Four Technologies to Measure UX Effectiveness

13 Oct Four Technologies to Measure UX Effectiveness

Creating a seamless experience during any digital design process is no easy feat. However, it is the ultimate goal when creating digital experiences. Being close to a project can cause us to believe that a user experience is great. We may already know the ins and outs of every click, every page, and every load. Unfortunately, a new user may not have the same experience. For this reason, measurement tools allow you to objectively score the user experience. The key is to understand what people are doing and how they are using our digital environments. These four technologies will help identify your UX effectiveness, and to make UX improvements based on fair evidence rather than opinions.

1. Heat Mapping

The first tool provides the ability to see actual user behavior. Heat mapping tools record the device’s screen, showing where users have clicked, how far they have scrolled down a page, where they have their mouse go and rest, and even at what point they drop off. A great heatmapping tool is Crazy Egg. Crazy Egg will pinpoint areas of your site users love and identify areas that need improvement. While analytics can show you metrics on which pages users visit, the details of the pages interactions are provided through heat mapping.

2. Page Speed

This next tool measures one of the most important factors that contribute to positive user experiences, page speed. Uptrends is a free website that provides speed tests, and tells you specifically what is slowing down your site. It also gives you tips on how to improve your Google Page Speed Insight score. Oftentimes, we prioritize better aesthetic design, new functionality, or even more content on pages over page speed. However, the majority of users care more about page speed than all the bells and whistles on our sites. Google has identified that pages with longer load time have higher bounce rates. Not only does it lower your chance at conversions, but it also affects your ranking on search engines. Taking the time to evaluate and improve the speed will give you a competitive edge in the search engine world and create an enjoyable user experience for all your site visitors.

3. Customer Feedback

Another excellent tool to ensure UX effectiveness is called Delighted. This tool gathers real feedback via surveys from your customers. It does so by gathering a Net Promoter Score (NPS) and a Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT), and a Customer Effort Score (CES). To truly understand the importance of this feedback, let’s do a high-level break down of what these are. A NPS score is based on feedback that users give regarding how willing they are to recommend your company, product, or service. A CSAT score is based on the customers’ satisfaction with your product or service. Lastly, a CES score is based on how effortless their experience was with your product or service. Now, why is knowing this feedback important? These metrics all reflect what real customers think of their experiences, so that you know where you need to improve. It’s the blueprint for improving your UX effectiveness.

4. ADA Compliance

The fourth tool that will be indispensable to you is called WebAccessibility.com. This tool will ensure that you you’re website is ADA compliant. When the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed, it enforced that all businesses and service providers must make their products accessible to those with disabilities. Ensuring your site is ADA compliant is important because it allows you to avoid making critical violations, and allows you to reach a larger audience of potential customers. When addressing accessibility issues, it’s important to take into account all persons, and this tool allows you to do that.

Oftentimes UX measurement can feel like an impossible task, but with these tools, it doesn’t have to be. The metrics that these tools provide give you a better understanding of how your audience interacts with your site. Knowing exactly what people click on, when they drop off, how long they read certain pieces of content for, and even qualitative feedback are all important metrics to track. These tools will help you become a true resource for your users, and we all know what that means; loyalty, return customers, and future buy-in. After all, isn’t that what we all strive for in this digital world?