Designing for Conversion: Best Practices to Boost User Engagement

This article was originally posted on the PivotPoint website.

When it comes to creating digital products, designing for your conversion strategy is key.

Whether you’re building an e-commerce platform, a mobile app, or a subscription-based service, the goal is to get users to take action . Making a purchase, signing up for a trial, completing a user flow, completing a JTBD (job-to-be-done) and so on.

But with so many distractions and competitive products online, it can be challenging to capture users’ attention and keep them engaged — making designing for conversion goals a top priority for UX efforts.

In this article, we’ll explore eight best practices for boosting user engagement and driving conversions. Let’s get into it!

Create a Clear Value Proposition

A strong value proposition will help your team clearly communicate what your product does, who it’s for, and why users should choose it over competing options.

To develop your value proposition, it’s important to conduct thorough research on your target audience, their pain points, and their motivations for seeking out a product like yours. This research should inform your messaging and positioning strategy, ensuring that your value proposition resonates with your intended audience.

Make sure your value proposition is prominently considered throughout the experience design process — on your homepage and other key areas throughout your site or app.

Continually test and refine your value proposition as you gather feedback from users and iterate on your product. By staying attuned to your users’ needs and perceptions, you can ensure that your value proposition remains relevant and effective over time.

Define Clear Goals

Before you even think about starting your new project, it’s important to define clear goals for your product or service.

• What do you want users to do?
• What actions do you want them to take?

Defining these objectives will help you focus your design efforts and create a more effective user experience. Make sure your goals are specific, measurable, and aligned with your overall business objectives.

Optimise for Mobile

With more and more users accessing the web on their mobile devices, it’s essential to design with responsive breakpoints in mind.

• Ensure your site or app is optimised for smaller screens and touch-based interactions.
• Use responsive design techniques to ensure your content looks great on any device.
• Optimise load times to improve SEO page rank scores.
• Reduce page bloat to keep your experience laser-focused on the primary needs.

Use Clear CTAs

Calls to action (CTAs) are an essential part of any conversion-focused design. Your CTAs should be clear, concise, and visually prominent.

• Use action-oriented language that encourages users to continue through your CTA flow.
• Consider the context and the user’s stage in the conversion funnel. For example, a CTA on a blog post may be focused on encouraging users to sign up for a newsletter or download a related e-book, while a CTA on a product page may be focused on encouraging users to add the item to their cart or checkout.
• Ensure that your CTAs are consistent with your overall branding and messaging — reinforce trust in your brand and increase the likelihood that users will take the desired action.

Use Social Proof

Incorporating social proof can help users feel more confident in their decision to engage with your product or service.

In addition to testimonials and reviews, social proof can also include social media shares, endorsements, and user-generated content. By strategically placing social proof throughout your site or app, such as on your homepage or product pages, you can establish trust with potential customers and increase their likelihood of taking action.

Make sure to use real and authentic testimonials and reviews from satisfied customers or reputable sources. Avoid using generic or fake endorsements, which can actually harm your credibility and trustworthiness.

Encourage users to leave reviews and share their experiences with your product or service to further build social proof and establish a community of loyal customers.

Simplify Navigation

A clear and simple navigation structure can help users find what they’re looking for quickly and easily.

• Use clear labels and organise content logically. Prioritise the most important pages or sections of your experience and group related content together.
• Minimise the number of clicks required to reach important pages or complete key tasks.
• Ensure that your navigation is easy to use and understand for users with disabilities, such as screen readers or keyboard navigation. Users should be able to find what they need on your site or app, regardless of their abilities or assistive technologies.

Use High-Quality Visuals

Visual design plays a critical role in creating engaging user experiences.

• Use high-quality images, videos, and graphics to capture users’ attention and convey your message effectively.
• Graphics should be used strategically to enhance the message and guide users through the content, rather than overwhelm or confuse them.
• Make sure your visuals are optimised for fast load times and ensure they don’t distract from the main message.
• Keep in mind the accessibility needs of all users by including alternative text descriptions and using appropriate contrast ratios.

Test and Iterate

Finally, it’s important to test and iterate on your design to optimise for conversion.

Hopefully by this stage you have a good idea of your KPIs and conversion goals — and to track these, you can use analytics tools such as Google Analytics or Mixpanel.

Observe user behaviours and identify areas for improvement — this can include tracking metrics such as bounce rate, time on page, and clickthrough rates, as well as user behaviour such as reading patterns and scroll depth.

In addition to capturing analytics (quantitative data), it’s important to gather user feedback (qualitative data) through surveys, user testing, and other feedback mechanisms. This can help you understand how users are interacting with your design where points of frustration could be occurring.

A/B testing can be a particularly effective way to test and iterate on your design. This involves creating two or more versions of a design element, such as a CTA button or landing page, and testing them with a subset of your audience to determine which performs best. By continuing to test and iterate on your design, you can refine your approach and create a design that maximises user engagement and achieves your conversion goals.

At PivotPoint, we can help you create world-class digital experiences.

As your experience design agency, we define, design and develop transformative user experiences across all platforms and touchpoints.

Talk to us today to see how we can help you and your team create effective and engaging moments that drive conversions and achieve your business objectives.

• Get in touch with us now to discuss your next UX success.
• Sign up to PivotPoint’s monthly newsletter for more great content like this!