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UX/UI design services are both an organic part of the software product development process. The difference between them is that Ui and UX consider ‘design’ from different points of view. User experience(UX) deals with the app’s functionality to ensure that users can interact with it smoothly. Meanwhile, the user interface(UI) deals with the visual representation of the app. So, it’s responsible for what the user sees during their experience.
However, the most important thing to understand is that while there are clear differences between UX/UI design services, they are so closely connected that one cannot exist without the other.
For example, think of it like this, the plumbing system and pipes in your house make up a part of its UX. However, the faucets are the UI. And that’s where you get to choose whether you want them to be the most basic efficient model or something aesthetically pleasing.
It’s making the right choices in both UX and UI designs that will determine the success of your product. Failing at either will be equally destructive.
What Is UX in Application Design?
Simply put, UX design is the embodiment of the user’s interaction with the app. Don Norman, the man who coined the term User Experience, explained it as a “cohesive, integrated set of experiences” and recommended to consider every single stage of product interaction when developing UX. It means going from the original intention to the final reflection on using the product.
Every experience of interacting with the product, from first use to maintenance, must fit and work together cohesively. A UX designer is the person who builds those experiences. So, their main goal is to ensure that every interaction is easy and smooth. But even more important is to fit all those interactions together just right. As a result, the product as a whole must become intuitive.
From the moment they first open it, the user must be able to achieve their goal quickly and efficiently. Note that it doesn’t matter what the exact goal is. It must be equally easy for the user to open an account, make a purchase, find a FAQ page, or contact customer support. Most importantly, the user should be able to easily manage all that even when they open the application for the first time.
It’s no less critical to make sure that people genuinely enjoy using the product. That’s also a part of user experience design. And in order to create a product like that, the UX/UI design company must do some quality research.
What a UX designer must know to create a great product
The focus of UX design is the user. Therefore, designers must understand their target audience extremely well. For this, designers will need to rely on:
- User personas.
The project must have clearly defined user personas, fictional representations of future users. The user persona must provide a detailed profile. It includes age, gender, nationality, interests, profession, education level, marital status, etc. Basically, the more precise the user persona is, the easier it will be for UX/UI design services to create a product those people will love.
- Focus groups.
Focus groups are people that fit your user personas that you can interact with to find out their attitudes, interests, issues, etc. The point is to use them to get to know real people’s needs beyond your persona profiles.
- User interviews & surveys.
Conducting short interviews or using surveys with real users is the best way to learn how well the UX design performs.
In order to produce the best user experience, the designer should embrace some basic principles:
- Start with research.
Your design must solve people’s problems. Therefore, you need to get to know the real people the product will serve. - Show and tell.
A UX/UI design services provider must be in constant contact with people showing off the design and getting feedback. This process should be interactive as UX design must be updated based on that data. - Rely on empathy.
The designer must be empathetic with the people they are creating for. They need to feel and understand users to create the best user experience. - Forego biases.
The designer must be objective and purposefully clear any biases and assumptions about people. - Design for inclusivity.
Any app design should be accessible to everyone.
What is UI for a Web Application?
UI, user interface, is what the user sees when interacting with a product. Those interfaces can be extremely versatile in design. However, they come in only a few types. The most common of those are:
- Command-line interface.
Professionals mostly use those as they really aren’t easy to use for a layperson, nor are they aesthetically appealing. - Graphic interface.
There are many kinds of Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) that are highly versatile. In fact, they are so many that we’ll be sure to make a separate article on GUIs. These interfaces allow users to interact with an app using different visual elements. And it’s only the designer’s imagination is the limit to what those visual components can be. - Voice-controlled interface.
All smart assistants you use in daily life are VUIs. They are getting trendy now. So, it’s a good idea for every software product to consider at least some measure of voice control functionality. - Gesture-based interface.
Remember the holographic interfaces Tony Stark uses? They are a futuristic take on gesture-based interfaces. At the moment, this technology is used in VR games. But it’s developing rapidly and we hope we’ll be close to the IronMan technology level soon 😉
Top principles of a UI design company
User Interface design definitely needs to be visually attractive. However, to create an interface that people enjoy interacting with, the designer must keep in mind the following principles:
- Clarity.
Clarity must be the driving force in UX/UI design services as a whole. It’s what the designer must think about to make an intuitive interface. The main task of a designer is to make an interface that’s so clear and ‘obvious’ that a user can interact with it without prior knowledge of the app. Note that this means that not only must the app design be intuitive. But also all important elements, for example, buttons, must be easily visible. - Familiarity.
One of the most effective ways to make UI intuitive is using elements that people are familiar with. That’s why a designer needs to research top trending apps, even those not in their customer’s niche. - Flexibility.
Flexibility is one of the key principles for UX/UI design services in general. In the context of UI, flexible design is the one that will work equally well for any situation and device. It’s also about the ease of use. For beginner users, the flexible design will enable fast learning. For experts, the design must offer shortcuts and other ways to achieve their objectives quickly. - User control.
The user must feel in control of the interface. This entails clearly marking every step of user interaction with the app. Also, you must provide “emergency outs” for users who make a mistake. For example, one such safeguard is a pop-up that verifies whether the user is sure they want to delete their account. - Hierarchy.
All visual elements in the interface must be arranged in order of importance. - Negative space.
UI design elements must not be crammed one atop the other.
Are UX/UI Design Services Equally Important?
Can an app have only UI or only UX?
First of all, you must understand that there cannot be UX without UI design services. These are two sides of the same coin. Thatєs why the profession itself is called UI/UX design. User experience and interface through which the user ‘gets’ that experience are intricately connected. Therefore, UX/UI design services are equally important for any software product.
In order for your product to be successful, it must both provide a great experience and have a great design. Bear in mind that providing a top-quality user experience is necessary not only to increase conversion and customer loyalty. Studying app stats will also help you understand customer journeys better. So, you’ll be able to make meaningful and efficient updates to improve the performance of the app and your business as a whole.
How to Choose the Best UX/UI Design Company for Your Project?
The first step to choosing a provider of UX/UI design services is to study their portfolio. If you like the visual style of the team, and they have experience in creating the type of apps you plan to make, set up a meeting.
During interaction with the UX/UI design company you’ll need to determine:
- Are these people good in communication?
Make sure that you are able to communicate your vision and the designers can visualize them exactly as you want. - Do they show good teamwork?
If you get your app developed in one place, make sure that the designers are a part of a well-adjusted team that can effectively work together. - Are they good as solving problems and thinking ‘outside the box’?
Issues are unavoidable in any project. A reliable custom mobile application development team must be able to solve them fast. - Do these people have solid work ethics and values?
The company should share its values and prove it is trustworthy and client-oriented in everything.
Looking for a fantastic creative UI/UX design team? Contact us! At Devtorium, we can help you with any stage of the project, be it only design or developing an end-to-end solution from scratch!
