By prioritising your users from the get-go, you’ll save yourself a lot of headaches down the road and eliminate the risk of building something that nobody wants. That’s where the principles of user-centred design come into play. 

In this article, we’ll discuss how to design and build a web app with your users in mind, so you can deliver a product that both looks good, is functional, and solves real problems for real people.

Understanding user-centred design

“Focus on the user and all else will follow.” – Google

At its core, user-centred design (UCD) is about designing and building your product with your users’ needs, expectations, and goals as the driving force behind your every decision – from the start till the end of the project. 

User-centred design is built on a few key principles: empathy, accessibility, and usability. Empathy means putting yourself in your users’ shoes and understanding their pain points, desires, and challenges. It’s about actively listening to your users and observing their behaviour. 

Accessibility is about ensuring that your web app is easy to understand and use, and can be enjoyed by everyone. Great UX design takes into consideration all users to deliver accessible products.

And usability? That’s making sure your product is easy to navigate, intuitive, and does what it’s supposed to do – without unnecessary fluff and confusion.

When users feel understood and valued, they are more likely to stick around for the long haul. In fact, 70% of companies who integrate user insights into their product development process report a positive impact on retention, compared to 37% who don’t (Source: UserZoom).

What’s more, 68% also report better conversion rates and speed of product adoption vs 33% that don’t take into account user research. 

How to align design with user needs

You have a great idea, now what? Creating a successful product is about the execution of your idea in a way that aligns with your users’ goals and needs. Every element should be built with purpose, delivering genuine value. That’s why understanding and integrating your users into every stage of the web app design process can make all the difference. Here’s how to make sure your design hits the mark:

Conduct user research

Conducting thorough user research is the foundation of user-centred design. You need to know your users really well. The goal here is to see your product from their perspective. What problems are they trying to solve? What frustrates them about existing similar solutions?

You can use either quantitative or qualitative methods, or a combination of both. Quantitative methods include surveys and questionnaires that are quick, easy to set up and cost-effective. You can collect a large amount of data from a large group of users. 

Qualitative methods like face-to-face interviews and focus groups allow you to dig deeper into users’ thoughts and feelings, and uncover the “why” behind their answers. You might get insights that wouldn’t come up in a survey. 

The value of your research also heavily depends on the questions you ask. Whatever the research method, focus on open-ended questions that encourage users to share their thoughts in detail. Instead of asking "Do you like this feature?", ask, "How would you use this feature, and what would make it more useful for you?”

Translate research into design

Once you’ve gathered your data, it’s time to put it to work. Data is only valuable if you make sense of it. What kind of insights can you extract from the data? Are there any general patterns you can identify?

It’s also important to understand what unique behaviour might be and take into account biases such as personal opinions, circumstances and perceptions that might have influenced your research.

Then, start by creating user personas – detailed representations of your typical users that include their goals, pain points, and preferences. These personas will help guide your decision-making process and always keep your real users in mind. 

You should also map out user journeys to visualise how different personas will interact with your app. This helps you identify the most important touchpoints and ensures your design supports users in achieving their goals as smoothly as possible.

Prioritise easy navigation

If your users can’t figure out how to use your app quickly and easily, they’re going to leave. Navigation is one of the most critical aspects of user experience, and it needs to be as intuitive as possible. A study by Clutch found that 94% of users see easy navigation as the most important feature of digital platforms.

Users shouldn’t have to guess where to click next or how to find the information they’re looking for. A good rule of thumb is to keep it simple and consistent. Focus on clear, concise layouts, logical flows, and minimising the number of steps users need to take to accomplish their goals.

Balance aesthetics and functionality 

Finding the right balance between aesthetics and functionality is key to building a great product. Yes, your web app should look good – after all, first impressions matter. However, aesthetics might attract users at first, but functionality is what’s going to keep them engaged and hang around longer. 

Aesthetics should support functionality, not overshadow it. Avoid using too many effects and animations that don’t serve a purpose. This will make your product look cluttered and more difficult to navigate.

A clean, consistent design helps users navigate your app without confusion, while a thoughtful visual hierarchy will direct their attention to what matters most on the page. You can use styling elements such as colour, formatting and text to convey information. You should also carefully select the size and type of font to be easily readable and understandable. 

Build something small to test first

Before you go all-in on development, start small. Build a minimum viable product (MVP) or a prototype that captures the core functionality of your web app. This will allow you to test your hypotheses with real users without investing too many resources upfront.

What’s more, you should also aim to test with enough range of personas and user groups – across different genders, age groups and backgrounds as they might have different reasons for using your product. This way you can get an idea of the diversity in your target audience.

By learning what works and what doesn’t, you can make improvements and gradually refine your product. 

Incorporate feedback loops

Did you know that 43% of companies lack processes to make UX and design decisions based on user feedback (Source: UserZoom)? 

This means that a significant number of companies leave users out of important decisions when it comes to their products, and miss out on real user feedback to help them shape and improve their offerings. 

To avoid falling into that number, you should aim to set up several accessible channels where users can voice their thoughts. These can be through in-app forms, surveys, or even direct emails. You might also consider more public options like social media or forums where users can discuss your product openly.

Iterate indefinitely 

User-centred design is an iterative process. User needs will evolve, and so should your web app. You should regularly revisit the feedback you’ve collected to identify new pain points or areas for improvement. Don’t just rely on the feedback and research you’ve collected at the early stages. Make sure you continuously engage with your users to stay in tune with their changing needs and expectations. 

You should also be strategic about the changes or updates you’re implementing. Not every piece of feedback warrants an immediate change. Prioritise features that align with your long-term vision and goals, and for which you can observe a common trend. If you notice a lot of requests for a particular feature or a problem, it’s time to pay attention and take action.

This approach will help you avoid feature bloat and keep your web app focused on the core problems it needs to solve. 

Key takeaways

When it comes down to it, building a user-centric web app is all about prioritising what truly matters - your users. By focusing on your users’ needs from the start, you can make sure that every aspect of your product serves a purpose and delivers real value. User-centred design is about more than just aesthetics, but also about creating digital experiences that are intuitive, functional, and accessible to everyone.