Update your website!!!

What is User Experience (UX)?

UX (user experience) is how customers interact with something, find what they need, and experience your service. It could be your website, physical store, or a phone call for customer support.

If you’ve ever fallen down the rabbit hole of numbers to press on your phone to get to a customer representative, only to be transferred to a different department and have to start again, you know what bad UX feels like. It’s frustrating. If you’ve ever gone on a website and been bombarded by pop-up ads, slow loading times, or can’t find the phone number to call to get an answer to your question, you know how bad UX feels.

But let’s focus on good UX with a real-life website.

(Disclaimer: I have NO connection to the store I am about to mention often, other than it’s local).

Privet House in New Preston, CT, is a beautiful store in person, albeit pricey. Still, it rivals any home goods store in the area (I might be inclined to overspend on pretty items that I find unique, but I went on many local business sites, and Privet House clearly win for UX).

Privet House’s website is as beautiful online as in-person - fresh, bright, and easy to navigate. While I searched for a local business with an exemplary website for each category I list below, Privet House won them all! It’s unsurprising, as their business provides beautifully designed pieces. So Privet House became the one example for all my tips.

Know Your Customer

This is the most important piece of the UX puzzle. Picture your ideal customer scrolling through your website (or visiting your store). What do they want? What questions do they have? Tailor your website content, layout, and design to match their needs. Speak their language and watch them stick around.

Privet House’s website is gorgeous, no matter your device. Its essence is the same as if you walked through their showroom doors. Their visuals are outstanding. They clearly know their customer: they have money, demand professionalism and expertise, and want beautifully, well-made, and designed pieces that serve a purpose while defining their home’s space.

Simplify Navigation

Think of your website as a cozy store. Customers should find what they need without getting lost in the aisles. Keep your navigation menu clean, clear, and easy to understand. Label sections logically, like Menu, Contact Us, or Services. And only have those few options to choose from in the header. You might have Shop, Register for…, About Us, or Meet the Team. Keep it to just a few.

For a small business, Privet House’s website is designed with professional photography making it easy to navigate using consistently crisp, bright visuals. Their navigation options are simple, breaking down their inventory into household categories, a Summer Sale section, and a Visit [the] Shop, essentially an About Us page depicting the store basics, hours, and backstory.

Embrace Mobile-Friendly Design

Imagine customers visiting your website on their phones while waiting for coffee. Ensure your website looks and works just as well on a phone or tablet as on a desktop. 60% of website traffic is on a mobile device. Designing for mobile engagement equates to increased customer sales and retention.

Privet House has this perfected. Whether on a desktop or your phone, your experience is just as gratifying. The visuals are the same. The navigation is seamless.

Speed Matters

Ever clicked away from a slow-loading website? Your customers do too. Optimize images, use caching (that allows a speedier process), and choose a reliable hosting service like Bluehost, Wix Studio, or Squarespace, to keep your website lightning-fast.

I do not know where PH hosts their site, but given the number of beautiful images they use, they won in this category, too, so see for yourself.

Highlight What Makes You Better than the Rest

Got amazing reviews, stellar products, or a heartwarming story? Flaunt it! Your website is a canvas to showcase what makes your business unique. Create a Why Choose Us section and let your personality shine. Customers love to feel connected and love a good story. Sell what makes you unique.

In Privet House’s case, their products and the visuals they include make their point. You can see the quality online in the photography and layout. Their style says it all. A boutique clothing store's website could emphasize its unique selection of locally made products and personal styling services. Showcase expertise with a "Testimonials" page of customers’ rave reviews. Use what works for your store.

ALWAYS have a Call to Action (CTA)

Guide visitors on what to do next. Use clear buttons like Register for Classes, Book Now, or Shop the Latest. Make your CTAs stand out and lead customers down the path to purchase. Offer discounts!

Online, Privet House’s call to action pops up right away and often. Join Our List and Be in the Know – even Visit Our Shop in Person makes you want to find out what’s going on. They offer 10% off for joining their email list. And their banner offers free shipping – so you’ll want to spend the $250 to ship for free!

A fitness studio's website might prominently display a Book Your First Class button, encouraging visitors to take immediate action. A bakery might highlight a new item with, Get it while it lasts! You might offer a discount when a customer refers a friend.

You want people to act quickly. Grab their attention!

Visuals Sell

A picture is worth a thousand words. Add high-quality images of your products, services, and happy customers, across your website. Visuals not only grab attention but also tell your story and create connections.

Privet House’s budget and expertise obviously allowed for their gorgeous web design, which may be pretentious. But it speaks directly to their customers. The store doesn’t need words to introduce itself or tell its story. Customers fall in love with the imagery, owning the products immediately and imagining them in their homes. The store does have a short blurb about how the business owners met, and yada, yada, yada, but that’s not what impresses anyone. What impresses their customers is their aesthetic. So, while connecting with your customer might be with a mom-and-pop story about how your great-grandparents built the business from scratch, and it’s still going strong. Like Privet House, you might consider visuals to connect with your customers.

Keep Forms Short and Sweet

If you're collecting information through forms, keep them short and simple. Only ask for essential details. No one wants to spend hours filling out a digital questionnaire. Your goal is to get them interested and connected. You can figure the rest out later.

Keep it simple.

Test and Refine

Think of your website as a recipe. Mix things up, see what works, and adjust accordingly. Tweak it as you learn more about your customers and what works for them. And don’t be shy! Ask questions. Do your research. This might mean testing and refining by analyzing user behavior and adapting accordingly. Plus, a regularly updated website does better with search engines, so SEO bonus!

User-Friendly Contact Information

Ensure that customers can reach you easily. Place your contact information prominently on every page, ideally in the header or footer. Use a "Click to Call" link for mobile users.

Privet House uses its footer for the basics but includes a “Visit Shop” link that provides more store details. When I design most websites, I add the contact information in the footer and a Contact Us link in the header. But a restaurant will want it as one of the first things a customer sees, so Call to Make a Reservation might be a button at the top of the homepage and each menu page.

You can easily update your site, improve your customer experience, and show off how your products or services are unique and worth checking out! It’s not that difficult. And you don't need to spend tons of money. Think of your site as a warm welcome to your store, inviting customers to explore, engage, and ultimately choose you.

I’m happy to help or answer questions if you need me but start by looking at your site yourself. Ask friends and family to try using your website. What works, what doesn’t work. What does it leave people wanting? This easy test will provide you with a wealth of information, allowing you to tweak your site on your own.

And if you get to the point where you’re ready to take it to the next level of UX, contact me for assistance. I’m always happy to help!