User Experience
User experience, or UX, defines how the user interacts with a website in terms of satisfaction and ease of use. A website with a good user experience will entice users to explore around the site, convey the Unique value proposition (UVP), and ultimately convince the user to buy into whatever is on offer.
Amazon’s user experience is definitely successful for the objectives it aims to achieve. Potential customers are immediately drawn to whatever offer is currently available (the UVP), and beyond that, the site uses targeted tile-based links to ensure the user finds something of value to them.
The site also makes use of heavily contrasting colours as well as plenty of white space to guarantee readability and ease of navigation at all sizes.
A large image based header is crucial in drawing attention to the site’s UVP. The brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than the time it takes for the brain to decode text (Sage Handbook of Political Communication), so having a large image visible when a site is opened is the best way to make use of the user’s 8.25 second attention span. https://b2bnxt.com/how-to-stay-ahead-of-your-website-visitors-dwindling-attention-spans/
Call to Action
Most websites are structured in a way to make the user interact in a specific way, such as downloading something, subscribing to a newsletter etc. The links which lead to these functions — ‘Call to Action’ buttons — need to be clearly labeled, visible and have their function easily communicated in order for the user to want to follow the link.
CTAs don’t need to be the first thing a user sees on the site — placing a CTA at ‘the middle or bottom of the page to avoid being aggressive with visitors’ may prove beneficial. [https://uxmag.com/articles/how-to-design-your-website-for-better-user-experience]
Conventions and consistency
For the end user to navigate the site quickly and easily, standard placement conventions should be used — our eyes are naturally drawn to the top left to start reading, then to the main body text. As a result, logos are typically placed in the top left to immediately establish the identity of the site. Navigation bars are usually placed along this header space, or sometimes vertically down the side (especially in the case of mobile sites), leaving a large central zone for primary content.
Sites should also be consistent with their elements from page to page to minimise confusion when navigating the site. For example, navigation bars should exist in the same place on each page on the site, as well as search functions and footer elements.
