Table of contents
If you plan to create any kind of app or software product in general, you will need to work with a UI design company. Of course, it may not be called this exact way because designers usually work with UI and UX simultaneously. Moreover, a custom software development company will most likely have a design team. Therefore, you’ll just dive into the most interesting question immediately. And that question is, what kind of user interface do you want to have?
Technology is evolving, and we’ve now moved on from the point where graphical interfaces were your only option. Keep reading to learn what alternatives you have now. Also, remember that consumers are hunting for the best UI/UX experience today. Therefore, investing in a creative and well-optimized interface is sure to help you get ahead even in a highly competitive market.
Before You Hire a UI Design Company: What Is UI?
Before we start listing trending UI types, let’s see if you understand what UI is and the difference between UI and UX design services. In essence, UI includes everything the user interacts with to navigate information within the device. For example, for a computer program, this will include:
- Desktop appearances
- Computer mouse
- Keyboard
- Clickable buttons
- Text entry fields
- Texts
- Sliders
- Screen layouts
- Transitions between screens
- Interface animations
So, if you thought that a UI/UX designer only thinks about making your app look pretty, you’ve severely underestimated the work they have to put in when creating a friendly user interface. Moreover, you also need to consider that UI development goes beyond design. A lot of technical work is involved in making your app genuinely user-friendly and attractive.
Meanwhile, UX design is an integral part of this process because it ensures that the user interface is easy and intuitive to interact with.
For a very long time, software products only relied on graphical user interfaces due to technological limitations. However, now you have the freedom to use top-notch tech to make your solutions more interactive. In addition, IoT and smart assistants, like Alexa or Siri, have become the norm today. According to TechJury, about 64 billion IoT devices will be in use worldwide by 2025. So, developing a more advanced UI type is guaranteed to be a good investment.
Types of User Interfaces: Things to Discuss With Your UI Design Company
Graphical User Interface (GUI)
Graphical user interfaces are the most popular and some of the simplest available today. You interact with them daily by clicking on any icon, whether with a mouse or your finger on a touchscreen. These interfaces are best used for multitasking (when the user runs several apps at a time) or for complex programs.
GUIs are the standard go-to that every UI design company will focus on first. In the majority of cases, any other tech additions will be built upon after completing the graphical component of your solution.
The main advantages of a GUI include the following:
- Attractive design
- Very user-friendly
- Easy to use and navigate
- Absence of challenging commands
- Understandable for people without a background in tech
However, GUIs are not perfect. First of all, they can be slow and require a lot of RAM to run (for advanced versions). In some cases, the user might require extensive additional hardware to run some graphical interfaces. For example, think of last-gen video games.
Voice-Controlled Interfaces are taking over the world! Missing out on this now might make it impossible to remain competitive
Voice-Controlled Interface (VUI)
How often do you talk to Alexa? Or Siri? Or how reliant are you on your Google Assistant? If you use any of those, you’ve probably noticed that they become an integral part of your daily life so easily that you don’t even see it. However, removing them now will make everything so much harder, right?
Voice-controlled user interfaces are not a big part of a regular UI design company’s services. Therefore, you’ll need to search for specialized developers to launch a product like that. Moreover, creating such software from scratch will require a significant investment. However, you can definitely consider integrating functionality that will connect your software product to one or all of the existing voice interfaces.
Voice-controlled interfaces are becoming more popular, and this trend will undoubtedly grow. They enable users to interact with their devices more efficiently, which is necessary in the hectic modern world. In addition, the teaching capabilities of VUI solutions are unparalleled.
Benefits of VUIs include:
- Anyone can use them easily, no matter their level of tech proficiency
- Easy integration with multiple devices
- Translations make them available globally
- Enables easy human-like interaction with your tech
However, before you plan to create a VUI for your product, remember that the number of commands that can be integrated with it now is small. This technology is still developing, so tech issues and limitations might exist. Also, while translations are excellent, there are only a few of those now.
Natural Language Interface
Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Natural Language Understanding (NLU) technologies have been evolving for a while. They are an inseparable part of the AI development process. Devtorium is a company experienced in working with this technology as we’ve designed and launched an AI-powered platform Marquètte. Natural Language Interfaces (NLI) are designed for this tech as they enable the user to communicate with computers using human language.
After ChatGPT had gone viral, interest in NLI increased greatly. Many businesses are now looking for ways to integrate this tech into their product. So, if you plan on creating any type of software, you definitely should consider expanding beyond a regular UI design company’s services. In essence, a chatbot of some kind is a must-have for business right now.
The main benefits of an NLI include:
- Incredibly varied and numerous application possibilities
- Great level of personalization for user-tech communication
- Ability to create a realistic interaction, especially with voice generators
- Can enhance existing software products
- Context-sensitive responses that are getting more precise
The only significant drawback of VUIs is that they are now challenging to program. However, this technology is evolving rapidly, so we are sure to see fast growth in AI. The hardware needed to run this tech is also expensive. So, resources will also be an issue, unless you rely entirely on third-party products.
#ChatGPT has gone viral. Can you afford to NOT have a chatbot for your business today?
Final Things to Consider Before Hiring a UI Design Company
In this article, we focused only on UI types that someone interested in developing an innovative software product can use to boost their business plan. However, many other types are used daily, for example, the command line interface that developers often use or menu-based interfaces you interact with when using ATM machines and the like.
There are also advanced technologies that never managed to become popular for some reason, like gesture-based interfaces. Those holographic screens looked so cool in sci-fi movies and when Tony Stark was using them, but current tech doesn’t allow making them a viable option.
That said, we live in times when tech is evolving lightning fast. So, investing in cutting-edge interfaces is a smart move. You might not even notice how they turn from cutting-edge to an everyday staple feature. Therefore, it’s best to be ahead!
In order to do this, you should focus on hiring not merely a UI design company but experienced developers that can help you create a versatile solution. In this case, you’ll be able to develop a product with several interfaces to ensure a wider reach. Expand your target audience to stand out from your competitors.
Do you want to learn how to do this within your current budget? Set up a meeting with our team!
