Image Source: Pexel
Using the internet means browzing various websites for important information. Or, if you’re one of those people who like to browse Youtube or play games finding what you’re looking for is just as important. Finding what you’re looking for doesn’t start with a Google search; you also need to navigate someone’s website to find it. If you can’t, you’ll leave. Whether you thought of it or not, you left because the user experience is poor.
When you’re creating your own website, you need to consider user retention, which is how long a user stays on your website. UI/UX design is one of the most important ways to determine this. With over 20+ UserTesting alternatives for UX research, there are plenty of ways to determine if your website is pleasant to use. Here’s a breakdown of how to identify a good user experience by designing a visually appealing website.
Keep a Balanced Design
A balanced website is pleasing to the eye. Be sure that the design doesn’t tip to one side or another by filling too much of the right side with content, and none of the left. Even color can determine the weight of a design. For example, a photo header with a lot of red on the left, and sparse color or an open space on the right will be too asymmetrical. It’s better to center the busier parts of the photo or make the color black and white. Have everything evenly spaced, and center the text often to keep your viewers interested and their eyes flowing down the page.
Pick a Color Pallet and Stick With It
Too many colors assault the eye or having colors that don’t compliment each other can throw off-balance quickly. Colors also have feelings and emotions behind them, so it’s essential to research them before implementation. For example, Coca-Cola has it’s signature white text on red. Red represents power and urgency. Coca-Cola has changed their packaging multiple times; one recent inclusion was the green background for their cane sugar soda. Green represents nature and the environment, so more health conscious people are bound to drink it.
Pick two or three base colors that work together and use them throughout your website. Mix in some whites and blacks and tints of those colors to make a design work. You could also pick black and white and an accent color like red (remember: urgency), so it stands out.
Improve Typography
Back in the 90s, people went crazy with HTML. I remember seeing websites with a neon green background and yellow text. It made everything unreadable and hurt your eyes in the process. Although those problems are less common, what is common is incorrect font choices. All you need is for your users to read what you’re writing – that’s it. Don’t go crazy on the calligraphy fonts, or use anything other than black on white for most websites. You can do a black background with white font or something similar, but black always looks better on white.
If you want to be unique, you can stack the fonts differently. For example, use bolded or larger fonts (or another font different from your body’s font) to pull the reader’s attention to the header or title. Either way – make it readable.
