Lightbox: illuminating ideas by Astriata
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insider insights

investing in UX

4 steps for calculating your investment in UX

4 Steps to Calculating the Return on Your UX Investment

Use these four steps to calculate the ROI of your UX/UI project—and get stakeholders on board, as you take your marketing to new levels.

5 Reasons to invest in UX

5 Reasons to Invest in UX

Investing in UX design may feel like an added expense, but here, we share five reasons not to put UX on hold.

Man browsing the internet on laptop

An Assessment on Your Path to UX Maturity: Where Do You Stand?

How do you stack up on the path to UX maturity? Is your UX plan altogether absent or coming along nicely? Take our quick assessment to discover your UX maturity score.

the trifecta

usability

Here’s a pet peeve of mine: I’m trying to fill out a form, and a pop-up message blocks one of the fields. Or, for instance, to share an actual scenario, I type in my country (“United States”) only to have an erroneous message appear to say the option does not exist. And the most frustrating part? That message covered up the country I needed to select from the drop-down list (“United States”), which was, strangely, positioned above “Canada”—out of alphabetical order. The moral of the story? Test your forms to make sure every step is easy!

design

Most people scan through content, so here’s a quick trick to make it easier to scan. If you squint at a page you’ve designed, does it look like a big, undefined blob? Or do certain elements stand out? Are those elements that stand out the most important pieces of information? What if people only read your headings—would they get the gist of the article? If not, look at what you need to visually emphasize, and consider adding graphics and other visuals to enable scanners to quickly grasp the key points.

technology

Accessibility is an important aspect of usability. Did you know, for instance, that you can add innovative tools to your website like Accessibe or Equally to make it more accessible to diverse audiences? Also, don’t forget to be fully compliant with the WCAG 2.1 Guidelines. If there is additional accessibility work to be done, a full audit will ensure that you’ve covered everything.

mental memo from Aline

Staying accountable for our work and demonstrating our value are part of what we do at Astriata. After all, we’re big advocates of the upfront investment in user research because we believe that taking a user-centric approach leads to a better user experience, which then translates into better conversion rates, a stronger brand, and loyal customers. But how, exactly, does that investment compute? In our recent article, “4 Steps to Calculating the Return on Your UX Investment,” we walk you through how to calculate your ROI. Don’t miss it, along with our guide on assessing your UX maturity and other tips and resources.

Meanwhile, enjoy, stay well — and when it comes to usability, design, and technology, stay intentional.

Aline, Astriata CEO & Creative Director

cerebral matters

Curated resources that bring light to intriguing topics.

“Don’t Overthink UX ROI”
There’s more than one way to calculate ROI. Watch this informative video from Nielson Norman Group.

“Don’t Make Me Think – Key Learning Points for UX Design for the Web”
Looking for some light summer reading? You can read the full book (and classic) Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug. But if you’re looking for the CliffNotes, this article breaks down the key learning points.

“Do Less”
This episode from one of our favorite podcasts, Hidden Brain, teaches us the benefits of keeping things simple. Plus, it reminds us that improving the user experience often involves removing extra steps—and, well, doing less.

feedback loop

Feedback Loop
If you could pick three new features for your website, which ones would you add to your wish list?

past issues

2022
June: Ethics
May: User Engagement
April: DEI in Website Design
March: Psychology in Website Design
February: Workplace Topics

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