Recently, concepts such as usability and user experience design (UX Design) have been frequently used alongside the user interface design (UI Design) related with the website design and product design. So, what is UX design and what is the difference with UI?
UX means user experience, it is mostly confused with the UI. To better understand the difference, let’s explain the user interface a little more. The user interface actually refers the design of the interface.
For example; think about the buttons on a remote TV control. The location, size and colours of the keys are applied by the designer’s decision. During a web design process this mostly corresponds to graphic design tasks. A website’s visual elements such as buttons, grid structure, layout, colours, spaces are all related with UI Design.
It is necessary to use a simple and convenient interface to ensure that users can navigate the site comfortably and stay longer. Because users decide whether or not to visit a site in a couple seconds. This is where UX, in other words; usability design, is gaining importance. UX design is more about how it feels than it looks.
Especially in the field of web design, it refers to letting the visitors find what they are looking for easily and interact more with the website.
The purpose of UX is to let you do whatever you want on the website in a simple and trouble-free way. The UX designer must be familiar with the different areas and use this information in harmony. Knowledge architecture, interaction design, user testing, A/B testing, usability, and content strategy are key topics that a UX designer should know. In addition, it is a big plus for the UX designer to have knowledge in areas such as psychology, anthropology and sociology. Because predicting and analysing and preferences of the users will help the service reach the right target. Also, the UX design includes many things, not just the user’s experience on the website. For example, if you sell a physical product, all the process should be taken into consideration until the product is delivered to the customer’s door. After all, all of these processes are part of the experience.
Usability is defined as an indicator of user experience quality when interacting with your website and application. During the web design process, it is very important to avoid any unnecessary features as well. Furthermore, a visitor viewing your website looks for ease of learning and use. Even if the user has used the site before, he will need to remember the process sufficiently to use the site effectively on his next visit. This is called recallability. Naturally, “learning” and “ease of use” may vary from user to user. However, as in many areas, there are certain standards.
Of course, the UX designer does not shape this experience by his instincts, but by many user tests and data. Accurate testing before exposing the product can be expensive, especially for many companies. But in the long run it saves a lot of time and costs. These are crucial for increasing the conversions and sales from the website.
The usability of a product or a website can be measured by testing with the inclusion of users. Usability tools are used to work with different features according to their functions. While various tests such as information architecture, online eye tracking, laboratory tests, online heuristic analysis are performed, it is possible to obtain various data from different test tools.
Usability can include many factors that can sometimes be difficult to track. Usability standards evolve as users’ habits change. Therefore, you should not miss observing, analysing user habits and optimizing your website or product based on your findings.
Remember, there is never an “endpoint” in user experience design. And as Steve Jobs said, “Design is not about how it looks, but how it works.” Let your user experiences be satisfying and your interfaces attractive. Thanks for reading our article on UX design.