We can all relate to the struggle of trying to navigate a website or product that just doesn’t function properly, only to be met with a customer service bot that leads you in circles instead of to a logical solution.

Naturally, this is a painful situation that we all hate to be on the receiving end of, so as professionals, this should be something we ensure we are not providing; an unpleasant user experience is the quickest way to diminish credibility with your consumers.

In Part One of this blog series, we covered 8 of the most common mistakes organizations make when it comes to UX design product management.  

In this second half of the series, we’ll be covering the most common mistakes relating to UI/UX research and design.

Mistake #9: Not Using Any Mapping Artifacts to Know the User's Journey

The user's journey is the path from becoming aware of your product or service to becoming a paying client. Every stage must be carefully planned and thought of in terms of the user. It's critical to consider the user's journey when developing your website or product to ensure every step along the way is optimized for conversion. You risk losing them at any time if you don't.

The value of Journey Maps is not limited to just one type, but it can be difficult for some people who are unfamiliar with the process. Other mapping exercises include service blueprints and experience maps which may provide useful information about how your company operates in different areas or help you visualize what success could look like if achieved through these strategies.

Solution #9: Map Out the User Journey

Use service blueprints, experience maps, or other journey mapping artifacts to better understand the user's journey. This will help you optimize each stage for conversion and prevent users from getting lost along the way.

Mistake #10: Not Creating a User Flow Before Designing the Interface

A user flow is a graphical representation of how customers will travel around your website or product. It's critical to create a user flow before building the UI because it will influence the design choices you make. You'll most certainly wind up with an interface that is neither simple nor usable if you don't have a user flow. A flow chart can inform other team members and stakeholders about the step-by-step process that a consumer goes through when using your product or service.

Solution #10: Create a User Flow First

Establish a user flow for your website or product before designing the interface. This will ensure that it’s designed in a sensible way that's easy for users to navigate.

Mistake #11: Failing to Consider Mobile Users

More individuals than ever before use their cellphones to look online, with mobile devices accounting for over 60% of internet traffic. This implies that if your website is not mobile-friendly, you are missing out on more than half of your potential audience.

Users of mobile devices have distinct demands and requirements from those of desktop computers. They are on the go and need information right now. You are not meeting their needs if your website isn't optimized for mobile, which means you're closing to door to prospective consumers.

Solution #11: Use a Mobile-First Approach

Create your wireframes using a mobile-first approach while utilizing the atomic design method. This will enable your mobile layouts to scale as needed to larger display sizes, CSS layout systems like Grid and flexbox are examples of this.

Mistake #12: Creating an Overly Complex Navigation Menu

A complex navigation menu can be confusing and frustrating for users. It can be difficult to find the information they are looking for, and they may not even know where to start. This can lead to a lot of wasted time and frustration.

A decent navigation menu should be simple to comprehend. It should be structured in such a manner that users can easily locate the information they need.

Solution #12: Keep it Simple

Use a structured or open card short for participants who represent your product's personas. This will allow you to see how simple it can be for website users to comprehend and locate what they are searching for. If your navigation menu is too difficult to navigate, consider breaking it down into smaller components or simplifying it.

Mistake #13: Making it Difficult for Users to Find Information

One of the biggest mistakes SaaS owners make is making it difficult for users to find information. This is done in several ways, such as burying important information in a complex navigation menu or hiding it behind layers of menus and buttons.

Solution #13: Incorporate Navigation Tools

Providing a search bar is one method to make it simple for visitors to locate information. This allows people to find what they're searching for quickly and simply. Your search bar should be prominent and located at the top of your page. Another approach is to arrange things logically so that users know where to look. Use clear and descriptive labels for your navigation items that match the mental model of all personas.

Mistake #14: Not Creating a Consistent User Flow Throughout the Entire Website

Your website should have a consistent user flow that guides users through the process of achieving their goals. This means that each page should lead logically to the next and that there is a clear path for users to follow.

If your website features numerous dead ends or if people get lost easily, you aren't giving users a smooth path to your site's primary goal, which can lead them away from a conversion. A well-designed user flow will lead visitors to their objective in a clear and efficient manner.

Solution #14: Consider the Typical Consumer Journey

Improve your user flow by redesigning your website's architecture and navigation in a way that reflects how your typical visitor would travel through your site. It would be helpful to refer back to your User Flow when considering this journey.

Mistake #15: Not Prioritizing Speed and Performance

In today’s fast-paced world, speed is everything. Users expect websites to load quickly, and they are less likely to tolerate slow loading times. If your website is slow, it will not only frustrate users but will also lead to lower rankings in search engines.

Solution #15: Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)

To avoid this mistake, make sure to prioritize speed and performance when designing your website. There are a number of ways to do this, such as using a content delivery network and optimizing your images.

A content delivery network (CDN) is a system of distributed servers that deliver content to users based on their geographic location. By using a CDN, you can improve your website’s speed and performance by delivering content from servers that are closer to the user.

There are many different CDNs available, so it’s important to choose one that offers the features you need. Some things to look for in a CDN include:

• A global network of servers: This will ensure that your content is delivered quickly, no matter where the user is located.
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• Security features: Look for a CDN that offers security features such as SSL encryption

By taking the time to improve your website’s speed, you will be able to provide a better experience for your users and improve your chances of ranking organically higher in search engines.

Mistake #16: Failing to Validate Solutions Prior to Launch & Not Measuring Usability Evaluations and Product Validation Results

Another big mistake that SaaS owners make is failing to measure the results of their usability evaluations and product validation. This data is essential for understanding how users interact with your product in order to identify areas that need improvement.

Failing to measure the results of your usability evaluations and product validation means you will not be able to improve your product. As a result, you will miss out on potential customers and your product will never reach its full potential.

UX Evaluations are incredibly important for software companies, as they provide an understanding of how customers/users interact with the software. This understanding can then be used to make necessary changes to improve the usability of the software. However, it is important to understand the results of UX Evaluations in order to properly interpret them. UX Evaluations can take many different forms, such as usability testing or focus groups.

The results of these evaluations can be qualitative or quantitative. Qualitative data provides insights into how users feel about the software, while quantitative data provides insights into how users actually use the software. It is important to consider both types of data when making decisions about how to improve the software.

Solution #16: Always Measure the Results of Your UI/UX Evaluations And Product Validation.

To avoid this mistake, make sure to measure the results of your usability evaluations and product validation. By doing so, you will be able to improve your product and reach more customers.

Conclusion

UX-based processes have been around way before the most recent SaaS tech boom.  Methodologies that we utilize within our practice were used by industrial engineers and designers before the computers and the hardware and systems we know of today existed.

The mistakes we covered today are constantly made not only by SaaS companies just starting out in a seed stage but also SaaS companies that are scaling or even out of the scale stage.  No matter what stage your SaaS company is in right now there is always room for improvement by recognizing the 16 mistakes and their fixes we’ve discussed in this two-part blog series.

If you haven’t read Part 1 of, “The Most Common Mistakes When It Comes To UI/UX Design,” you can find it here.

If this blog has opened your eyes to realize your User Experience could use some reconsidering, or maybe you’re starting from scratch, Onebridge can help you find success. Head over to our Contact Page so one of our experts can reach out to you to start a conversation.