Hand Over Control: 3 Ways to Improve User Experience

by Gina Armstrong, Lead Designer

Insights / Website Design / Hand Over Control: 3 Ways to Improve User Experience

When it comes to designing a great website, usability is key.

One facet of usability is the visual design; elements such as white space, hierarchy, and imagery all impact the way in which we’re able to absorb and synthesize information. But beyond the visual design, how do we ensure they enjoy the experience?

In general, people prefer to have a sense of control – and that’s no different when using a website. Providing users with flexibility and freedom to control their experience reduces frustration and encourages positive interactions.

Here are three strategies that will help users maintain a sense of control.

Be Predictable

When someone lands on your site, there are certain elements they expect to encounter and actions they expect to be able to take.

These are usually items like the navigation/menu at the top of the page, a logo that will return you to the homepage, website search, and call-to-action buttons guiding your journey. While it may be tempting to create something unique, these are elements that are best kept standard and predictable.

It’s important to ensure that users’ experience aligns with their expectations so they don’t become lost, confused, or frustrated.

Allow Users to Opt Out

We often emphasize the importance of not frustrating your users, so as not to lose them. This means providing them with control to opt out of pages they don’t want to view.

For example, it should be easy to navigate backwards if a user lands on the wrong page – whether that’s via a “back” button, breadcrumbs, or the navigation bar. Another important opt-out to include is on pop-ups – there should be an obvious and easy-to-use “close” button.

Tip: Make sure the same is true when viewing the site on mobile! 

Build in Flexibility

Visitors may have specific information they’re looking for, or they may just be exploring the site. Since we can’t predict this, it’s important to build in options that give them flexibility.

For example, on a page like “News” or “Blog”, include options for sorting and filtering by various categories (if your content supports these options). If there’s a page with important information, provide several different paths leading to that content, supporting various user journeys.

Lastly, don’t forget to include page-specific search if it can help the experience!

People don’t like encountering walls or feeling stuck, so providing them with options and flexibility is an important feature of user-centered design. The more in control a user feels, the more satisfied they are going to be.

If you have questions or want to improve your site’s UX, reach out to us.