Nowadays, it’s practically a requirement for businesses of all shapes and sizes to have a website. It doesn’t matter if you’re a casual blogger with occasional sponsorships or a multinational brand with thousands of customers—in an increasingly digital world, you’re going to need a website in order to thrive.
There are two ways you can go about developing your address in the world wide web: doing it yourself using readily available tools or hiring a web design services company. The first option is quite popular among small businesses, especially sole proprietorships. That said, if you want the best results, you’re going to want to go with the second.
The reason that it’s usually best to work with a web design company is that they understand what a website needs to be effective. These include things like high-quality content, good SEO, and great design. In particular, for the latter, web designers understand that good UI design can make or break a site.
What Is User Interface?
In the simplest of terms, UI or user interface is the point of interaction between the user and a computer. For example, if you’re using a smartphone, the UI is its screen where you press icons and buttons to perform certain tasks. A smartphone’s microphone is also part of its UI if it comes with a voice command feature.
Do note that there are three types of UI: graphic UI (GUI), voice UI (VUI), and menu-driven UI. For websites, GUI is the primary focus because it’s largely a visual medium. In addition to the microphones mentioned earlier, voice UI also relies on the type of responses users can get when asking a question. On the other hand, A menu-driven UI is commonly found in ATMs and self-service kiosks.
What Makes a Good UI Design?
There are many elements of a good UI design. These include things like:
- Good color contrast, so that the page elements and the text are easy to read.
- Balanced alignment of icons for visual appeal and to highlight the importance or relevance of each icon to the user.
- Intuitiveness, so that users can use the website immediately instead of having to figure things out first.
- Proper formatting so that the content layout adapts to any device, considering that there’s a huge chunk of users who access the internet using smartphones.
Another important element of good UI design is simplicity. Essentially, when it comes to websites, the “less is more” approach is often better. This is so that the user doesn’t get overwhelmed.
Why Is Good UI Design Important?
Now that you have an idea what UI is and what makes it “good,” it will be easier to appreciate its importance in your websites. Here are some of the reasons you should work with professional web designers to ensure that your website has good UI design:
It Prevents Confusion
While it’s easy to assume that internet users know how to navigate a website, keep in mind that not everyone is a digital native. It doesn’t matter if the internet has been around for decades—there will always be first-timers who may not be as tech-savvy as the younger generations. Thus, you need to make your website as easy to use as possible.
In fact, even if you can be 100% sure that everyone who visits your website knows their way around the internet, it’s still best to make things easy to navigate. Remember: your website should offer solutions, not make things more difficult. If even an internet pro gets confused or frustrated by your UI, then you have a problem on your hands.
It Doesn’t Overwhelm
In the field of psychology, there’s a sensation or experience referred to as “choice paralysis.” Simply put, this is a state in which a person gets stressed with having too many choices and ends up not choosing anything at all. This is certainly bad for business.
Fortunately, a good UI can help prevent choice paralysis. With a simple, intuitive yet still visually appealing design, users can easily make a decision without feeling pressured. This is because they can focus on the product or service they’re seeing on the screen, rather than getting distracted by unnecessary elements or bad layouts.
It Increases Conversion Rates
In relation to the previous point, good UI design can help increase your website’s conversion rate. Take, for example, the checkout process of an online store. If the customer finds it easy to checkout and pay for their purchases, they’re more likely to proceed with the transaction. On the other hand, if they can’t figure out the correct icons immediately or find it difficult to type their payment information, they can get frustrated and just leave. Some customers may even warn others to stay away from your website because of their bad experience.
It Boosts Retention
With good UI design, customers are more likely to stay on your website and explore it further. This is especially important for blogs and other platforms that need users to click on more pages and stay for as long as possible. If your website is easy on the eyes and simple to navigate, not to mention provides high-quality content, you can reasonably expect higher retention numbers.
It Saves a User’s Time and Minimizes Your Costs
Last but certainly not least, good UI design helps save time and costs. Many internet users nowadays don’t have a lot of time to spare. That’s why they go to online banking sites or shopping platforms instead of a brick-and-mortar establishment since they expect the former to be faster and more convenient. If your website doesn’t provide these things through good UI design, you can expect them to be frustrated and not come back.
On your end, good UI design can help you save on costs. If you do things right the first time, you can avoid mistakes that can cost a lot of time and money to correct. In short, a user-friendly and well-designed UI is beneficial for both you and the customers.
As you can see, good UI design is more than just about aesthetics. It’s also about ensuring the users and visitors of your website get the best possible experience. Ultimately, this enables your endeavor to grow.
