is also an ongoing process, not a one-time venture. Your UX needs to evolve with your users, market, environment, and available technology. By continually asking yourself “What can be improved?” you are setting the stage for an effective user experience that leaves a positive impression.

The Elements of UX Design for Driving Engagement

UX design is built on data analysis. What do you need to know about your users? What do you need to know about your business? What is your baseline, and what are your desired results? What are your user’s goals, and how do they compare with the business’ goals? The more you know about where you are and where you’re going or need to be, the greater chance of designing an effective solution.

Of course, in order to do this analysis, you have to be collecting the right data first. Do you have the right insights given the questions you’re trying to answer? If not, how can you acquire them? Finally, how can you take this data and transform it into actionable improvements?

Once you’ve got the insights and actions, you can translate them into these key elements of UX design:

Psychology

UX design taps into the user’s motivations for using the software. It considers the user’s subjective thoughts and how the process makes them feel. Further, it takes into account habits that are created in the process (are there steps always being ignored? If so, why?). Good UX aims to create effective experiences that inspire a positive impression and repeated engagement.

Usability

This element evaluates how easy it is to use the software and whether some things are being made harder by design. UX designers can ask themselves questions like: can we get the same outcome with less input? Are there any common issues we can prevent? By grading how the employee uses the system and how easy it is for them to accomplish their end goal, you can make valuable changes.

Design

The design element focuses on functionality rather than aesthetics. Does the design clearly communicate the purpose without words? Does the design lead the user to the right place to perform the right actions? If navigation is intuitive by the user, you will reduce pain points and effort required.

Copywriting

The words you write need to complement the design you create. Copywriting is most effective when it overcomes objections, provides helpful instructions, and communicates the benefits to the user. Does your copy tell the user exactly what to do? Does it motivate the user to do it? Does it steer clear of assumptions about knowledge or background? Focus on the user’s motivations rather than features, figure out what users need to accomplish their goals, and guide them to achieving those needs.

Internal & Business Ops UX Design

Different teams likely have different needs and goals, and may need to be presented different UX experiences to meet those needs. What are the user’s goals, available knowledge, environment, access, etc.? A field consultant on the move will give you different answers than an in-house IT team. Don’t assume that one size fits all, even within the same company with the same software. You’ll often find out that what works for some, needs to be tweaked for others.

Overall, you need to communicate what the platform/page/action is, what the benefit is to the user, and what they should do next. There is a balance to meeting user needs while achieving the organization’s needs. Prioritize objective (facts that can be proven and measured) over subjective (feelings with no right answer) research to design to a subconscious, effortless experience.

Good UX is noticed by designers while bad UX is noticed by everyone. If you’d like an expert to help you with your UX, don’t hesitate to get in touch! Our team is at the ready to start driving engagement and results.