Jamaican economy grew by 5.8% in the July to Sep quarter of 20211. This was a higher rate than most experts had predicted. Though not at pre-covid level of output yet, this is a strong sign that Jamaica’s economy is on the road to recovery and the country should reach pre-covid levels before long. This means that we can expect an increase in the demand for B2C products.
For businesses that have a digital presence, a good way to ensure you capitalize on this increase in demand is by optimizing the user experience of your website. In this article we take a look at some tips to improve website user experience that you can discuss with your web development company in Jamaica.
Optimize your website for mobile
The number of people accessing the internet via smartphones and tablets is steadily increasing. Google has introduced mobile first indexing for websites. This is why it is critical to ensure that your website delivers a high-quality user experience on mobile devices. If it has been a while since you made your business’s website, you should talk to your Jamaican web design company about how you can adapt your website to load fast on mobile devices and work optimally.
White/Dark Space
Whitespace is a term used to refer to the empty space on a webpage that is not occupied by any type of content, or design elements. Whitespace is crucial to ensure a webpage does not look cluttered and overwhelming. When used correctly, it allows the elements of a website to breath and makes it easier for users to understand the flow of content and navigate with ease. Whitespace need not necessarily be white; it just needs to be empty. So, if you have a website that has embraced a dark theme, you can still implement whitespace by ensuring content and design elements are spaced out properly.
Break your text
Nobody likes reading large chunks of text. To deliver a better user experience, you should break the text on your website. You can do this by creating new paragraphs. A good rule of thumb is to start a new paragraph every six or seven lines. You can also break your text by adding bullet lists, or by creating columns.
Map out user journeys
In-order to deliver the best user experience, you need to understand your users. It starts by identifying the different types of personas that might visit your website. Who are these users and what are they looking for? Once you have your personas in place, you can map out how different user personas would navigate your website. For example, a user who has never been to your website and is just browsing, will use your website very differently from a returning user who knows what product he/she wants.
By understanding the journeys that different users will take, you can make it easier for them to find what they are looking for and can ensure they reach the conversion stage of their journey more often. Understanding user journeys can help you decide what new pages to include, where you need to add contact forms, what CTAs you need to add to your website and make other important decisions related to layout and functionality.
Use images and videos
Multimedia content is a great way to engage with users. Images, graphics and videos can make it easier to communicate complex information to users. Google also ranks websites with multimedia content higher on their search results. Hence, there are many advantages to using images and videos on your website. However, it’s important to remember that the images, videos and graphics you use on your website are relevant to your business niche and serve a purpose. Otherwise, they will only add clutter and can have a negative impact on user experience.
If you need help in understanding how you can improve your website’s UX, contact us at Toucan Jamaica. We are a website design and development agency in Jamaica offering complete website solutions to Jamaican businesses.
Sources:
- Jan 22, A. Smith, “Jamaica’s Economy Recovering at a Quick Pace from COVID-19”, Jamaica Information Service, [available online], available from: https://jis.gov.jm/jamaicas-economy-recovering-at-a-quick-pace-from-covid-19/ [accessed Feb 22]