Your website can tell a customer a lot about your business. Typically, the easier it is to use and navigate, the more likely a potential customer is to trust and purchase from you.
This is where intuitive web design comes in.
Intuitive web design refers to the process of creating a website that is easy for users to understand and navigate without needing any additional instruction or guidance.
To create this experience, web designers need to understand how users think and design the website in a way that aligns with their natural thought processes.
It can often be the make or break factor for whether your business lands your next big project or loses out to a close competitor.
Throughout this post, I’ll be covering what intuitive web design is through my expert insight and experience, adding notes from Inc Studio’s Creative Director and showing examples with our case studies. Let’s get into it!
What is Intuitive Design?
Intuitive web design simply means that a website is easy to use, navigate, and understand without the need for extensive instructions or tutorials.
It should be designed in a way that makes sense to users, allowing them to quickly find what they are looking for and complete desired actions without any unnecessary confusion or frustration.
A website with great intuitive design is hard for users to spot, mainly because it feels so natural and effortless to use.
When a user has to think about how to navigate a website or understand its layout, it’s a sign that the design is not intuitive and could benefit from improvements.
It’s like trying to get into a car without a door handle – frustrating, cumbersome, and inefficient.
And who wants to buy a car with no door handles? Not me.
So why would anyone want to use a website that is difficult to navigate and understand?
Why is Intuitive Design Important?
I briefly touched on a handful of reasons why intuitive design is important, but let’s dive a little deeper.
User Experience
Some experts argue that user experience (UX) is the most important part of any website or digital marketing strategy.
UX refers to the overall experience a person has when interacting with a website, including factors such as ease of use, visual design, and accessibility.
Intuitive web design prioritises the user experience by creating a website that is easy to navigate, visually appealing, and accessible for all users.
Lead Conversion
With 78% of users being more likely to return to a website with an intuitive website, it’s not hard to see why intuitive design is important for lead conversion.
The better designed your website is, the more likely users are to return as a lead (or convert on their first visit).
Brand Awareness & Perception
Your website is often the first point of contact for potential customers. It serves as their introduction to your brand and can greatly influence their perception of your business – sometimes making companies seem bigger than they actually are.
A well-designed website that is easy to navigate and visually appealing can leave a positive impression on visitors and increase brand awareness.
Higher Engagement
Search engines prioritise websites that are user-friendly and engaging.
Instinctive web design can help keep visitors on your site longer, decreasing bounce rates and increasing engagement metrics, such as time spent on page and pages viewed per session.
This means intuitive web design plays a key part in improving your search engine rankings and increasing organic traffic to your site.
What is an Example of Intuitive UI Design?
Take our work on Ice Blue Sky’s website, for example. By prioritising user experience and design, we were able to create a website that is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and accessible for all users.
Our goal was to make a bold website that matches the company’s distinct user-centric mindset and daringness to innovate.
Prioritising mobile usability, navigation and website load speeds, we were able to create an intuitive website that showcases Ice Blue Sky’s exceptional services and leaves a lasting positive impression on visitors.
Two Kinds of Intuitive Design
We spoke to Inc Studios Creative Director, Ben Garner, and he offered an interesting insight into what intuitive web design is that we’ve not heard anywhere else.
When thinking about intuitive web design, the initial focus is often rightly placed on a website’s layout and functionality.
And that’s for good reason. The mapping of a website’s structure and its ease of use is critical to ensure a seamless user experience.
By focusing on informational hierarchy, usability and clear call to action, businesses can increase the possibility of lead conversion and customer satisfaction.
But intuitive web design isn’t just about aesthetics and functionality; it’s also about understanding your target audience and tailoring your website to their unique needs.
By seamlessly incorporating your brand’s colour scheme, voice, and messaging, you craft an engaging, cohesive and consistent user journey.
This is intuitive in the sense that it speaks directly to your audience and creates a sense of familiarity that can build trust and loyalty.
Consistent branding across your physical and online assets (including your website) helps potential customers better understand your company, what it provides, and why they should choose you over competitors.
How Intuitive Web Design Helps Small Businesses Win Big Contracts
Your company could be turning over millions, but if your website isn’t up to scratch you could be silently losing out on valuable projects.
After speaking with industry professionals about their digital marketing strategies and websites, I’ve noticed a common theme: many companies are seeing their competitors and smaller businesses win bigger projects over themselves.
The common thread? Their competitor’s services, case studies and expertise are communicated clearly and concisely online.
Essentially, their websites are simply more intuitive and modern.
No matter whether you’re a business operating in the construction industry or an ambitious law firm, if you want to win valuable projects and dominate your industry’s online space, a professional, results-oriented website is essential.
A modern and intuitive web design that showcases your knowledge, experience, and expertise organically builds trust with potential clients and reinforces your company’s professionalism.
That’s why we work closely with our clients to transform their online presence into a fine-tuned website that accurately reflects their position as a forward-thinking industry leader.
How to Identify an Intuitive Website
Every website wants to be intuitive, but they don’t always achieve it.
So how do you identify an intuitive website? Let’s explore it.
Modern Design
One of the first things you notice about an intuitively designed website is, well, the design.
Your website should have a modern and clean aesthetic that reflects your brand’s image while also being eye-catching and engaging.
The design of your website should encourage exploration and guide the user through a seamless journey that ultimately leads them to take desired actions, such as contacting your business or making a purchase. To do this, navigation should be both efficient and accessible, with clear menus and intuitive buttons.
Your website’s design should be consistent and predictable, making it easy for users to navigate and find what they are looking for.
But more importantly, an intuitive website should be responsive. This means it should be optimized for all devices, including desktop, tablet, and mobile.
Load Speed
Did you know that if your website takes more than 3 seconds to load, you’ll see 54% of mobile users leaving your website to go elsewhere?
That’s a lot of potential business lost.
A poor load speed results in a higher bounce rate, poor SEO performance, diminished traffic, and, crucially, less business.
On the other hand, a fast-loading, well-optimised, and visually captivating website is more than just a digital brochure; it’s a powerful tool for standing out in a crowded market and converting visitors into clients.
That’s why you should aim for the ideal 3-second load speed for your website – but if you can drop it to two or one second, you’re on your way to dominating the competition.
But after your website has loaded, it should be able to quickly respond to any user interaction without delay or errors.
Typography and Colour Choices
Once users are on your website, they’ll begin to absorb your content.
It’s the carefully chosen typography and colour palette that can encourage them to stay on your website for longer and engage with your business.
The text should be easy to read, appropriately sized, and spaced out, so it’s not overwhelming. The colours should complement each other and evoke a sense of professionalism while also reflecting your brand identity.
Any colours that are too bright or clashing can be jarring to the user and result in them leaving the website faster than they came on.
Clear Text & Content
Choosing typography that is easy to read is essential for an intuitive website. But the content written in that font must also be clear, concise and easy to understand.
Any user who enters your site should be able to understand the text without having to decipher complicated industry jargon or navigate through long, unbroken paragraphs.
By keeping your content clear and to the point, you can ensure that potential clients are more likely to engage with your website and take action.
Of course, there are exceptions to this rule depending on your industry and target audience, but the general rule of thumb is to keep things simple and easily digestible for your visitors.
Current Knowledge vs Target Knowledge
The common battle many businesses face when writing content for their website is the balance between current knowledge and target knowledge.
Current knowledge refers to the level of understanding and expertise your current customers have when they enter your site, while target knowledge is what you want potential customers to understand about your business.
When creating an intuitive website, it’s important to find a balance between these two levels of knowledge. You don’t want to alienate current customers with overly-simplified content, but you also don’t want to overwhelm potential customers with complex industry terms and concepts.
The key is to provide enough information for both groups without compromising on readability and clarity.
We’re not going to pretend this is an easy balance to find (it’s not).
And this balance only gets harder the bigger your audience becomes.
That’s why we always suggest working with a professional web design team to ensure your website content strikes the right tone and effectively communicates your message to all viewers.
Call to Actions
Once users have explored your website and absorbed your content, it’s crucial to guide them towards taking action.
This is where call-to-actions (CTAs) come in.
A well-designed CTA should be noticeable, enticing, and relevant to the page’s content. It should also be easily accessible and visible no matter where the user is on the page.
CTAs are one of the most effective ways to convert visitors into leads or customers. They provide a clear next step for users and make it easy for them to engage with your business.
But be careful not to overwhelm the page with too many CTAs, as this can have the opposite effect and confuse or frustrate users.
Easily Accessible Contact Page
Any businesses wanting to gain leads from their website must have an easily accessible contact page.
This means having a clear and visible link to your contact page on every page of your website, ideally in the header or footer navigation.
The contact page should also be simple and straightforward, with all the necessary information such as:
- Phone numbers
- Email addresses
- Physical locations (ideally on a map)
Making it easy for potential customers to get in touch with your business is essential for building trust and encouraging them to take that next step towards becoming a customer.
Identifiable Links
Users naturally want to explore your website. But with so much content and information, it’s easy for them to get lost or confused.
That’s why it’s essential to have identifiable links throughout your website. This means using clear and descriptive anchor text for hyperlinks that accurately reflect the page they are linking to.
This helps users navigate your website more easily and improves your SEO performance by providing relevant keywords for search engines to index.
However, if the link colour used is too similar to the normal text, it can be challenging for users to identify and click on them. It’s best to use a contrasting colour that stands out but still complements your overall website design.
Logo Homepage Shortcut
Quickly following on from the last point, it goes without saying that when a user clicks your logo on the top left of the screen, they should be taken back to the homepage.
This is such a simple but critical part of intuitive web design that many businesses overlook!
Alt Text
Alt text, or alternative text, is the descriptive text used to describe images on a website. It’s essential for accessibility purposes as it helps users who are visually impaired understand what an image represents.
But alt text also plays a role in SEO and can help improve your website’s visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs). By using relevant keywords and descriptions in your alt text, you can provide more context for search engines to understand your website’s content better.
User Experience
User experience pretty much encompasses all of the above points into one.
Great UX design means creating a website that is easy to navigate, visually appealing, and provides valuable content for users.
It’s essential to put yourself in the shoes of your target audience when designing your website – consider their needs, preferences, and behaviour when making design choices.
By prioritising user experience, you can create an intuitive website that not only looks great but also effectively communicates your brand message and drives engagement with your business.
Does Web Design Require Coding?
Great website design does require some understanding of coding, though it’s not always as daunting as it sounds.
For any website to function at the highest level, a foundational knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is needed to create visually pleasing and responsive layouts that provide a great user experience.
Coding skills enable designers to effectively bridge the gap between design and functionality, ensuring that even the most visually stunning website operates seamlessly.
However, there are many website builders and content management systems (CMS) available that offer drag-and-drop templates and minimal coding requirements.
These can be great options for businesses that want to create a basic website quickly and easily, despite having limited resources or technical expertise
But are they the best option for businesses looking to stand out from the competition and create a truly memorable website?
Are Website Builders Better Than Hiring a Web Design Company?
A website builder is probably more affordable than hiring a website company, but they’re not exactly better.
While platforms like WordPress and Squarespace provide user-friendly alternatives that boast drag-and-drop functionality, offering a seemingly straightforward solution for those without coding expertise, they aren’t always the optimal choice.
Such builders can limit the creativity and customisation necessary for developing a truly intuitive and standout online presence.
For a website that not only looks and feels unique but also delivers a seamless user experience, collaborating with an experienced web design studio is often invaluable.
These professionals possess the coding skills and design skills required to craft a website that resonates with your brand identity and captivates your audience.
By partnering with an expert website design studio (like Inc Studio), businesses can ensure their digital platform is both innovative and memorable, setting them apart from the competition.
Want to Upgrade Your Website?
Intuitive website design is essential for any business looking to organically grow online and become one of the biggest players in their industry.
Your potential and returning customers should be able to seamlessly navigate your website without any confusion, effectively communicate with your business, and ultimately convert into loyal customers.
By implementing the above strategies and working with a professional web design studio, you can create a website that not only looks great but also sets you apart from the competition and drives real results for your business.
With years of proven experience behind us, Inc Studio is the trusted web design partner of any forward-thinking business.
Our industry specialists develop innovative UI/UX designs that will elevate your brand above competitors and capture the attention of potential customers.
Don’t settle for a subpar website – invest in a powerful, intuitive design that will take your business to the next level. To learn more, contact our expert team today.