A seamless user experience (UX) directly influences how visitors engage with your business. That’s a fact. From increasing conversions and sign-ups to improving customer satisfaction and loyalty, optimising the UX of your website is simply a good business strategy. And the best part? You don’t need a complete redesign to make a significant impact.The KIJO team (we’re a web design agency in Birmingham) has curated 16 expert-backed UX tips (or UX best practices) that you can implement right now to refine your website and deliver better outcomes for your users.
UX design is all about how users interact with your website from their very first click to their final action. It’s how intuitive your navigation is, how quickly content loads, how clear your messaging is, and ultimately, how your website feels to use.
A strong UX process focuses on every aspect of a visitor’s journey. That includes before, during and after their visit. From homepage layout to post-purchase experience, thoughtful user experience design ensures that each interaction is frictionless and rewarding.
There are a range of UX tools that can help you uncover areas for improvement:
Alternatively, if you’re looking for more tailored support, partnering with an agency that provides expert user experience design services (like KIJO!) will help to fast-track your website improvements.
Whilst often used interchangeably, UX and UI serve distinct roles.
Think of UI as the car’s dashboard and UX as the entire driving experience!
Apple (the tech giant that curates and offers the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac and Apple TV, plus accessories) has a website that is a masterclass in UX design. Every detail aligns with the brand’s ethos: it’s sleek, intuitive, and effortless to navigate. Their consistent interface, streamlined purchasing flow and minimalistic visuals come together to create an experience that’s as enjoyable as their physical products.
It’s a great benchmark to study when considering how to enhance your own website’s UX, and certainly one that inspires our team of website design enthusiasts!
Here are the UX best practices that our team and wider industry professionals rely on to deliver websites that convert, engage and convert:
Who are you designing for?
A successful UX process starts with research. Develop clear user personas that represent your ideal customers. Make sure to consider their demographics, goals, pain points and digital behaviours.
Knowing exactly who you’re serving ensures your website speaks directly to the right people, with messaging and journeys that resonate.
Related Read: How to Create User Personas
Guide each visitor to their goal.
Once you know your user personas, map out user journeys for each one. Think about the logical steps a visitor will take from landing page to conversion. Remove any barriers, highlight the most relevant information, and lead them seamlessly to the action you want them to take. That may be buying a product, booking a call or sending an enquiry.
Related Read: A Guide to User Journeys
Build trust with consistency.
Every element of your website should reinforce your brand identity. That’s the colours, fonts, imagery, and tone of voice. Strong branding combined with good UX design creates familiarity and credibility, encouraging repeat visits and recommendations.
Related Read: The Ultimate Guide to Brand Guidelines
Consistency is key for a great UX.
A design system is a set of reusable components and guidelines that keep your look and feel consistent across every page. It also helps your team apply changes more efficiently and maintain UX best practices as your site grows!
Less clutter = more focus.
White space (or negative space) gives your content room to breathe. It improves readability, highlights key messages and creates a modern, uncluttered feel that visitors find reassuring and easy to navigate.
Your pages should feel connected.
Stick to uniform layouts, font styles, colours and iconography across your site. This visual coherence helps users understand how to interact with your website, which is a core UX best practice for building trust.
Your menus should never cause confusion.
A clear navigation structure is essential for good UX design. Keep menus simple and intuitive. Make sure visitors can reach any important page within three clicks. Add breadcrumb trails if needed and test on desktop and mobile to ensure nothing gets buried.
Breadcrumb trails are a type of secondary navigation that shows users where they are within your website’s hierarchy.
Think of them like a trail of links that trace the path back to the homepage or main sections. They get their name from the fairytale Hansel & Gretel; the siblings who have to follow a trail of breadcrumbs to find their way home!
For example, on an eCommerce website, a breadcrumb trail might look like this:
Home > Women’s Clothing > Dresses > Summer Dresses
Breadcrumbs help visitors to understand where they are within the site structure, quickly jump back to a higher-level page, and reduce clicks and frustration, especially on large sites. They’re especially useful for sites with lots of categories, subcategories or deep pages (like eCommerce stores, large blogs or resource hubs).Implementing breadcrumb trails is a UX best practice because it improves usability and SEO. Search engines like Google often use breadcrumbs in search result snippets too!
Tell users exactly what to do next.
Your CTAs should stand out and use persuasive, action-oriented language. Instead of “Submit”, try “Get Your Free Quote” or “Book a Demo Now”. In addition, make sure to position CTAs where they naturally follow the content; don’t make users hunt for them!
Related Read: Understanding the Importance of Calls to Action in Marketing
First impressions count.
Crisp, professional imagery makes your business look credible. Poor-quality or generic, lacklustre stock photos do the opposite. Showcase your products, services or people with authentic images that reinforce your brand and help tell your story.
Related Read: 6 of the Best Stock Photo Sites You Need to Know About
Video boosts time on site and conversions.
People love video because it’s an easy way to digest information. So, use videos to demonstrate products, explain services, or share customer success stories. Just make sure they’re optimised for mobile and don’t slow down your page speed.
Fast-loading sites keep visitors happy.
Site speed is a crucial part of the UX process. You must compress large images, minimise code and consider using a CDN (Content Delivery Network). Even a one-second delay can cost conversions; don’t give your competitors the advantage.
Related Read: Why Slow Loading Websites Are Bad For Business (and How to Fix It)
Big blocks of text are a user’s worst nightmare.
Split content into short paragraphs with clear subheadings and use bullet points to highlight benefits or features. This makes information easier to scan, especially on mobile devices.
Make your site feel alive.
Subtle animations, hover effects, and interactive elements make your site more engaging and memorable. Micro-interactions, like a small animation when adding an item to a basket, create moments of delight that enhance your user experience design.
Good headlines keep visitors reading.
Your headlines should be clear, benefit-driven and easy to skim. Great copywriting guides your visitors through your pages and encourages them to take the next step.
Related Read: 7 Website Copywriting Tips To Refine Your Site
Broken links break trust.
Nothing frustrates a visitor faster than a dead link. Regularly audit your website to find and fix 404 errors. Consider custom 404 pages that help redirect users to relevant content instead of abandoning your site.
A responsive site is a must-have.
Over 64% of web traffic now comes from mobile devices. Therefore, a good UX process ensures your website looks and works perfectly across mobiles, tablets and desktops, avoiding clunky layouts or unreadable text.
Related Read: 10 Mobile Responsive Design Essentials for a Seamless User Experience
A good user experience doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of a clear UX process, smart design decisions, and continuous optimisation.
If you want to unlock the full potential of your website, investing in user experience design services would be a great place to start. Our team at KIJO (we’re a web design agency in Birmingham) combine UX best practices with strategic design thinking to build sites that convert and keep user attention.
Contact us today for a UX audit, to discuss your UX strategy, or to access advice and hands-on design enhancements tailored to your business goals!
Need expert guidance on your UX design or next digital project? Book a complimentary, 30-minute consultation with our Head of Partnerships & Co-Founder, Kirk Thompson. During your call, we’ll review your brand’s current performance, discuss your goals, analyse competitor insights, and explore your brand’s potential. Let’s bring your vision to life — book your free consultation via the link below:
