UI and UX – Two pillars of web design
With the growth and evolution of technologies and procedures, web applications and websites have seen a complete makeover. What used to be a static medium has now evolved into a very rich and interactive experience. Every business that has a website needs to ensure that it is engaging and updated at all times. Making an outstanding first impression with effective use of the technology available is paramount in keeping the users connected and engaged to achieve the end objective of them buying the product or services being offered over its competitors.
Although two different facets, User interface, and User Experience are directly related to each other. A good user interface is critical for the success of a website and can be achieved by being a part of the wider user experience process. UI is the essence of all user experiences. It is mainly focused on the experience of the user when they use a website.
Let us delve a little deeper into User Interface and User Experience individually to get a better understanding of both.
User Interface
User Interface is the point at which the user interacts with the website. To achieve effective UI, the user experience should be seamless and it should achieve the maximum desired outcome with the minimum effort on the part of the user.
To achieve a great UI some important steps should be kept in mind.
- Clarity of vision- the clarity of vision for interface design is of prime importance to know how the user’s needs and expectations will be met. It will also help you as a company communicate who you are, what you want to do, and what makes you stand out from your competition.
- Goal Centric Design– the goal of the UI should be focused on satisfying the need of the target audience. Defining the personas, scenario planning and in-depth study of experience maps should be done to understand how the personas will interact with the website.
- User-friendliness- the first encounter of the user with the interface should lead them through simple steps to achieve their goals. This can be achieved through the design layout, keeping the flow of content simple and consistent, and a call for action.
- Assistance- the interface should help and guide the user. The design should be such that it helps the audience to intuitively locate exactly what they are looking for and provide constructive feedback after the completion of the task by the user. The feedback should make them feel comfortable and confident thereby enabling them to develop trust in the brand.
- Recoverability– the interface design should be such to allow the users to repair their faults ranging from edition capabilities for already stored information to the restoring things to a previous state.
- Call to Action– Carefully selected and well-placed Call to Action buttons make a significant difference. As long as the users are guided properly, the push is not required.
By investing in a good UI, the company can achieve its vision to truly understand their customer. They will have the ability to convert users into customers and retaining them, thereby outperforming their competition. This will lead to their customers gaining confidence. Engaging with a website should be a pleasure for all its users.
User Experience
User Experience is how the user feels when they interact with the website. A good UX should appeal to a range of different emotions, be easy to use at the same time, and should be engaging. The best thing for a company to do is to deliver exceptional UX is to step into the shoes of its target users and get a deeper understanding of the needs, wants, and expectations from the product of service.
To achieve a remarkable UX certain steps to be kept in mind
- Simplicity– the website should not only be visibly appealing but the most important elements for a good UX are clarity and ease to use. The site should achieve its goal by providing engaging, relevant, and valuable information through its UI to the direct or redirected traffic to the website from search engines.
- Consistency-The design layout should be consistent across all pages to assist a user to find the information they are looking for. A consistent design enhances the user experience and enables them to navigate the site effectively and quickly.
- Standard and Minimal Design Pattern- tried and tested trends should be followed when it comes to designing the layout of the website and its navigation.
The key information should be put across most adequately and long body text should be avoided.
- Structured Content – arranging and grouping of the information required to put out on each page of the website should be done to give it a consistent and standard structure to ensure its visibility once the user is on the page.
- Personalization-A standard UX design will not work for every user. Users look for experiences that are tailor-made for their needs. Examples of this can be seen with Amazon and its product recommendation system which is aligned with purchase history and previous search. Personalization makes a user feel like the UX is designed just for them and this can have a great influence on customer engagement and retention.
A good UX is easy to understand, navigate, and interact with. It provides the user with the information/ service they are looking for in a pleasing and presentable manner. It leads to higher productivity and increased sales for the company and higher customer satisfaction for the users. It also serves the company in gaining new customers and retaining existing ones.
The primary objective of any business is making money which can be achieved through higher sales and growth of the business. Both UI and UX play a vital role in achieving the objectives by enhancing the user experience and customer satisfaction. Catching a user’s attention in a very short span of time is the key when the competition is intense.
A good UI/UX design helps in gaining the confidence of the user providing them with what they are looking for.
