Directions and trends in ux

Storytelling

Presenting the history or experience of the company allows you to create a connection between the user and the company. It is easier to trust and establish contact with a company that the user knows more about. It is one of key user profile ux best practices Inoxoft provides and also easier for the user to check if it fits the vision, product, or service.

Experiment with navigation positioning

Finding navigation elements is as important for users as being able to reach them with the thumb. Mobile devices are used in almost every situation and screen sizes continue to grow. More and more often we will see navigation located closer to the bottom of the screen, or a hybrid where the menu is at the top, but the most essential options are available at the bottom of the screen.

Hassle-free experience

This UX trend aims to create a user experience that flows smoothly from one step to the next. It is indispensable that the user experience is consistent and that each element of a particular experience is a natural evolution from the other. A smooth flow of experience means a positive user experience.

Creative scroller experience

Best practices are a trend that is gradually becoming more and more bizarre. It focuses on what the user can discover and what may interest him while scrolling the page. Elements that move on the page, with or without the user, scroll in the background, all this makes visitors even better and they are even more willing to explore what the site has to offer.

Designing emotional interactions

Emotional design. This involves designing a page in such a way that it creates a connection with the user, which in turn triggers an emotional response from them. Thanks to this, you can establish a deeper connection with the page, which is perceived more positively and remembered.

The most common mistakes

Confusing navigation

In UX design, everything should be intuitive for the user. An Internet user without additional knowledge should know what and how it works. For example, users do not need to think about which buttons can be pressed or how hovering works. Navigation is more about usability than creativity.

Inconsistent and overloaded visual design

Too many fonts, colors, and elements, all create the impression of a heavy and difficult-to-perceive page. The key user profile ux will not want to spend much time with it if it is constantly attacked with a new look.

Functionality

A website can have great visuals, be consistent in every way, give the impression of “freshness” and still scare the user away – why? You have to focus on the users, on what they came to this website for, what their goals and needs are, and based on that create functionality that is suitable for them, focus on what is most important and what is really needed, and what is not.

The most important thing is content

Content is very significant when creating a project when we don’t have content, and we don’t have the full picture yet. In this case, when we replace the sample content in the mockup with the target content, everything may look different, and we will start over.

Too much overconfidence

Unfortunately, sometimes there are situations when we skip certain steps that should happen during UX design. These are, for example, research, user testing, opinions of others, and perception of UX as the responsibility of one person. Be careful not to miss anything when designing.

Design principles from Inoxoft team

1. Visibility of the system state. The user should always see where he is, where he is on the page and what is happening. He should also be informed about progress and receive appropriate feedback.

Tips:

• Be sure to keep the user informed about the status of the system – don’t take any action that will have consequences for users without informing them.
• Provide feedback to the user as soon as possible (preferably immediately).
• Build trust through open and ongoing communication.

2. Connecting the system with the real world. The website should use communication methods known to the user. First, it is worth focusing on specific users, because they will use this page. Terms or concepts that you and your colleagues understand may cause problems and confuse others. Use words, navigation methods, and concepts that are clear, understandable, and intuitive for everyone.

Tips:

• Make sure the user can understand the meaning of words without looking them up.
• Never assume that your understanding of words or concepts is the same as your users.
• Take care of user research to help you get key concepts.

3. User control over the system. Users often make mistakes and accidentally perform different actions. When it is easy for them to backtrack, it increases their self-confidence. In this way, we can avoid frustrating users and leave them “in control” of the system.

Tips:

• Take care to support undo and redo.
• Show a clear way to end the current interaction, such as a “Cancel” button.
• Make sure that the appropriate button, such as “Done”, is clearly marked and recognizable.

4. Maintain consistency and standards. The user should not have to think about what a given message, word, or situation means. The message should be clear and legible. Page consistency can be maintained by, for example, making sure that certain elements appear in the same place on each subpage. Consistency is also related to visual aspects. In this regard, it is worth making sure that, for example, links on the entire page have the same color. It is also important to maintain appropriate standards. To do this, you should use user habits and solutions that are used, for example, on subpages such as “contact”, which is usually the last item in the menu.

Tips:

• Be sure to maintain consistency within a single product or product group.
• Follow generally accepted industry rules (external implications).

5. The ability to choose instead of memorizing. It is necessary to develop solutions, thanks to which the user does not have to remember the steps he took while using the site. To do this, it is worth implementing, for example, the possibility of highlighting the links that the user has already visited in a different color.

Tips:

• Give the user the ability to recognize information on the page (without having to memorize it).
• Keep help contextual rather than forcing users to memorize individual steps.
• Minimize the information that the user has to remember.