Do I Need To Update My User Interface Or UI Design?

 

Ok, so what’s there to do? Well, there are two ways to keep a website up-to-date:

1. Maintain your UI Design to keep up with consumer and market trends;
2. Update your technology periodically so you make sure whatever you build your website in, it’s still supported.

Why should I know what UI design is?

You see, a web designer doesn’t just draw pretty pictures. They plan everything around your website which includes both the UI and UX, and make sure it will be functional and easy for people to use on any device. But a key element here is that they will not build a design that YOU do not approve of.

In other words, as a business owner, you need to understand what UI design and user experience are so you can help your technical team create the website your business needs. So what is user interface designs, and what is the difference between UI and UX?

 

The UX designer deals with the creation and coordination of the product through marking, its development, usability, availability, and the convenience of finding it on the website.

On the other hand, User Interface or UI Design is for just that – the interface. In other words, UI takes care of typography, layouts, colours, graphic design, and visual design. So, while it is helping customers interact with different digital products and services, it does not consider the user journey.

And the main reason we focus only on UI today is that the first impression of a website in the eyes of your customers is more influenced by the UI. UX is incredibly important in the long run, but with an amazing UI, your users will be more likely to forgive some hiccups in the UX here and there. With a bad UI, they won’t even give you the chance to showcase your UX.

See how that works? As we said, users shop with their eyes.

Why should I change my user interface design?

Over time your company is evolving and growing, you’re getting new customers, selling more products or services and your brand is maturing.

Your company may have been a start-up just a few years ago, but you don’t consider your company as a start-up anymore, right? Or maybe you still are a startup but you feel like investors are not taking you all that seriously – after all, how many other startups emerge every year?

The point is, as your brand is maturing, you should consider changing its voice, visuals, and general feel. And the same goes for your website – as your company grows, your website has to match your values, your tone, and your brand identity.

But keeping your UI to date is not just about rebranding. It can also help if you find that your business is not growing quickly enough or you found some issues with the visual aspect of your website. A top-notch UI design can help with all of these issues.

1. Are you happy and proud of your website?

First of all, you as the owner should be satisfied with the design, overall looks, and practical sense of your website. If you feel that something is not working well enough or the website may have a better design – change it!

2. Is your website memorable and does it stand out?

Secondly, if you don’t feel your website is memorable and you have bad feedback from your employees or customers there must be something you should change. You should make sure your website stands out from the competitors.

3. Does your website reflect your brand?

Your website should reflect every progress and change in your company. Starting with the main purpose of your company through every evolving product that you have.

4. Are your themes outdated?

Old school is cool but not when we talk about functionality. Therefore, if you want your business to succeed, you need to be agile with your visual presentation and website design.

5. How about the technological aspect of your website?

Outdated code can slow down the loading of speed on your website or the way it responds on different devices. Similarly, outdated website templates may not keep up with all the new apps available out there.

To do that, think about elements like:

4. Use colour on your website wisely.

• Do you have enough white spaces?

The website should be legible, organized, “clean”. Remember that website full of information will not be so pleasing to the eye. It’s worth adding more white backgrounds for better readability.

• Have you taken colour theory into consideration?

There are many theories about the emotionality of colour. If the colours of your website evoke different emotions than those related to your brand and its goals – change the colour scheme using the colour theory.

• Is there a good contrast in your colours?

Working with colour contrast is as important as choosing the right colours connected with emotions. Contrast adds variety to products, they become more visible and quickly noticeable in the eyes of your customers.

5. If possible, don’t forget to use some custom illustrations.

A good way to get the attention of both your customers and the browser itself is to add custom images. Custom illustrations can give your website a unique advantage.

In this situation, you should be subtle because if you will post too much of such an illustration you can accidentally distract the attention from the most important thing that is on your website – the product.

6. And also, some animations.

Another way to get your customer’s attention is by adding animations to your website. It takes the eye of your customers and makes them feel that something is going on the website.

Although here you should stick to your brand idea and remember what do you want to say buy this animation, is it design-driven or does it serve a purpose.

7. Make sure your icons are consistent and match your brand.

Very helpful in designing a website is also the use of icons to diversify the visual appeal and facilitate the readability of the page. Therefore you can sometimes use icons instead of text.

However, be careful because icons cannot replace all text. They can only support the text if we use the most intuitive icons like for example a cog is well known as ‘settings’.

8. Control your social media.

A lot of people got inspired by photos they can see on Instagram. You should take care of social media accounts about your company. More you are posting you get free adv and more potential customers.

By promoting your company on social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or Linkedin you can boost your brand engagement and help achieve your most important goals. So, by promoting your brand on relevant social media, you increase its strength and popularity, gain new customers and promote all products at a very fast pace.

Changing your UI design is like renovating:

• Your website will always look new;
• Your users will never get bored of your UI;
• Your brand will always feel relevant to your market;
• Your investors will take you seriously because they see your efforts and they know you are taking care of your business.

Also, by changing your user interface you can present your products and services in a better way and showcase your business’s professionalism. In turn, that will increase the traffic to your website, help you keep your customers’ loyalty as well as get new customers.

But don’t forget, aside from developing a great UI design for your website you can also do a lot more for your users’ experience, which will benefit your company in the long run There are so many other aspects of web development not mentioned here where you can improve.

For example, you can look into small things that can help with your user experiences like how to improve your SEO or how to ensure your users’ security with the right SSL certificate. Every small change for the better counts, so remember.

Development is not a one-time-only task – it needs continuous maintenance otherwise you will become irrelevant faster than you can imagine.

We hope this article helped you get a better understanding of why it’s so important to keep your UI design up to date, but if you need more assistance, don’t hesitate to book a free meeting with our team – they have the knowledge and experience to help you build the best user interface designs your business deserves.