Are you aware of the terms UI and UX, like what they probably mean? To sum it up, the general experience you seem to experience is the UX and the elements users opt to connect with the website or app is the UI. Which one is crucial between the both can be determined based on the specific goals of the website or app, but both UI and UX hold sway.
UX matters more if you are more concerned with the user, and the way they get to use and navigate easily. Whereas, UI becomes the key to creating a solution that aligns the best with your goal and looks great. To know whether the thinking process is executed effectively and determine how user-centred the design, websites usually get subjected to multiple user tests. In the success of any website or app, both UI and UX hold a remarkable role and are considered to be indispensable factors. Depending on the specific goals you get to determine which is more important, either UI or UX.
What is UI?
The complementing concept to consider in the app or website development is the User Interface Design. It is the interactivity, look and feel and also the product appearance that comprises the UI. The shape and size by which it is coloured determine the way it looks and it does. The aesthetic factor is the main focus to keep on for the UI designers and they even delight users with the look and feel of the app.
What is UX?
As a scientific process, with the invention of the term, the tech industry has started blowing up. Essentially, UX applies to the interaction between the user and the firm and in short, anything that can be experienced. A sum up of all the different elements involved in the experience of the user is UX design or user experience design.
How important is UI UX design for your business?
For any business to perform well, UI/UX design is vital by all means. It is the ideal track to help establish the brand in the user’s mind while making customers happy and increasing sales. Delivering products or apps that meet user needs requires a team specialised to efficiently conduct UI/UX needs; this is inevitable. This can make the customers get back to the same more and more times and keep them emotionally connected. A great user experience is a guaranteed factor to accommodate if you are investing in UI/UX design. Doing so can lead you to be successful in the long run and stay ahead of your competition.
Benefits businesses get to reap include:
- User-centred design
- Improved user experience
- Increased conversion rates
- Increased customer satisfaction
- Improved brand image
Difference Between UI and UX Design: Which One Is More Important?
UI and UX differ in harmony, as UX is considered the overall experience and UI is responsible for the final look and feel. The main differences include
- Both being tangible, the term referring to the overall experience is UX and the concern of the whole experience is better explained as UI.
- Understanding and analysing user needs come under UX adopting a problem-solving mechanism while UI is concerned with the artistic discipline of visual and interactive design.
- Human experiences and interactions are covered in UX and the digital experiences are handled by the UI.
UI and UX being the two sides of the coin separating them are considered to be highly superficial.
The Key Elements of UX Design
UX Design is not something to be ignored and the key elements involved in UX design include:
Strategy
The first layer is a strategic study of the business objectives and the understanding of the users and end-users.
Scope
In this layer, the designer sets the functional requirements and content requirements together with the goals to achieve.
Structure
Here, the user interaction is verified and analysed and defines the behaviour in return through interaction design and the information architecture.
Skeleton
Here, the flow of information and movement is decided and make sure the navigation is smooth.
Surface
This final layer is the amalgamation of the above ones and finalising the output the user gets to interact with.
Key Elements of UI Design
User interface elements provide touchpoints for the user in the four categories like:
Input Controls
For inputting information into the system from the user end, designers use input controls.
Navigation Components
A smooth move around a product or website is achieved using navigational components.
Informational Components
Information is shared with the users through informational components.
Containers
Related contents get grouped and held together with containers.
Trends and Innovations in UX and UI Design
UI/UX has also seen emerging exciting design trends to accommodate the growing demand. Few of them are
- AI integrated design
- Cross-platform UX
- Location-based UX
- Animated Icons
- 3D visual elements
- Emotionally intelligent design
- Typography focused
Key Takeaway
This blog has covered the tip of the iceberg of the long-standing confusion around UI/UX. The best UI/UX is the winning formula for a successful web design project.
