UI (user interface) plays an important role in web design-related work. There will be a clear difference in user service usage and retention rates between products and services with UI design and those without.
Here we will explain the UI, which has a large impact on usability, and also explain the UX (user experience) and CX (customer experience), which are related to the UI.
What is UI? Difference with UX
UI and UX are often used together as similar terms. Although the nuances are similar, the meaning and content of the words are different. We will explain each of them below.
- What is UI?
- UI includes not only visual information but also operability.
- What is UX?
- UX includes UI
What is UI?
“UI” is an abbreviation for “User Interface” and means “customer contact point”. Interface means “point of contact,” and the point of contact in UI is “all the information that the user sees.”
There are 3 types of interfaces
There are three main types of interfaces:
- hardware interface
- software interface
- User interface
Hardware Interface
<br/> Serves as a link between different media between hardware. This includes so-called “USB,” “HDMI,” and “Bluetooth.”
Software Interface
<br/> Serves as a link between different software and applications. This includes “OS”, “API”, “Plug-in”, etc.
User Interface
<br/> Serves as a link between users and products and services. This includes the buttons, fonts, images, design, layout, etc. displayed on the website.
UI includes not only visual information but also operability.
In the case of user interfaces, the targets are mainly websites and smartphone applications, so all visual information displayed on the screen of these media is considered “UI”.
The operability of visual information is also included in the UI. Examples include “easy to click buttons,” “easy to scroll the screen,” and “easy to enter text.”
What is UX?
On the other hand, “UX” is a word that is often heard along with “UI”. “UX” is an abbreviation for “User Experience.”
It represents what kind of “experience” the user was able to gain by using the product or service.
Naturally, the higher the user satisfaction level and the better the user experience, the higher the UX rating will be.
UX also includes the company’s response before the user purchases the product and the support system after the product is purchased.
UX includes UI
UI and UX are often used as similar terms, but they are actually not unrelated and UI is included as part of UX.
The reason for this is that if the UI functions comfortably, such as smooth operability and high-quality design, the UX, which is the customer experience, will also receive high praise.
for example,
- The font is easy to read, not too big or too small
- The buttons are just the right size and easy to click.
- Information is well organized and categories are neatly arranged.
- Pages are light and applications work smoothly as expected.
- Displaying photos and images is fast
These sites have a good UI and are preferred by users.
In other words, if the UI is comfortable, users will be able to use it without stress, and it will be easier to achieve their goals.
This results in a better customer experience and higher UX ratings.
Why UI is required
The following are the reasons why UI is required.
- Due to the advancement of IoT
- The end of the era of only one major company
- Increasing focus on customer experience
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Due to the advancement of IoT
The reason behind the demand for smooth operability and high-quality design in UIs is the rapid advancement of IoT.
IoT is an abbreviation for “Internet of Things.”
By connecting various “things” that functioned independently before the spread of the Internet to the Internet, people and things can now be operated even when they are separated.
For example, you can remotely control things via the Internet even if people and things are far apart, such as “viewing indoors through your home’s web camera from outside” or “operating home appliances in a different room via the Internet.” It became like this.
What is needed is a UI design that allows anyone, from children to the elderly, to easily and comfortably operate IoT products.
No matter how good an IoT product is, if the UI is bad and it is difficult to operate, the product itself will become unusable. To prevent this from happening, good UI design is essential.
The end of the era of only one major company
With the spread of the Internet, users can now easily compare products and services with those of competitors. In other words, it is no longer necessarily the case that only products from major companies continue to sell.
Even if a product or service is provided by a small to medium-sized company with weak capital, if users like it or feel that it is necessary for them, there is a high possibility that users will choose that product or service.
UI plays an important role here. In order for users to use the products and services they have selected in an easy-to-understand and comfortable manner, it is essential to improve the UI.
If the UI is bad, difficult to operate, or difficult to use, users will not be able to achieve their goals and will switch to another company’s product.
Nowadays, users can choose products and services themselves, so what is important is how comfortable the UI can be.
Increasing emphasis on CX (customer experience)
“CX (Customer Experience)” is a factor that more comprehensively evaluates the relationship between UI and UX.
CX also means “customer experience” and is the same word as UX. However, the difference between CX and UX lies in the number of touch points with users.
For example, if we define one UX for each of “a company’s response before purchase (UX),” “ease of use of a product or service (UX),” and “post-purchase support (UX),” then all of these UXs are integrated. CX is what is evaluated.
The image will look like this:
■UX (before purchase) + UX (usage) + UX (after purchase) = CX (overall)
Not only the quality of the product or service itself, but also the UX evaluation before and after purchase can be a factor that influences sales, so a comprehensive strategy with CX in mind is needed.
Elements needed for UI design
The elements required for UI design are mainly as follows.
- Easy-to-understand page structure
- Information organized and easy to read
- Comfortable to use
Easy-to-understand page structure
An easy-to-understand page structure allows you to understand what is placed where at a glance, and it also makes it difficult for users to get lost on the page.
By eliminating factors that are difficult to understand, such as images and fonts that make it difficult to tell whether there is a link or not, and a design that makes it difficult to tell whether a button is a simple illustration or not, you can create a very clean page.
Information organized and easy to read
Information that is easy to read and organized makes it easier for users to find the information they are looking for on a website.
Users will then search for other information at the same time, improving the website traffic rate. This in turn increases the amount of time people spend on your website, which results in a higher ranking from
search engines
.
Comfortable to use
If you can eliminate factors that users find bothersome, you will have a website with a very good UI design.
For example, the following is an example that users find annoying.
- Image display is slow
- It takes a long time to move the page after clicking
- Behavior after clicking a link is different from expected
etc.
An ideal website would be one where you can see at a glance that there is a link, and when you click on it, you can quickly jump to the page with the information you are looking for.
How to do UI design
As explained above, UI design differs from web design, which only expresses visual quality, and requires consideration of usability.
Therefore, we will design according to the principles related to UI design. For successful UI design, do the following:
- Perform user analysis and persona settings
- Be aware of principled UI design
- Optimize for each device
Perform user analysis and persona settings
A very important point in UI design is to “clarify the target.”
No matter how much UI design techniques and know-how you use to create a medium, it is almost impossible to create a medium that will appeal to everyone.
It’s fine if you only target users who are using or thinking about using your product or service, and they feel comfortable using it.
To achieve this, we conduct thorough user analysis to find out what kind of functions and information users want, and then create detailed user images using
personas
.
Be aware of principled UI design
When it comes to simple web design, there are various methods and presentation methods, and there are also aspects where the person’s sense, sensitivity, and experience are utilized. However, when it comes to UI design, there are basic principles that must be followed. These are the following four items.
- proximity
- alignment
- contrast
- repetition
proximity
Proximity is the separation and grouping of information by highly related elements. When information is grouped and separated, users can understand more than when the same amount of information is arranged in a cluttered manner versus when it is not.
alignment
Arrangement involves determining rules for arranging information for each element and arranging information in an orderly manner that is easy for users to understand.
Although information is placed separately according to elements that are highly related in terms of “proximity,” simply arranging it separately makes it difficult for users to find the information they want to know, and is far from providing a comfortable UX.
Therefore, by laying out information in an orderly manner, it is possible to minimize user confusion and make it easier for users to reach their desired information.
contrast
Contrast is the process of adding contrast to the visual part of a web page.
Contrast is a design principle, and by changing the size and strength of fonts, it is possible to distinguish and convey the content that you want to emphasize from the content that you do not want to emphasize.
If all the fonts on a page are displayed in the same way, it creates a sense of unity, but it also makes it difficult for users to understand the author’s intent, as it makes it difficult to convey what the author is trying to convey.
Therefore, by adding contrast to the font and adjusting the placement of headings, you can easily convey the information you want to emphasize.
repetition
In repetition, the layout arranged by “proximity” and “alignment” is displayed repeatedly throughout the website using the same pattern.
By repeating the same pattern, users become accustomed to the structure and are less likely to get confused or lost within the website.
Optimize for each device
The main digital devices used by users are not only PCs, but also smartphones and tablets.
A UI design that is optimal on a PC may appear corrupted on a smartphone or tablet.
We consider the layout depending on the device, and in some cases, we consider measures such as introducing
AMP
(Accelerated Mobile Pages).
summary
UI design is more than just visual web design; usability must be considered.
The higher the UI evaluation, the higher the UX evaluation, which in turn leads to a higher overall CX evaluation of the product or service.
When designing UI, be sure to keep the design in line with the principles.