Best practices for Ultimate User Interaction and User Engagement

User engagement and interaction doesn’t look the same across all kinds of digital products. 

For instance, an email will always be used more frequently than a shopping or travel app. Therefore, a holistic singular engagement metric doesn’t exist, and there isn’t anything called a ‘golden standard’.

But, broadly speaking, the concept of engagement refers to customers’ interest in a brand or app. Engaged users interact with the app/brand through the purchase of products or services, via social media, and so on. Some of the metrics that you can use to measure user engagement are:

• Pageviews (in case of websites)
• Number of downloads (in case of apps)
• Bounce rate
• Scroll depth
• Time spent on-site/page/app and much more

Wondering why a high user interaction and engagement rate is important? Because 2/3rds of your company’s profits rely on it! A solid user engagement strategy will result in making your brand a customer-centric entity that delivers great value and goes beyond a simple transactional relationship.

Now, take a look at how you can drive user engagement and interaction to boost your business.

1. Make a killer first impression 

Books are judged by their cover and that’s a universal fact. Users don’t have the time to hang out on your app/website and dig up information. You need to focus on your target audience and guide them into making desired actions with an attention-grabbing design. The design should be clear and concise from the start to the finish.

Show your users clearly what you are and what you’re offering. Also, chalk out a path for them to follow. If your end-goal is to make the user purchase a product or subscribe to the mailing list, take them there through simplified navigation.

2. Use UX writing for effectively delivering the brand message 

UX writing shouldn’t be treated as an afterthought when you are trying to boost user engagement. The microcopy used throughout your app or website – form descriptions, CTA buttons, or even modal dialogs – can explain technical details, nudge users toward completing a specific action and encourage them to engage with your product/brand.

Take, for instance, Mailchimp’s well-written, articulate microcopy that propels users toward taking the desired action. The personalized, friendly welcome text captures the attention of the users whenever they log into their account. Also, Mailchimp has kept its calls-to-action and feature descriptions short and easy-to-understand. The content looks like it has been written for everyone and not just someone who has a technical background.

Source

For more personalized content ideas, you can check out how we’ve designed the content for Robi. The message is delivered in simple, yet impactful words.

3. Add a chat box to interact with users in real-time

If you want user engagement, you need to make it easy for users to connect with you. By adding a chatbox on the homepage or in the dashboard, you’ll be making it easier for your users to have their questions answered in real-time. They don’t have to wait for a callback or email response.

Since a chat box is an essential customer service tool, we included it in Celes Care’s design. The ‘Chat Now’ option allows users to quickly have their doubts resolved and they can go on to have a great experience exploring the app.

4. Simplify platform registration 

Typically, user interaction with an app starts from registration. This is the first touchpoint. When thinking of the registration process, keep it simple. Only ask for the most important information, such as name, email address, and phone number. Also, clearly show users how they can register on the platform so that they don’t have to dig up that information and feel frustrated by the end of it.

That’s how we’ve designed Viola and kept the instructions simple. To leave no room for error we have even highlighted the ‘register’ box using a different color. So, new users will not face any trouble when they’re trying to register and users with an account will know where to log in.

5. Keep introducing new updates to keep users hooked

Designing and launching an app or website is not the end of the road for you. There’s still so much left for you to do. For instance, you can periodically update the app and fix bugs. Also, you can introduce shiny new features so that users keep using your app. But, how will they know about the latest features that you’ve added?

You need to find an effective channel to announce these updates. This might be through email blasts or new feature announcements within the app. And as you keep introducing features, it will enhance user interaction as they will keep coming back to check what’s new.

6. Encourage feedback, measure the engagement, and keep innovating!

Your app or brand isn’t going to be a success if you don’t understand the needs and wants of your users. The best way to encourage feedback is through the creation of polls or customer feedback popups. Polls or quizzes will give you great insight into the psyche of your users and their valuable feedback will help you rectify the mistakes that you might be making. For instance, users might complain of their app crashing after they have downloaded it or the app might be working too slowly. All of these can result in a poor user experience and discourage users from using your app or website altogether.

What’s more, you need to gather all the feedback and measure the user engagement rate. You need to collate the data gathered and figure out what’s working and what’s not. Make changes accordingly and never stop innovating in terms of design and features!

Final thoughts

When it comes to user interaction and engagement with a website or an app, there isn’t any one-size-fits-all solution. It will take some trials and errors to understand what your users truly want and what keeps them engaged. The good news is that there are plenty of opportunities to increase engagement. If you need help, peruse our portfolio and contact Divami.