Understanding The Difference Between UX and UI and The Important Roles They Play in Website Design
UX/UI Website Design For Beginners – UX/UI are two different aspects of web design that both play a critical role in how a user experiences a website.
In short, UX (User Experience) refers to the overall experience a user has with a product, focusing on how it feels to use and whether it effectively meets user needs.
UI (User Interface) on the other hand, deals with the look and interactive feel of a product. It encompasses the visual elements users interact with, like buttons, icons, typography, color schemes, and layouts.
Everyone who has a computer or phone has experienced UX and UI as they interact with their devices or the software that runs them. Perhaps the easiest way to think about this is from the viewpoint of a negative experience you’ve had with UX/UI.
Most of us have visited a website and not been able to find what you were looking for, or the site was hard to navigate, or you got lost, or the icons and buttons didn’t make sense, or they had dead links, or the site was simply aggravating to interact with.
These are all elements of poor UX/UI. Any time a website design has poor UX/UI, visitors tend to leave. It is too annoying to deal with.
And let’s face it, very few businesses are so good, or so specialized that we are forced to work with them. If their website is hard to deal with, most people find someone else to hire who can do the same thing you do.
At Stay Wild Digital Marketing we are getting more customers who are looking to re-design their existing website. They often tell us that their current site is hard to navigate and doesn’t “make much sense.”
What they are saying is that when they first built their website they, “just wanted to get a website up.” And they did. But now they see that their desire for speed and efficiency cost them in ease of user experience and their site, “doesn’t make sense.”
So if you have looked at your own website and found that it needs some work with regard to UX/UI, don’t worry – you are not alone. We redesign a lot of websites where it is obvious that when it was first built, speed and efficiency were primary, not the design.
Why UX/UI Website Design is Challenging
One of the reasons UX/UI web design is challenging is because designers not always good at imagining how a human will interact with a website.
Many web designers focus on trying to “get everything into” the site, anywhere they can, as fast as they can, so they can move on to the next project. Their main goals are speed and efficiency, not perfecting the user experience.
To be a great UX/UI designer, you need an intuitive sense of how a person will interact with a website. Where they will go first. What will get in their way. What will annoy them and make them leave.
You must be able to imagine the best place for buttons should go, where the icons make sense, how the information should flow, and how the navigation should work.
Great UX/UI web designers have this intuitive sense. But those are “great” designers. What if you are just a “pretty decent” web designer and don’t have that intuitive sense?
No problem, there are several mechanical methods you can use that will be slower than if you were intuitive, but will produce nearly the same outcomes.
But what if you are not an intuitive website designer?
You got me there. If you are not an intuitive website designer when it comes to UX/UI, then you will need to take advantage of two tools to ensure good UX/UI:
#1: Mind Maps/Planning
#2: UX/UI Research
Mind Maps/Planning
Mind maps might also be called flow charts. They are graphical representations of how a person might move from one part of the website to another.
To make a simple flow chart for a website, you can simply draw a picture of all the web pages you are going to build on the website, and then draw arrows from the navigation and any buttons/hyperlinks to where they should go.
At Stay Wild Digital Marketing we like to do this on paper. Some people use giant white boards for this task. Others use Figma or other software systems to map things out.
But whatever method you use, by drawing out a map, and drawing “flow” lines from navigation to end point. This will help you “imagine” a person using the website and help ensure they don’t get lost or your directions don’t make any sense.
You see the problem is, many web designers do not “plan” their website. They pick a template and they start shoving words and images into boxes.
The ends result of not planning is that there tends to be information “everywhere” on the website. This makes information hard to find and even harder to understand.
The same is true for functionality. Without a plan in place as to what the website needs to be able to do, and what the end user needs to be able to find or do, things get messy.
Simple things like using “categories” on a ecommerce store, blog, or in a booking engine make a huge difference to the user.
Do you want to scroll through an entire blog to find one article when you just want to read about one topic? Of course you don’t. Neither does anyone else.
How often have you visited a website to book an appointment, but when you get to the booking engine, every option they have is on one long page and most of the options look almost exactly the same?
I had this experience last week. I was trying to book a beard trim and haircut on the website of a very well known brand salon. But when I got to the booking engine there were hundreds of options all in one long page. Most of them lacked a good description.
So what did I do? I just booked a beard trim and then when I arrived asked for all the other services I wanted.
I told them their site was nearly impossible to understand. Their response? We know. Even we don’t understand it. Most people end up calling us.
This is an excellent example of what lack of planning does to the end user experience. The salon took every service they offered, which was hundreds, and threw them all on one page with no way to sort them. It was a miserable experience.
And the result – their phone rang off the hook the whole time I was there because people could not figure out how to book online with their extensive system.
You have undoubtedly experienced this yourself.
This is what happens when you build out a website with no plan or map in place. Chaos!
UX/UI Research
UX/UI research involves building things and watching people “play” with it to see how they interact with it.
There are companies that do this this kind of research, but they tend to be expensive. Very few small or even mid-size companies can afford UX/UI research.
With web design, you could employ a few people and sit behind them and watch them try to interact with your website. At least you will be able to see what they click on, where they get stuck, how far they will scroll etc.
The Bottom Line About Getting Started with UX/UI
The bottom line is, you can’t be lazy when it comes to web design and UX/UI. You can’t just throw everything the customer gives you “somewhere” on the site and call it a day.
You need to think through, or map through, or both – the way people will see your site.
How will they find information they are looking for on the website?
What will they click on?
What doesn’t make sense?
Are you call to action buttons too small or in a weird place?
Have you made it hard for someone to contact you if they want to?
Is it easy to find an book an appointment?
Is it easy to purchase an item and is the Cart checkout process simple?
Have you made it hard to go backward and find something you saw before?
These are all questions you should be asking yourself to make certain that the end user has a pleasant and “easy” experience.
The Goal of UX/UI in Web Design
The goal of UX/UI is to create websites that are not only functional but also intuitive and enjoyable to use. While UX ensures that your website is useful and easy to use, UI ensures it is visually appealing and engaging.
UI web design is about ensuring that all your website elements are aesthetically pleasing and conducive to a seamless user interaction. It’s about crafting a cohesive and engaging visual experience that aligns with the product’s brand identity.
Both UX and UI are vital for creating successful websites. Together, they ensure that websites are not only effective and efficient but also delightful to use which will lead to higher user satisfaction.
How Does Poor UX/UI Impact Users
Poor UI (User Interface) in website design impacts users negatively by creating a frustrating and confusing experience. Poor UI makes things hard to find or come back to if you leave a page.
Poor UI leaves users searching all over your website, often not able to find what they came for.
What normally happens when people encounter a poorly designed website that is hard to use? They leave and never come back.
Here are some additional ways poor UI affects users:
- Confusion and Frustration: When UI web design lacks clarity, users may struggle to understand how to navigate the interface or complete tasks (like checkout or booking). This confusion can arise from inconsistent design elements, such as buttons that look different throughout the website, or unclear descriptions of products or unclear steps to checkout.
- Decreased Usability: Poorly designed website interfaces often ignore usability principles, making it difficult for users to find what they came for. This is annoying and often cause people to leave your website and never return. Studies show that 85% of people who have a single negative experience on your website will never return.
- Lower User Satisfaction: When users encounter a cumbersome UI, their satisfaction decreases. This dissatisfaction can lead to negative reviews, reduced trust in the brand, and reluctance to return to the product. Not only that, but studies who that people who have a negative experience on a website will not refer other people to that site.
- Increased Bounce Rates: A confusing or unattractive UI can cause users to leave your website right away, which increases bounce rates. Higher bounce rates lead to lower SERP results on search engines which can harm your business. Poor website user interfaces are particularly detrimental in e-commerce, where users are likely to abandon their shopping carts if the checkout process is not easy to understand and execute.
- Reduced Engagement: Poor UI in web design can discourage users from exploring additional features or content. For example, if interface elements like buttons or links are not visually distinct, users may not realize they can interact with them, which reduces their engagement.
- Inconsistent Design Elements: When design elements are inconsistent, such as varying font sizes or styles across pages, it can cause confusion for the user. For some users it can lead them to believe that your attention to detail is lacking, which will not make them want to do business with your company.
- In real-world scenarios, a poorly designed UI can result in significant business consequences. As an example, a banking app with complex navigation and unclear instructions may cause users to switch to a competitor offering a more user-friendly experience. Conversely, customers often discuss how easy Bank of America and Chase Bank Apps are to use and prevent customers from switching.
As you can see, good UI is not just a good idea, it is tied directly to your digital marketing success. Very few products or services are unique today, which makes it harder to differentiate yourself from your competitors.
One simple way to differentiate yourself is to show in everything that you do, that you are more clear, have better attention to detail, and care about design.
Studies show that within a fraction of one second, people are judging your business based on your website. The BEST way to manage that interaction is to make sure your UX/UI is on point. Make sure your website is easy to use, easy to navigate, and easy to book appointments or make purchases.
Remember, there is scant chance that you are the only option in town to choose from. Making sure your website is awesome is a one way to stand out above your competition.
How Poor UX/UI Impacts Business
Poor UI design can have significant repercussions for a business, translating user frustrations into tangible challenges that affect the bottom line and overall brand health. Here’s how:
- Financial Losses: Confusion and decreased usability often lead to users abandoning tasks, such as incomplete purchases in an e-commerce setting. This directly translates to lost sales and revenue opportunities. Businesses may also incur costs from having to redesign or correct UI issues post-launch.
- Brand Reputation Damage: A frustrating user experience can result in negative reviews and word-of-mouth, tarnishing the brand’s reputation. In today’s digital age, online reviews carry substantial weight, and potential customers may be deterred by poor feedback about the user experience.
- Reduced Customer Loyalty: When users encounter a difficult interface, their trust and loyalty to the brand diminish. They are more likely to explore competitors who offer a more seamless experience, leading to customer churn and a shrinking user base. Conversely, when people love how easy it is to use your website (like online banking with Chase Bank), they tend to stay on as loytal customers.
- Increased Customer Support Costs: Poor UI often results in feeling like they need to call you. This puts more demand on customer service. This is what happened to the hair salon I mentioned earlier – you couldn’t understand the booking engine, so people kept calling the front desk. What is the point of having a great website if it forces people to call you to complete checkout or booking?
- Lower Conversion Rates: Poorly designed UI hurt your conversion rates. If people are confused, they leave your website. But worse, if you do manage to get a customer all the way to the checkout process and your shopping cart is confusing, they leave just before they converted to a purchase. There is nothing worse than spending tons of effort on search engine marketing and pay per click ads just to lose them at the final step.
- Competitive Disadvantages: In industries where user experience is a key differentiator, a poor UI can create a serious disadvantage. If your competitors have superior interfaces, it will attract more users, making it difficult for you to compete effectively.
For example, a streaming service with a clunky interface might see subscribers flock to a rival that offers intuitive navigation and personalized recommendations. I can think of several streaming apps I feel this way about – trying to find a movie to watch is simply too much of a pain so I use other services.
Similarly, a SaaS company with a complicated user dashboard might experience high churn rates as customers switch to more user-friendly solutions.
Not only that, but being in the software interface industry, a lot of people refuse to become a customer to begin with because learning your interface is too hard. How often have we heard someone refer to a SaaS interface as “not intuitive.”
If your user interface is not intuitive – then it is not built with UI in mind.
Investing in good UI design is crucial for enhancing user satisfaction, fostering loyalty, and driving overall business success. A well-designed UI can lead to increased conversions, better customer retention, and a stronger brand presence in the market.
Poor UI can lead to people not becoming a customer, or switching if they find an interface that is easier and more intuitive to use.
Elements and Components of Good UI Website Design
When you are trying to think about how to develop a good UI in website design, here are some elements to consider:
Buttons: Buttons are interactive elements that prompt user actions, such as submitting a form or navigating to another page. They must be visually distinct, easy to identify, and appropriately sized for the user’s convenience. Consistent button styling across a product helps users understand and predict interactions.
Icons: Icons are visual symbols that represent actions, objects, or ideas. They help users quickly identify features and functionalities without relying on text. Effective icons are simple, intuitive, and universally understood, contributing to a streamlined user experience.
Typography: Typography involves the selection of fonts and text styles. It plays a vital role in readability and conveying the brand’s tone. Choosing the right typography ensures that content is easy to read and aesthetically pleasing, helping guide the user’s attention through the interface.
Color Schemes: Color schemes are used to create visual harmony and highlight important elements. Colors can evoke emotions and establish brand identity. A well-chosen palette enhances usability by providing contrast between text and background, aiding in visual hierarchy and focus.
Layouts: Layouts determine the arrangement of elements on a page. An effective layout guides users through content logically and intuitively, ensuring that information is easy to find and interact with. Responsive layouts ensure usability across different devices and screen sizes.
How to Begin Improving UI in Website Design
Improving UI design involves focusing on key components that enhance both aesthetics and functionality.
Here are detailed suggestions for enhancing each of these UI components:
Buttons:
Visual Distinction: Use contrasting colors for buttons to ensure they stand out against the background. Implement hover effects to indicate interactivity, such as a color change or shadow effect. This is particularly important when considering users who may experience disabilities like color blindness or other sight related difficulties.
Consistency: Maintain a consistent style for buttons throughout the product, including shape, color, and size. This helps users recognize clickable elements easily. Plus, when you are thinking about design in general, you want your elements to be consistent throughout.
Sizing: Ensure buttons are large enough to tap or click comfortably, especially on touchscreens. Follow guidelines like Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines, which suggest a minimum size of 44×44 points. Also, remember that a lot of users today will be using a mobile device. It is important that fonts are large enough to read on a mobile device.
Icons:
Simplicity and Clarity: Design icons with a simple and clear visual language. Avoid excessive detail that could compromise clarity at smaller sizes. You want icons to help guide the users attention without becoming an interruption to the flow of information.
Intuitiveness: Use recognizable symbols that convey their function at a glance. Don’t use icons just because you “like” them. They need to make sense in the context of the information you are conveying.
Consistency: Keep icon styles uniform across the interface by using the same line weight, color, and size. This reinforces the overall UI design coherence.
Typography:
Font Selection: Choose fonts that align with the brand’s tone and enhance readability. Sans-serif fonts are often preferred for digital interfaces due to their clean lines.
Hierarchy: Establish a typographic hierarchy using different font sizes, weights, and styles to guide users through content and highlight important information.
Line Spacing and Readability: Ensure adequate line spacing to facilitate easy reading, especially in body text. Maintain high contrast between text and background for improved legibility.
Color Schemes:
Emotional Impact: Select color palettes that evoke the desired emotional response and align with the brand’s identity. For example, blue can convey trust and calmness, while red can signify urgency or excitement.
Usability: Use color contrast to differentiate text from backgrounds and highlight interactive elements. Tools like WebAIM’s contrast checker can help ensure ADA compliance.
Brand Consistency: Integrate brand colors consistently across the interface to reinforce brand recognition and loyalty.
Layouts:
Logical Organization: Arrange content in a way that reflects the user’s mental model and tasks. Group related elements together, and use grids to maintain alignment and balance.
Responsiveness: Design layouts that adapt seamlessly to different screen sizes and orientations. Use flexible grids, scalable images, and media queries to ensure usability across devices.
User Pathways: Map out user pathways to ensure a logical flow through the interface, minimizing unnecessary clicks and steps to achieve tasks. Implement visual cues like breadcrumbs or progress indicators to help users navigate.
By focusing on these elements, you can create a UI that is not only visually appealing but also intuitive and user-friendly, ultimately enhancing user satisfaction and engagement.
The significance of these components lies in their ability to create a cohesive and accessible interface.
Consistency in design elements helps users navigate and use the product effortlessly, while accessibility ensures that all users, including those with disabilities, can interact with the interface effectively.
Aesthetics enhance the visual appeal, increasing user engagement and satisfaction.
For example, Apple’s iOS interface uses consistent button styles and a minimalist color palette to create a clean and intuitive user experience.
Google’s Material Design principles emphasize the use of grid-based layouts, responsive animations, and padding to create a seamless and engaging interaction.
Overall, these UI components work together to enhance usability, making digital products intuitive, attractive, and functional, ultimately leading to higher user satisfaction and engagement.
Examples of Good UI Web Design
Here are some examples of good UI design across different industries, each known for its exceptional user interface:
- Apple iOS: Apple’s iOS is renowned for its minimalist design and intuitive user experience. It uses a clean interface with consistent button styles, a simple color palette, and seamless animations, making it easy for users to navigate.The attention to detail and focus on aesthetics ensure that the interface feels both elegant and efficient, enhancing user engagement.
- Airbnb: In the travel and hospitality industry, Airbnb stands out with its user-friendly design. The platform offers a visually appealing layout with large, high-quality images and intuitive navigation, making it easy for users to browse and book accommodations. The use of clear typography and well-placed call-to-action buttons contribute to a seamless booking experience.
- Slack: As a communication tool, Slack excels in UI design by offering a clean and organized interface. It uses color coding, consistent iconography, and clear typography to help users manage conversations and notifications effectively. Slack’s ability to integrate with various tools and customize the user experience further enhances its functionality and user satisfaction.
- Amazon: In e-commerce, Amazon’s UI is a prime example of functionality and ease of use. Despite its vast product range, Amazon maintains a consistent layout with a straightforward search function, well-structured product pages, and personalized recommendations. The interface is designed to make browsing and purchasing effortless, boosting user engagement and sales.
- Instagram: A leading social media platform, Instagram’s UI focuses on simplicity and visual content. The app’s clean design, intuitive navigation, and emphasis on high-quality imagery create an engaging user experience.
Features like stories and reels are seamlessly integrated, allowing users to interact with content in various ways, which keeps them engaged longer.
These examples demonstrate how attention to aesthetics, usability, consistency, and innovation in UI design can significantly enhance user engagement and satisfaction.
Each platform effectively utilizes design elements to create interfaces that are not only visually appealing but also intuitive and functional, catering to the needs and preferences of their users.
How Do I Improve My Website UX/UI From Where it is Today
Improving your website’s UI design is a strategic process that involves several key steps to ensure a user-friendly and visually appealing interface. Here’s a guide to help you get started:
Conduct a UI Audit: Begin by assessing your current website design. Identify areas where users may encounter issues, such as complex navigation, inconsistent design elements, or poor accessibility.
Gather user feedback through surveys or usability testing to understand their pain points and areas for improvement.
And if this type of research is out of your budget or isn’t realistic for your business, then as your friends or family to go through your website and provide feedback.
Have them go through your website and tell you about areas that are confusing or annoying to them. Most people are willing to provide feedback if asked.
Prioritize Usability and Accessibility: Focus on making your website easy to navigate and accessible to all users, including those with disabilities.
Simplify navigation by organizing content logically and ensuring menus are intuitive. Implement responsive design techniques to ensure your website functions well across different devices and screen sizes.
Update Visual Elements: Refresh your website’s aesthetic appeal by updating color schemes and typography. Choose colors that align with your brand identity and evoke the desired emotional response.
Ensure that your typography enhances readability and maintains a consistent style throughout the site.
Test Changes with Real Users: Before finalizing any changes, conduct usability testing with real users to gather feedback on the new design.
Observe how users interact with the updated interface and make note of any lingering issues. Use this feedback to make further adjustments.
Iterate Based on Feedback: UI design is an ongoing process. Use insights from testing to refine your design continuously. Stay open to user feedback and be willing to make iterative improvements to enhance the user experience.
Utilize Design Tools and Resources: Leverage design tools such as Sketch, Figma, or Adobe XD to streamline your design process.
These tools can help you create prototypes and collaborate with team members effectively. Access online resources and design communities for inspiration and best practices.
Collaborate with UI/UX Professionals: Consider working with UI/UX designers who can provide expert insights and innovative solutions.
Their experience can help you tackle complex design challenges and ensure your website meets both aesthetic and functional goals.
Improving your website’s UI can lead to increased user satisfaction, higher engagement, and a stronger brand presence. By following these steps, you’ll create a more effective and enjoyable experience for your audience.
Where Can I Learn UX/UI
Where Can I Learn UX/UI
If you’re looking to learn UI design, there are numerous educational resources available for both beginners and advanced learners.
Here’s a guide to help you get started:
Online Courses:
- Coursera: Offers courses like “UI/UX Design” by the California Institute of the Arts that cover the fundamentals of user interface design.
- Udemy: Features a wide range of UI design courses such as “User Experience Design Essentials – Adobe XD UI UX Design”.
- LinkedIn Learning: Provides courses like “User Experience for Web Designers” that focus on practical skills in UI design.
Books:
- “Don’t Make Me Think” by Steve Krug: A classic guide on web usability and intuitive design principles. Get on Amazon
- “The Design of Everyday Things” by Don Norman: Explores the cognitive psychology behind design and user interaction. Get on Amazon
- “Universal Principles of Design” by William Lidwell, Kritina Holden, and Jill Butler: Offers a comprehensive overview of key design principles. Get on Amazon
Websites and Blogs:
- Smashing Magazine: Provides in-depth articles, tutorials, and resources on UI design and user experience.
- A List Apart: Offers articles and insights on design, development, and web standards.
- Dribbble: A platform for showcasing and discovering creative work, perfect for finding UI design inspiration.
These resources cater to different learning styles and levels, ensuring you have the tools needed to enhance your UI design skills. Whether you prefer structured courses, insightful books, or dynamic online content, there’s something here for everyone looking to delve into the world of UI design.
And you can also find plenty of helpful web design articles here on our blog:
Summary UX/UI Website Design For Beginners
UI (User Interface) design is a crucial aspect of digital product development that focuses on crafting the visual and interactive components users engage with. These components include buttons, icons, typography, color schemes, and layouts. Each element is meticulously designed to ensure that users have a visually appealing and engaging experience when interacting with a product.
The aesthetic aspect of UI design is about creating a look and feel that not only captivates users but also aligns with the product’s brand identity.
This involves choosing the right color palettes, font styles, and imagery that convey the brand’s message and values effectively. A well-designed interface is visually consistent and intuitive, making it easy for users to navigate and interact with the product.
Usability is equally critical in UI design. It ensures that the interactive elements are not just attractive but also functional and user-friendly. Buttons should be appropriately sized and placed for ease of use, icons should be easily recognizable, and layouts should guide the user naturally through the interface. This seamless integration of aesthetics and functionality is what facilitates a smooth user experience.
UI design plays a significant role in enhancing user engagement by creating an interface that is not only pleasing to look at but also easy and enjoyable to use.
A well-designed UI can lead to increased user satisfaction, encouraging users to return and interact more frequently with the product.
Moreover, it contributes to the overall success of a product by making it accessible and appealing to a broader audience, ultimately driving higher user retention and loyalty. In a competitive market, strong UI design can be a differentiator that sets a product apart from its competitors.
In 2024, you simply cannot ignore the importance of UX/UI when it comes to website design. As the internet has achieved mass adoption throughout the world, people’s expectations have increased.
We expect your website to be intuitive, easy to use, straight forward, and enjoyable to interact with. Customers will punish your business by leaving if you ignore UX/UI.
