Why you should conduct a Website UX Audit.

The usability and viability of certain websites and technology have arguably never been more newsworthy. 

As Vladimir Ilyich Lenin's infamous saying goes. 

"There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen".

One can turn to their news feed and find examples of just about every major technology company facing major growing pains after periods of unparalleled growth, with names as large as Twitter, Facebook, Stripe, Intel and more facing difficulties. There is naturally also significant uncertainty and movement in the market caused by deserved buzz of recent technological advancement in AI tools such as ChatGPT and the reaction of the technological market to them.
 
While some of this has to do with external factors, it has certainly caused inward reflection of the front facing platforms and technologies presented by these many websites and platforms, and whether their current product offerings have relevance for changing consumer, attention and demographic habits. One writer from the Atlantic has recently referred to the current state of big technologies as ‘midlife crisis’.  
 
These challenges extend from the highly publicised issues taking place at Twitter to websites further down the Google bidding funnel that are reticent to change their digital touchpoints due to economic factors, inertia, or lack of success from the cost-per-click and conversion issues of previous enhancements, or sites suffering from a natural reversion to the mean after the pandemic period’s digital boom.

Can a UX audit prevent your website’s midlife crisis?

The thing about a midlife crisis, however, is that often it is a wild, misdirected swing looking to achieve a contrasting result to a perceived issue. A classic example is if someone feels as though age is catching up with them, perhaps they will make a grand purchase of a car or another item which thrills them and makes them feel younger.  

In technology or websites, we have faced a period of growth where growth was the only factor and consideration for most businesses, and as aforementioned, external factors accelerated that growth. However, cost risks are rising, and people's habits are shifting to offline activities. However, there is still an annualised increase of 4.7% in global retail sales – proving that there is growth if you assist your users in finding it. Actioning either a drastic change or no change at all could leave you disadvantaged when tackling changing consumer habits in the coming year.  

As a real-life example, Meta is exploring the augmented reality space, which is exciting, but also comes with the promise of a revenue stream connected to a physical product. This targets a base of more active users willing to pay for a certain high-value product, rather than a broad base of casual users who need to spend certain amounts of time on a free platform for the company to gain revenue. How this progresses is anyone’s guess, however, the company has made a macroeconomic decision to focus on a more concerted and specialised area of its user base as it looks to the future.

The ROI on UX investments is 9,900% (Forrester¹).

For every dollar spent on UX, your business can gain a 100-dollar return in some cases. Refocusing goals with an end user in mind are highly valuable, especially when investment is important.

90% of users won’t return to a site solely due to bad UX²

As time and investment in user retention becomes even more of a premium, ensuring that the first impression for users is a good one is utterly imperative.

Mobile users are 5 times more likely to abandon their tasks if they’re not optimised for mobile³

It’s no secret how much the demographics of users are changing. We are in a "bring your own device" world where time on the page is shrinking, mobile use continues to climb, and users have micro-attention spans as they try to achieve four or five tasks at once. We understand this and take a mobile-first view of every user experience and interaction.

94% of people do not trust outdated websites

Being time-poor is a fact of business. However, a hyper-focused UX audit and assessment by our team can help you focus on the key areas to update, ensuring your audience sees you presented in the best fashion.

Am I asking the right questions? 

If you are providing a service or product, you may need to ask yourself a few questions as you move effectively into 2023. A UX audit or assessment can help you better empathise with what your customers need, rather than want.  

We relish taking an empathetic view and aim to fully understand what’s happening with your existing experience and identify the gaps to achieve a 360-view of your customers, and how their needs are changing as the world evolves. 

Get started on your journey to achieving best-in-class user experiences. We can help with a full UX audit and assessment, or you might qualify for our UX audit LITE – one of our no-cost assessments. 

Submit your request today, and one of our UX experts will be in touch to discuss next steps. 

Sources: 1 | 2 | 3

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