There’s no denying it; consumers judge a brand by its advertising, a book by its cover, and a website by its design. A Consumer Web Watch study concluded that consumers “judge on aesthetics” when it comes to websites. It’s why web designers focus their efforts on making sure the sites they design are pleasing to the eye and make the right first impression.
Once you have them hooked with your website’s well-designed homepage, what keeps them on the site is consistency. (To learn more about the Consumer Web Watch study, read our blog on first impressions.)
Think of it like this: To unwind from a long day, you decide it’s time for a glass of wine. You subconsciously go to your wine rack to gather your favorite bottle of chardonnay. You then go straight to your cabinet to get your wine glass. Getting both objects was easy, because you already knew where to find them; it was a consistent user experience (UX).
A well-designed website also incorporates consistent UX throughout the site.
The elements of your website create a consistent core framework that should provide the highest level of user experience (UX). Site-wide elements include the header, footer, sidebar, main menu navigation bar, and font styling.
Consistent interactions also play an important role in helping visitors navigate their way around your website. (For example: Links to external sources should always open the same way — in a new window, new tab, lightbox, etc.)
User Interface (UI) design is the most critical component in the development of your company’s website. A great UI design helps users accomplish repetitive tasks in the most efficient and logical way possible.
Usability is essential for consumers, and visual consistency is one of the best ways to increase usability on your website. The easier a site is to use, the more traffic it attracts. A well-structured, logically organized site can do wonders for driving traffic.
Consistency in UI design makes it easy for users to access your website’s content quickly. By maintaining consistency between your website design elements and the site’s other content, you can highlight the most important parts of your website in a clear and succinct manner.
Consistent visuals on your website can impact a user’s emotions and help drive their decision-making process – in your company’s favor.
Uniformity in mood, tone, quantity, and quality of a site’s content can make all the difference. Remember to update your content on a regular basis. This keeps the site looking fresh—and doesn’t bore people who have visited before. Remember that people come to your site for a specific reason – usually to seek out information – and if the content they find is not relevant, up-to-date, and easy to navigate, they probably won’t return.
Your site should be logical, helpful, and ultra-easy to use. So, when you’re designing your new website, remember to keep the user in mind.
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