Launching a website is exciting, but before you hit that “publish” button, you need to make sure it’s actually ready for real users. A huge part of making a website successful is its user experience (UX). That’s where a UX checklist for websites comes in handy. It helps you spot problems early and ensures your users have an enjoyable experience.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through a detailed UX checklist for websites—from what to check before launch to how to keep things running smoothly after. Stick with us, and by the end, you’ll know exactly what to do to avoid common mistakes and create a website your users will love.
What is User Experience (UX)?
Before we dive in, let’s cover the basics: User experience (UX) is all about how users feel when they’re on your website. It’s about more than just looks—it’s how easily they can find what they need, how smoothly your site runs, and how enjoyable (or frustrating!) the whole process is.
For example, imagine you’re shopping online. If the checkout process is easy and quick, you’ll probably have a positive user experience. But if you’re left scratching your head trying to navigate a confusing site, you’ll likely leave and never look back. That’s why UX is so important—it makes sure your users can get things done without any headaches.
UX Research: Know Your Website’s Users Before Launch
Before your site goes live, it’s essential to understand your users. This is where UX research comes in. Think of it as learning the ropes of who’s visiting your site and what they expect from it. The more you know about them, the better you can design your site to meet their needs.
Here are a few easy starting points if you’ve never done UX research before.
Spy on Your Competitors (In a Good Way)
A quick and easy way to start your UX research is by checking out your competitors’ websites. See what they’re doing right and where they’re dropping the ball. Maybe their site loads fast but has clunky navigation, or maybe their design is on point but the placement of the all-important “Add to Cart” button does not follow usability heuristics.
By studying what others are doing, you can get a good sense of what users expect in your industry—and how you can go above and beyond to deliver a better experience.
Create User Personas to Design for Real People
Once you’ve got some UX research under your belt, it’s time to build user personas. Think of these as fictional profiles that represent your audience. For example, one persona might be “Speedy Sam,” who values quick loading times and simple navigation, while another might be “Detail-Oriented Donna,” who loves in-depth content and advanced search options.
Designing your website with these personas in mind ensures that it meets the needs of the people who actually use it. And trust us, designing for real humans is always a good idea.
Usability: The Heart of Your UX Checklist for Websites
Usability is all about making sure your website is easy to use. If people can’t figure out how to navigate your site, they won’t stick around. So, a key part of any UX checklist for websites is ensuring your site is simple and intuitive to use.
Here are a few common but crucial usability tips you can implement before launching your website.
Keep Your Navigation as Smooth as Butter
Your website’s navigation should be crystal clear. Users should know exactly where to go to find what they need, and they should never feel lost. Keep your menus tidy and organized—think of it as creating a “roadmap” for visitors.
For example, group pages like “About Us,” “Our Team,” and “Careers” under a main “About” section. If you have lots of categories, use submenus or dropdowns to avoid overwhelming users with too many choices upfront.
Test Your Website Across Devices and Browsers
In today’s world, people are accessing your site from all sorts of devices—desktops, smartphones, tablets—you name it. It’s important to make sure your site looks and works great everywhere, no matter the screen size or browser. This step is key to offering a consistent user experience for everyone.
Use tools like BrowserStack to test your website on different devices and browsers like Chrome, Safari, and Firefox. And while emulators are great, it’s always a good idea to do some testing on real devices too. After all, nothing beats the real thing!
Get Your Content Organized with Solid Information Architecture
Information architecture (IA) sounds fancy, but it’s really just about organizing your content so that it’s easy to navigate. If users can’t find what they’re looking for quickly, they’re likely to bail. So, a big part of your UX checklist should be structuring your site in a logical way.
Some tips for good IA:
- Group related content together.
- Use clear headings and subheadings.
- Label your menu items in simple, straightforward language.
For example, an online store could have all its product categories under one main “Shop” section, with subcategories for “Men’s Clothing,” “Women’s Clothing,” and so on. The easier it is for users to find what they need, the happier they’ll be.
One easy way to check and test whether your IA is appropriate is to conduct a Card Sort Test, and/or a Tree Test. Both of these methods give you valuable insights into how users perceive and interact with the structure of your website. Let’s break down both methods and explore how they contribute to building a website with excellent UX.
Understand How Users Categorize Information With Card Sorting
Card Sorting is a great starting point for understanding how your users mentally categorize information. In this test, participants are asked to group content into categories that make the most sense to them.
By observing these natural groupings, you can uncover your users’ mental models—essentially, how they expect information to be organized. The data from a Card Sorting exercise can then be used to improve the Information Architecture of your website. This test is particularly helpful when you’re setting up a new website or redesigning an existing one, as it lays the foundation for a clear and logical structure.
See If The Insights From Card Sorting Align With Tree Tests
Once you’ve completed Card Sorting, a Tree Test is the next logical step. In this test, participants are asked to use a simplified, hierarchical “map” of your website—often called a “tree”—to locate specific content.
This allows you to see if the categories and structure you’ve implemented from your Card Sorting results actually work in practice. Tree Testing is an excellent way to validate your Information Architecture and ensure that users can find what they’re looking for quickly and easily. It helps you catch any areas where the navigation might be confusing, giving you the opportunity to fine-tune your website’s structure before launch.
Make Your Website Shine on Mobile
With most web traffic now coming from mobile devices, you can’t afford to overlook mobile usability. A mobile-first approach means designing your site so it works perfectly on smaller screens, with large buttons, readable text, and fast loading times.
Top Tips for Mobile Optimization:
- Compress images: Reduce file sizes to speed up load times without sacrificing quality.
- Minimize scripts: Too much JavaScript can slow things down, so stick to the essentials.
- Tap-friendly buttons: Make sure your buttons are big enough to tap (at least 44×44 pixels!).
- Readability: Use fonts that are large enough to read comfortably on small screens.
- Responsive design: Ensure your layout adapts to different screen sizes, so it looks great on phones and tablets alike.
Validate Your Website’s UX with User Testing
You wouldn’t buy a car without taking it for a test drive, right? Same goes for your website. User testing allows you to see how real users interact with your site and whether it’s working as expected.
Different Types of User Testing:
- Moderated Testing: You guide users through tasks and watch how they navigate.
- Unmoderated Testing: Users explore your site on their own, and you observe what they do.
UX testing tools like Userlytics make this process easy. By watching how users interact with your site, you can fix any issues before going live. After all, nothing beats feedback from real people.
Don’t Forget Accessibility: Everyone Should Be Able to Use Your Website
Website accessibility is about making sure everyone—including people with disabilities—can use your site. Things like screen reader compatibility, keyboard-friendly navigation, and adjustable text sizes make your website easier for everyone to navigate.
Accessibility isn’t just a bonus—it’s essential. And it’s a great way to ensure your UX meets the needs of all your users.
Accessibility Testing
Make sure accessibility testing is part of your UX checklist. Tools like WAVE can help you find areas of your site that may not be accessible to everyone. Small changes can make a big difference in reaching a broader audience.
Security and UX: Keep Users Safe
Security might not seem like a UX issue, but it absolutely is. Your users need to trust that their information is safe. Features like SSL certificates and HTTPS encryption help build that trust. Plus, it’s always good practice to be upfront about how you’re using and protecting their data.
If users feel secure, they’re much more likely to engage with your site, fill out forms, make purchases, and give you their personal information. So, keep security on your UX checklist to create a better overall experience.
Handle Errors Like a Pro
Let’s face it: things go wrong. Users may run into errors like broken links or missing pages. The key is how you handle those moments. Instead of a boring “404 Not Found” message, why not design a helpful error page that explains what went wrong and gives users options to get back on track?
For example, suggest other popular pages or offer a search bar right on the error page. This way, even when things go wrong, you’re still providing a positive user experience.
Keep Monitoring Your UX After Launch
The work doesn’t end when your site goes live. To make sure your website is hitting the mark, there are some key metrics you’ll want to track regularly. These numbers will help you understand how well your site is performing and give you insight into areas where you can make tweaks to improve the user experience.
- Bounce rate: This tells you how many users leave your site after visiting just one page. A high bounce rate could mean your site’s not engaging enough, or users aren’t finding what they need quickly. It’s a red flag on your UX checklist that you might need to adjust your content or navigation.
- Conversion rate: Your conversion rate measures how many visitors complete an important action, like signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase. A low conversion rate could indicate usability issues or that your calls-to-action aren’t clear enough.
- Average session duration: This metric shows how long visitors are sticking around on your site. If users are spending more time on your pages, it’s a sign they’re finding the content valuable. Short sessions, on the other hand, might mean your information architecture needs some work.
- Pages per session: This shows how many pages a user visits in a single session. If people are clicking through multiple pages, that’s a good indication that your UX and navigation are on point. If not, it’s time to revisit your UX and see where users are getting stuck.
- Exit rate: The exit rate tells you where users are leaving your site. If they’re exiting on important pages—like your checkout or product pages—it could point to a usability problem. High exit rates on key pages should definitely trigger a review of your website.
- Load time: Nobody likes waiting for slow-loading pages. If your site is taking too long to load, users will leave before they even get a chance to engage. Keeping your load time fast is crucial for user experience, especially since slow speeds often lead to higher bounce rates.
- Click-through rate (CTR): CTR measures how often users click on links or buttons compared to how many times they’re seen. If people aren’t clicking your calls-to-action, it could be an issue with the design or placement—definitely something to check off in your UX checklist.
- Scroll depth: Scroll depth shows how far down a page users are scrolling. If they aren’t making it far enough to see important content, it could mean that your page layout isn’t grabbing their attention. Adjusting your content based on this feedback can improve the user experience and usability.
By tracking these metrics regularly, you’ll have the insights you need to keep refining your UX and making smart adjustments. Even small improvements—like speeding up load times, simplifying navigation, or improving page layouts—can make a huge difference in how users experience your site.
Conclusion: UX is Never “Done”
Your website’s user experience isn’t a one-time project. It’s an ongoing process that evolves as you learn more about your users.
Think of UX Research and Usability Testing like brushing your teeth, not like a dentist visit—it’s something you should do regularly. Keep gathering feedback, making improvements, and adapting to the needs of your users, and your site will keep them coming back for more.
To recap, here’s your essential UX checklist for websites—a step-by-step guide to ensuring your site delivers the best user experience:
- Conduct UX research: Understand your audience and competitors to make informed design decisions for your website.
- Spy on your competitors: Review their user experience to identify gaps and opportunities to improve your own ux checklist for websites.
- Create user personas: Tailor your site to meet the needs of real users by developing personas that guide your design process.
- Simplify navigation: Keep your site’s navigation intuitive and well-organized to make sure users can find what they need easily.
- Test for device and browser compatibility: Ensure your site works seamlessly across all devices and browsers for consistent usability.
- Optimize information architecture: Structure your content logically with clear headings and categories so users can easily locate information.
- Mobile optimization: Prioritize mobile usability by compressing images, reducing scripts, and ensuring responsive design for small screens.
- User testing: Validate your UX checklist by testing your site with real users to identify any usability issues before launch.
- Accessibility: Make your site accessible to all users, including those with disabilities, by following best practices for web accessibility.
- Website security: Build trust with users by implementing SSL certificates and being transparent about how you handle their data.
- Handle errors gracefully: Design helpful error pages and clear instructions for fixing form issues to keep users engaged even when things go wrong.
- Monitor UX after launch: Use tools like Google Analytics to monitor your website’s metrics, and platforms like Userlytics to dig deeper into the “why” behind the issues Analytics reveals, so you can continuously enhance the user experience.
By following this UX checklist for websites, you’ll cover all the bases and deliver a polished, user-friendly site. Whether it’s conducting UX research, optimizing usability, or ensuring mobile compatibility, this UX checklist will help you create a website that users love. And remember—your work doesn’t stop after launch. Continuously improving your site’s UX will keep users coming back for more.
Why not let Userlytics help you make sure your website checks all the right boxes before launch? With our all-in-one toolkit, we’ve got you covered—whether you’re testing prototypes, recruiting participants for UX studies, or tracking how well your site performs once it’s live. Need more details? Just reach out to us, and we’ll be happy to help.
FAQ
What is a UX checklist for websites?
A UX checklist for websites is a step-by-step guide to ensure your website provides a great user experience. It covers essential aspects such as usability, navigation, mobile optimization, accessibility, and user testing. Following this checklist helps catch potential issues before launch and keeps your website user-friendly after it goes live.
Why is UX important for websites?
UX is crucial because it directly impacts how users interact with your site. A good user experience means visitors can easily find what they need and complete tasks without frustration. This leads to higher engagement, lower bounce rates, and ultimately, better conversion rates. A poor UX, on the other hand, can drive users away, costing you potential customers.
What should be included in a UX checklist for websites?
A solid UX checklist for websites should include:
UX research to understand your users
Creating user personas
Ensuring clear navigation
Testing for mobile and browser compatibility
Structuring content with good information architecture
Conducting user testing
Optimizing for accessibility
Ensuring site security
Monitoring UX after launch
How do you test a website's UX?
To test a website’s UX, you can conduct user testing through methods like moderated or unmoderated testing, card sorts, tree tests and more. Real users interact with your site, and you observe how they navigate, complete tasks, and identify any usability issues. Tools like Userlytics make it easy to run these tests and gather valuable feedback to improve your site.
Why is mobile optimization a key part of a UX checklist?
With more than half of web traffic coming from mobile devices, mobile optimization is crucial. A mobile-optimized website adapts to smaller screens, ensuring that users can navigate, interact, and read content without any issues. This is a key part of a UX checklist for websites, as poor mobile usability can lead to frustrated users and high bounce rates.
How often should I update my UX checklist for websites?
Your UX checklist should evolve as your website grows and user behavior changes. It's important to continuously monitor how users interact with your site, collect feedback, and make adjustments based on data. Regular updates to your checklist for websites ensure that your site stays user-friendly and responsive to new trends and technologies.
What tools can help with UX research and monitoring?
Tools like Google Analytics, Hotjar, and Userlytics are great for conducting UX research and monitoring how users engage with your site. These tools provide valuable insights into user behavior, such as where they spend the most time or where they drop off. By using these tools, you can make data-driven decisions to improve your user experience.
About the Author: Userlytics
Since 2009 we have been helping enterprises, governmental organizations, non-profits, agencies and startups optimize their user experience, or UX. With our state-of-the-art platform, massive global participant panel and unlimited accounts/seats for democratizing user research, we are the best all-in-one solution for remote user testing.
Schedule a Free DemoEl Taghdouini, M. September 30, 2024. UX Checklist for Websites: Crucial Steps Before Going Live. Userlytics.
