The beginner’s guide to UX and UI design for websites
If you’re new to the world of user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design, you’ve probably heard these terms used in conversations between designers, developers, and other tech workers.
What do they mean, though? Why does it matter?
The answer is easy: UX and UI design are two sides of the same coin. They both have to be there for a digital product or service to be successful, and they can’t exist without each other.
Let’s look at these terms and how they work together to help your users find their way around your website or app.
What exactly do UX and UI mean?
A good design makes it easy for people to use your product to get what they want out of it. You need to think about how the user interacts with your product, how they feel when they use it, and what kind of experience they have while using it.
Understanding User Experience (UX) Design
Have you ever found it difficult to use some websites? It’s possible that the site won’t work as it should or it takes you a lot of time to locate what you need.
Websites with poor UX design are hard to figure out how to move around, and it’s not always clear what the site is trying to do.
UX design makes everyday interactions with technology easier. more enjoyable by making these interactions easier to use, more accessible, and more fun. Its goal is to give users the best possible experience by making sure they can use your website or app without getting frustrated or lost.
UX design affects your bottom line
Every business website has a goal that makes money, like making a sale or getting a lead. A great website makes the experience so easy and fun for visitors to explore.
Some UX factors that have a direct effect on leads and sales are:
- Menus: size, places, options, and text
- CTA buttons: context, placement, copy
- Cart: number of steps to buy, number of copies, error messages
- Forms: where they go, how many fields they have, and the text in them
- Trust and credibility content: location, prominence
- Reliability: signs of data security that can be seen, messaging
- Mobile-friendliness: means that tasks are easy to do on any device
Understanding User Interface (UI) Design
User Interface (UI) Design is the process of designing the user experience by making it visual and interactive.
When someone uses a product, the user interface is what they see, touch, and interact with. The UI designer sets up the layout of a website or app so that it is easy to use.
For example, if you’re making a website for a bank, you might want to make the font and numbers big enough for people with poor eyesight.
If you’re making an app for visually impaired people, make sure it has clear audio cues or haptic feedback when it needs their attention so they know when something has happened even though they can’t see it.
What’s the difference between UX and UI?
UX and UI are two important parts of the design process.
The difference between user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) is easy to understand: UX is about how the user feels when using something, while UI is about making sure the design looks good and works well.
You need both UX and UI because they offer two very different ways to make sure your customers have a great time using your website.
UX would make sure that people feel good about buying from your company, and UI would make sure that your site looks nice and makes the buying process as smooth as possible.
What does UX have to do with UI design?
UX design and UI design have their differences. They both look at different things and are used for different things. How do these two ideas fit together, though?
When making software or websites, they are important for making the user experience interesting.
While UX focuses on making sure that users can accomplish tasks easily in your software. UI on the other hand makes sure that those tasks are intuitively easy for users to do, even if they don’t know all of the technical details behind the scenes.
Seasoned web designers know and apply UX and UI
While UX and UI knowledge sounds like an exclusive concept, web designers with years of experience have a good grasp of how they work. Your Deer Designer, for example, will advise you on better alternatives for web design that contributes well to UX and UI.
If you need a simple website, you don’t need to hire a separate UX/UI expert, you only need Deer Designer to help you with your website design.