Module Two

Designing Your Online Store – Practical Tips to Follow

In our previous chapter, we discussed several platforms, utilizing which you can create a website for your e-commerce business. However, do you think that just creating a website is enough? No, right? So, what are the elements that you need to consider when designing your online store?

Imagine you want to purchase new sneakers. There are two outlets that you know about. The first outlet has well-organized shelves, it is hygienic, and different types of sneakers are arranged well and are easy for you to find.

On the other hand, the second outlet is just the opposite. It’s crowded, messy, and whatnot. As a customer, where are you likely to go to buy sneakers? Outlet first or the second? Outlet first will be your choice. Isn’t it? online store

The same goes for an online store. Designing your online store, keeping things arranged, and other such efforts will give you a lot better results than others who are not. Thus, we are going to discuss it in detail in this chapter. By the end of this chapter, you will learn:

What are User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX)?
The importance of user experience (UX) and user interface (UI)
Essential design elements
Branding of your e-commerce store

So, let us start with our discussion and explore how can you ensure an amazing experience for the visitor who comes to your online store.

What are User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX)?

Before we proceed to understand this chapter, we need to understand what user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) are. You must have heard about UI/UX designs and people talking about them. But what are they? Let us understand them.

When talking about UI designs, it has the primary focus on the interactive and visual elements of an e-commerce website or application. What are these elements? These elements include aspects like buttons, layouts, graphics, and mockups. As a UI designer, the goal is to build the platform in such a way that it becomes easy to understand and navigate for the visitor while maintaining consistency in the design.

On the other hand, UX focuses on the overall experience with the website. What kind of overall experience a user will get while interacting with the website is what UX refers to. For example, the factors that are taken into consideration while working on UX are the user’s goals, needs, and behavior. Ultimately, the goal is to make the overall user experience seamless and effective.

So, in simple terms, UX refers to the aspects which will determine how the user will feel after interacting with the website and UI refers to the overall vibe and appeal of the e-commerce platform or website.

A UX designer is responsible for understanding the user, and the overall user experience, and looking for solutions that will work well for enhancing the overall experience that a visitor or the user gets on the platform. On the other hand, the role of the UI designer is to ensure that he utilizes all that information and includes it in the overall design using required elements and creates a visually appealing and easy-to-navigate output.

Both, UI and UX have an essential role when it comes to creating a successful website that is appealing and leads to an amazing user experience. Why are they important? Let us talk about this in the following section.

The Importance of User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI)

Now, you already must have some idea about the importance of user experience (UX) and user interface (UI). Just as the example that we discussed, a visitor will turn into a potential customer, if he finds the platform easy to use and gets the product of their choice.

Now, let us dive deeper to understand what importance both of these aspects hold for a website and why should you pay adequate attention to this step when creating an online store.

Better User Experience

One of the most important aspects of having an amazing UX/UI design is to deliver a better user experience to the visitor. A great design ensures that the customers get engaging content on a website that is easy to navigate as well. When such is the case, you will genuinely get customers who are satisfied with your application or website.

So, how does this help? Well, satisfied clients will recommend your website or application to others, ultimately increasing your customer base. With a well-designed website that provides an amazing experience to the user, there is going to be an increase in engagement and brand loyalty. So, UI/UX design has a direct impact on creating an amazing user experience.

Decreases Bounce and Abandonment Rates

Imagine yourself to be a customer. You visit a well-designed website that is consistent and has an intuitive design. Moreover, all the information or products that you require are also available on the platform. Will you abandon the site in between? Will you not explore it more and find out about different aspects?

The same is going to happen with your customers too. The more user-friendly your website is and offers a consistent experience, the lesser bounce rate will be there. So, what is stopping you from creating an amazing experience for the visitors of your website that they will cherish?

Easier to Understand Your Audience

While preparing the UI/UX of your website, we have to put in effort to understand the audience, right? One has to consider every small aspect of customer behavior to ensure that you provide the best kind of experience to every visitor who comes across your website.

Hence, while following the process of understanding your audience and building a platform with an exciting UI/UX design, you eventually get an idea about your audience.

Builds Brand Value and Trust

One of the significant advantages that you get after ensuring an amazing UI/UX design is the enhancement of brand value and trust. Think about it for a while. Which website or e-commerce store you are more likely to trust? The one that is well developed, has a good design, and provides an amazing user experience, or the one that does not?

The more engaging one. Right? So, the importance of UI/UX cannot be underestimated, especially when you are looking forward to building a brand that people will remember.

So, this is why it is important to have good UI/UX design for your online store. But wait! Are there any specific elements that contribute to an effective UI/UX design? Let’s explore this in the next section.

Essential UI/UX Design Elements To Consider

Do you know that both UI and UX have their design elements that are essential for you to consider? Yes! As we saw in the sections above, how both UI and UX are different from one another yet interconnected, the same applies to their design elements too. Let us understand different UI/UX design elements.

UX Elements

The following are the UX elements that are essential for you to keep in consideration:

User Research: Knowing in detail about the user needs, their behavior, and pain points, and performing surveys and usability testing.
Personas: Imagining fictional characters, who represent different user types that ultimately guide the decision-making process.
User Flows: These are specific diagrams and maps highlighting the steps a user would take to complete a task, eventually highlighting paths and potential issues.
Wireframes: Basic sketches or digital drawings that outline the structure and layout of a page.
Prototypes: Interactive representations of the design that simulate user interactions for testing and feedback.
Information Architecture: Organizing and structuring content to ensure it is easy to find and understand.
Usability: Ensuring the interface is intuitive, efficient, and satisfying to use, often tested through user feedback.
Accessibility: Designing interfaces that are usable by people with varying abilities, including considerations for screen readers, keyboard navigation, and color contrast.
Interaction Design: Crafting how users interact with the interface, including gestures, clicks, and other user actions.
Feedback and Response: Providing users with immediate and clear feedback on their actions to confirm successful operations or errors.
User Testing: Evaluating the design with real users to gather insights and make iterative improvements.
Content Strategy: Planning and managing the creation, delivery, and governance of content to ensure it meets user needs and business goals.

Thus, these are some of the most important UX design elements that you should know about.

UI Elements

Similarly, different UI design items are also there including:

Typography: The style, size, and layout of text used in an interface. It includes fonts, font sizes, spacing, and alignment.
Color Scheme: The selection of colors used in the interface, impacts readability, mood, and brand identity.
Icons: Visual symbols used to represent actions, objects, or concepts, aiding in navigation and understanding.
Buttons: Interactive elements that users click to perform actions, typically styled with different shapes, sizes, and colors.
Images and Graphics: Visual elements that enhance the aesthetic appeal and provide context or information.
Layout and Grid Systems: The arrangement of visual elements in a structured way, ensuring consistency and alignment.
Forms: Input fields, checkboxes, radio buttons, and dropdowns used to collect user data.
Navigation Components: Menus, tabs, breadcrumbs, and other elements that help users navigate the interface.
Animation and Transitions: Motion effects that provide feedback, guide users, and make the experience more engaging.
Spacing and Padding: The use of whitespace to ensure clarity and reduce clutter, improving readability and user comfort.

Hence, if you want your e-commerce store to have a good UI/UX design, you must focus on each of these individual elements ultimately ensuring the best output for your online store.

Branding of Your E-Commerce Store

We know the significance that branding holds for any business. Remember how sometimes just by seeing the logo of any brand, you instantly get to know what it is about. Who cannot identify the swoosh and make it out that it’s Nike? Everybody can! Well, that’s the power of branding.

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Branding, when done correctly, can help your business grow and reach out to more and more people. However, do you know there are some basic factors that you should keep in consideration when branding your e-commerce store? What are they? These are:

The first stage of branding your e-commerce business is to establish a strong brand identity. Who are you? What is your vision? Are there any unique selling points that you have? Who are you targeting? Asking yourself such questions and then documenting them is important. This will set the stage for further steps.
The next essential aspect is to create a visually appealing and engaging visual identity for the brand. What does this mean? Well, using the right set of colors, typography, and logo, design the visual identity of your brand, that should go well with the idea and vision your brand holds.
Now, the final stage is giving voice to your brand. Invest in putting out your brand’s message in a manner that appeals, clarifies, and is remembered. Putting out the brand’s message clearly and strongly is essential for enhancing the brand’s popularity.

Other than these aspects, you should also consider factors like positioning, authenticity, marketing, and more, which we already have discussed in previous chapters.

Designing your online store is an important aspect of starting your e-commerce business and it cannot be overlooked. Make sure that it engages!

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Crucial Takeaways from this Chapter

Great UI and UX design directly impact user satisfaction and engagement on your e-commerce website.
Prioritize user research, personas, user flows, wireframes, and prototypes to enhance the user experience.
Use effective typography, color schemes, icons, buttons, and layouts to create an appealing interface.
Establish a strong brand identity, visual identity, and clear brand messaging to build trust and recognition.
Design your online store to be user-friendly, intuitive, and consistent to reduce bounce rates and increase customer loyalty.