What is User Experience (UI) and Design?
UI and design are the two most important aspects of how your end-users perceive your website, app, or software. UI is what the user sees and interacts with on a screen.
So why risk losing almost all of your potential customers? Instead, businesses must invest in user experience and design since every $1 you invest might yield a return of $100.
As this is a return on investment of nearly 9,900%you can understand the importance of user experience and design along with going into detail about the ins and outs of outsourcing your company's UI needs.
It includes everything from buttons and menus to fonts and colors. Good UI design makes using your product an easy and pleasurable experience for the customer. Conversely, poor UI can result in customer frustration and ultimately lead them to abandon your product altogether.
According to PWC, 32% of the customers leave a brand after just one bad experience. So that's how impactful user experience is.
On the other hand, design is the process of planning and creating a UI that is both aesthetically pleasing and easy to use. A good design considers the user's needs and preferences while also taking into consideration the company's branding guidelines.
Why is UI and Design Important?
Both UI and design form an integral part of the customer experience. To create a good customer experience, businesses need to invest in UI and design. A good UI and design can help:
Increase User-Friendliness: The more user-friendly a product is, the more likely users are to keep using it.
Simplify the User Journey: A good UI and design make it easy for users to find what they're looking for and complete desired actions.
Increase Engagement and Retention: Good UI and design help keep users engaged with your product by making it an enjoyable experience.
Boost Conversion: When users have a good experience with your product, they're more likely to convert into paying customers.
What Does User Experience and Design Include?
User experience and design composition depends on your particular needs and the product. Typically, there are five elements of UI and design.
Information Architecture
Information architecture refers to how information is organized and presented on a screen. It includes the structure of the menus, the layout of the screens, and how users navigate between different screens.
Your website or app should have a logical information architecture that makes it easy for users to find what they're looking for. If users can't find what they're looking for, they'll quickly become frustrated and leave your product.
Screen Design
Screen design is all about creating a visually appealing layout that is easy to understand and use. It includes choosing the right fonts, colors, and images.
When your app or website has an interaction-oriented design, it's easy for users to understand how to use it. And when users can understand and use your product quickly, they're more likely to return to it.
Visual Appeal
If a website or app is visually appealing, users will want to keep using it. That's why it's essential to choose colors and images that are visually appealing and in line with your brand guidelines.
52% of the users say they won't go back to a website if it lacks in terms of aesthetics. That proves how crucial visual appeal is for today's users.
It's also essential to make sure that the overall design is pleasing to the eye. A good design is balanced, symmetrical, and uses a limited color palette.
Usability-Aligned Design
Besides aesthetics, you also need to put ease of use as your primary concern. Most people will not bother to learn how to use a problematic product.
So, when you design something, make sure that buttons and icons are easily recognizable and within reach. It's also important to test your design with real users to get their feedback before launch.
Planned User Research
User research includes activities such as interviews, focus groups, and surveys. The goal of user research is to learn about users' needs and preferences so that you can design a UI that meets their needs.
User feedback is essential for making changes to your UI and design. Make sure to regularly collect user feedback and use it to improve your information architecture.
How Long Does It Take to Perfect User Experience and Design?
User experience and design is an ongoing process. It would be best if you never stopped collecting user feedback and making changes to your UI.
That being said, it's essential to get the basics right from the start. Don't try to do too much at once. Start with a basic design and then iterate based on user feedback.
It's also important to note that UI and design trends change over time. What's popular today might not be widespread in a few years. You should keep up with the latest trends and make changes to your UI accordingly.
What Do You Need In Order To Get Started With User Experience and Design?
Before you can implement a UI strategy, you need to know everything from your users' expectations to market trends. When you're starting out with user experience and design, you need the following:
Understanding of Users' Needs: What are your users' preferences? At the end of the day, it's the website or app users that you need to cater to. You need to know everything about them, from their age to occupation and how they choose to interact with your website.
Brand Guidelines: What is your brand's personality? What are its values? How do you want users to feel when they use your product? You can use UI to convey a message to your customers too.
Design Guidelines: Having design guidelines will help you maintain a consistent look and feel across all your products. It will also help new designers get up to speed quickly.
Testing Environment: You need a place to test your designs with real users. It can be in the form of usability labs, focus groups, or surveys.
Knowledge of Market Trends: You might think you've done a great job, but if your website or app is not in line with the latest design trends, you'll miss out. People want to use products that look modern and up-to-date.
What Should you Consider When Choosing a Partner for User Experience and Design?
Often, companies don't have in-house resources for user experience and design. In such cases, they need to partner with an agency that can help them with the same.
When choosing a partner, you need to consider the following:
Size: You need to make sure that the agency you choose is big enough to cater to your needs but not too big that your project gets lost in the shuffle.
Specialization: What kind of experience does the agency have? Do they have experience in designing for your industry? Keep in mind that your design needs may differ based on your niche.
Portfolio & Success Stories: Take a look at the agency's previous work. Do you like their style? Do they have a good track record? It's also important to ensure that their style aligns with your business's taste and objectives.
Process: How does the agency work? Do they follow a standard procedure, or do they tailor their approach to your project's needs?
Pricing: How does the agency charge for its services? Make sure to get an estimate in writing to know what to expect.
What Efforts Are Required From Your Side When Outsourcing UI & Design?
When you outsource UI and design, you're entrusting a third party with the task of representing your brand. Therefore, it's essential to make sure that you put in the effort required from your side so that they can do a good job.
Here are some things you can do:
Provide Design Guidelines: The more information you provide, the better. Make sure to give them your brand guidelines and any other relevant information.
Communicate Your Expectations: You need to be clear about what you want from the start. The last thing you want is to be disappointed with the end result.
Be Involved in the Process: Don't just hand over the project and forget about it. Be involved in the process and give feedback at every stage.
Be Prepared to make Changes: The design process is iterative, which means that you'll need to make changes along the way. So be prepared for it and be open to suggestions from the agency.
User experience and design are important aspects of any website or app. However, when outsourcing them, you need to do the best from your side and choose the best company for the job so that there's no room for error.
How Much Does It Cost To Amp Up a Website's UI and Design?
Pricing of UI and Design typically depends on many factors, including the agency you work with, the scope of work, and how much design work needs to be done. It's best to get in touch with an agency and get a quote based on your specific needs.
For instance, if you only want to give your website a facelift, it will cost you less than if you're redesigning the whole thing from scratch.
UI and design are essential investments that can make or break your website or app. They can help you achieve your business goals and stand out from the competition when done right.
Therefore, you shouldn't be reluctant to spend a little extra on them if needed. However, did you know 90% of people stop using an app if they have a poor experience? Now, you certainly don't want that to happen to your customers.
To avoid that, it's okay to spend a little extra money upfront rather than face a monetary blow later due to dissatisfied customers.
What Mistakes to Avoid When Outsourcing UI & Design?
If it's your first time outsourcing UI and design, you might be worried about making mistakes. While it's understandable that you don't want there to be an error, some things are only learned through trial-and-error.
However, businesses make some common mistakes that you can surely avoid by knowing about them beforehand. Here are some of them:
Not Doing Your Research: Don't just choose the first agency you come across. Do your research and ensure they're a good fit for your business. For example, suppose you own a retail business. You'd want to work with an agency specializing in UI and design for retail websites or apps. Likewise, if you were a healthcare or manufacturing business, you'd want to look for a relevant agency to outsource UI and design to.
Not Being Involved in the Process: As we mentioned earlier, it's essential to be involved and give feedback at every stage. You should let the agency know if you want to make any changes or adjustments at any point in the process.
Not Communicating Your Expectations: Make sure you're clear about what you want and how you want the agency to meet your needs. The clearer your instructions are, the better job they'll be able to do.
Choosing an Agency Based on Price: Don't just choose the cheapest option. Instead, look for options based on their past performance and industry expertise.
Why to Hire Top UI & Design Experts with the help of Xpeer?
UI and design will always be relevant since it's one of the most important aspects of any website or app. With that in mind, it's crucial to find an agency you can trust to handle this for you.
At Xpeer, you can find reliable UI and design experts to make your website or app user-friendly, visually appealing, usable, and highly functional. Our team can help you with a wide range of services, including web design, graphic design, UX/UI design, branding, and more. You get access to pre-vettet top businesses and can reduce the risks involved when buying services.
Get in touch with us today to learn more about what we can do for you.