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6 Tools to Upscale the User Experience for Your Customers

6 Tools to Upscale the User Experience for Your Customers

By adopting technology and embracing a digital presence through platforms and initiatives, one can tackle the challenge of designing an unparalleled user experience online.

Are you a web analytics guru who loves to scrutinize the statistics of your website? If yes, then chances are, you might have observed conversion rates. If they are high, it is good news for you.

But, if you see high bounce rates, it might be due to low conversion rates. You scrutinize your copy and find that it’s excellent. Your call to action (CTAs) is at the right spot. Your offers are perfectly-pitched. So, what exactly is missing?

The answer is user experience.

Many marketers have been found guilty of developing websites that work for them, not their customers. Here are some stats to prove some of the commonly made mistakes by marketers across the globe.

  • 77% of agencies mean that a bad website user experience is a weakness for their clients.
  • 57% of internet users don’t recommend a business with a poorly designed website on mobile
  • 38% of people will stop engaging with a website if they find the content or layout are unattractive

The question is: How will you determine whether your site is providing a great user experience? The good news is, here is a list of tools that will help you test and decipher the user experience for your website, including.

Let’s look at each one of these in detail.

1. UsabilityHub

UsabilityHub is an ingenious tool that helps marketers to carry out swift and simple usability tests. There are five different types of tests provided by it.

  • Click Test: You can upload an image of your website or even wireframes and mockups. Then ask the testers where they would like to click to perform a given task. The area they clicked and the time it took are recorded for you to review.

  • Five-Second Test: Here, testers are shown your designs in the form of key pages of your site, logos, brochures and other marketing materials. It aids in verifying the first impression count. They are shown the designs for five seconds and then asked questions about what they remember.

  • Question Test: Upload an image or anything from your site and enter the questions you want testers to answer. Testers are given unlimited time to come up with their answers.

  • Preference Test: This one is similar to the click test; the only difference is it enables you to upload multiple images and ask testers which one they like.

  • Nav Flow Test: This is another click test where you can link together many designs to comprehend how easy your website interface is to navigate.

The great news is you can submit tests for free on this website. 

  • Every user who undertakes your test costs you a credit. 

  • It is possible to earn a maximum of 20 credits by undertaking different people’s tests. 

  • These test responses are accounted for by different UsabilityHub members, including UX experts, designers, developers, students, marketers and website owners. 

2. Peek by User Testing

Powered by UserTesting, one of the leading online user testing research tools available, Peek is an ingenious online user testing that enables you to acquire videos of real people speaking their thoughts as they employ your website. 

Peek by User Testing is a paired-down version of UserTesting. You can have five-minutes recordings. The only loophole is you do not get to brief or opt for the socio-demographic profile of your users. 

  • It allows you to run three tests every month.

  • It is free and quick, so you can get swift insights into the number of users who have viewed your website and even those of your competitors. 

  • There is a library of 90,000+ “five-minute user tests” to get an insight into user behavior. 

3. Lookback

If you have ever wondered how to test for user experience on a mobile device, Lookback is the tool for you. It includes any native app, mobile website, or prototype. The only thing needed is installing the app, locating the user panels and recording. The amazing part is you can get it for both Android and iOS devices. 

  • The app allows you to record the user’s face with the help of the phone's camera. 

  • There is even an option to effortlessly invite external participants so that you can receive feedback on your app or site. 

  • There is no need for account registration, simply enter your email address and get started. 

  • Currently, it is free only for the beta version. Hence, this is the perfect opportunity for you to get started today.

4. Hotjar

Hotjar is a brand-new tool comprising heat maps, conversion funnels, form analytics, feedback polls, visitor recordings and website surveys all in one place. If you opt for the free version, there is a limitation on the number of recordings and data coverage. However, even if you opt for the paid version, it will not break the bank. 

  • Once you opt for heatmaps and visitor recordings, all the guesswork related to UX enables you to see real people’s mouse movements and clicks on your site.

  • Conversion Funnels and Form Analytics help you to streamline important forms, scrutinizing any parts your potential customers click on.

  • Polls and surveys assist you in comprehending your customers and getting feedback about your site, products, or services.

5. Optimizely

Optimizely comes handy when carrying out Split or A/B testing as an effective marketing mechanism. 

  • You do not need to spend a single penny to acquire this tool.

  • Thanks to their code-free visual editor, it is possible for anyone to create a new variation of the website page. However, in case you are aware of the code, it helps you create more complex variations and provides better results in the long run.

  • Once you have created a variation, test it compared to the current version and get statistical insights about website changes. 

These are some amazing user experience tools you should try for your business. In the next section, you will get valuable insights about getting started with user experience customer journey mapping.

6. WebEngage

WebEngage is a full-stack marketing automation and customer data platform that helps consumer businesses drive more revenue from their existing customers and anonymous users through highly contextual and personalized user engagement across channels like Email, Mobile and Web Push Notifications, In-app Messages, SMS, Web Overlays, Facebook, and WhatsApp.  

The term Ed-Tech has several definitions right now. It is an amalgamation of the terms Education & Technology, and in its current form, refers to any software/tech that enhances teacher-led classroom learning and educational outcome for students.

There are major categories of education pipped to blow up in the online market by consumers.

Reskilling and online certification courses currently account for a significant part of the online education market in India, with a share of 38%.

A healthy adoption rate amongst the significant population of IT professionals in India largely drives this.

However, with an estimated ~280 million students expected to be enrolled in schools by 2021 and increasing adoption amongst this target audience, online primary and secondary supplemental education will be a huge category in the coming years.

Challenges:

  • Engagement Rates
  • Acquisition Cost
  • Lack of universal accessibility
  • Absence of uniform content

This leads to a more customized and personalized educational encounter for the students. Educators unaware of this aspect of EdTech may falter in approach and opt for a service provider that does not offer the IT capabilities, thus jeopardizing their students' interest and participation.

Too many platforms to choose from in the EdTech sector are not new, and the industry has a lot of vendors offering different permutations and combinations of features required to run a successful online learning program.

The problem arises when educational institutions and organizations set out to choose among the service providers.

Quick Tips on Getting Started with User Experience Customer Journey Mapping

The user experience journey mapping can be defined as the overall experience derived by a person using a product like a website or a computer application in terms of how easy or pleasing it is to use. In simple words, user experience journey mapping assists in mapping the entire journey of how a user interacts with your website, desktop app and mobile app.

So, if you are ready to map your user’s journey, let’s get started. Here are some key pointers you need to remember while mapping your customer journey to retain the users.

  • Determine your ideal customer. You need to define their persona for every company or startup. Once you know your customers, it will assist you in determining strategies, targeting your communication, and predicting the next user action before and during the purchase.

  • The map must inform you about the user’s story from beginning to end. It can be a short-term process, like a customer looking for a place to eat dinner, or a long-term process, like a customer searching for the right property for his new home. 

  • Determine how your customers learn about your products and services. It can be through your email, in-app messages, forums, recommendations from friends, social media and even your own product.

  • What led the customer to search for the solution to their problem? For example, the product they are using no longer works, the company selling it does not provide 24x7 customer support, or the app does not serve the features offered.

  • Take note of the last action taken by the customer during their journey. Once they procure your products and services, do they recommend it to their friends or family, go for subscription renewal or any other action?

  • Observe customer touchpoints. There can be major touchpoints, like a user commencing a trial period and minor ones, like the user commencing reading your blog. In either case, both are equally important to determine which moments create more proximity between the company and customers. 

Final Thoughts

While increasing your website's conversion rate, always consider the user experience journey mapping. The above tools will help you get a higher conversion ratio without increasing your site's bounce rate. So, when do you wish to start upscaling your customers' user experience? 

Sam Makad is a business consultant. He helps small & medium enterprises to grow their businesses and overall ROI. You can follow Sam on Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin.

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