Sometimes it doesn’t matter how well you market or what your product does: if your website is too difficult to work with, users won’t bother. User interface (UI) design and user experience (UX) design are two areas that are critical to the success of a website or app. UX design is the process of developing and implementing quality interactions between users and every facet of your company. In a similar vein, UI design is the process of visually guiding a user through interactions with a product or website via interactive elements.
Poor UX and UI design can result in higher bounce rates and fewer customers in the long term. We’ve got three principles you can live by to improve your website.
UTILITY BEFORE BEAUTY
Ensure your website is usable first and beautiful second. The goal is to make the customer’s journey to your product as easy and intuitive as possible.
When creating your website, UX comes first as the skeleton. Without it, the visuals of your UI can’t be very effective. A well-structured site goes a long way in improving a user’s experience. When you’ve built a usable skeleton, then your UI design can come in to ensure your website reflects your company and brand.
The UI design can’t just be about making your website pretty. Sure, some design elements might be more beautiful or interesting than others, but what matters is whether they make a user’s experience on your website better.
That unskippable video about your product might look nice, but it could also turn off customers who already know what you’re about.
SIMPLICITY OVER COMPLEXITY
You can accidentally overload customers with information and choices in your eagerness to get them to your product.
Though it originated in aircraft engineering, the KISS principle applies just as well here. Simplicity applies to all parts of your website, not just the design. From structure to visuals to copy, simplicity should be at the heart of your user experience.
In the UX design, a simple and streamlined structure allows users to intuitively navigate and understand your website. Many users will leave your website if they can’t find what they’re looking for within three clicks of the homepage. A simple user experience is more appealing than one that requires endless extra layers.
The UI design should follow a similar principle. With a well-designed site structure in place, the design should communicate the company and brand in a straightforward way. And remember: simplicity DOES NOT always mean minimalism.
INNOVATION OVER IMITATION
When you see a competitor suddenly doing well, the instinct to adapt their winning processes to your plan can be overwhelming. Resist the urge to simply copy what they are doing. Like Henry Ford said, “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got.”
Instead of just getting what your competition has, pass them up by innovating and becoming a thought leader. Push the boundaries of design on the UX and UI level. This will create memorable experiences that will keep users coming back to experience your website.
Doing the same old thing may be a familiar staple, but that isn’t what is going to capture the attention and interest of users coming to your website. We can help.
