By Mike McGraw, Web Developer, Packerland Websites
Designing a website takes time, thought, and effort. There are so many ways to create designs and so many thought processes that go into creating them. As a website developer at Packerland Websites, I know that UI (User Interface) and UX (User Experience) go hand in hand. When creating a website, I have to find a nice combination of each to make a perfect layout. To offer a simple comparison, UI is how good the car looks, while UX is how good you feel driving it! Let’s take a closer look at UI and UX.
UI – User Interface
UI (User Interface) is based on things like font size, colors, and the placement of sections on a webpage. When thinking about UI, I mainly focus on what parts of the website should have certain colors or bigger sections to stand out more. If you have a section or topic on the website that you would like to highlight, you wouldn’t just keep it a simple paragraph. Instead, you would design it as a banner image, call to action section, or highlight it with some nice-looking icons or animations. By doing so, you invite users to interact with the website. By focusing on UI, developers create webpages that look attractive and orderly for viewers. The pages present a consistent brand message with the same colors, fonts, and look from page to page.
UX – User Experience
On the other hand, UX (User Experience) affects the overall functionality of the website for users. When designing a website, I think about the client’s goals and create a website that achieves these goals. I also find ways to make the website easier for visitors to use.
Key UX Website Features:
- Easy to navigate, so users know how to find what they’re looking for
- Mobile-friendly design that resizes to fit the user’s device
- Different elements to keep sections visually distinct and easy to read
The Role of Website Analytics
Unlike UI, UX doesn’t end after the design is complete. UX is always looking at the analytics of a site to get feedback and improve it even more. Since UX and UI are so closely related, it’s hard to tell where one ends and another one begins. UI is just one part of the four main steps of UX. The four steps of UX are Researching, Brainstorming, Implementation, and Reporting. UI designing mainly occurs during the Implementation step. With any good website, upgrades are ongoing. Thus, the website always gets better and better for its end users.
Websites That Look Cool & Work Well
There are so many factors that go into making a website. By focusing on UI and UX, users benefit. The website not only looks cool, it’s also enjoyable to use. Contact us to get started on a website build or rebuild that integrates UI and UX.