What Is UI Design?
User Interface (UI) Design, also known as user interface engineering, is the design of user interfaces for machines and software, such as computers, home appliances, mobile devices, and other electronic devices, with the focus on maximizing usability and the user experience (UX). Just about everything we use in our day-to-day lives has some sort of user interface design, from the technology in our appliances to the websites we access for personal or professional use.
According to the Interaction Design Foundation, UX is the “process of creating products that provide meaningful and relevant experiences to users.” UX is focused on use and is related to the user’s interaction with a particular environment or device which can generate a negative or positive perception of a device, product, or brand, according to Awwwards.
UI Design makes things aesthetically pleasing and makes them more intuitive to use, but more than that, the design is important and goes a long way toward improving user engagement. In this article, we’re going to talk about all of these things, as well as share some of the trends that are happening in UI development in 2019.
Each year, Awwwards recognizes the effort and talent of the best developers, designers, and agencies around the world focusing on innovation, creativity, and design. Here are some excellent examples of both UX and UI design:
Why Is UI Design Important?
UI Design is important for myriad reasons, but one of the most important is that well-designed websites and user interfaces can go a long way toward helping a business increase its bottom line. It’s simple, really: if customers are satisfied by the use and interaction of a website, they will tell other people about it.
We live in a world where there are dozens of things competing for our attention at any given moment. Businesses only have a few seconds to grab the attention of a potential user. This is where UI Design comes into play. A user-friendly interface can go a long way toward engaging a user and encouraging them to stick around.
Good user interface design assumes that the customer is always right. If your website is difficult to navigate, potential, and even current customers, may navigate away to find something else that’s not only easier for them to navigate, but is more engaging and user-friendly.
UI Design is so important that the shape of a button can determine whether or not users understand what they’re supposed to do while on your website. UI Design is what makes websites and other applications intuitive.
When designing your website, it’s important to take the user experience into account. Your customer base can make or break your business and much of that has to do with how easy your website is to navigate.
How Does UI Improve User Engagement?
A product needs to have a few components in order to provide good user engagement. Without these things, the design and functionality won’t matter.
An app (or other interface) needs to provide value. Your product should solve a problem for your customers. How fancy the interface of an app is won’t matter if it doesn’t help them solve a problem.
Interfaces also need to be accessible. This includes making them friendly for people with disabilities of all types. An easy way to make sure your app is accessible is to start by determining who your most likely user is. From there you can scale your product to a variety of users.
You want to make intentional decisions when designing your interface. There are two questions to consider when determining if your app is intentional: how will the decisions you make influence your users? and can this get the user from point A to point B as seamlessly as possible?
Apps and interfaces should be intuitive. Users shouldn’t have to do a bunch of research to figure out how to use your app or website. Not making it clear is a sure way to send them searching for a different option.
What Are The 2019 UI Trends?
Like many things in the tech world, UI Design has its own trends for 2019. As browsers get more powerful, users will have access to more and more capabilities. One of those capabilities is more purposeful animation. The motion and transition of websites will go a long way toward conveying information that is often lost in the shuffle.
Another trend is color and darkness. New computer and mobile screens have a dazzling array of colors. Designers can use these gradients and colors to create more interesting interfaces. One example of this is Gradient 2.0, which uses non-conflicting colors and has a clear light source.
Another trend is in typography and storytelling. Typography and storytelling are very visual endeavors and can go a long way toward making a user interface more interesting and interactive.
Obviously, these are just a few of the upcoming trends in 2019. All of them will have different impacts on how designers and business owners create interfaces for their customers.
When it comes to UI Design, it’s vitally important to keep all of these things in mind when designing apps and interfaces.
