By Brittany Lavy

UX design is all about creating experiences that are easy to use and feel natural. One of the design practices commonly used  to improve how users interact with your site is by performing a UX Audit. Through this process, problem areas are identified  that make users feel frustrated, confused, or leave before they complete their journey. The ultimate goal of a UX audit is to fix issues and create a smoother, more enjoyable experience.

Why a usability audit matters 

A usability audit is the first step in spotting your users’ pain points, any bumps in their journey, and areas that could use some improvement on your site or digital product. Once we’ve done that, we can create a roadmap of areas to focus on and tweak to make sure your audience gets the best possible user experience.

Here are some ways UX audits can help improve your product: 

Usability problems throughout the product
If users get stuck, lost, or frustrated, they won’t stick around.  Definitely not what you want! This step helps ensure users reach their intended destination—both where they need to go and where you want them to go. 

We find usability problems by using well-known guidelines called  the 10 Heuristics. Developed by Jakob Nielsen, these general principles serve as a “rule of thumb” for how we can make UX easier and more effective. 

Streamlining a user’s journey
A website should guide users effortlessly to their goals. Some common user goals are making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or finding information. 

Simplifying the user’s journey and helping them achieve their goals boosts satisfaction, increases conversion rates, and strengthens brand perception.

Data-driven recommendations
When designing a site, we’re not always the ones using it, so we might make assumptions about the user’s experience. A usability audit helps us see how real users interact with your site or digital product, giving us a clear idea on how to make improvements.

Enhance accessibility
It’s important to make sure all users have an easy experience when interacting with your brand. Auditing the site or digital product can identify areas that may not be accessible for people with disabilities, like those with low vision or deafness, and adjust those areas to be compliant with general accessibility guidelines. Making sure your site meets accessibility guidelines means a better experience for all users.

Keeping costs low
Spotting UX issues in an audit can help save on development costs. By tackling problems early and designing with the user in mind, we can fix issues before diving into development or redesign. This not only saves time later on but also reduces the need for expensive changes further down the road.

User satisfaction and loyalty
Thanks to the UX audit, we can create a great user experience. When a product is simple to use, intuitive, and effective, users are more likely to enjoy interacting with it. This boosts satisfaction and helps build long-term loyalty with your users.

When should you do a usability audit? 

There are several moments when you should consider performing a usability audit. 

When redesigning a site or product
Starting with a UX audit on your current site or product helps spot areas for improvement and highlights what’s already working well. This gives us a solid starting point for wireframing and lets us fix usability issues early, so we can tackle them before development begins.

When you notice more help requests or a drop in conversion rates
A targeted audit can help pinpoint where users are getting stuck or abandoning the site. We can focus on specific pages or user journeys to see where things are going wrong.

When adding new features or pages
Before launching new features or pages, a usability audit helps us figure out how they’ll fit into the current experience. This way, we can address any issues that might affect user adoption before the feature or page goes live.

As part of regular maintenance
An annual or biannual audit keeps things running smoothly by identifying and fixing issues over time. It also sets up a routine for addressing usability challenges on an ongoing basis.

What level of audit makes sense for you?

Usability audits can vary in depth and scope depending on client goals, resources and timelines. There are four levels of a usability audit to choose from. 

1. A Quick Scan
   The goal of a quick scan audit is to identify usability issues with minimal time investment. A report of general findings and high-level recommendations will be created to address important issues quickly. This type of audit is ideal for quick deadlines and tight budgets.
   
2. A Standard Audit
   A standard level audit is used to uncover usability issues with detailed findings and recommendations. A standard audit can be used for product redesigns and regular ongoing maintenance. This is great for spotting user and industry trends that will improve your user experience.
   
3. A Comprehensive Audit
   A comprehensive audit is used to conduct a thorough analysis of the product when addressing major site redesigns, product pivots or addressing significant usability issues. This is perfect for companies looking for long-term investments and success into their products and user satisfaction.
   
4. A Specialized Audit
   A specialized audit is used to address specific concerns with the UX. This is used when certain areas need attention or compliance. Types of specialized audits include mobile usability audits, accessibility audits, a content audit and more. 

Where to start

Ready to elevate your user’s experience? At Digital Yalo we don’t just identify usability issues but we work to craft solutions. Whether you’re in need of a quick scan, a comprehensive deep dive, or a specialized approach, our team has the expertise to guide you along the way. 

Contact us today and let’s work together to create meaningful experiences for your users.

When Mizkan America, Inc.’s most iconic pasta sauce brand, RAGU®, partnered with the fiery YouTube game show, Hot Ones™, it was destined to be a collaboration worth talking about. The result? The RAGÚ® x Hot Ones^TM Limited Edition Heat Pack featuring three unique fiery flavors with progressively hotter flavors, available at Amazon and Kroger. 

When it came time to bring this hot collaboration to life online, Mizkan America turned to Yalo to create a digital experience that would capture the excitement.

Cooking Up the Perfect Website

Our team at Yalo was tasked with designing and developing a microsite that did justice to the bold flavors and fun spirit of this collaboration. The end result was raguxhotones.com, a stunning website we really think brings the heat – literally and figuratively.

We knew the site had to do more than just showcase the new spicy pasta sauces; it needed to bring users into the world of RAGU x Hot Ones. From dynamic fire visuals, seamless functionality for exploring the sauces, and intuitive integration of recipes for each sauce, we knew each and every detail needed to be dialed up to deliver an engaging user experience.

The Challenges and Our Solutions

Every project comes with unique challenges, and the RAGU x Hot Ones microsite was no exception. Our first task to accomplish was to encourage purchases off-site, as the gift pack is available only on Amazon and Kroger. To address this, we added Amazon buttons into the site and incorporated MikMak, a third-party tool that shows store availability near the user. These efforts meant users could seamlessly interact with the site to purchase.

Another challenge was effectively showcasing recipes for each sauce flavor. To highlight the versatility of the sauces, we added functionality on the recipes page that allows users to toggle between each sauce’s heat level, revealing two unique recipes per sauce.

Finally, we knew that most users would access the site via a QR code on the packaging, making mobile optimization a no-brainer. We approached this by designing the microsite as a mobile-first experience. Our team made sure that the layout, navigation, and overall functionality were optimized for users on the go, without feeling annoyed that the content wasn’t seamless on a mobile device.

Why We’re Proud

This project embodies everything Yalo stands for: creativity, collaboration, and delivering impact for our clients. It wasn’t just about building a site; it was about crafting an experience that celebrates an exciting partnership and turns visitors into customers.

As a team, we couldn’t be prouder of raguxhotones.com. It’s a perfect example of how we bring brands together to create something truly memorable – and, maybe with a little bit of spice.

Email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to engage with your audience, nurture leads, and drive conversions. In fact, when it comes to driving sales, email outperforms social media posts by 13% and social media ads by 11%.

With that said, delivering best-in-class email marketing is as much about what a brand should do as what it shouldn’t. Here are seven critical mistakes to avoid in your next email campaign so you can see better engagement and connect to your audience.

1. Not Personalizing Your Emails

Gone are the days when a generic “Dear Customer” is enough to satisfy an email subscriber. A better strategy is to tailor messaging to a specific audience so they have a built-in connection to your content. Personalized emails average an impressive open rate 29% higher and an outstanding click-through rate 41% higher than emails that aren’t personalized. 

Ways to personalize

• Use Names: Address your recipients by their first name. It’s a simple change that can make your emails feel more personal.
• Segment Your Audience: Divide your email list into segments based on demographics, behavior, purchase history, and other relevant criteria. This allows you to send targeted messages to each group that will make them more likely to be interested in your offer.
• Dynamic Content: Use dynamic content blocks that change based on the recipient’s information or behavior. For example, show different products to customers based on their past purchases or previous engagement.

Common Pitfalls

• Over-Personalization: While personalization is crucial, overdoing it can come off as creepy. Stick to using information your recipients have willingly provided.
• Inaccurate Data: Ensure your data is clean and up-to-date. Sending an email with the wrong name or irrelevant content can hurt your credibility.

2. Not Adding Value for the User

Whether it’s informative content, a special offer, or a useful tip, the value of each email should be clear and compelling. If your emails consistently add value, your audience will look forward to receiving them. 

Strategies to Add Value

• Educational Content: Share insights, how-tos, and industry news that can help your audience solve problems or improve their skills.
• Exclusive Offers: Provide special discounts or early access to new products for your email subscribers.
• Entertaining Content: Sometimes, adding value can simply mean entertaining your audience with engaging stories, videos, or graphics.

Mistakes to Avoid

• Sales-Only Focus: If all your emails are focused on making a sale, you’ll quickly lose your audience’s interest. Balance promotional content with value-driven content and avoid language that feels too gimmicky. 
• Irrelevant Information: Ensure the value you provide is relevant to your audience’s interests and needs. For example, putting an unrelated article in an email or adding superfluous information can quickly make a user disengage. Irrelevant content can lead to high unsubscribe rates. It’s better to have simple, clear content than overwhelm your audience.

3. Not Having a Clear ‘Why’

Every email should have a clear purpose. This ‘why’ should guide your content creation and provide a clear takeaway for your audience. Without a clear purpose, your emails might feel directionless, or have your users wondering why they’re getting the email in the first place. 

Defining Your ‘Why’

• Set Goals: Determine what you want to achieve with each email. Is it to drive traffic to your website, promote a new product, or educate your audience? Identify Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) so you can track what makes your emails successful and use that information to make your emails even better in the future.
• Craft a Strong Call to Action (CTA): Your CTA should align with your goal and clearly tell your recipients what you want them to do next.
• Consistency: Ensure your email’s content, design, and CTA all support the main purpose.

Common Errors

• Multiple Purposes: Trying to achieve too many goals in one email can dilute your message and confuse your audience. Stick to one main purpose per email.
• Weak CTAs: A weak or unclear CTA can leave your audience unsure of what to do, reducing the effectiveness of your email.

4. Ignoring Mobile Optimization

More than half of all emails are opened on mobile devices. If your emails aren’t optimized for mobile, you’re likely failing to connect with a significant portion of your audience. Mobile optimization ensures your emails look great and function well on any device.

Best Practices for Mobile Optimization

• Responsive Design: Use responsive email templates that automatically adjust to fit any screen size.
• Short and Sweet: Keep your subject lines and content concise. Mobile users prefer short, easily digestible information.
• Touch-Friendly CTAs: Ensure your CTAs (and buttons) are large enough to be easily tapped on a touchscreen.

Pitfalls to Avoid

• Small Fonts: Tiny fonts can be hard to read on mobile devices. Use larger, legible fonts to improve readability.
• Wide Images: Images that are too wide can cause horizontal scrolling, which is frustrating for mobile users. Optimize your images for all screen sizes.

5. Neglecting A/B Testing

A/B testing allows you to compare two versions of an email to see which one performs better. This data-driven approach can help you refine your strategy and improve your results over time.

What to Test

• Subject Lines: Test different subject lines to see which one results in more opens.
• Email Content: Experiment with different content formats, tones, and lengths.
• CTAs: Test various CTAs to determine which one drives more clicks.

Mistakes to Avoid

• Testing Too Many Variables: Focus on one variable at a time to get clear, actionable results.
• Ignoring Results: Always analyze your test results and apply the insights to future campaigns.

6. Relying on Text Alone

Emails that rely solely on text can be dull and unengaging—or just have too much to read all at once. Incorporating visual elements such as images, videos, infographics, and GIFs can significantly enhance the appeal and effectiveness of your emails. Visual content can break up long blocks of text, illustrate your points more vividly, and capture your audience’s attention more effectively.

Benefits of Visual Content

• Increased Engagement: Visuals are processed faster by the brain than text, making them more engaging and easier to remember.
• Enhanced Storytelling: Images and videos can tell a story more compellingly than words alone, helping to convey your message more effectively.
• Better Click-Through Rates: Emails with visuals often see higher click-through rates as they are more likely to capture interest and encourage action.

How to Incorporate Visuals

• Use High-Quality Images: Ensure your images are high resolution and relevant to your content.
• Embed Videos: Videos can dramatically increase engagement. Use video thumbnails with play buttons to entice recipients to click. Including videos in your email can increase clickthrough rates by 65%. 
• Add Infographics: Infographics can make complex information more digestible and visually appealing and make emails more fun.

Mistakes to Avoid

• Overloading with Visuals: While visuals are important, too many can make your email look cluttered and slow down load times. Balance text and images for optimal impact.
• Ignoring Alt Text: Always include alt text for images. This ensures that your message is still conveyed even if the images do not load and is accessible to all audiences.

7. Failing to Maintain List Hygiene

A clean email list is crucial for maintaining high deliverability rates and ensuring your emails reach intended recipients. Poor list hygiene can lead to high bounce rates, spam complaints, and a damaged sender reputation.

Best Practices for List Hygiene

• Regularly Remove Inactive Subscribers: Periodically clean your list by removing subscribers who haven’t engaged with your emails for a certain period.
• Use Double Opt-In: Require new subscribers to confirm their email address before adding them to your list. This ensures you’re only adding genuinely interested recipients.
• Monitor Bounce Rates: Keep an eye on your bounce rates and remove invalid email addresses promptly.

By keeping these tips in mind and avoiding these seven common mistakes—neglecting personalization, not adding value, lacking a clear purpose, ignoring mobile optimization, skipping A/B testing, overlooking metrics, and failing to maintain list hygiene—you can enhance your email marketing efforts and achieve better results.

Email marketing has a high payoff and demands strategic attention. Continually refining strategies based on performance data and industry best practices are critical to stay ahead of the curve. With the right approach, email campaigns are a powerful tool for driving engagement, nurturing leads, and boosting conversions.

Need help with your email marketing campaigns? Yalo can help.