UX Introduction
Tips for creating a better user experience in your event website
What is UX?
User Experience (UX) is the process of enhancing user satisfaction with a product by improving the usability, accessibility, and pleasure provided in the interaction with the product.
Key Factors
  • Useful
  • Usable
  • Desirable
  • Findable
  • Accessible
  • Credible
Our UX Tips
10 key areas to focus on an event website
#1
Consistency
  • Layout
  • Colour
  • Content
  • Navigation
  • Call to actions in the same place
  • Font type/colour and weight
  • Don’t make them have to learn new behaviours
#2
Flow
  • Order is key - Prioritise important content
  • Use a simple layout
  • No dead ends - continuous user journey
  • Create a seamless experience
#3
Navigation
  • Simple navigation is a must. No hidden links
  • Hierarchy shouldn’t be more than 3 levels (2 is recommended)
  • If the user finds it difficult to find what they are looking for they will leave
  • No more than 6 main menu items
  • Keep menu items short and on one line
  • Sticky menus are good
#4
Content
  • Make the most important content prominent and stand out
  • Ensure Call to Actions are always visible and accessible
  • Width of paragraph text should be 50 to 75 characters per line
  • Avoid hiding content behind forms
  • Keep pages short - No jargon
  • Be aware of 'banner blindness'
  • Avoid icons that require a key
#5
Colour
  • Simplicity is key
  • Use a minimal colour palette
  • Pick one stand out colour for your call to actions
  • Contrast is important for readability
#6
Understanding
  • What are the user goals? – do they differ from your own?
  • Adopt a persona – Visitor? Exhibitor?
  • Use the persona to set your language and writing style
#7
Familiarity
  • Use common website patterns and behaviours
  • Buttons should look like buttons
  • Navigation should look like navigation
  • Links should look like links
  • Do not try and reinvent – For example: “Contact Us”
#8
Above the fold
  • Although it’s important to have the priority content at the top, users will scroll if it is obvious that there is content below
  • Do not be afraid to have content cutting off the fold
  • Also remember that with multiple devices and screen sizes the fold will NEVER be in the same place
#9
Sliders & Carousels
  • Carousels are a great way of displaying an overview of content (exhibitors, sponsors or speakers) but do not rely on them for click through, as users will often only focus on one thing.
  • Drop off rate is huge after the first slide, so again do not rely on them for clicks. Keep your important content on the first slide.
#10
Mobile
  • There is a 1cm by 1cm minimum touch target area
  • Don’t use vertically scrolling for anything other than page scrolling
  • Avoid hiding content behind hover states
  • When writing content for your website, always consider reading it on a mobile
  • Assume the mobile user will only ever access the site via mobile
  • Consider mobile device usage is projected to double in the next year
Any questions?