UI/UX design: The Basic Understanding
User Interface Design and User Experience Design are often talked about as one, but they are different.
Though different from each other, the two fields of design work in tandem like relay athletes to hand over the best user experience. This blog throws light on the basics of UI and UX.
UX design is quite similar to product design. That’s why many product designers work as UX designers after graduating from college. UX defines the look and feel of the product.
Every stage of product buying is associated with some emotion. UX Designers keep track of those customer emotions and draw a mind map of their motivation, preference, needs, etc.
A journey map dutifully documents what excites customers to buy a particular product or service. The map chronicles their aspiration, their buying behavior, and their satisfaction levels. A basic understanding or awareness of consumer psychology is important for an implementable UX design.
It’s important to keep the journey map as every customer has a different set of requirements. A 14-year-old would probably want his mobile to be stylish-looking, gaming-friendly, with good storage and battery life. A 75-year old would probably want his mobile handset to offer the best call quality, easy access, and user-friendliness.
Google search is the best example of how UX can help in delivering a better user experience. Earlier, only the customers who knew English could access the app. Now the search engine offers different language options so the users can experience ease. It wouldn’t be possible without UX. Similarly, e-commerce websites offer customers the benefit of ordering in their local language. Customer care also depends on UX services to interact better.
User Interface:
Graphic Interface Design sets the way customers interact with their machines. For example, a mobile phone contains a lot of keys and icons for navigation. Graphic Interface Designers use their expertise to design these tools.
Smartphones wouldn’t be popular without apps. Why do customers find some apps more appealing than others? The answer lies in creativity, consistency, and clarity.
Creativity is a blend of font, animation, visuals, and layout to lend an identity to a particular app. When users accidentally open an app, it doesn’t take them long to figure out which app they are using. They are familiar with the brand. Creating a strong brand identity is the first sign of a good UI design.
Consistency is important because it makes the app user-friendly and creates a better product experience. It is this consistency that makes the site identifiable. Observe various websites and apps. Do the videos on YouTube not follow a strict pattern? Information such as the title, viewer count, and comment section follows a template.
Clarity is important. There must be a single way to download videos, search for new ones, etc. If there are multiple access points, users get confused.
Although different, UI and UX work in tandem to create a strong identity which ultimately strengthens the brand through a better user experience.
