How important is UI/UX Design for your company's website?

UI/UX Design refers to User Interface (UI) design and User Experience (UX). There are two disciplines that focus on creating digital products: e-commerces, institutional websites, mobile applications and software. The idea is to provide a positive experience for those who access them.

Currently, both are essential for the success of a digital product. After all, well-designed UI makes for a pleasant and efficient experience. Now, a good UX ensures that the product meets the user’s needs and expectations.

Although the terms UI and UX Design have gained more notoriety in recent years, these techniques were born alongside the development of computing technology and digital systems.

Especially in the 1990s, with the expansion of the Internet and Web Design, there was a growing need for interface design for websites. That's because the emergence of web browsers has led to renewed attention to user experience design.

How did it come about?

Soon after, from the 2000s onwards, with the boom in mobile devices and the emergence of applications, the importance of interface design and user experience on smaller platforms became highlighted.

Along this path, during the 2010s, with the great success of social networks and the increase in interactivity on the internet, developers saw a significant increase in the importance of user experience.

In this way, companies began to recognize that user satisfaction was crucial to the success of a product. And this could only be achieved through well-executed UI/UX Design.

In today's technologies, user-centered design is standard practice, and the field continues to evolve as new technologies and forms of interaction emerge. In other words, over these decades, UI/UX Design has constantly evolved. After all, as users interact with platforms, designers are able to learn more and develop improvements.

What is the difference between UI and UX Design?

It is not uncommon for people unfamiliar with the world of technology and design to confuse UI/UX. Although the areas are interrelated (often working together), they refer to different aspects of digital design.

User Interface (UI) Design

User Interface (UI) Design involves the visual aspects of a digital interface. That is, elements such as buttons, icons, typography, colors and layout. Its objective is to make the product more attractive and facilitate user understanding and interaction. Check out a brief summary:

• Focal point
  Focuses on the visual and aesthetic design of the digital interface. It involves the appearance, presentation and interactivity of elements on the screen.
• Main elements
  It works with the design of buttons, icons, typography, colors, layout and other visible components with which the user can interact.
• Goal
  Create an attractive, visually pleasing and easy-to-use interface. Furthermore, contribute to the usability and visual identity of the product.

User Experience Design (UX)

User Experience (UX) design covers the general experience that a user has when interacting with a digital product, in addition to the visual aspects. This includes features such as usability and accessibility. Thus, the interface must ensure that the user's interaction with the product is intuitive, efficient and pleasant, meeting users' expectations and requirements. See the summary below:

• Focal point
  Users' overall experience when interacting with a digital product. In addition to visual appearance, it focuses on usability, accessibility, performance and user satisfaction.
• Main elements
  It understands the entire user journey, worrying about information architecture, efficient navigation, and system response. Furthermore, it also involves accessibility and other factors that can influence the experience of those who access a certain digital product.
• Goal
  Ensure that user interaction with the product is intuitive, efficient and pleasant. This way, the user's needs are understood, testing the usability of the product. Furthermore, the product must develop continuous improvements to meet user expectations.

UI/UX design: application

User Interface Design and User Experience are applied to digital products through processes that involve several steps. They begin with research and go through implementation and continuous evaluation.
Therefore, UX professionals undertake intense research into the users who will access that product. In other words, they understand your needs, behaviors and expectations. Soon after, personas representative of each user profile are generally developed.

Next, the process of developing the strategy and information architecture takes place. This involves mapping the user journey and structuring information in a logical and intuitive way, organizing its contents and functionalities.

Thus, both UI and UX professionals carry out prototyping and development of wireframing. In other words, they develop prototypes to test usability and interaction, and create interface sketches, without focusing specifically on visual details.

It is only then that the visual design begins to take shape. Thus, UI designers select colors, typography, icons and other visual elements that align with the brand identity and enhance the aesthetics of the interface. Furthermore, they define the layout of the product, ensuring a balanced and organized distribution of elements.

The next step is the development and implementation of the UI/UX design. At this point, designers and developers work collaboratively, ensuring that the design is implemented as planned.
It is also common to carry out usability tests with real users, identifying points of friction and opportunities for improvement. Monitoring for continuous improvements after launch is done by collecting feedback, followed by making adjustments as necessary.

Count on Beatz!

At Beatz, our teams of designers and developers have intense expertise in everything mentioned throughout this article. After all, we have spent years working in the world of technology and digital marketing, helping countless companies to establish their space on the internet efficiently. Get in touch with our experts and find out how we can contribute to the success of your business!