UX UI DESIGN 2020

UX design - a role in interface development

The concept of User Experience (user experience) implies the study of impressions from using a certain interface and the development of mechanisms for user interaction with the product. Therefore, before choosing the structure and appearance of the "shell", you need to understand the target audience, research the human needs and habits of interaction with applications and pages.

The structure should simplify as much as possible the implementation of targeted actions. What the user does (downloads files, make a purchase, answer a poll, go to another page, open a bookmark) should also overlap with the business goals of the product. Based on the analysis of the target audience's real or anticipated responses, a UX concept is created at the early stages of development. This examines the entire path and sequence of actions of the target client:

product search;

algorithms for clicks and transitions while using the interface;

feelings, thoughts and opinions arising in the process of clicks, transitions, submitting forms, scrolling and other actions on the interface;

impressions of the experience of using the interface at the end of the process.

In UX, the concept of "designer" should be understood not in its usual broad sense, but rather as "architect", "engineer". The main components of UX design are: content architecture, design of all stages of interaction, graphic reconstruction and filling with content. UX design and UX testing is the creation of models and the first beta versions (prototypes) of a future product. Projects are based on the analysis of the audience's interaction with existing analogs. Reviews, wishes, behavioral factors, features of products (services) that are not identical with competitors are also taken into account.

In fact, UI UX web design is the development of the mechanics of interaction with the site (application, software shell, online cabinet) and the visual embodiment of these mechanisms. Without a deep understanding of how to lead the client to the target action, it makes no sense to start graphically drawing and arranging interface elements.

UI design is the embodiment of the concept of user experience

User Interface is an external presentation of a software product and its physical properties. UI design is a graphical and functional implementation of the concept, all those ideas and solutions that were approved at the stage of UX analysis.

Answering the question what is UX and UI, you can consider them as 2 stages of one process. The stage of UI design cannot be called just visualization and drawing. For the successful implementation of the user interface, the following rules must be followed:

all elements of the system are structured and interconnected;

the architecture is respected, logically related elements are grouped (for example, the horizontal main menu of a website contains buttons for navigating to different sections, which, in turn, offer their own menus with tabs);

one general style is maintained;

focusing on certain blocks or buttons (do not overload the appearance with content, distracting illustrations and buttons, there should be free space);

alignment of interface components.

The task of the UI designer is not only creatively, but also intelligently to work out the look of each page or screen. He picks up checkboxes, buttons, fonts and other visual elements. At the same time, the button should be comfortable and attractive, the text should be well readable, the forms should be laconic, any error messages should not cause irritation and unwillingness for new actions. A "pumped-up" UI designer has strong skills in system design, prototyping and VD.

Many newcomers to IT not only ask the question: what is UI UX design? They have some misconceptions about the primary importance of UI, the appearance of interfaces. As the experience of analyzing many well-known online sites shows, a well-designed user interface does not guarantee a positive user experience. There are situations in reverse: a "flat", old-fashioned site with a complex architecture and poorly indexed elements perfectly and quickly copes with the goals of a guest visit. This combination of bad UI and good UX is common in banks' web interfaces.

UX / UI design as a holistic process

A beautiful, modern website can attract an audience and create a good first impression. But guests will quickly leave if they do not immediately understand the purpose of staying on the resource and do not understand the navigation. UI UX design is a kind of symbiosis of visual design, engineering skills and a subtle understanding of psychology. Its whole essence can be briefly expressed in three theses:

simple content navigation;

the value of the offer emphasized for the user;

clear conversion goal.

Often the same designer deals with UX and UI. He thinks about both the steps in terms of a successful user experience and their implementation in the interface. Still, it's not worth erasing the lines between the two concepts. You can have a good knowledge of iconography, typography, visual design, but at the same time not conduct research on the behavior of the target audience and not build the architecture of the resource taking into account this analysis. In this case, a beautiful and laconic product will not be complete and will not guarantee a positive user experience.

Likewise with the importance of UX knowledge, the universal designer must understand the mechanism of brand building and the emotional connection of the audience with the product. This is one of the tasks of the UI. In small details, such as changing the appearance of the pressed button, the interaction of the shell with the person appears. Simply put, the user understands that the button has been pressed, and the interface response is visually confirmed.

Usability Tips: Improving UX and UI Effectiveness

These tips for UX and UI designers will help you stand out in a huge mass of products and provide the most successful experience for your audience:

• always highlight the most key information in the interface (for example, floating buttons that constantly remain on the page when scrolling down, pop-up interactive messages, large registration buttons);
• do not ignore animated graphics (smooth transitions, shadows);
• make the chain of clicks as short as possible that lead to the targeted action (purchase, download, subscription, registration, etc.);
• shorten the information on the main pages, emphasizing the benefits, advantages, and not a complete in-depth description of products, services;
• optimize the architecture - simple navigation will help you read information on a specific topic, sort and buy exactly the product that he is looking for.

The main thing to remember for any UX / UI designer is to think about a person's simple needs, motivations, and goal aspirations. Nice shell and convenient functions should work for a real person, simplify her experience of interaction with the interface. Due to the constantly growing demand in the market, more and more specialists in this field are required, who are able to analyze the behavior of the target audience, offer quality solutions to enhance usability.

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