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In recent years we have all felt that employment database package the design process has taken on great scope and importance, whether in the products or gadgets we use daily, as well as in the digital services with which we relate and interact.
However, on many occasions, we get caught up in the “pretty” things that are offered to us, but when we want to use a digital platform to perform a specific action , we realize that the steps to get from one place to another are extremely long and tedious. So we give up on using that platform, and we only remember the graphics or colors, but we will certainly not enter that website again.
The problem is not in creating a nice and fun website, on the contrary, dynamism and interaction feed the experience and give a great first impression to our page, but to this we have to add a user experience (UX) that helps in navigation and guides the person on their journey through our website from start to finish.
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But what is User Experience (UX)?
When we talk about UX, we mean that the user can interact with our platform. That they live or generate a unique and effective experience, without setbacks and that, at the time of closing, they feel the need to return. With UX techniques we seek to improve the product in such a way that the user differentiates it from its competition and allows the website to work for the growth of the business. In fact, User Experience is one of the pillars of Growth Driven Design.
To find good practices when creating platforms with user experience in mind , it is necessary to have a continuous analysis from the moment the wireframes begin to be prepared until the final product reaches the devices, going through usability tests and ending with heat maps.
There is a need to present something that is not only visually striking, but also provides the ease of navigation that everyone expects when visiting a website. This leads us to deeply analyze what we are creating, both for the UX (User Experience) designer and also for the UI (User Interface) designer.
These two designers should complement each other, as one has the more artistic vision (UI) and the other has a more structured vision (UX).
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How does the process work in practice?
A practical example to understand a little more about the relationship between UX and UI was at Impulse a few months ago. Our client in the health sector managed various buyer personas , from the youngest to adults, including senior citizens.
They wanted to implement a totem that would make it easier for users to register their medical appointments without having to wait in long admission queues. To do this, they asked us to design the platform interface.
We started by understanding the basics of the client and the user: the channels, the flow that they followed and the various processes that they would have to go through to get the appointment. A first wireframe was created taking into account the requirements and the simplest ways to get from one point to another. To do this, we involved the people in charge of approving the platform . Why?
It is very common for the client to want to achieve something, but not know how to do it or explain it. That is why when the client is involved in the creation of the wireframe, he has the ease of explaining it in person to the team and thus we can find a solution together , in addition to making him participate in the creation process. In this way we avoid unnecessary reprocessing or email chains that lead to something totally different from what was agreed.
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After the creation and approval of this wireframe together, we proceeded to design the interface and with the prototype in hand we did usability tests in the field . This helped to correct certain errors in both usability (UX) and aesthetics (UI) that the end user could identify. Finally, the finished prototype went to development , at which time both UI and UX worked together with the developer to ensure that it corresponded to the prototype, both in aesthetics and functionality.
Now, where is the connection between UI and UX?
In many agencies, the responsibility for these two digital disciplines falls on the same person: a web designer with knowledge of usability who must find a graphic solution in a simple way, solving layout problems but maintaining a clean aesthetic that is adaptable to multiple platforms.
Many designs I have worked with have had varied shapes and functions, it is completely normal that as a designer you want to give an innovative and out of the ordinary look and feel in order to differentiate the client from their competition.
However, when putting it on the screen, not only the graphics must be taken into account, but also the ease of access routes for the user, variability in devices and a simple navigation flow.
Constant growth and updating
Users are constantly changing, they don't waste time on complicated flows and they don't usually look for access routes, they want a quick and concise solution. In short, they want a solution to their problems in a short time, otherwise they will leave your website and never come back. That is why the UX designer must invest time in a usability analysis .
This analysis can solve many potential errors, heat maps will identify the points that attract the user the most and will give us a much clearer focus of what people want to see on your website.
As we have seen, the functions of the web designer have become more complex , however, instead of frustrating us, it is about putting ourselves in the user's shoes, feeling their needs and solving their problems in the simplest way.
