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Need a new website? It is then wise to include the principles of User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) already in the design process. What exactly that means and why we think it’s important, you can read in this blog post.
In a previous blog post, we told you exactly what UX design is, why it’s important and how it can have a big impact on lead generation. But it can get confusing if we throw in another similar term: UI, or User Interface. Very briefly
bend, UX design largely takes place behind the scenes, while the user always sees and experiences the work of the UI designer. Let’s look at the differences between UI and UX in a little more detail.
UX stands for User Experience. A UX professional creates an enjoyable experience for users. Speed is often a key word here: a visitor must be able to quickly find the information they are looking for or take the desired action.
He or she does this by first designing a good structure of, say, a website. A wireframe serves as the basis for this. It is also important that it takes as few clicks as possible to find, request or buy something. A UX designer also deploys A/B testing and uses Google Analytics a lot.
UI is short for User Interface, or user environment. We are talking about the design and functioning of an application or website, for example. A UI specialist is above all a designer: he or she can achieve major improvements in the user experience with the smallest changes. UI is a part of UX.
2manydots’ UI designer Anthony uses some basic principles when creating a User Interface. Perhaps the most important of these is user-centricity. But before he can get to work on that, we need to know why a client like you wants a new website.
So there are differences between UX and UI, but there is also a lot of overlap. Some companies choose to hire separate professionals for both. At 2manydots, Anthony takes charge of UI design. Together with you, we define the User Experience behind it. In practice, we consider the following UX and UI principles when designing a new, effective website.
That a site should be responsive is something we’ve been clamoring for years. Since users reach for their laptops as easily as their tablets, such a site that adapts to the screen width is a must. But we think we should go a step further and make websites mobile-first by default. That means they were developed primarily for mobile users. Why? Because, depending on the industry, most businesses receive up to three-quarters of their visitors via mobile traffic.
All pages of a website should have the same design philosophy. Consider the play of colors, use of frames, images, navigation, and so on. But text formatting must also be consistent. That way you come across as an organization that has an eye for detail and is reliable. Consistency also makes you very recognizable and thus distinctive.
UX experts sometimes say that you should be able to find all the information on a Web site within three clicks. The more content a website has, the greater that challenge is. But a clever menu structure will get you a long way. Ideally, there is also very little scrolling involved: you want to make it as easy as possible for your visitors to find what they are looking for.
Less is more. Don’t overwhelm users with unnecessary information, but keep it organized and clear. You have a clear goal in mind on every page and in every blog post. Therefore, don’t let other things compete with that goal and make sure the call-to-action is clear.
For a good User Experience (UX), you need to consider different types of users. Because not everyone sees, hears and understands everything like you do. About 25% of Internet users have disabilities ranging from color blindness to hearing impairment and dyslexia. As an extension of understandable text, it is therefore desirable to use great color contrast, subtitle videos and create audio versions of your content.
The fact that you are reading this article makes your company stand head and shoulders above the rest. It means that you understand the importance of the Internet and are willing to invest in an online strategy. An investment that pays off on multiple levels. Just look at the results that hiring a UX expert and UI designer can bring.
On a user-friendly site, visitors quickly find what they are looking for. A non-intrusive site that is helpful and seems to know what someone needs is a pleasure to visit. That makes someone more likely to return. This is how you slowly but surely build a relationship with someone.
If you offer that pleasant user experience that potential customers are sensitive to, you will win their trust. This is how you score leads organically, without having to advertise in social media, for example. And the more leads, the more customers and sales you score.
User-friendly websites rank higher in search engines. This is because Google detects how long people stay on a page, when they click away and much more. If Google receives signals that users find what they are looking for quickly with you, you will be rewarded with higher rankings. So UX design is immediately good for your SEO!
It may sound a bit far-fetched, but it’s absolutely not: a good User Experience (UX) indirectly creates satisfied employees in your organization. Not so much because they are proud of that user-friendly website, but because it makes it much easier for visitors to find answers to their questions. Questions they no longer pick up the phone for or devote an email to. And that relieves your colleagues.
You can’t think about usability early enough. This is why we already pack the User Experience into the design process of a new website. This is how we lay a good foundation that prevents duplication of effort.
We already told you why we think the User Experience and User Interface are important: because the user thinks so. Whereas people used to look mainly at price or quality, today the user experience plays just as important a role. Therefore, when designing your new site, we pay extra attention to UX and UI.
