Enhancing User Experience in Web Applications : A Benchmarking-Based Optimization Study

This study investigates the enhancement of user experience (UX) in web applications through a benchmarkingbased optimization approach.Recognizing the limitations of fragmented UX evaluation practices, the study develops and applies a comprehensive benchmarking framework that integrates usability, performance, and satisfaction metrics.Data were collected from 50 publicly available web applications across five sectors-ecommerce, education, healthcare, finance, and entertainment-using task-based usability tests, Lighthouse performance logging, and System Usability Scale (SUS) surveys.SPSS Version 29 was employed to perform descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA tests to identify significant sectoral differences.Results revealed that entertainment and e-commerce applications consistently outperformed others in terms of task success rates, load times, and user satisfaction scores.Composite benchmarking scores highlighted substantial sector-specific optimization needs, particularly in finance and education.The study validates that multi-dimensional benchmarking offers a more holistic and actionable model for UX evaluation compared to traditional isolated methods.Broader implications suggest the need for integrated technical and design optimizations, sectorspecific benchmarking, and the adoption of scalable, replicable UX evaluation methodologies.This research fills a critical literature gap by empirically demonstrating the viability and importance of benchmarking-driven UX optimization across diversified web applications, offering valuable insights for both academia and industry stakeholders.