The digital world is evolving at a frantic pace. We are constantly faced with new websites, apps, and platforms, and how convenient and pleasant they are to use often determines whether we will return to them again. This is where UX/UI design comes into play.
Let’s find out what web design is, who web designers are, and why we can’t do without them.
What is web design?
In short, it’s about how a website looks and works. It’s not just about making it pretty, but about creating something that is both pleasing to the eye and user-friendly. Website design combines aesthetics and functionality to make interaction with a website or application simple, logical, and even fun.
Who is a web designer?
This is a person who creates the visual part, i.e. website design, and thinks about how everything should work. But to be a good web designer, you need to be able to do more than just draw pretty buttons and pictures. Here are some important skills that a designer should have:
- Graphic design – to make attractive visual elements.
- Understanding of UX/UI – to know how users think and what will make a website convenient.
- Basic knowledge of HTML/CSS – you don’t have to be a programmer, but at least understand how it all works.
- Working with tools – Figma, Photoshop, Adobe XD.
- Composition and typography – to make the site look balanced and the text easy to read.
- Color theory – because a bad color combination can ruin the whole impression.
What is UX and UI design?
When we open a website or app, we immediately feel how convenient it is: whether it’s easy to find the information we need, whether it’s clear where to click, whether it’s comfortable to interact with the elements. It’s all about UX and UI design.
UX design is about the user experience
UX (User Experience) is how a person feels when using a product. If a website is confusing, slow, or makes you go through ten circles of hell to find what you need, it’s bad UX. If everything works intuitively, quickly, and effortlessly, it’s good.
What makes a good UX design?
- Convenience – no one wants to bother with the hassle of trying to place an order.
- Logical navigation – the user should intuitively understand what and where they are.
- Efficiency – the faster a person reaches their goal, the better.
- Accessibility – the site should be convenient for everyone, including people with visual or hearing impairments.
- Emotional response – there are sites that are just a pleasure to use. This is also UX.
UI design is about appearance and interaction
UI (User Interface) is everything we see on the screen: buttons, fonts, colors, icons, animations. This is a shell that should not only be beautiful, but also help the user to quickly navigate.
What is important in UI?
- Colors and fonts should be in harmony with each other, and the text should be readable. The aesthetics of the interface is formed by the skillful use of the palette, as well as the right accents and contrasts. The readability of the text is formed by well-chosen fonts. This greatly helps to perceive information
- Buttons, forms, icons are clear, convenient, and well located.
- Animations and effects – tell the user what is happening (for example, a button changes color when you hover over it).
- Arrangement of elements – if everything is crammed together, the user will get confused and leave. You need to take into account the space between elements, because too dense content will look overloaded. A sense of balance between texts and images always contributes to comfortable use.
- Visual hierarchy – the main thing should be noticeable at once. For example, the “Buy” button should attract attention.
Why pay much attention to it? If a product has a bad UX/UI, it simply won’t be used. How many times have you closed a website because it was inconvenient? So good UX/UI is what makes people stay, come back, and recommend the product to others.
Why are UX and UI design often confused?
Well, to be honest, the confusion here is quite logical and obvious. First of all, the names themselves are similar – UX (User Experience) and UI (User Interface) sound almost identical, especially for people who are new to the terminology. They also contain the word “user”. And if the terms are often used together, it becomes more difficult to separate them in your head.
The second reason is that the work of UX and UI designers often overlaps. They work on the same product, use similar tools, and constantly communicate with each other. Because of this, many companies want to find a “universal soldier” and advertise UX/UI designer jobs as if they were one role. But in reality, these are two different areas with different tasks.
By the way, another nuance is the history of the profession. Previously, there was no division into UX and UI, it was all just called “design,” and one person was responsible for everything: both convenience and appearance. A clear specialization began to form relatively recently, somewhere in the last 10-15 years. So if someone is still confusing these concepts, it’s understandable.
UX and UI design – what’s the difference?
In simple terms, UX is about convenience, and UI is about beauty. But to better understand this, let’s imagine that you are building a house.
UX is about making sure that rooms are logically arranged, doors don’t hit the wall, and sockets don’t end up in the strangest places. It’s about functionality, convenience, and logic. And UI is about interior design: wall colors, furniture style, the choice between minimalism or classics. It creates an atmosphere, but without good UX, even the most beautiful interior will be annoying.
Clear examples of the differences
Here’s a simple example: a mobile app for ordering food.
- UX is when the path from choosing a restaurant to placing an order takes a minimum of time and steps, and the user does not get lost in tabs.
- UI is a stylish interface with clear buttons, beautiful animations, and pleasant colors that make you hungry.
A good product cannot exist without a balance between UX and UI. They work together: one provides logic, the other provides aesthetics. If one of them falls short, the user either won’t understand how to use the app or will simply close it because it doesn’t look good.
How UX and UI design work together
How UX and UI design work together
UX and UI are two sides of the same coin. They are so closely related that if something goes wrong in one of them, the whole product will suffer. If you separate these processes, you will get a situation where the interface may look beautiful, but it will be terribly inconvenient. Or vice versa – the product will be super-functional, but so boring and crude that you simply won’t want to use it.
UI can both limit UX and expand its capabilities. And UX, in turn, sets the framework for UI, so that everything not only looks beautiful, but also works logically and intuitively.
What is important is that people do not perceive these things separately. They simply evaluate the product as a whole: convenient or inconvenient, pleasant or annoying. If something “breaks” in UX or UI, the user may not even realize it – they will simply close the site or delete the application.
Examples where UX and UI work together:
- Apple Music – everything is clear: personalized recommendations, simple music library management, smooth transitions between screens. Visual minimalism with bright album covers makes navigation more intuitive. The logic of use is supported by the design, not complicated by it.
- Airbnb – you open it and everything is immediately clear: quick search, convenient filters, photos that really give an idea of the accommodation. A big plus is the object cards, where you can immediately see the price, rating, and location. This reduces unnecessary clicks and helps you make a decision faster.
- Revolut. The application has a visual simplicity of the interface that eliminates unnecessary cognitive load when searching and navigating financial information. It has a clear design with a focus on numerical data and clear graphs. The app also has simplified banking operations and easy expense tracking.
All of these examples show that UX and UI designers created a single, seamless product, where each functional solution corresponds to a visual implementation, and the visual element supports the functionality.
Why good UX is critical to website success
Good UX is critical to website success because it directly affects the user and their behavior:
- Impact on bounce rates. A potential customer forms their impression of a website within the first 50 milliseconds, which directly affects the bounce rate. Most users believe that the most important factor in website design is the speed of finding the information they need. Almost half of users leave a website if it is poorly adapted for mobile devices.
- Connection with SEO. Good UX increases session time, which in turn has a positive effect on SEO. Also, websites with high-quality UX are more likely to receive organic links, which increases domain authority. And page loading speed affects search engine rankings.
- Influence on conversion. Statistics show that 88% of customers are not inclined to return to a website after a bad experience. Therefore, improving UX can increase the conversion rate by up to 400%.
That is, high-quality UX is not just a nice addition to the website’s functionality, but a critical business factor. It affects key performance indicators, from search engine visibility to financial results.
Why a high-quality UI is essential for website success
A high-quality UI is essential for website success because it forms the first impression of the client and determines the client’s trust and desire to stay. An interesting fact is that 94% of negative website reviews are related to design issues, not content. A harmonious website works to reduce the cognitive load on the user. This reduces the mental effort required to perceive information, thus increasing the chances that the user will stay on the site. The UI should reflect the brand’s personality and values, forming an emotional connection with the client. UI design also helps to stand out among competitors in a crowded digital space.
UX and UI design are both important for the success of a website
Summarizing the above, we conclude that high-quality UX and UI work in tandem. Together they create a powerful foundation for the success of any website. They provide functionality and intuitiveness of use, which reduces bounce rates, improves SEO positions, and increases conversions. They form the first visual impression, create an emotional connection with the user, and embody brand values through design.
Do you want to order a website? Be sure to take into account the key functions of UX/UI design and remember that they complement each other and cannot work well separately. Website development should include a comprehensive approach to all the details that are important for achieving the goal.
Our specialists have extensive experience and understanding of all the important factors in creating a high-quality and effective website. Don’t hesitate to contact us – we will be happy to help you and provide advice. You can get acquainted with the vacancy of a web designer in the digital agency SELECTOR.SPACE by following the link. Find more interesting posts in our blog. You can contact our digital agency by phone at 066 389 02 24, 096 81 00 132, or by email at office@selector.space.
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