Understanding UX/UI, and Why It Is So Important in Today’s Software Business Environment

By: John Tomblin, Senior Solutions Architect
Data Titan, a division of Sofvue, LLC
Printed with permission of Sofvue, LLC and the author.

UI and UX design are two of the most important, but often the most misunderstood components in today’s software environment, not because of what [we] think they should be, but because of what your customers think they should be.  Chances are, if you are reading this article, you are a small business owner considering a capital investment in some type of custom software solution, whether web-based, iOS, Android or MVP.  That said, recent polls show that 52% of people viewing websites show that poor aesthetics are the main reason they will not return after the first visit.

As a leading UX/UI design and development company serving companies around the country,  we recognize the importance of UX/UI, and how it can bring value to your business enterprise. 

What is UX/UI?

The terms UI and UX are often used interchangeably, giving a false impression that they mean the same thing -- they do not. To clarify the distinction, “UX” (User Experience) refers to the overall experience of using a product. The term “UI” refers to the visual aspects of that experience, more specifically, layout, typography, and color schemes. 

In other words, UX is a person’s perception of an experience, based on their emotions and attitudes about using a particular product or service. It encompasses how a user feels about your application's usefulness, ease of use, and efficiency.  If you’ve ever visited a website or mobile app and felt “bad” after using the site, the “bad” is the UX experience you’ve had.  Case in point, I use one particular mobile app that asks three different times, in three different ways, if I’m sure that I want to delete a text message within the app, and in my view, one confirmation is already stepping over the line, but three is ludicrous.

UI (User Interface), aka User Interface Design, focuses on creating an interface that works for your users – ensuring it has an aesthetically pleasing design that provides an intuitive way for them to interact and use the web-application or mobile app.

User Interface (UI) Design

Also known as visual design, UI, or User Interface Design, is where you design the appearance of your app. UI is the look and feel of your app. Questions that must be answered for the UI include;

• What is its color scheme? 
• How are buttons designed and positioned? 
•  Do they have icons or text labels? 
• Are the menus organized in a logical way that makes sense to users? UI is all about how something looks.

Given that you’ve probably used hundreds of different apps in the past, you’ll no doubt have noticed that every app has a slightly different UI (User Interface). Some apps are easy to use, maintaining a consistent design and navigation throughout, while others are very difficult to navigate, clunky, or simply don’t work well.

The main goal when designing an exemplary user interface for your website is clarity, ensuring that messages sent from one page/screen to another are clear and understandable, so users don't get lost along their journey through the web-enabled application or mobile app landscape.

User Experience (UX) Design

UX, or User Experience design, is where you design the flow of a website or app to make it as efficient and enjoyable to use as possible.  Solid UX is easy to navigate and understand; it should be intuitive enough so that anyone can use it, yet complex enough that returning visitors can use advanced features and workflows to streamline their experience, saving time, resources, and money.   

It is important to have both UI and UX designers on your team.

As mentioned above, UI designers create the product's visual design, while UX designers create the actual experience of using it. Each role is important for different reasons:

• A well-designed user experience will ensure that people understand how to use your product intuitively, improving their chances of success when using your solution.
• A well-designed user experience allows users to interact with their devices naturally without getting frustrated or confused along the way – this means that they will be much more likely to return again.  This is of paramount importance, regardless of the type of technological solution you are developing.

UI/UX Design Statistics

Now that you have a fair idea of what UI and UX are and how they differ, let’s look at some customer experience statistics highlighting their importance. 

• Generally speaking, every $1 invested in UX results in a return of $100 (ROI = 9,900%) 
• 13% of customers will tell 15 or more people about their bad experiences. 72% will tell six or more people about their good experiences. 
• Customers with a negative experience on mobile are 62% less likely to purchase from this brand in the future.
• 90% of users have stopped using an app due to poor user experiences and performance.

If that was not enough to convince you, here are some more UI/UX statistics. 

• 70% of online business applications that fail do so because of usability. 
• People form 75% of their judgment on a website’s credibility purely on its aesthetics. 
• 88% of online shoppers say they will never return to a website after having a bad user experience. 
• Better UI could raise your website’s conversion rate by 200%, and better UX design could yield up to 400% conversion rates. 

Importance of UX/UI in Today’s Software Environment

With these numbers in mind, let’s look at some of the significant benefits of UX and UI in today’s software environment. 

1- Stronger Communications with Users

UI and UX are the face of your software and define how users will interface with your technology.  What they see in the first two seconds determines whether they will continue to interact with your application in the next ten.  UI takes on many different forms depending on what kind of program you’re working on, but essentially, they all have three things in common:

• They show information to the user
• They allow users to interact with that information
• They do this quickly and reliably

2- Making Software More Intuitive

It’s not just how the product looks; it’s how it works. When a user is presented with a sophisticated interface that doesn’t make sense, they will be confused and frustrated. As a result, they’ll eventually abandon their cart or leave, never to return. 

On the other hand, when it is easy to use and understand, you’ll see an increase in the adoption rate and reduced churn. 

3- Build Trust with Users

It's important to build trust with your users. Trust leads to retention, and trust helps you build new and stronger relationships with your customers.  Trust must be earned, and it can be built when creating a solid user experience, and when that trust is established, offers a whole host of benefits for your business or app:

• You'll have fewer problems with employees or customers canceling their subscriptions or not using your company’s tools.
• Customers will stick around longer, so you can increase the customer lifetime value. 
• Customers and yes, even employees, will give referrals more easily, making it easier for you to grow your network of users. This can lead to exponential growth as word spreads about how awesome your product is.

Trust is something that shouldn't be assumed, and it's one of the most important factors in building customer loyalty, and long-term company success! A good user experience will yield results, even when the results are unmeasurable.  

4- Boost Brand Awareness

UI is important for brand awareness. A strong user interface can help you create a visual identity for your product. UX/UI helps your product stand out from the sea of other web-based applications and mobile apps. It's the first impression of your product and what users interact with, and many times, it’s the first interaction a customer has with your company.

UI can communicate the brand of a company and its products or services. A great user interface will show off all your features without confusing anyone or making them feel overwhelmed with too much information.

The goal of every software development project should be to create an interface design, using UX/UI, along with sound architecture and critical application engineering, to create a solution that makes the difficult appear simple.  The greatest compliment we receive with product launches is when our clients tell us how easy the technological solution is to use.  When we hear that, we know we did our job well.

Conclusion

With a million or more new sites launching every day, sound UX/UI has become more important than ever. By choosing to make an investment in its process, you increase your return on investment, boost brand awareness, build trust with users, and increase the software adoption rate. 

Over the last two decades, the team at Data Titan has created compelling design strategies for businesses across industries, and across the nation.  With completed projects for the University of Texas, the U.S.A.F., to advanced research institutes, manufacturing, and agriculture, education, finance, insurance, and a host of other projects from Los Angeles to New York City, we are here to serve.  We create immersive experiences for you, our clients, and for your customers, whether consumers, employees, vendors, suppliers, or any combination.  When you are ready to discuss your project in more detail, we’re ready too.  623-845-2747. 

CITATIONS:

Source:  Tech Jury
https://techjury.net/blog/user-experience-stats/#gref

Source:  Slide Share
https://www.slideshare.net/ekolsky/cx-for-executives

Source:  Small Biz Genius
https://www.smallbizgenius.net/by-the-numbers/ux-statistics/#gref

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