Technological changes are as fast as ever before. Users want to have the best possible experience without wasting their precious time. When the page doesn’t load or the navigation is too complicated, they are frustrated and might search for another brand. This reduces your revenues, harms your reputation, and leads to other negative consequences.
There is a separate direction responsible for user experience and interface called UI/UX design. In this article, we will introduce its definition and discuss the main reasons to invest in UI/UX this year. They include:
- User-centric approach
- Cost reduction
- Improved usability
- Brand identity
- Better SEO
- Higher ROI
- User engagement and retention
- Higher website speed
- Mobile optimisation
What is UI/UX design?
UX design stands for user experience design, while UI refers to user interface design. The first one plans the experience a user has when interacting with a product and the second one designs its aesthetics. The main difference is that UI design is about how the product or website looks and functions and UX is about the overall experience. These two concepts are interconnected and operate closely together, so you will usually come across designers who work on both aspects.
User-centric approach
If you look at the modern UI/UX design trends, you will notice that all of them strive to satisfy users. This leads to a user-centric approach which means that all decisions and changes are made with the visitors in mind. UI/UX is all about simplifying complex information and heavy websites. By focusing on user habits, likes, and dislikes, you will be able to get positive testimonials and improve your reputation which, in turn, will lead to better retention and sales.
Cost reduction
At first, you may think that UI/UX design is expensive but in the long run, it actually saves you money. Designers will conduct an in-depth analysis and research, and test different hypotheses to understand what users prefer and want which will reduce the risks of failure. It is much cheaper to come up with a working prototype than to add changes when the product is already on the market.
Improved usability
UI/UX designers do everything they can to make the user experience better. To ensure that a website or application is visible, accessible, consistent, and user-friendly. They make the functionality and design intuitive by finding the best formula for colours, images, animation, buttons, videos, and other elements. Thus, your website is easy to use, accessible, and good-looking.
Brand identity
Great design and usability make a positive impression on your website and brand overall. Distinct colours, logos, and elements help you stand out and eventually build stronger relationships with the customers. Once your designers understand what visitors want and look for, they can use modern techniques and practices to create designs and layouts that render brand personality and uniqueness. Thus, when launching new products or services, you will be easily recognized and followed.
Improved SEO
Search engine optimization is on everyone’s lips. It helps your website rank higher during the search and, as a result, makes it more visible. What you might not know is that UI/UX design elements can actually boost SEO and meet strict search engine parameters. But remember that Google’s algorithms are constantly changing and your UI/UX strategy should adapt as well.
Higher ROI
Return on investment is an indicator that measures the profit from any investment. It often becomes the main instrument in identifying strategies that work or fail. Experts say that UX has the highest ROI. Just think of it: Walmart has increased its sales by 43% by improving user experience. Convert this percentage into a financial equivalent and you will be overwhelmed with the sum.
Professional UI/UX designers know how to create websites and apps that get you money. They conduct research and A/B testing to reduce costs, find the best strategy, and maximize your profits.
User Engagement
In 75% of cases, visitors decide whether the website is credible or not based on its overall aesthetics and usability. For UI and UX design, user engagement becomes a priority. It influences the design, navigation, style, and other elements. You have only 3 seconds to convince them that they are in the right place, so there should be a memorable hook: a call to action, an attractive offer, catchy images, and so on. All pages should be designed with a certain intention and complement each other.
Audience retention
It is much simpler and more effective to motivate users to repeat their purchases than to attract new customers. Once visitors see that your website is simple, convenient, and fast, they are more likely to become your regular customers. This issue is mostly solved by UI/UX design which strives to boost retention. They analyze user behaviour and regularly update the software and design to ensure better user engagement.
Better website speed
UI and UX designers pay much attention to load speed. It’s so annoying when the website is slow, right? When the page is not loading, users will most likely leave without making a purchase or recommending it to their friends. Research shows that load speed has a huge impact on revenues and even a 0.1% speed improvement can boost conversion by 5-10%. UI/UX designers use different techniques and measures to improve website speed without a need to delete certain elements or deteriorate their quality.
Mobile Optimization
You probably know that 55% of global web traffic comes from mobile and that Google uses mobile-first indexing. Targeting smartphone and tablet users becomes a priority both for the development and UI/UX teams. The absence of optimized images, inconvenient navigation, and slow loading speed make visitors move to your competitors. That is why UI/UX designers use the best practices and tools to maintain the right balance between graphics and load times. They make sure that visitors get the best experience without compromising speed and performance.
Conclusion
Nowadays, enterprises face colossal competition. They must not only create a great product or service but design a good-looking, fast, convenient, and usable website. This can be achieved by applying UI/UX design strategies and techniques. While they are quite difficult and time-consuming to master, it is always better to hire UI/UX designers who will help you boost user engagement, increase sales, and take the business to a completely new level.
