When we talk about digital products, differentiation becomes a key driving factor to their success. In this context, the UI/UX of the specific product plays a key role in helping it stand out from the crowd. In fact, UX plays a key role in the success of almost all industries, whether offline or online. For instance, good UX is what builds loyalty amongst players for the online gambling platforms; and it is what makes people return to the same social media platforms, over and over again.
How are UX and UI different from each other?
Many a times, you must have seen professionals discussing UI/UX of a certain website or mobile app, often using these terms interchangeably. However, if looked at them from a designer’s perspective, there is a world of difference between UI and UX.
UX is the short form of User Experience which can be simply termed as the feeling that the user gets from the digital product. This term takes into account every interaction that the user has with the product in question. UI on the other hand stands for User Interface, which corresponds to the combination of different approaches and elements that go into the creation of that UX.
Let’s explain to you with the help of an example. In a park for instance, you can consider the merry-go-round, slides, playground, benches etc. constituting the UI, whereas the feeling of happiness and relaxation that elders/kids who relax/play there can be termed as the user experience (UX). Simply put, UI is the means used for communicating, while the UX is simply the experience or the feel that the user receives. Here are some handy UI/UX tips for all new app designers.
Features of a good UX/UI
Simplicity – It’s important for a digital product to be simple in terms of its graphic design and colours. It should involve as less number of clicks as possible. For instance, WhatsApp, which is one of the most popular social media apps has a very simple visual design and layout.
Response time and feedback – Response time and feedback are critical to the success of any social media and social networking portal. Feedback allows users to tell a product if the task they were attempting was completed or not, and what should be done next. The response time for such feedbacks is also critical. It should be in real time and no more than 10 seconds.
Clarity – Clarity is an extremely important characteristic for the working of any digital product. In the absence of clear communication with the user, a product will not be able to facilitate their interaction with the system. As a result, the users will feel distracted and can potentially abandon the product.
Help feature – Another important factor that decides how good a UX/UI is how easily a user is able to get help and assistance from the product. The user should receive instant information if anything unexpected happens at the time of using the product. Providing immediate help in such situations will enable users to quickly resolve their problem, and will thus contribute to the UX.