The Secret to Business Success: Customer-Centered UI/UX Design

Introduction

Google Trends show that keyword searches for UI/UX have grown over the years, signaling an expanding interest in the field. This is not surprising, as the primary goal of any business is to increase sales. Research by Deloitte and Touche has shown that customer-centric companies are 60% more profitable compared to those that are not. The real-world results of good UI/UX are clear, and professionals are seeking to gain more knowledge about it. Let's explore why it has such an impact.

Difference between UI and UX

UI and UX are not the same, but they cannot exist without each other. Imagine that you want to build a house to bring your friends. UX design would be making plans for the layout of the house: how many rooms, what each room will be used for, and where they are located. For example, you would want the bathroom to be located near the bedroom, rather than all the way inside the garage. UX design also involves deciding where things should go inside the rooms - you would not want a large table in a small room, as it would make it difficult to move around.

In this metaphor, UI represents the process of improving the house by adding things like wallpaper, paint, tiles, and decorations that make it more pleasant to live in. It’s also a way for the house owner to signal their values and impact visitors without saying a word.

UI is what users interact with, and UX is determining what they need and meeting those needs.

When UI/UX is done correctly, everything just makes sense intuitively. House is easy to navigate and it is obvious what each room is for. It gives off a certain feeling without any directions. Guests know where they can have a snack or sit down to relax. To summarize, UI is what users interact with, and UX is the process of determining what they need and creating a solution to meet those needs.

Design process

Good design is all about keeping a client-centered approach and discovering the needs of customers. It heavily relies on research and feedback. By looking at the market, designers can see global trends to understand what the competition is lacking and what is working. Researching individuals helps to find their needs and differentiate your product from the crowd.

UX designers use these findings to create solutions through wireframes (visual layouts of a product's basic structure) that demonstrate key interface elements. They are quick and easy to produce, with a low focus on visual style appeal, called "low-fi" or "mid-fi". Used as a way to quickly convey, explore and test UX ideas.

The design process is not a pre-made template solution; it is all about discovery and research.

Testing helps to save development budget and time. Once it’s done, the wireframe is updated and the project moves on with more details to be tested again. This is an iterative process that leads to the creation of a prototype. On the UI front, testing helps designers to see what further conversions work best.

It’s an extremely important part of the design process. Insights from market and user research help designers get on the right track. Facing ideas up against reality is what really matters in the end. As the famous quote from Albert Einstein goes, "In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not."?

The design process is not a pre-made template solution; it is all about discovery and research. With some basics in place, ideas are tested and iterated on, resulting in a truly tailored approach to business-specific needs.

What makes a good UI/UX?

Don Norman, in his book The Design of Everyday Things, states that “Things are designed and used by humans, great care and attention must be given to making sure the design serves human needs and capabilities”. Unfortunately, not all businesses adhere to this principle. For example, it is a growing trend to bombard users with numerous pop-ups when they visit a new web page, which is detrimental to the user experience and fails to adhere to the principles of human-centered design. It is easy to identify these failures, as they are obvious and noticeable issues. On the other hand, well-executed design is almost invisible - users do not notice when things are going smoothly, which is the central idea of good UX design. Great UX is intuitive and facilitates unobscured action.

"Things are designed and used by humans, great care and attention must be given to making sure the design serves human needs and capabilities" - Don Norman

UI serves similar functions, using elements such as colors, typography, icons, images, and animations to set the mood and transmit the brand identity. It can steer attention, for example by using typography to create a hierarchy of fonts and making the most important messages the largest. Colors can be used to make certain parts of a website or buttons stand out, while icons are a quick way to inform users about functionality. Animations can be used to capture fleeting attention. Aesthetics are more subjective and harder to evaluate, but a good UI will make the important parts stand out.

Challenges of design

The most important challenge in superb UI/UX is to align the design with the needs of the users. If designers do not make them a central figure, they can completely miss the point and lose the ability to compete in the market successfully. There are a few reasons why this might happen, such as ignorance caused by a lack of knowledge or lack of research. Another reason might be putting the wrong things, like aesthetics, first.

It is not about mobile versus desktop, but rather about getting the full potential of both.

One more very important hurdle is multi-channel compatibility. 60% of web traffic is through mobile devices, and while the percentage varies in different industries, it is very likely that customers will be using both mobile and desktop devices to interact with a business. Due to the different nature of these devices and the context in which people use them, UI/UX can be tailored to meet different needs. It is not about mobile versus desktop, but rather about getting the full potential of both.

Additional issue to consider is accessibility. 98% of the world's top one million websites do not offer full accessibility, missing out on a lot of potential users. In addition to the potential loss, it is also ethical to be inclusive for those who have previously been marginalized.

Business responsibility is to create a polished transaction and misalignment will fail the business. This competition is good for everyone because it surfaces companies that are trying hardest, which in turn promotes development. It's what drives progress and creates great products with even better UI/UX. The more competition there is, the more challenging design process has to be to stand out.

Business gains from UX/UI design

Designing a great user experience is not a trivial task, but it does help to achieve a few very important business goals. One of these goals is creating brand awareness and loyalty. With over 3 new websites being created every second, it is important for businesses to stand out in order to get attention. Exceptional design is a great way to convey a message and brand values. Powerful ideas can have a positive impact on people's lives and inspire them to create a relationship with the business.

Good products with poor messages may not be seen, and bad products with good messages may not be used.

In a more practical sense, good design can help businesses stay competitive at a premium price level. There are also cost savings to consider, such as reducing customer service workload. Products that are easier to use cause fewer issues saving time, money, and avoiding negative feedback online. This also lowers the cost of marketing acquisition, as happy customers become brand ambassadors.

Ultimately, success is about users wanting a product or service. Good products with poor messages may not be seen, and bad products with good messages may not be used. While UX/UI design won't solve these issues on its own, it’s an integral part of being exceptionally good.

Summary

Praiseworthy UI/UX is all about taking a customer-centric approach that is aligned with business goals. Design is not done in a template-like manner; rather, it is an iterative process of research and discovery. When done well, it can improve our lives. As cliche as it sounds, companies that bring value do prosper.

Front end is much more than meets the eye. It’s hard to notice when things are going great, and this is what defines stellar UX. On the other hand UI, like a wrapper, is transmitting brand identity and values through visual cues. Both of these elements work together to form an essential connection between the user and the product.

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