While you may know your brand is the best, telling the world is another story. There’s certainly something to be said for the go-getter that does it all, but when you’re spreading yourself thin, it’s hard to give everything the attention it deserves, including your business’ digital presence. That’s why many brands turn to a digital UX agency, whether they’re based in Melbourne or Milan. However, not all digital UX agencies are winners — and it’s important to be able to tell when you’ve got a dud.
What Is UX & Why Is It Important?
Before we jump into recognising those telltale signs that it’s time for a new UX agency, it’s vital you’re across what UX is and why it is so important, particularly in an increasingly digital world.
UX stands for ‘user experience’ — think about it like old-school customer service and experience, except now it’s digital! When people talk about UX, they’re talking about the internal emotional and intellectual response a person has when they interact with your brand (typically through your website).
For instance, if someone went to your site looking for contact details but had to click around or scroll through lots of other information to find what they were looking for, how do you think they’d feel about your brand? They may not be impressed and start to think that dealing with you is more hassle than it’s worth. On the flipside, if there was a clear contact page visible from the top header with an easy-to-fill-out form, they may look more favourably at your brand and be more likely to return.
Considering the above examples, it’s easy to see how UX is often mistaken for UI (user interface). UI impacts UX and UI should always be designed with UX in mind, but not all UX problems can be solved with UI.
Great UX will stick in people’s memories and is more likely to see them returning repeatedly. But what makes great UX? For starters, it should meet the customer’s needs. As in the example above, the user was looking to find contact information. When they can find what they need quickly and easily, they are more likely to have a better experience.
However, it’s not just about serving a need, it’s about giving an experience! Think about brands you love, or even websites you enjoy, and why. Is it just because they fulfil your needs or is there something else at play too? There’s a fun interactive element or the design is to die for. You love how smooth and modern it feels. However, it’s achieved, great UX is pleasurable, efficient, fun, and relevant.
When you have great UX, you are having thousands, if not millions, of micro positive interactions with your customer base. This all adds up as you’ll find that your brand continues to grow with an increasing customer base since more users find your UX and business meets their needs and brings them joy. There are lots of ways you’ll see this reflected in your metrics.
For instance, you’ll see organic growth — users will find you via searching or through being recommended by others. This is fantastic because it’s free advertising, and it can be incredibly effective when it comes to conversions. Speaking of conversions, if people land on your site and have a pleasant (or fantastic) experience, they are more likely to convert. As a result, quality UX means increased revenue for your business and savings overall.
It’s better to spend the time and money now on perfecting your UX rather than to drive growth through more expensive marketing strategies, only to have to come back and figure out your UX when you’re at a larger scale. When you’ve taken the time to really consider your users, their needs, and their perfect experience, you can then scale this up to grow with your business and adapt to changing digital trends.
Finally, one of the most important things you’ll see when you have great UX is trust and loyalty in your brand shooting through the roof! Consumers want to be able to rely on brands and businesses, but if they have a poor experience, they’re unlikely to give you a second shot. That’s why it’s crucial you and your digital agency nail that UX for a perfect first impression.
So, How Do You Know Your Digital UX Agency Isn’t Up to Scratch?
While the exact UX makeup will vary between brands, the signs of poor UX are universal, whether they reveal themselves in the short or long term. And if you’re seeing these and no actions taken to fix them, then your digital UX agency isn’t doing their job.
You’re Business’ Growth Is Stagnating
As discussed above, great UX is a big driver for organic business growth, whether it’s new leads and conversions or increased loyalty from your existing customer base. However, if you find that your business just isn’t booming anymore, it could be a UX issue. Users may not be able to find what they need, or your brand isn’t delivering what they want. What’s worse is that you might be seeing your competitors skyrocketing to new heights, leaving you in the dust, because your UX can’t compete with theirs.
You’re Failing to Connect With Your Customer Base
Whether you had a loyal customer base before or it’s what you’ve always dreamt of, poor UX is not the way to get and keep one. If customers aren’t getting what they want from your business, they’ll take their business elsewhere. You’ll see this reflected in your bounce rate on your website and poor CTR and ROAS on ads and the like. Engagement measures, like likes and shares, will also tell the same story.
You’re Rushing Things That Need to Be Considered
Like we talked about before, great UX is thought out, carefully designed, and made to not only meet the user’s needs but to give them a fantastic experience too. Chances are, if your agency is rushing you on making changes to your site or advertising materials, things aren’t being considered. These solutions might hold for a little while, but they’re not fixing the problem underneath. It’s like trying to fix a broken arm with a bandaid. And, what’s worse, is they’ll be using your money to do it. Better to rip that bandaid off and invest in a solution that will really make a difference.
You’re Hearing the Phone Ring More Than Your Email Ping
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to have a chat with someone to get some more specific details. But if you’re finding that your customers are preferring to visit you in person or give you a bell, your digital UX is not doing its job. Customers should be able to find the information they need or access the services they’re after through your website. A phone call should be a last resort.
You’re Hearing About It & Not In a Good Way
Reviews are great opportunities to give yourself a pat on the back, as well as learn how you can improve things to give your customers an even better experience. But when the review is all negative, the only thing you can learn from it is your UX isn’t pulling its weight! If you can, find out what the reviewer’s issues were, and these can form the start of your UX overhaul plan.
What If You Had the Dream UX Agency?
Even if you only have a few of the problems described above, it’s a sure sign that you need to fix your UX. Not to mention, it’s time to chuck out your current digital UX agency and start shopping for someone who’s going to do right by you.
You’d Get Updates & Changes Made Regularly to Adapt to Trends
With the ideal UX agency, you’d have someone who’s got their ear to the ground for the latest trends within your customer base and tweaking your UX to meet them. For example, with a growing emphasis on brands and businesses to be sustainably responsible, your UX agency might add a special page to your site to explain exactly how your brand handles sustainability and environmental issues.
You’d Get Metrics Shooting Up, Along With Revenue
As described above, when your UX isn’t right, plenty of metrics go down. But when you nail it, you can expect all sorts of numbers to start moving upwards, including your profits.
You’d See Your Brand Get the Treatment It Deserves
You’ve worked hard to get your business to where it is. Through thick and thin, you’ve stuck it out. With the right digital UX agency, you’ll not only see your brand presented accurately across the digital world, but you’ll also see it getting the attention it deserves.
Are You Ready to Find Your New Digital UX Agency?
With the right UX agency behind you, the sky’s the limit for your brand. You can trust them to take care of your business’ UX, while you handle the other important matters. But who do you choose? For us, we recommend Blank Theory: a digital UX agency Melbourne and serving brands Australia-wide. With a dedicated and enthusiastic team, they can revitalise your brand’s UX and set you up for success.
