UI & UX Design For Website : The What and The Why
In a world filled with digital technology and interactions, having a positive user experience (UX) is no longer optional, it’s an essential component of any successful website.. But what exactly is UX design, and how does it work hand in hand with user interface (UI) design?
What is UI?
UI stands for User Interface, which refers to the visual and the interactive of a website. This includes all the visuals you see: the colours, layout, buttons, and images. It’s the aesthetic that grabs your attention while accessing the website.
To put it in a more easier to understand terms, it’s the face of the product that users see and interact with. A well-thought and designed UI will make it easy and enjoyable for users to navigate and accomplish their goals.
What is UX?
Now, the UX is the User Experience you have while navigating through that website. Is it easy to find what you’re looking for? Are the buttons clear and functional?
To put it simply, UX is the overall experience that you as the users feel while navigating and interacting with your website. A well-designed UX allows great usability from the first touch point to the exit.
Still unclear on their differences?
To put it into a much simpler term, imagine walking into a grocery store. Take a look at the way the products are displayed and labeled on the shelves, how it helps you find the products you need. That is the UI, which refers to the way you see and interact with the store’s visual elements.
UX is your overall experience of shopping there. This includes easy access to the supermarket from the parking, proper aisle layout which makes it easy to navigate, having a seamless checkout process, and the overall satisfaction of the purchasing process there. UX refers to how the entire shopping journey feels like.
UI / UX : Where Form and Function Works Together
A well-thought website will be a good testament for your brand credibility and effort in providing the best for your customer, and stands for your online branding, so it’s an improvement to have a good UI/UX on your website.
Improving these aspects are what UI and UX designers are responsible for. They work collaboratively to create a seamless experience for users navigating a website. While UI design focuses more on the visual aspects, UX designers focus on the features and functionality of a site.
This is important since a website is what a customer first came face-to-face with when they found your business online, and it stands as your online branding. A well-thought website will be a good testament for your brand credibility and effort in providing the best for your customer, so it’s always a good improvement to have a good UI/UX on your website.
Those are the general explanations of their roles and responsibility in designing a website. If you would like to know more about website design, head on over to our blog article to find out the principle of a good website design.
Why is UI Design Important
UI design goes beyond just having a pleasing aesthetics; it’s the visual language that accompanies the users throughout their journey on your website. Attractive visuals elements, clear layouts, and well chosen colours help to create a positive first impression and garner trust. By making sure the buttons are easily identifiable and information is presented in a timely manner, UI design creates a site that is easy to the eyes and helps reduce user frustration.
Fundamentally, UI designs work in tandem with UX. Having a good UI design helps to make the UX not only more efficient, but also enjoyable for the users. Be aware that if you have decided to put in all your focus on UI design but not the UX, your website will look aesthetically appealing but you will not be fully utilising its capabilities.
Why is UX Design Important
Good UX design is like hypnotics. It helps create an experience that keeps users engaged and happy. This translates to plenty of benefits for businesses:
- Improved User Satisfaction: When users easily find what they enter a website for and complete the tasks effortlessly, they’ll be more likely to be satisfied and return for more.
- Increased Brand Loyalty and Credibility: A positive UX fosters trust and builds a positive brand image, which helps lead to loyal and repeating customers.
- Higher Leads Conversions and Sales: A well designed website with a clear user journey helps convince users to take the desired actions, such as making a purchase.
- Enhance the reading time: Having a good UX design helps enhance reading time by making the content easier to read and navigate. Using clear typography, intuitive layout, and effective visual hierarchy helps keep the users engaged, resulting in longer stays and higher engagement.
On the other hand, a bad UX design can be highly disastrous. Imagine getting stuck in a confusing website with unclear navigation, hidden buttons, and conflicting interactions. You will highly likely get frustrated, abandon whatever tasks you’re working on, and leave with a lasting negative impression of the brand.
While UX does sound tremendously important, focusing solely on it will generally help in users journey but leave your site looking dull and unattractive.
In Conclusion
UI/UX is a powerful tool that shapes the way users interact in the digital world. As technology continues to evolve, the need for proper UI/UX implementation on a website is becoming more important for a business to continue growing and prospering.
If you want to find out more about how web designs impacts your business and branding, head on over to our blog on How Web Design Impacts Your Branding.