User Interface (UI design), is the process of building interfaces in computerized devices, focusing on style and looks. The goal is to make user’s interaction super efficient and simple. The aim is for the users to find these interfaces pleasant to the eye and easy to use. Design aesthetics may influence the ability of users to use functions of the interface. By this process, technical functionality and visual elements must be balanced to create an operational, useable and adaptable to changing user needs.
User interfaces are the points of access where users interact with the design of a product, which come in three formats:
- Graphical user interfaces (GUIs)
- Voice-controlled interfaces (VUIs)
- Gesture-based interfaces
However, now that we know what UI is, we will focus this blog more about the ways how to integrate UI design and take your website to another level.
1. Get to know your audience
One of the most important things to take into consideration while integrating UI design is the audience. After all they’ll be the ones who will look at your site and try to get information from it. You need to know who the target audience is and then make sure that your site is designed to enhance their experience.
You can start by asking yourself questions like the things they would want to see on your site, the elements and operations that would make their lives easier and enhancing their experience.
By knowing your target audience, you have an understanding of what they need and why they need it. Therefore, the website you build will have a design based on their wants and needs.
2. Page layout
Page layout plays an important part in how your visitors feels about your website. Apart from the fact that should be consistent and simple, also should be created with your audience in mind. You have to think how your visitors will use your site and build a layout that works nice for them.
An important thing to keep in mind while drawing your layout is that you want to draw attention to the most important part of your site. If you’re a software company that wants people to get interested in software, you probably want to create something that will draw attention to that service. Best way to do so is to use visual hierarchy. This way you can put the most important elements first making it most noticeable to the user.
While designing your website, you need to make sure everything looks clean and professional. Everything should have the right spacing. This can also help with readability, because when your site’s layout structure is built properly, people can walk through your site easier.
3. Keep elements clear
When you start designing a new site, one of the things that are really important is for your audience to find it easy to use. A big part on accomplishing that is by designing elements that have a clear purpose. Your audience should be able to know what those design elements do and how they function without having to think too much about it. Otherwise, they’ll do what people do, which is avoiding the elements! Therefore, you don’t have to invent the wheel all over again, instead you stick to common elements that people know well.
Hamburger buttons, shopping cart icons, notification bells etc, are some of the elements that people are very familiar and comfortable with. By using these elements, your audience will feel more comfortable to navigate through your site.
4. Keep things consistent and simple
Consistency is key! Along with simplicity, it represents a big part of UI design. Apart from universal elements and icons, also it’s important to keep consistency all across pages of your website. While designing a website, you want to use common elements, like we stated earlier, to make your audience be more comfortable while using your site.
One simple reason to use common elements is that your audience can complete tasks quicker. They would know how to navigate through your site and what to do to complete a certain task.
Building consistency all over the pages, it is also really important, since your users don’t want to go from one page to the next, just to find a completely different page. That would make them feel lost, when on the other hand, if we keep all pages consistent they would feel secure and would know how to navigate the page! This is applies especially for colors and topography, which should be the same on each page.
5. Simple forms
Almost every website has forms on them. By using forms you can capture leads to use marketing techniques to get them to convert. This common thing among websites, if not used properly and not done right, can have a negative impact on your visitors.
For example, long forms - people just hate them, they don’t want to waste their time filling out every small piece of information. Therefore, long forms should be avoided and keep them short and simple. When you design your website, you have to think about whether you need all the forms on your website or not. If not, then you should probably remove them since you want to use forms only where they are necessary and most likely to capture valuable leads.
Simple forms attract more people to fill out because they know that it won’t take long. Therefore, you should design your form simple so that you only ask for basic information that can be given really fast.
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