Now think about the most amazing website that you have ever found. Think about the reasons it was so great. You are unlikely to be thinking about the beautiful images (though those may have helped), or the informative content you read there (though that might also help). It’s more likely that the website impressed you because it was quick, efficient and effective. User interface design, or UI design for short, is one of the most important approaches to achieving this.
UI design is crucial because it controls the user’s interaction with your website and your product. A user interface that is intuitive and user-friendly allows them to focus on the task at hand, not the technicalities of your site. Although this may sound like a simple principle of web design design, there are many differences in the design of pages and interfaces. This article will explain what user interface design means, and what constitutes good UI design.
What is user interface design?
The design of user interfaces is about the visual experience of digital interfaces. This includes buttons, icons, navigation menus and typography. It is about the appearance and ease of use of the interface. UI design, in short, is the process of creating user-friendly interfaces to connect your customers with your product.
These are the most popular forms of UI design:
- Graphical interfaces – These are visual representations of buttons and menus or control panels that users will interact with. This could be your desktop on your computer or the interface on your mobile phone.
- Voice-controlled Interfaces – These interfaces require that users speak to initiate an action. These interfaces are increasingly popular. Examples include Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa.
- Gesture-based Interfaces – These interfaces allow users to manipulate the actions of products using their gestures.
- Virtual Reality games are an example.
- Each design mode imposes different limitations on a designer. Users must carefully study each to ensure the best possible experience.
How do you define good UI design?
It is important to think about what you want to achieve with your UI design. It’s often easier to identify the type of app or website you want than to create a set of rules to get there. It’s actually quite easy to identify the key characteristics of good UI design. These are some other things to keep in mind.
- It provides a pleasant experience for users and enables them to quickly and easily complete their tasks.
- It is accessible because it considers the different needs of users.
- The interface is easy to use and visually pleasing. However, it’s not too complicated or distracting. It should be easy for users to understand how to accomplish a task.
- Your product or service is the focus and acts as a bridge to your customer’s access.
- It allows users to navigate and interact however, it is always available to help or offer assistance.
- All of these elements can be combined to create a UI design that is simple yet powerful. It allows users to get what they need quickly and doesn’t require them to search through many pages for the information.
Good UI design is based on important principles
Let’s now look at some of the techniques and rules that can be used in order to create a good UI design. Although every website and every app is unique, there are a few common features shared by nearly every great UI design. Let’s take a look at each one.
1. Good UI design should be consistent across your website
Consistency is perhaps the most important aspect of great UI design. Consistency is the most important element in great UI design. Every element on your website should clearly indicate where your user is, but not get in the way of their site experience. This means that brand guidelines are a key step in creating a website of quality. This color scheme and branding scheme can be used to show your visitors how to use your site. It is possible to make it easier for your users to identify the most important functions of your site by using colors. The “request more info” button should be identical to the “request demo” button so that users can quickly scan the website for similar actions.
2. Good UI design doesn’t make the user do too much.
Simple tasks are made easy by the best websites. The best UI websites employ a variety of methods to accomplish this. These include making text more easily read and structuring pages and content for maximum effectiveness. The following are some ways to reduce the work required by the user:
Visual clarity
This is how you arrange elements on your website to indicate their importance. Button or link colors that are brighter and larger will draw attention and indicate that they are more valuable. A second tip is to give the user plenty of visual cues. To help users navigate your website, you can offer visual aids or reference points. Your goal is to make navigation on your website as easy as possible. Visitors shouldn’t have to wonder what a button, link or URL is or where they are.
Text and images should be balanced
Another tip is to cut down on the text you put on your website. Website visitors have short attention spans. Having to read long blocks of text on your website won’t make it easier. It should be easy for users to quickly scan through the pages and identify the information they are looking for. The three-click rule should be followed by most functions on your website. As simple as that sounds, your website should only require three clicks to get the user to their goal.
3. Good UI design places users in control
Great UI design allows users to navigate your website in their preferred ways, giving them control and empowerment. Your website should be easy to use for users and not require them to learn complicated user interfaces in order to access your services.
- There are many ways to do this. Here are some of the most popular:
- You should include a main menu or anchor that links to frequently used pages on your site so that users can navigate easily.
- Website visitors should be able to easily go back to a page they have previously visited. This makes your website more user-friendly and encourages visitors to explore it.
- Recognize or give feedback when a specific action has been completed or the outcome of an action. If you create a password, for example, let the user know what the requirements are and what is not.
- To prevent users from being impatient, provide real-time status updates to the system. For example, users can see an update of the status of their request via the interface. This is a progress bar that shows the progression of “processing,” delivering,” downloading, etc.
- Use visual and written labels. Use clear labels and common symbols to make it easy to identify which tab is responsible for which action.
- Allow auto-save so users don’t lose their work if a button is clicked incorrectly.
- To continue the discussion, error messages must be avoided inciting frustration. Links to other pages should be included in error messages, including a link to reset passwords.
4. Good UI design makes it easy for users to use
Good UI design empowers users to reach the goals they desire and makes them feel at ease. This means that you want all your visitors to feel confident and comfortable when they visit your website.
Here are some ways you can do this:
Avoid using jargon
Use language your audience will understand. Consider your audience and choose the language and terms they would use. Some people working in the clothing industry may refer to the offer “buy 1 get one” as BOGO. However, many visitors wouldn’t understand the concept of putting “BOGO Free” on your website to promote this offer. It could confuse or deter customers from visiting your website.
