2017 predictions - Greenlight Digital

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D E C E M B E R 2016 The Predictions Edition

2017 PREDICTIONS

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FOUR USER EXPERIENCE AND CONVERSION RATE OPTIMISATION TRENDS FOR 2017

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UX & CRO

SARAH PETERSEN UX & CRO MANAGER

Conversational UX has been the UX buzzword of 2016, and is expected to grow massively in 2017- with some even calling it ‘The Future of the Web’.

1. RESPONSIVE DESIGN AND MOBILE - FIRST

2. HAPTIC FEEDBACK

The importance of optimising your website for

While we’re on the topic of mobile, let’s take a

mobile will (hopefully) not be a new concept to

look at a newer addition to the art of optimising

most. Yet, there are a surprising amount of sites out

performance for conversions: haptic feedback.

there which still aren’t optimised for mobile. Haptic feedback has been around for a few A small version of a complex three column desktop

years, and refers to the tactile feedback given

site won’t just scare away users – chances are, most

when pressing areas of the site or app on your

of them won’t even make it there in the first place

smartphone’s screen. UX designers and conversion

following Google’s update in April last year that

optimisers are beginning to incorporate this feature

favours usability (and punishes sites that aren’t

where possible to enhance user experience and

mobile-friendly).

site performance by using a series of tactile cues to guide users to a desired action (such as a ‘buy

For some brands, a responsive site will do, but if

now’ button) – a technique referred to by some as

most of your users are now accessing your site via

hapnotic feedback (as, arguably, it’s a form of subtle

their mobile devices, you should definitely consider

hypnosis).

going mobile-first: designing your mobile site and

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then adjusting it for desktop. The reality is that

The practice is still relatively new, but as more UX

leaving your mobile site as an afterthought could

designers and conversion optimisers begin to see

have a significant, and negative, impact on your

the potential, we may very well see this trend grow

bottom line.

in the New Year.

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UX & CRO

3. PERSONALISATION

4. CONVERSATIONAL UX

Good UX and CRO is impossible unless you’re

Conversational UX takes personalisation a step

anticipating and meeting users’ needs and

further by reinventing the way you communicate

expectations. Personalising your site or app for

with your audience by removing navigation

individual users ensures that they’re always met

and adapting the interaction to the user’s prior

with the content most relevant to them at the right

behaviour. This is done via a chatbot which will

time.

anticipate what the user is likely to be interested in and which then guides them to the end conversion

Users already expect personalised content, yet

through a series of questions. While most of

many brands still aren’t fully embracing the concept.

us humans still don’t quite trust AI (artificial

A growing number of tools and technologies will

intelligence), we’re still likely to see the rise of bots

become available to help make personalisation

in 2017 – whether they’ll ever completely replace

easier, which will hopefully encourage more brands

website interactions as we know them is yet to be

to join the personalisation movement and start

seen.

offering users the content they so desperately want.

IT’S TIME TO EMBRACE CHANGE So, there you have it: my humble contribution to the pool of UX and CRO predictions for the year to come. While there’s nothing much new under the sun, there are certainly some exciting advances taking place across the board. As mobile continues to gain momentum, so does the need for responsive sites and a mobile-first approach to UX design as users are becoming increasingly critical and expect personalised content whenever possible1. The time has come for brands to catch up and really embrace this personalised approach to how they communicate with their users – perhaps by enlisting chatbots to support that effort! And if bots aren’t quite for you and your brand, the use of haptic feedback for an enhanced user experience and improved conversion rate is certainly one to explore further in 2017.

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http://www.greenlightdigital.com/blog/posts/all-the-latest-news-about-the-mobile-first-index/

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