“User interface” is a term used in the software architecture realm of custom software development. You can best think of it as the point of computer-human communication and interaction through applications, websites, or other electronic devices.
Successfully created user interfaces typically boast the same qualities: efficiency, intuitiveness, and user-friendliness. Let’s talk about how UI and UX come together for quality user interfaces, what it means to be a UI/UX designer, and why it might pay off to hire a UI/UX designer to cultivate your online presence.
Invest in Custom Software Development With UI/UX
Nowadays, your website or app is judged the moment after the first tap of a screen or click of a mouse. Providing your services is more than simply putting your information online for consumers to find. If they find your content difficult to navigate or hard to read, chances are they will backtrack and move on to the next contender. The digital world can be brutal for businesses–but only if they’re ill-prepared (and ill-designed).
Don’t be that business. Custom software development has come far in the past few years. It’s an exciting time to go virtual, and there are many tools, tips, and tricks to help your website or app stand out. UI/UX one of the fastest growing fields due to the growing competitiveness within the digital world; it’s not uncommon to hire a UX/UI designer.
That’s because businesses have realized that they need to go a step further to create seamless online experiences, and the combination of User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) design is one of the most efficient ways to accomplish this task. UI and UX share equal roles in the success of a custom software development project, but a good basic user interface is what will initially keep users scrolling through your content.
The Basics of User Interface
Would you want to invest in a home with peeling paint, cracked flooring, and broken appliances? Maybe if you’re hard-pressed for somewhere to stay. If you have other options? Most likely…no. The same can be said of users interacting with your website.
If it’s difficult to interact with, feels clunky, or looks sloppily put together, your potential clients will leave before giving you a fair shake. Remember– you have competitors offering the same product. If their presentation is better, you can’t blame users for preferring their interface.
User Interface design is a digital design strategy that takes a humanistic approach to your product’s presentation. It takes into consideration that your potential clients are people too, and they have cultivated a certain level of expectations that need to be met. They require levels of design that provide high intuition, aesthetics, and efficiency.
Take a moment to consider your favorite app. Did you spend too much time trying to figure out where to navigate from point A to point B? Or were you able to seamlessly tap through to where you needed to go? The best interfaces will present little to no issues for their users–and that’s exactly what you should strive for.
Examining Custom Software Development: Who Creates User Interfaces?
UI/UX designers are responsible for tailoring your digital presence to the best design standards possible. They are experts at understanding both digital products and how to cultivate positive human interactions with them. They are constantly working to optimize websites and applications by considering:
- Contrast: Knowing how much is too much. Specifically, what color scheme should be used?
- Responsiveness: Will the website or application respond the same regardless of the medium it’s being used on (computer, mobile device, TV)?
- Experimentation: What type of interface design yields the best results?
- Usability: Especially for first-time users, the website needs to have the highest level of ease with its features. How can this be best achieved?
- Consistency: Each section of the site needs to have the same design attributes. Use the same layout throughout to remain consistent and predictable.
- Relevance: All components of the website should be relevant to the user’s experience. Get rid of any unnecessary aspects to reduce clunkiness and confusion.
- Target users: Who is this product being designed for? How should that influence the overall design?
- Branding: Can users identify the brand regardless of where they’re at on the website?
- Readability: How do the font, font size, colors, and other design traits interact? Is it easy to read?
- Ease of access: Users should use minimal effort to accomplish their tasks. Is the website designed in a way that enables this behavior?
- Intuitiveness: The design should be set up to cater to any next logical steps.
…and much, much more. UI/UX designers must pay careful attention to even the most minute detail of your website or application. The best way to guarantee your digital product checks all of your user’s boxes is to hire a UX/UI designer. They have a carefully trained eye for design elements the average user may not consciously look for, but subconsciously consider when forming their opinion of a website.
Basic user interfaces will use all of these elements in a cohesive, collaborative way. You have the potential to move your online presence to the next level by investing in the benefits of today’s custom software development. UI/UX design is the backbone of a successful build– is your website up to par?
