User Experience and Website Content: Trends and Tips

User Experience is a very important aspect when it comes to attract more customers. Does your company want to get more and more unique visitors every day? The user friendly pages and the amazing content is a must-have.

In this article we present a research on user experience. In the research we analyzed websites of companies that are using especially digital tools for their customers.

Alongside with the digital transformation, the enterprises must solidify their presence in the online. More and more products and services are basically turning into digital devices.

It is important to check the online presence and the details offered on their official websites. This helps to understand how the companies, especially tech companies, use the online to promote their businesses.

Pretty much all of the customers access a websites of these companies at least once. A great online experience brings benefits for the companies.

The user experience and the content create a full package. A package that is reflected in the performance, the creativity and the organizational culture of that particular business.

Website Tips

This research can be helpful in many ways for companies that are at the beginning of their road:

you can improve the official website of your team,
it helps you to understand some of the strategies used by big players on the market,
you can add new interesting information for your clients,
you can promote new sections necessary for your website,
you can create a more interactive content that appeals to the internet users.

How the User Experience Research Was Done

The research was done by one of our blog contributors. The goal of the user experience research was to assess the online presence of the tech companies. Those that provide technological and digital solutions for their customers.

We have taken a list of +9200 start-ups located in Europe from Seedtable. Of that list, we selected a random sample of 50 companies ¹⁾.

An observation tool for websites was created in Lumeer. We then tracked what kind of elements are placed on the websites (the perspective of the content) and how someone can navigate on those pages (the perspective of the user experience). Following is the observation tool used in this research.

What are the Users After?

We looked into elements such as:

the design of the website,
the information related to the products of the company,
the multimedia content,
the blog,
the existence of links,
or the easiness in sending messages to the staff of the company.

First of all, the design of a website is the first thing that visitors see. The visuals, the colors, the letters and the menus.

Secondly, the users search for details regarding the product, especially the features of it and the pricing plans. It is also important to check reviews of the product and or service.

Next, the visitors like to access a multimedia content that allures them to get familiar with the product or with the company. The attention of a user is limited and the well constructed content receives more attention. And thus delivers a better user experience.

It is also great when you have links for different pages, it makes the whole content more flexible. Clients also seek the ways to contact the company. In order to get technical support, various details, or jobs openings.

The next step was to add scores to each element of the observation tool. The scale was from 0 (which means bad, the element displays serious errors or is not functional) to 3 (which means excellent, the elements displays excellent and enjoyable features for the user).

Each website received a certain score. In the end, we have sorted the list of the 50 websites from the minimum score to the maximum score. Here are the top scores when it comes to user experience and content from our research.

The Overall Best User Experience in the Research

The best User Experience in the Information, Insights and Tips Section

The Best User Experience in the Multimedia Content Section

Notes on User Experience Trends and Tips

The easiness in using the product/software of the company is promoted here. The customers get the vibe that a particular product is made for beginners but works with advancements (ActiveCollab).

There are quick links at the beginning of the articles with the most searched tags. There is also a section of developers in which people can help to improve the product (Aircall).

Workflow and team solutions, webinars, a recruiting system and statistics. The visitor can take a look into the real workings of the company (Asana).

Plenty os industry insights, research materials, scientific articles. A whole section for labs. Visitors understand that the company innovations were possible due to scientific research (Bitdeffender).

A professional partnership section. Businesses promote their partners as a way to ensure that they are reliable. A news releases section with links, getting attention from the financial and technological media is a big deal because it reflects how big you are on the market (Cloudfactory).

Student discounts, which can attract millennials especially. A great YouTube channel, where you can see videos with tips, or the work inside the company (Evernote).

Announcements of the projects and contests in which the company participated. From time to time, a company should write on the website about the prizes it won or competitions it participated in (Flytrex).

There is a Talent Development Section in which the company shows how it maintains its talented workforce and how to find new people (Get your guide).

Relevant forecasts for the industry. Companies with a high level of profit provide this kind of data to internet users (HIS Markit).

A futuristic design with the timeline of the company like a vivid infographic (Lilium).

Interesting case studies with challenges, solutions and results. Another interesting marketing approach is to list a series of cases in which other companies used a certain product/service and were satisfied with the overall results (Mimecast).

A user friendly blog where the excitement is shared with the audience. Articles and posts that invite readers to reflect, to wonder, to feel the same vibe or to get excited (Ogury, Scoro).

Case studies on problems a lot of people face. Testimonies with videos and logos. Companies know that the best feedback deserves to get online. This is why a lot of businesses add videos with testimonies (Spendesk).

Who is using the product? The answer is: Government, Businesses, Educational field etc. The products/services that are being used by national governments or think tanks are definitely special and performant products (Proworkflow).

Time Intelligence – a trend that emerged one decade ago in the attempt to analyze how time can become a valuable asset and a source of innovation (Replicon).

Content Intelligence – a trend that emphasizes how the multimedia content can bring more profit to companies when used with the powerful analytical tools (Socialbakers).

Playful team presentation. This could be a great instrument of promotion, especially if the product of a particular company is created with the goal of making the consumers’ lives easier (Toggl).

A professional team presentation and illustrations with the product of the company used by other companies. Companies that have reached a certain phase of maturity are able to collaborate with businesses from other industries (Skeleton Technologies).

Stunning visuals but limited access. Some companies allure users and clients on their websites. But then they limit the access to certain features. This makes it harder for customers to get the free content (Tricentis, Ustream).

Great Training section. Customers who want to learn new things can skip the search for online classes and learn in a more interactive way right from the website (IBM).

General Notes

Help-desk available on the website – pretty much all the businesses have chat boots, rooms or contact form for help and support.

Great features in the pricing plans – it is important that the clients can see the real features of the product/service, without hidden costs or limited options when the payments have been done.

Some logos are inspiring, others not – the mottos or the slogans of the companies must also be not so common but easy to understand. All of the companies from our research are proud of their work. They use very powerful words in their mottos. It is preferable to avoid negative, or rough.

Future Actions

Take action now and improve your own company website! Consider the trends and lessons shared in the article and implement them.

Here is a short list of items to consider to achieve better user experience.

Build a more appealing multimedia content.
Add more features to your website.
Showcase a collaboration with different partners. These can be other companies, government or non-profit organizations.
Showcase your own success. Like becoming a partner of an important organization outside of your industry.
Create a timeline of the company, a press section, a talent development section, or a learning section.

Get the Data That You Need

The research of the company websites done by Lumeer is a first step in understanding what is the power of a great user experience.

It demonstrates the value of the content in the digital age. It answers the important questions:

Why all companies should invest in its online presence?
Why all companies should create innovative systems?
Why it is important to interact in real life with the customers, partners, contributors, and with the general public.

Before you add all the important and innovative sections to the website, you must work on them in real life.

Lumeer can help you do this important step. Implement your own observation checklist. Think about new opportunities in the online world.

What new ways of interaction you could use to improve the products you design, the projects you run, the outcomes you have, and the working system as a whole?

The competition is bigger than ever. Having the right information at the right time is crucial. Using new methods for increasing the performance of the company can be a real competitive advantage.

¹⁾ The full list of the selected companies: Activecollab, Aircall , Asana, Bitdefender, Bitrix24, CloudFactory, CoachHub, Comtravo, Digit, Evernote Business, Fabric, Fleep, Flytrex, Gett, GetYourGuide, GrabCAD, Harvest, Hubstaff, IDnow, IHS Markit, Immersive Labs, IronSource, Lilium, MessageBird, Mimecast, Netguru, Neuron Soundware, Notion, Ogury, OneWeb, Onfido, Pipedrive, Pitch, Proworkflow, Replicon, Scoro, Skeleton Technologies, Slack, Socialbakers, Spendesk, Teamwork, Tink, Toggl Track, TransferWise, Trello, Tricentis, Ustream, Valamis, Visionect, Zoho Workplace