{"id":144552,"date":"2019-09-26T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-09-26T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smartinsights.com\/?p=144552"},"modified":"2019-09-23T12:05:21","modified_gmt":"2019-09-23T11:05:21","slug":"use-these-5-cognitive-processes-to-improve-ux","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smartinsights.com\/user-experience\/website-design\/use-these-5-cognitive-processes-to-improve-ux\/","title":{"rendered":"Use these 5 cognitive processes to improve UX"},"content":{"rendered":"

UX and site usability are two important Google ranking factors that help make content relevant.<\/h2>\n

To help users find answers to their questions in an easier and faster manner, Google promotes websites that offer an impressive user experience (UX).<\/p>\n

UX and site usability are two important Google ranking factors that help make content relevant.<\/p>\n

Backlinks have long been the number ranking factor but with the rise of artificial intelligence and Google\u2019s RankBrain<\/a>, a better UX is gaining ground and fast. <\/em>It helps people to stay on your site longer and find what they are looking for.<\/p>\n

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\n \n Improving results from your website guide\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n
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Download our Individual Member Resource \u2013 Improving results from your website guide<\/strong><\/p>\n

This guide helps you to get the balance right, through explaining many inspiring examples of best practices from different sectors including B2B, retail e-commerce, travel and financial services.<\/p>\n

Access the Improving results from your website guide<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

Good UX decreases bounce rate while improving time on site and conversions. All these metrics are critical to your SEO success.<\/p>\n

In the words of Google<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"The goal of good UX is to help users do what they want to do when interacting with your business.\"<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For example, if a user asks a question on Google, spends some time looking for the answer on your site and then goes straight back to Google to find another site, we call this Pogo Sticking. It happens when people visit your site but are unable to find the information they are looking for and go back to the search results to find a different site. This is bad for Search Engine Optimization or rather Search Experience Optimization.<\/p>\n

\"pogo

[Image Source<\/a>]<\/p><\/div>It becomes increasingly important to improve your UX so that people stay on your site and find what they need. This fulfills Google\u2019s motto of \u201cfocus on the user and all else will follow<\/a>\u201d. Additionally, it will help you to improve your rankings and increase conversions.<\/p>\n

Here are five cognitive processes to improve UX:<\/p>\n

1. Attention<\/h3>\n

People should be able to view your information easily. You need to avoid clutter and maximize search experience optimization; you need to serve a single user intent per page.<\/p>\n

If a page targets the user intent \u201chow to draw a dragon\u201d then the page should contain information related to drawing dragons. The page should not have information related to drawing an elephant, tiger, mouse, etc. The entire attention of the audience should be given to focus on one single object.<\/p>\n

If you want a user to complete a specific task after they land on your site, then properly instruct them how they can do so. The image below illustrates how to provide instructions to your audiences.<\/p>\n

\"How

[Image Source<\/a>]<\/p><\/div>The core principle at play here is to reduce the cognitive load on the user. It\u2019s been scientifically proven that living organisms (animals included) always take the path of least resistance to a goal.<\/p>\n

Want your users to fill a contact form? Here\u2019s one way to help them focus and complete the task:<\/p>\n

\"Easy<\/p>\n

And here\u2019s another way:<\/p>\n

\"Hotsuite<\/p>\n

See how the former reduces the cognitive load on the user, whereas the latter is more likely to lead in process abandonment.<\/p>\n

The same principle is at play in the landing page design of many successful web brands.<\/p>\n

\"CRO<\/p>\n

Observe how the person in the image above is drawing the viewer's attention towards the action you want them to take - subscribe, buy, ask, try.<\/p>\n

2. Perception<\/h3>\n

Perception is the representation of information like text, images, audio and video in a manner that is easily distinguishable by users.<\/p>\n

A great way to improve perception in your design is to group the important parts of information together so users don\u2019t need to scan the whole page to look for individual pieces of information.<\/p>\n

Have a look at the screenshot below from Wework. It groups the important pieces of information together so that the user attention remains intact.<\/p>\n

\"Wework<\/p>\n

To bolster your website\u2019s UX in sync with how the human sense of perception has evolved, you need to understand the concept of saccades.<\/p>\n

Think of a saccade as the \u2018jumping\u2019 of the eye\u2019s focus from one portion of visual representation to the other.<\/p>\n

Here are some dependable conclusions drawn out of several studies done on the human eye\u2019s saccades, that UX designers can leverage to organize content on pages.<\/p>\n

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  1. We see the whole of something before perceiving the constituent parts. (also called the Gestalt Principle).<\/li>\n
  2. The eye is trained to break visual fields into features such as colors, angles, combinations, etc.<\/li>\n
  3. After perceiving features, the eye weaves them into patterns.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Take this example, observe how the call-to-action buttons have a similar design. Also, this colour is in utter contrast to the rest of the page in order to appeal to the eye.<\/p>\n

    \"Snappa<\/p>\n

    Now consider this, how \u201cempty space\u201d is used to group representational visuals together, even though there\u2019s no clear demarcation.<\/p>\n

    \"unbounce<\/p>\n

    3. Memory<\/h3>\n

    You need to design experiences that last longer in the human brain. Nobel prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman found that<\/a> people\u2019s memories of an experience are based on a rule known as the \u2018Peak-End Rule\u2019. This rule states that people remember the most intense moment and the end. The time spent in between is not remembered by the human brain.<\/p>\n

    \"Peak-End

    [Image Source<\/a>]<\/p><\/div>If you are able to offer a truly mesmerizing experience to the user once they land on your website (the first impression should be the most intense moment) and also offer a lasting impression once they performed an action, then you would be able to leave a lasting impression in the memory of the visitors leading to more engagement, visits and conversions.<\/p>\n

    One example of creating a memorable experience that converts is through a content upgrade. This is where the user is so impressed by your content, that they are willing to trade in their email address and time, for a bonus or upgraded content.<\/p>\n

    In fact, content upgrades have been a bit of a secret weapon for successful digital marketers, helping them:<\/p>\n