The success of your website, app, software, product, or service delivery largely depends on the user experience. If a user is gripped by good design, from the point where they hear about your business to visiting your portal and then making the plunge and becoming a customer, the chances are they’ll come back over and over again. They won’t just come back, but instead, bring with them an influx of new business relative to just how well they were treated.

The Value of A Good User Experience

Usability is of paramount importance. Good user experience design leads the viewer through the shortest number of steps in the most satisfying way while ticking all their boxes on the way there. Well-designed workflows fulfill the users’ needs without them needing to pause and ask for anything. Hesitation opens a gap to contemplate alternate options, and that is the last thing that you want.

When to Measure UX Metrics

There are three main times that user experience metrics should be measured. Firstly, before you even allow your website, app, or service/product portal to be used, work out what UX metrics you’ll be measuring and how. The UX data from your product launch is vital information, so be sure that you’re ready to monitor from the start.

Now that your product has launched and the first information concerning the user experience harvested, now it’s time to improve or implement any additional steps or design features needed to collect the user insights you’ve determined you’ve needed now that the up is in use. After you’ve planned your product improvement, measure UX metrics, and carry out the redesign.

After any additional development or redesign work has been done, it’s not time to gather data once again. Measure and compare your results across various periods and see whether your projected improvements have produced  the results that you’re looking for.

User Experience Key Performance Indicators

Here’s a look at the main quantitative and qualitative key performance indicators that you should consider using to measure the user-friendliness of your user experience.

Quantitative

Quantitative feedback gives definite numbers, but this doesn’t mean that qualitative metrics should be ignored. Quantitative KPIs need to be split tested and used in conjunction with surveys that give consumer opinions. Striking a balance between the two measures is essential. Here are the most useful quantitative key performance indicators.

Task Success Rate

Task success rate won’t tell you why a task is being incorrectly executed. However, for workflows with a definite endpoint, such as whether or not a product sells or whether or not a form captures a lead, this metric gives you clear indications. While many other variables are needed to make a strategic change, the higher your task success rate, the better the user experience you’ve crafted.

Calculate Task Success Rate as follows:

(Total Number of Tasks Successfully Completed) Divided By (Total Number of Task Attempts) Multiplied By 100  = Task Success Rate

Time On Task

Given the trend for ever-shortening attention spans and the drive for higher productivity, the time on task KPI is very valuable. Time on task is usually evaluated as an overall average for all tasks, but you can render this information more specifically to gain overviews of the performance of different departments or areas of your design.

Calculate Time on Task as follows:

Total the duration of all the tasks in question and then divide the total time by the number of tasks.

Search Vs. Navigation

It is very unlikely that you will need both a search function and a navigation bar on every part of your site, portal, or app. In most cases, the less often users resort to using on-site search, the better your UX experience. Test every page and part of your site to measure the frequency of use for search and navigation independently. You’ll normally find that search can be omitted completely other than in the case of a well-structure site with hundreds or thousands of pages and many categories.

Calculate Search Vs. Navigation as follows:

Determine each individually and compare metrics.

(Total Number of Search Query Tasks) Divided by (Total Number of Tasks Overall) Multiplied by 100

(Total Number of Navigation Tasks) Divided by (Total Number of Tasks Overall) Multiplied by 100

User Error Rate

The user error rate shows you how many times users have made incorrect entries. If wrong entries keep coming up, then there is definitely something wrong with the user-friendliness of your design. Measure the error occurrence rate if you’re tracking single issues or comparing them, and use the error rate KPI for detecting multiple errors.

Calculate User Error Rate as follows:

Total Number of Error Divided By Total Number of Attempts = User Error Rate

Calculate User Error Occurrence Rate as follows:

Total Number of Errors Occurred Divided By Total Number of Potential Errors = User Error Occurrence Rate

Qualitative

Qualitative feedback grants fantastic insights but typically requires a survey or test group that’s fairly large in order for accuracy to be assured. The best way to ensure that you’re testing is giving actionable feedback and metrics is to rely on two testing methods, both qualitative and quantitive, equally. Here’s a look at some of the most useful qualitative key performance indicators available.

Customer Satisfaction

The customer satisfaction score, often abbreviated as CSAT, is a scaling metric that typically provides the following range: very unsatisfied, unsatisfied, neutral, satisfied, and very satisfied. CSAT scores should be collected for multiple points of interaction. Harvesting data from the whole funnel will show you which stage is causing the customer to get stuck, frustrated, or otherwise deterred.

Calculate Customer Satisfaction Rate as follows:

Present customers with a survey that presents a range from very unsatisfied to very satisfied. Add only the satisfied and very satisfied scores.

(Value of Total Satisfied & Very Satisfied) Divided By (Total Users Surveyed) Multiplied By 100 = Customer Satisfaction Rate

Net Promoter Score

The Net Promoter score typically scales from 0, being not at all likely, to 10, being extremely likely. The only question asked is how likely it is that the customer will recommend your website, app, brand, product, or service to a friend, family member, or colleague? Scores between 0 and 6 are classed as detractors, while 7 and 8 are passives, and promoters are 9 and 1.

0 to 6 – Detractors are unhappy customers who will either never use your services again or create problems with your brand image with their opinions.

7 & 8 – Passives are happy customers with little to no loyalty – they liked your product or services but aren’t motivated enough to be returning customers or word-of-mouth promoters of your brand.

9 & 10 – Promoters are loyal, returning customers whose opinions of your company, product, or services are sure to be ongoing repeat customers who love the company’s products or services and are enthusiastic supporters that will recommend the company to others they know.

Once your survey is complete, calculate your net promoter score as follows, ignoring all passive results:

(Total Number of Promoters Less Total Number of Detractors) Divided By (Total Number of Respondents) x 100 = Net Promoter Score.

Mistakes to Avoid When Analyzing UX Metrics

Too Many Metrics

Metrics are valuable, but not unless you’re gaining actionable knowledge and insight from your tracking. Don’t make the mistake of adding more and more data points without focusing on tracking that influence actual decision making instead of just providing information.

Unreliable, Unstructured Data

Individual metrics show very little by themselves. All data needs to be compared to the big picture, evaluating results against the whole of your design. Compare metrics from different parts of your funnel, testing more than one to make sure that your results are conclusive before making any decision. Data needs to be collected according to a blueprint of what you’re trying to achieve or understand. Single data points should seldom be trusted until they’re a part of a larger evaluation.

Improper Context of Metrics

Far too often, broad metrics are harvested, which give little actual insight. Knowing the total number of site visits isn’t going to reveal much but measuring how they interact with various parts of your site will show you what needs changing. Data points need to be strategically set; evaluating specific sections of your design so that you know what needs work. Marketing metrics need to be specific and always harvested in context, letting the marketer discover something definite instead of vague.

Put UX First

User experience or UX design needs to be at the forefront of your website, mobile app, or desktop software and its marketing strategy. When content and interfaces are created with the experience of the user forming the benchmark, success across the board rises as new insights become apparent.

Here at Opportunity, we have carefully crafted every part of our platform to intuitively fill your needs. Whether you’re looking for a new staff member, sales contact, a like-minded professional, or are joining the job search – we encourage you to see firsthand what our cutting-edge search and matching algorithm can do for you. With our new and improved UX, connecting with those who matter has never been easier or more effective.