[Beginner – 104] 7 User Experience Blogs That Will Turn You Into a Master
For those in the marketing, business, or blogging world, creating a website and blog with a heavy focus on user experience is incredibly important and beneficial to a brand.
It’s also incredibly challenging, which is why many lack a cohesive web experience.
Rather than just focusing on quality graphics, a well-designed layout, or valuable content, user experience seeks to truly provide the user with the best experience possible. That comes in the form of easy page navigation, findable and credible information, as well as readability.
What is User Experience and Why is it Important to My Content Marketing Strategy?
In essence, user experience (UX), is the entire package regarding audience satisfaction with your website. Great user experience lies in creating a website that is highly useful, and highly enjoyable to use for the audience.
While UX can require a lot of work to artfully master, user experience is an incredibly significant aspect of helping you retain readers and increase conversions.
Understanding what makes a great user experience can be hard to figure out on your own, though.
So, we put together a collection of the top user experience blogs within the field to help assist you in creating your own expert UX website.
A List Apart – Explores the design, development, and meaning of web content, with a special focus on web standards and best practices.
Originally starting as a magazine, this popular user experience blog now features help and information articles on coding, content, design, process, industry, and business, and of course, user experience.
Within the user experience category of their blog, find a wealth of knowledge regarding user research (how to conduct and utilize it), the usability of websites (and how to maximize it), interactive designs, information architecture, and accessibility.
A List Apart is a great place to start for a person hoping to improve the UX of their own website.
Boxes and Arrows – Devoted to the practice, innovation, and discussion of design; including graphic design, interaction design, information architecture and the design of business.
Boxes and Arrows is incredibly informative, and is one of the only blogs of its kind, acting as a peer-written publishing source.
The site features valuable information about design principles, research, testing, interfaces, processes, methods, and documentation.
They also have book reviews, information about upcoming conferences and events, and must-know info about the best software and tools.
Putting People First – Daily insights on user experience, experience design and people-centred innovation, by international UX consultancy Experientia.
Experientia is a global consulting firm that’s based in Italy, but their blog has articles on just about everything a marketer, blogger, or business owner could possibly need to know about enhancing the experience for the user.
While their main focus is of course on UX, you can also find content about social media, design, culture, business-specific information, audience-specific information, and even social issues.
Mashable’s UX Category – Documenting and shaping the digital revolution in a new voice, new formats and cutting-edge technologies
Of course, the leading global media company that informs, inspires and entertains the digital generation would have a category on user experience.
Rather than focusing on the technical details of it all – like how to write code or improve graphic design – Mashable’s UX blog provides straightforward, easy to understand information for those who may not know where to begin.
A person hoping to increase the UX value of their own website can read about things like: why color (and more) matters to a website, big UX mistakes to avoid, easy ways to make your website “mobile-first” and more.
If you’re looking for simple yet relevant information about UX, Mashable is the UX resource for you.
User Experience Magazine – Publishes a wide range of articles dealing with the broad field of usability and the user experience.
User Experience Magazine is not only beautiful to look at, but it’s also easy to navigate and understand. With abstracts for all articles are translated into five additional languages, it’s the perfect destination for marketers and business owners across the globe looking to learn more about UX.
Definitely worth bookmarking, find information on everything from how to conduct global research, to how design can influence the future.
Learn better from reading traditional books? User Experience Magazine also hosts book review articles on a variety of UX topics so you know what hard-copies are worth your time and investment.
Six Revisions – Articles, guides, tutorials, news and other forms of content for people who design and build sites and apps.
Six Revisions is an awesome blog that focuses predominantly on the look of a website, with a huge emphasis on things like typography and content sliders, and other elements of reading a page.
While a lot of other UX blogs might focus on things like content or navigation, Six Revisions breaks up information into more sizeable, specific, and manageable tasks.
Learn things like how to choose great fonts that work well together as part of a more simplified experience.
Nielsen Norman Group Alertbox – Current Issues in Web Usability
Alertbox is the blog that is all about keeping marketers, bloggers, and business owners up-to-date with what’s happening in regards to user experience.
Published by the Nielsen Norman Group, the blog offers guidance and trending information about animation, video usability, product descriptions, optimization for mobile and tablet use, common mistakes in web design, and more.
For those who are just getting started with UX, their “Usability 101: Introduction to Usability” post is a great place to begin.
Conclusion
The blogs listed above are some of the best in the industry.
When it comes to information about how to improve the UX for your audience and readers, we hope you will refer to them on a regular basis.
Remember that user experience is an essential component of a great content marketing strategy. It can help you connect with your customer base in a unique and meaningful way, providing them with exactly what they’re looking for.
When your consumers get what they want (a great UX!), they’re more likely to return to your website, refer your business to others, engage with your brand, and ultimately become a customer.