Quick Guide To Improving UI Design
User interface (UI) design is focused on foreseeing what your user may need to do and making certain that the interface of your solution has elements that facilitate those actions while being easy to use, understand, and access. Despite the concept being around for some time, a lot of people are still confused regarding what UI is.
What does a UI developer do?
Essentially, a UI developer needs to transfer the layout, content, research, and development of a product into an experience for users that is responsive, guiding, and attractive. They will often use a tool like this to do so. It is not to be confused with UX (User Experience) design. This is the process of boosting customer loyalty and satisfaction by enhancing the pleasure provided, ease of use, and usability in an interaction between a consumer and your product. Although both are separate concepts, they need one and other. UX is like the framework, and UI is how you bring it to life.
So, hopefully, you have a better understanding regarding UI design now. All businesses need to use the services of an experienced design and marketing agency to achieve this. After all, if your brand’s visual assets and strengths are not transferred to the interface of the product, your identity will be weakened and the experience will not be as enjoyable or effective.
The benefits of improving UI design
In fact, the benefits of improved user interface design are extensive. Good UI design can be the difference between an extremely successful app or website and its failure to make an impact at all. If the interface is too confusing and busy, and so it is too difficult to navigate, you are going to fail to make an impact. You could have the best product in the industry, but no one is going to know about it because your interface is acting as a barrier, rather than encouragement. The best interfaces have a mix of simple navigation, ease of use, interactivity, and style.
Other benefits you can expect to reap the rewards of thanks to good UI design include reduced development costs, the ability to maximise your revenue and user experience, fewer frustrations, increased customer engagements, and increased sales. Ultimately, it comes down to making a higher level of profit, which is, of course, what all businesses want to experience. If the interface of your product is attractive, guiding, and responsive, people will find it easier and more enjoyable to use, which increases the chance of the sale.
Top UI Design Tips for Mobile Developers
If you want to gain access to potential users all over the world, there is no platform that is more powerful than mobile applications. No business can overlook the importance of having an app that is feature-loaded and attention-grabbing. For this to happen, you will need to master UI design. Below, we reveal some top UI design tips for mobile developers.
Stick to OS guidelines
The first tip is to make sure that you stick to the guidelines that pertain to the operating system you are targeting. Apps are scrutinised extensively before they are made available via the top app stores, such as Google Play and Apple Store. This is why it is important to spend a considerable amount of time researching what is accepted and what isn’t accepted. There is no point in creating the user interface of an app if you are unaware of the guidelines that are in place for each operating system.
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Make sure everything is to scale
There is nothing worse than having to tap your phone about six times in order to get to the place you want to go. There are numerous points that need to be considered in this regard. Firstly, make sure that users can see primary content without needing to scroll horizontally or zoom in or out. You also need to make sure that the controls you make are at least 44 points x 44 points in measurement. This will ensure that users can tap controls accurately with their finger, and won’t experience the annoyance of having to keep clicking the control, or, even worse, being taken to a different page. Furthermore, make sure that text can be read without the user needing to zoom in. To achieve this, it is advisable to choose a text that is at least 11 points for UI design.
Choose familiar mobile patterns to improve usability
Device-specific nuances form the basis of mobile design, including posture and orientation, as well as thumb placement. You should spend time examining common mobile patterns, as this will give you the ability to create an app that feels familiar and is easy for people to use.
Involve real users when evaluating the UI design of the mobile application
When evaluating various UI design options and ideas, it is advisable to engage real users. If you do this at a later stage, and not during development, you may end up wasting a considerable amount of time on a feature that should have been discarded a while ago. Not only does this waste time, but it costs a lot of money as well.
Know your users
We’ve just touched upon involving real users in the testing phase; however, you need to get to know your users before you begin to design the UI. If your app is not goal-driven and designed for your target audience, it will not be effective. Some of the methods that can be used to get to know your users better include creating personas, user scenarios, and experience maps.
All in all, it is not difficult to see why improved user interface design is so important. The only thing you need to do now is find the best UI developer for you. To do this, make sure they have a good amount of experience and read reviews that have been left by previous clients to ensure that they have been happy with the service that they received. Not only this, but you should make sure the company is going to offer a bespoke service to you and does not operate a one-size-fits-all approach. This is the only way to guarantee effective UI design. Your first conversation with the developer should be very telling.
Image credit: Pixabay.com
Hi, I'm Kelly O'Donnell.