Creating a slick user interface
A good user interface (UI) is what leads to good user experience (UX). Software lives or dies depending on its ease of use. People will choose a less powerful tool if it’s faster and simpler. A lot of software companies are too familiar with their products and can lose the ability to judge their user interface from the perspective of a new user. First, let’s go over what the benefits of a good UX design actually are and what is the importance of creating a slick user interface?
It can be tempting to go with the bare essentials for your software, in order to save money and maximise profits. However, a strong user interface is a necessary and worthwhile investment. You’ll see strong, immediate benefits, like the following:
People are more likely to regard your business highly and recommend you if your user interface is friendly. When people struggle to use a program or navigate a website, they’ll vent those frustrations to everyone who will listen. And once you’ve gained a reputation for having a user interface that’s difficult to navigate, it can be incredibly difficult to shake.
If your user interface is easy to navigate, comfortable and polished, you’ll see an increased conversion rate. You’ll continue to see the benefit to conversion rates long after your interface has been optimised.
Complaints and questions require staff and money to make sure you customer service department is handling all the queries that come in. A convoluted or unhelpful user interface is a common source of complaints and questions. With a well-designed user interface, you’ll see a dramatic drop in reported issues, freeing up your business’s time and resources for other projects.
The best user interface is going to depend on the software you’re creating. There is no one template that will fit all projects. However, the basic UI design principles remain the same:
Picking the wrong colors can confuse users and result in errors. You wouldn’t want your confirmation button to flash red or your back button to be a gentle green colour that does not command attention. These missteps will only confuse users.
People are predisposed to like certain shapes; therefore, the shape of your buttons actually matters very much. In fact, the principle of contour bias means that people favour rounded shapes. Naturally, this applies to web and software design.
Above all else, remain consistent. Changing up designs in the middle of a user session is going to lead to confusion and exasperation. Colours, shapes and placements should remain identical across screens.
SovTech has been at the forefront of UI and UX design. With a diverse in-house team, we have created some of the most sleek interfaces that are not only aesthetically pleasing but are just as functional.