UX Design: What It Is and How It Makes Customers Fall In Love With Your Product
UX refers to user experience. UX design is the art of creating products (digital or physical) that are easy and enjoyable to use. The task of such design is to improve user interaction with the product.
UX and UI design: what's the difference?
UX design defines the functionality of the interface, while UI stands for "user interface" and refers to graphic design, or what is responsible for the visual presentation.
These two areas are inseparably linked and complement each other. It is impossible to imagine interface development without considering its appearance and vice versa.
A specialist who works simultaneously in UI/UX is usually referred to as the interface designer, or UX/UI designer. They are responsible for the entire development lifecycle, from understanding project goals to testing the functionality of the created prototype.
A UX specialist is more than just a web designer. They should have knowledge of development, testing, marketing, and even a bit of psychology.
What user experience means exactly?
UX is about the way users interact with your brand or products.
Let's take an online electronics store as an example. Even if its search engine is highly functional, the user experience may be negative if a buyer searches for a smartphone model that is out of stock, while the site’s catalog is filled with outdated devices.
Here are some concepts that typically fall under UX:
1.Value for the customer. This is the cornerstone of UX design, on which its entire architecture is based. The product is oriented towards achieving goals, whether it's making instant profits, building long-term relationships with customers, or improving the company's image.
2.Ease of use. The interface is intuitive and does not require complex instructions. A person can easily navigate the product and quickly find the necessary information or functions.
3.Practical benefit. There should be a real advantage for the end user.
4.Inclusivity. The product is accessible to people with disabilities, including visual impairments.
5.Attractiveness. The product evokes positive emotions and encourages user interaction.
6.Reliability. It instills trust and a sense of security among clients.
Why is UX design needed?
The main task here is to create the most positive experience. UX design specialists ensure that using familiar tools, like websites or applications, is easy and comfortable. They carefully design every detail to make interactions enjoyable for users, while ensuring technical feasibility. In short, UX experts bring a human touch to products.
Here are some other tasks that UX design solves:
Reducing development costs. Development specialists might overlook the needs and habits of users. As a result, they may build features that prove unnecessary or inconvenient for most users, requiring additional time for rework. By applying UX principles, designers shape the product from the very beginning with real users, their needs, and usage scenarios in mind. This reduces the cost of future fixes.
Increasing conversion through optimization. The UX designer identifies unnecessary steps that hinder conversion through the analysis of the customer journey map. For example, requiring users to fill in unnecessary fields often discourages potential customers. Removing such barriers optimizes the user experience and improves conversion.
Enhancing loyalty. A convenient and intuitive UX design makes applications and websites genuinely useful. If the experience is easy and enjoyable, users are more likely to return and become regular customers.
Reducing pressure on customer support staff. The simpler the interface design, the less often users need to reach out to support. Thanks to intuitive design, customers can easily understand how to use the product: no need to spend time on extra explanations or fixing the problems. As a result, the support team can focus on those users who encounter serious issues.
Does UX mean usability?
Although the terms "UX" and "usability" are often used as synonyms, this is not entirely accurate.
Usability is an assessment of how easy it is to use a website or product. It is measured using the following indicators:
The percentage of users who perform the desired action, such as making a purchase or subscribing to a newsletter.
The average time users need to complete the desired action.
The percentage of customers who leave the website or product without performing the desired action.
UX, on the other hand, represents a broader concept that goes beyond simple ease of use. It encompasses the product's ability to gain users' trust, and shows how the product is perceived. An application or website with good UX not only effectively solves the user's tasks but also brings them positive emotions, a sense of reliability, and engagement.
Usability is about how smoothly a product works. In contrast, UX is more about the emotional aspect.
How interfaces are developed?
The work of an interface designer requires flexibility and choosing the right tools for each task. Typically, the process is divided into four stages:
Research. When developing the interface, the designer uses UX research methods to understand users, the market, and the product itself. They communicate with potential users, analyze competitors and the field of activity, and conduct an assessment of existing solutions.
The designer seeks a deep understanding of user needs in order to propose solutions that best meet their expectations. They do not limit themselves to the task set by the client but conduct their own research to identify potential problems and opportunities.
Communication with clients is an important part of this process. It allows the designer to gather valuable first-hand information.
Prototyping. Based on the collected information, the specialist creates a sketch of the product's or service's structure. The initial draft that reflects the main idea is called a wireframe. The general structure is created first, and then finer elements are gradually developed.
At the sketching stage, developers are already provided with the product specifications to understand how feasible it is to implement. This helps identify potential difficulties and make necessary adjustments at the early stages of development.
A simple sketch is gradually filled with details and transforms into a prototype. The client evaluates it, while developers check its feasibility. The designer refines the layout several times until the result becomes satisfactory.
Visual Design. This stage requires UI design skills. The specialist focuses on the appearance of the interface. A unified style is selected: what the color scheme will be, how design elements complement each other. Animation skills may also be useful if elements need to be made more lively.
A beautiful interface is important, but client comfort comes first. The designer ensures that navigation is understandable on any device. In general, the beauty of UI should go hand in hand with the comfort of UX.
Testing. To ensure the interface is user-friendly, the specialist needs to understand how clients perceive it. This is usually done through surveys. If users are dissatisfied with something, the designer refines the interface until it becomes as intuitive as possible.
The last stage is finalizing the prototype and handing it over to web developers. The designer oversees the process until the finished product is delivered to the client.
The main task of the interface developer is to care for the user. At every stage of design, they consider both functionality (UX) and aesthetics (UI). Their concern is not the interface itself, but the user's convenience. Of course, the designer takes into account the interests of the company, technical possibilities, and limitations, but their primary goal is to solve the client's tasks.
Rules and trends in UX
Give clients a way to contact you. Users' trust is an important component of any company's success. Clients should easily find contact information on the website or in the app and have the ability to reach out to the company by phone, email, or through online chat.
An example of what a support chat may look like
Create the right mood with mascots. Such characters accompany users on the website or in the app and generate positive emotions. People tend to subconsciously mirror the state of those with whom they interact.
Duolingo features several colorful mascots
Quick response. The user should feel in control of the site or app. Every button click or data entry should be accompanied by visual confirmation. If a user pays for an order but waits several minutes for a response from the website, this is likely to generate negative emotions.
Use tips. Show usage tips for the application, for example, when the cart, list, or folder is empty. This makes it easier for clients to understand how to add products or files there.
This is relevant in cases of empty states — for instance, when a user hasn’t uploaded any videos, added anything to the cart, or written their first post. Meaningless phrases like "There are no products/videos/posts yet" are unhelpful. It’s important to encourage people to take the target action.
Adapt the design for smartphones. Interface design should take into consideration the fact that users are accustomed to operating their phones with one hand, more specifically with a single finger. This means that buttons and other elements should be placed in the lower and central part of the screen, where they are easier to reach.
An example of a mobile-friendly app design by Steam
Enable autofill. Manually entering information can be tedious, particularly when numbers are involved. It requires constant verification to prevent errors, and the small keys on mobile devices make it even more challenging. Fill in the necessary data automatically.
Conclusion
UX is not just about beautiful design; it’s a comprehensive approach to creating a product that is not only functional, but also convenient, intuitive, and pleasant to use. Positive emotions from the client when interacting with an application, website, or other product are the key indicator of a successful UX design.
UX/UI design can be seen as a bridge between the technical capabilities of the product and the way it is perceived and used.
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