The practice of designing digital products with a user-first approach based on user interface/user experience design is called UI/UX. A common misconception is that UI and UX are interchangeable and only one discipline, But this is not entirely correct. They are a distinct discipline that mainly focuses on different aspects of a user’s interaction with a digital product. However, they overlap in many ways and are so link they’ve largely emerged into one profession. Let’s start with the main distinctions between UX and UI before delving into what the UI/UX design process entails and why it matters to you.
What exactly does User Interface Designer Do?
Designers use UI to create interfaces in software or devices. It mainly focus on looks and style. Designers work to produce user-friendly and enjoyable interfaces. UI design includes different types of user interfaces, like graphics and layouts. Focus on the graphical format, which mainly uses buttons and screen layout. A user interface is where people and computers interact. User interface design is the process of developing visual and functional characteristics. UI has three main components
- Interactivity
- Visual design
- Information Architecture.
What is User Experience?
User experience (UX) design is the process of creating products that are simple to use. You can stimulate adoption, retention, and loyalty by designing products that are as simple as possible for users. Product teams and designers use data and usability testing to continuously clear the product experience .so it becomes easier for users as the product develops. Every component that moulds this experience, how the user feels, and how it is simple for them to do their planned duties are all taken into account by user experience design. UX design seeks to develop user experiences that are simple, effective, pertinent, and enjoyable. To create simple user experiences for products, services, and processes, UX designers mix market, product development, strategy, and design.
What Are Difference between UI/UX?
- UI is a visual process guiding the user through the UI and using interactive elements across all platforms. And UX design deals with investigation, testing, development, content, and prototyping.Everything that influences the path of the users to find a solution is the focus of UX design. On the other hand, UI design is a process that is primarily concerned with how the surfaces of the particular product look and work.
- UX design requires mockups, graphics, and layouts. And UI design requires wireframes, prototyping, and good research.
- UX design requires creative and confluent thinking. And UI requires innovative and analytical thinking.
- Research, testing, development, content, and prototyping are all topics covered by UX design. And UI processes interactive components on all platforms to visually lead the user through a product’s user interface.
UI/UX Design principles to help you your experience
1. Meet the User’s Need
UI/UX Design is user-centered, so you must ensure that it satisfies the user’s needs. Your design should make it easy for people to get the results.
2. Visibility of System Status
Users should be able to receive feedback on their actions. Your design should inform them of what is going on and show users the status of their system. A good design should show a progress bar to show how much time is left for the download to complete rather than leaving the user in the dark when downloading a file.
3. User Control and Freedom
Your design should speak the user’s language and employ concepts that people are already familiar with in the real world. Don’t technical terms; simple language makes your design easier to understand. Design elements should represent the object in the real world.
4. Help and Documentation
Most users prefer to navigate a product without relying on documentation, but documentation is sometimes required. This documentation should be simple to find and focus on the user’s current task. Your design should assist users where and when they need it.
5. Flexibility and Efficiency of Use
New users use product design. It should be simple to learn for new users and have shortcuts for experts to do things quickly. Let’s take a look at Figma, a user interface design tool. New Figma users may use the shapes tools to select a shape and to use it in their design, whereas an expert would press R on the keyboard for a rectangle, O for an ellipse, and so on.
Top UI/UX Trends
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Imperfect Design Elements
Design elements will become more prominent. Users have started to appreciate the beauty of incomplete and imperfect designs. Freehand design, hand-drawn visuals, abrupt fonts, and other inferior design elements are gaining popularity. These flawed design elements create a human touch and exclusive brand outlook, making it a positive UX design trend..
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No more parallax scrolling
Websites will gradually phase out parallax scrolling. It is no longer popular and has become an outmoded feature. Parallax scrolling is a CSS-based visual effect in which the background moves faster than the foreground. It is beneficial when there is a lot of data. And it is necessary to draw users’ attention to get all the information.
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Immersive 3D Elements
3D-based design elements are one of the most effective ways to retain users engaged. They joined with cutting-edge technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) (VR). It enables the UI UX designer to create hyper-realistic 3D visuals, keeping users interested and engaged. However, such graphical elements may slow down your website. As a result, ensure that it is optimized.
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Advanced micro-interactions
Every software application contains micro-interaction; we use it frequently when using various applications. Instagram’s Button and Twitter’s Button are prime examples of micro-interaction. Gestures and touch less control provide new opportunities for creating a more intuitive experience. We will undoubtedly see more of these in 2023.
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Bold Typography
Bold typography stands out from the crowd and begs. However, it must be an essential (and integrated) part of the overall aesthetic. Popular websites use this technique. With a straightforward and proactive approach, it appears bold typography is here to stay and will continue to grow in 2023
Guest article written by: Sunny Johnson discusses the latest UI/UX design and trends. He works as a technical writer at code-ready software. He has more than five years of experience in this technology-based content and looks marketing activities of the company.