The implications of UX and UI are huge, whether that’s reaching and converting customers, Google rankings, reputation and success, or business growth.
Many people now turn to the internet to find a service and research a list of potential providers. Businesses have literally seconds to impress and communicate with a website visitor. If they can’t find what they are looking for easily and quickly – for example the page doesn’t load, it’s full of pop-ups, they can’t read the font, the page is too busy, they can’t find a phone number, contact form or ‘book now’ button – they will leave almost immediately and go on to the next website on their list.
User experience and user interface can therefore make or break a brand and is crucial for all businesses of all sizes – even those with the smallest websites.
So, what’s the difference between the two?
User experience – This essentially optimises how a user interacts with a service or product. It’s about their overall journey from A to B. Did they find what they were looking for, was it easy and painless, or difficult and frustrating? In websites and apps this is focused on the design and structure of the site and the individual pages and their structure (wireframe), the functions and navigation menus.
User interface – This is very much concerned with the visual experience a person has with a website or app. It’s about the aesthetics of the design of pages, the positioning and design of buttons, the font and spacing, the colours used and so on.
Both are incredibly important and need to be well balanced. It could be the most beautiful-looking website ever created, but if people can’t find what they are looking for, or the site isn’t intuitive, it will fail to create a good user experience and will likely struggle to generate leads and sales.
User experience and user interface both rely on a deep understanding of who the core users are, what problems they need to solve and how they want to be able to interact with a business.
We work with businesses of all sizes on their UX and UI and always follow a similar process that starts with a briefing session before mapping out structure and design and then moving on to the website or app build.
Where it’s available, we’ll support each stage with research and insight. If research isn’t possible, we can rely on the expert knowledge of our designers and developers. They have been creating successful user experiences for many years, across a variety of sectors, from professional services to engineering, and everything in between.
Summary
Ultimately, the success of a business comes down to how well it meets the needs of its customers and how well they engage with the website or app. It therefore has to be based on a deep understanding of what that customer wants.
Beyond the individual, Google considers the user experience as part of its SEO page ranking algorithms – websites must be user-friendly with accessible, usable content in order to succeed.
While requirements and resources can vary significantly, even the most basic website should consider UX and UI. It’s the means of ensuring that any investment in digital platforms delivers the desired engagement, results, leads, enquiries and ultimately, growth.
Give us a call or fill out the form below to find out more.