CMS purchasing decisions are usually driven by the needs of a small user set鈥攎ainly, the editors who will actively manage the content day in and day out, and secondly, the larger surrounding business teams like legal, human resources and marketing.
That鈥檚 with good reason; the right CMS platform can magnify all of these teams鈥� efficiency, allowing them to generate more content more easily, all while collaborating freely and consistently.
Editors and business teams are just one side of the coin when it comes to the benefits of a CMS, however. The other is the front-end users who will visit the websites the CMS powers. These are the individuals who come to your company's websites in search of news, entertainment, flights, hotel rooms, reservations, hours and contact information, job listings and so on.
This second group of users is usually much larger than the user team鈥攁nd they also stand to gain tremendous value from a CMS. Not sure how? Well, they will benefit from richer digital experiences, which are seamlessly available across a plethora of devices, and which are also highly secure and up to date with the latest information and offers. It鈥檚 a sweet spot for those users, for sure.
So how do you, as an editor or business user, extract the most benefit for your site visitors out of your CMS? We鈥檒l show you how. But before we go further, it鈥檚 worth defining the two common types of CMS鈥攈eadless and traditional鈥攂ecause each comes inherent with its own pros and cons, some of which trickle down to the end user experience.
For example, traditional CMSs (like WordPress) are great solutions for novice users to launch robust websites quickly, but they are limited in scalability and can be quite inflexible despite an array of themes, widgets and plugins. You can get as creative as you want with these CMSes, as long as you use only the functionality they provide. This limitation can end up hamstringing efforts to improve site experiences for site visitors. On the other hand, headless CMSes (including Brightspot, which supports headless as well as hybrid approach to CMS architecture) are adept at delivering unique, new omnichannel experiences.
For users, there will be minimal obvious difference between the different approach. In all cases, the expectation should be a performant ,quick-loading experience no matter the device size and type.
So with that said, regardless of whether you鈥檙e using a traditional or headless CMS, here鈥檚 how you should be harnessing it to elevate your front-end visitors鈥� experience鈥攁nd your bottom line.
Introduction: The role of CMS in user experience
First and foremost, let鈥檚 clarify the role of a CMS in user experience. Used effectively, a CMS should help drive positive user experiences, and high overall satisfaction with a web experience. Here are some areas where the CMS will play a key role.
Organization and discoverability
A CMS should ensure that all website content is well-organized and discoverable to users鈥攚hether that be via on-site navigation and tagging, or via content optimization to attract organic traffic from search engines. For an example of this, imagine a news website, such as the , which will present top-level categories like 鈥淏usiness鈥� and 鈥淪ports鈥� to lead users quickly to topics of interest. Similarly, an article about Shohei Ohtani will be filled with relevant keywords and metatags in an effort to rank more highly in search results when a user asks Google 鈥渨hat鈥檚 the latest news about Shohei Ohtani?鈥�. Behind the scenes, a robust and easy-to-manage taxonomy鈥攁long with the ability to program pages and navigation based on this taxonomy鈥攊s where the CMS really comes to the fore.
Presentation and delivery
A CMS should also ensure that the content loads quickly, and is visually pleasing as well as appropriately branded, using the correct colors, fonts and styles. This presentation should also happen responsively, meaning the website adapts seamlessly to different devices (desktops, tablets, smartphones) and breakpoints. This presentation and delivery should also take accessibility into consideration, meaning that the content is readily available for users with disabilities.
Integrations, interactivity and engagement
A CMS should allow for the inclusion of integrations鈥攐r connections to other mission-critical business systems鈥攖hat will be of interest or use to front-end site visitors.
In addition, the CMS should support interactive features, like polls, forms, surveys, live chat and other multimedia content. Using LATimes.com as an example again, front-end site users can easily register to receive content via newsletters or register for a subscription for richer access to content. This interactivity can go one step further, to include features like commenting, rating and sharing, which can further foster brand and community engagement. Last but not least, a CMS should enable the delivery of personalized experiences, based on the behavior, demographics and preferences of front-end site visitors.
In short: A CMS can influence how front-end site visitors perceive and interact with both your content and your brand. The CMS鈥檚 influence should go well beyond content management鈥攊t should drive a more meaningful, and more valuable experience, for your front-end site visitors.
Designing intuitive interfaces with a CMS
Now that we鈥檝e established our thesis鈥攖hat an intuitive interface is about creating meaningful experiences for users, and that a CMS has a key role to play鈥攍et鈥檚 focus on the how. How exactly do you go about designing these intuitive experiences for your users? Here are a few areas of focus for UI designers and content editors.
User needs
Before UI designers start on a new experience, they鈥檒l typically conduct user research, create user personas and map out user journeys鈥攖hese are a solid foundation from which to build an experience. If you鈥檙e working from an existing experience, refinement is the name of the game鈥攁nd a user intelligence system (such as Pendo or Microsoft Clarity) can help. These systems track each user click throughout the site, and can shed light on common journeys, paths and pain points. This actionable insight can help you make ongoing improvements, such as shrinking bloated right rails, or surfacing certain topic areas more prominently in the navigation.
Site navigation and hierarchy
Navigation rests at the top of most websites for a reason: It鈥檚 critical in creating an intuitive site. Your CMS should allow you to organize your site鈥檚 navigation logically, which will help users find content鈥攁nd the CMS should also make it easy for you to update that navigation at any given moment. Other navigation tools that can be leveraged to make an experience more intuitive are descriptive labels, breadcrumbs and active element highlighting, which communicate a sense of 鈥減lace鈥� to your users.
One last note on navigation: It's important to not let your navigation be your org chart. Meaning? Consider the navigation as the tool by which users find what's most important and relevant to them as they browse your site, not the stakeholders who want to see them and their programs represented most prominently. Explore and listen to he data, and build accordingly. Otherwise, you will risk your navigation becoming an organizational "junk drawer" as opposed to your site's pathway to the content and pages that will perform and convert based on user needs.
Simplicity
When it comes to UI design, simplicity is one of the biggest fundamentals, because it will reduce the learning curve for your users鈥攖he familiar is always easier to navigate than the foreign. The CMS helps here by making it easy to remove unnecessary elements that might clutter the user experience, as well as to add elements that may make the experience more meaningful. The best CMSes will allow editors to do this easily, whether it be changing a single article asset or landing page, or a full section鈥檚 worth of content.
Consistency
Another tried-and-true method for creating an intuitive experience is consistency. Yes, this is about keeping colors, fonts, logos, buttons and icons consistent across the experience 鈥� but it鈥檚 also about consistency of interactivity. For example, the behavior when users click on a link (does the hover state or color change? does the link open in a new tab or the same window?) should be consistent to avoid frustrating users. Again, the CMS can help here by taking a top-down approach to setting these colors and fonts, meaning that they鈥檙e set in one place and cascade throughout the site.
Responsiveness
Starting any new design from a place of mobile responsiveness is critical. Building the experience from the smallest breakpoint to the largest is the best way to ensure that the interfaces adapt elegantly as they expand. That focus on mobile isn鈥檛 just opinion; a recent study of the 100 most popular websites found that there were 300% more visits on mobile devices compared to desktop. (But don鈥檛 ignore desktop, either鈥攄esktop visitors tend to settle in and consume more pages per visit.)
With these UI tenets in mind, you鈥檒l be well on your way to creating an engaging, meaningful experience for your front-end site visitors.
Customizing user journeys in CMS
Let鈥檚 dig deeper into an area we briefly mentioned above鈥攖he concept of user journeys. Sure, a successful user journey is all about moving users from point A to point B, but the quality of the trip matters, too. A CMS should be a powerful ally in creating these user journeys. Here鈥檚 how.
First and foremost, a CMS can help you visualize and map out the array of pathways front-end site visitors can follow as they browse your website. If this isn鈥檛 a native function of your CMS, there are many journey mapping plugins or tools that can be integrated. These maps can help you identify the ideal journey鈥攖he road you鈥檇 like your users to travel. Once you鈥檝e created the map, you can then identify any pain points (where are your users falling off track?), optimize your messaging (does a button label of 鈥榬ead more鈥� convert better than one labeled 鈥榗lick here鈥�?), and incorporate little moments of delight (such as a promo code for filling out a form).
The CMS will also help teams ensure that messaging is consistent across the set of pages in the journey鈥攖his consistency reinforces trust in your brand, and also maintains a sense of place and familiarity. The CMS will also help you organize content logically; guiding users from a phase of general awareness and learning, to consideration and research, to action, whether that is filling out a form or making a purchase.
In addition to journey mapping, a CMS can also help personalize those journeys. CMSes vary in how they approach the delivery of targeted content, but the foundation is always your users鈥� behavior, their preference and the context or page they鈥檙e viewing. For example, using dynamic personalization, a news media site can replace a set of opinion articles with sports videos for users who have shown a previous inclination for video content from the sports category. This personalization is a valuable benefit for users, because they鈥檙e presented with more relevant content, increasing overall satisfaction.
Real-world examples of UX-friendly CMS
Let鈥檚 look at a few digital experiences that have created intuitive and meaningful destinations for their users.
The Los Angeles Times
We鈥檝e mentioned this media brand a few times previously; full disclosure: it鈥檚 powered by Brightspot鈥檚 CMS. The purpose of the L.A. Times website is immediately clear when a new user arrives鈥攖he logo and navigation let you know that you鈥檝e arrived in California (or at least on a website where news about California is front and center). The typography is consistent throughout, and it鈥檚 clear that the fonts have been chosen to promote readability鈥攁s well as authenticity. Options to Subscribe and Log In are prominently available in the site鈥檚 header, and the most important news story of the moment is featured prominently, front and center.
AirBnB
We dare you to visit this accommodation booking platform and not walk away with a new dream destination in mind. AirBnB focuses closely on user needs, letting you immediately add dates and destinations鈥攖he search filters are intuitive and purpose-built, which help users narrow down options. Homes for rent feature immersive photo galleries and simple iconography, as well as interactive features like favoring, lists and sharing. Furthermore, the host profiles and ratings system鈥攑lus AirBnB鈥檚 curated stamp of approval鈥攂uild trust among users, many of whom may be new to renting vacation homes.
Mattress Firm
When visitors arrive on this e-commerce retailer鈥檚 website, they typically have a fairly specific item in mind. Of course it鈥檚 a mattress, but more specifically, it鈥檚 a twin or a king, and they might have a specific brand name in mind as well as a budget. That鈥檚 why Mattress Firm鈥檚 site elevates those categories prominently in its navigation across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices. Individual product pages feature benefits, customer reviews and satisfaction ratings as well as delivery options, all serving to educate and excite consumers in a simplified presentation. Thanks to integrations with its inventory and point of purchase systems, consumers always see the latest in-stock items, and they can even take personalized offers from the brick-and-mortar stores home for purchase via the website experience after they鈥檝e had some time to think about it.
Conclusion: Crafting superior user experiences with CMS
In summary, a CMSs impact extends far beyond facilitating the internal content management done by your editors and business teams. Think beyond those teams to the users who will visit your business websites, and leverage the CMS as a tool to create more meaningful experiences for them.
Remember, your CMS helps you delight your users by empowering design consistency and responsive design, presenting a well-organized site navigation and well-tagged content, and supporting flexible integrations that allow the experience鈥檚 functionality to easily grow with your business over time.