Why do you have a website? The most common answers we hear are: to make sales, to inform your audience, or to present your products.
All of these are valid reasons. But how do you evaluate whether your website is not only performing its task, but also doing so at an optimal level that keeps visitors coming back for more? How do you know whether your customers are satisfied with your website?
That’s where the user experience (UX) index comes in. This is a method of determining how visitors interact with your website, such as how long they stay on a page, or if they leave the site without buying anything. You can use this information to improve retention and satisfaction rates.
There are several ways to measure user experience. Many companies use questionnaires, where values are assigned to each question. The questions are divided into categories like ease of use, reliability, time to complete a task, navigation, and so on. By tabulating the values for each category, companies can easily calculate visitor satisfaction.
Depending on your site and your goals, you can set up your own user experience index and see how well your website is delivering results in an efficient and useful way. The following are some of the key categories you might find in a typical user experience index.
User Experience Index Categories
Abandonment Rate
The abandonment rate calculates how often your site’s visitors place an item in the checkout cart but then leave the site without completing the purchase.
There are several reasons why shoppers might abandon their cart in the middle of a shopping spree. Perhaps there were too many steps needed to complete the purchase. Or the shipping cost was too expensive. The more barriers you put in front of a potential customer, the less likely they are to make the purchase.
It might shock you to learn that the average abandonment rate hovers around 60% to 70%. That means only 30% to 40% of visitors, on average, will actually complete a purchase.
If your average abandonment rate is above 70%, it may be that your website is not delivering the optimum user experience.
Task Time
How long does it take for a user to perform a task on your site, such as buy an item from your eshop? The longer the time, the worse the user experience.
People like to finish things quickly and with little fuss. If it takes too long, they get frustrated. For example, if you require customers to create an account and sign in before they can make a purchase, visitors are more likely to get frustrated and take their money somewhere else. An easy way to avoid this common pitfall is to offer the option for shoppers to purchase as guests, sidestepping the issue entirely.
Engagement
Timing a task is crucial for understanding how easily visitors interact with your website. Another criterion is to measure their engagement with your website, which can be calculated by how long they stay on your site.
Engagement is particularly worthwhile for websites that provide information rather than selling products. If your visitors stay for a long time, it means they find your content interesting and enriching. This is where having quality content can make or break a website.
Task Success
You can set up a task and calculate how quickly and efficiently people complete it. The task could be to fill out a form or to buy something from your eshop. If too many people can’t complete the task, it shows that your website is putting up hurdles that impede people from having a smooth navigation experience.
Mobile Responsiveness
These days, nearly everyone has a smartphone or a tablet. Make sure your website is optimized for mobile browsing, and check that it is responsive. Users dislike it when a site doesn’t show properly on their mobile devices.
Error Rate
How many times do errors happen when people interact with your website? This can be particularly obvious when visitors are filling out online forms. Do people stumble when they have to enter their date of birth? Is there an easier format you could implement to improve usability?
Navigation
How smooth and intuitive is the navigation on your website? Are people able to find the information they’re looking for in a straightforward way?
An interesting way to learn more about visitor navigation on your website is to check how many times people look for a word through your Search bar. People tend to use the Search bar only when they can’t find what they’re looking for on the navigation bar. The more people who use the Search bar to navigate your website, the more likely your navigation buttons are too complicated or underperforming.
Website Promoting
A good way to evaluate whether your visitors had a good experience on your website is to ask them whether they would recommend your website to their friends and family. If people answer they would recommend it, it means they had a good experience.
On the other hand, if you find many people aren’t willing to recommend your website, you should investigate further and figure out what is causing their frustration.
Satisfaction
An invaluable question to include in your user experience questionnaire is: How satisfied were you with your visit to our website?
People who are satisfied tend to return to your website for repeat purchases. People who found navigation or the overall experience unpleasant will stay away.
User Experience Index
Depending on the type of website you have, you can measure the relevant criteria for your user experience. Having an indication about the quality of your user experience will help you resolve the users’ problems that are deterring them from returning to your website.
If you want to measure the user experience index on your website, contact InSync Media online or call now at 970-901-5216 to arrange a meeting. It will be our pleasure to help you make the most of your website!
