Many people confuse UI and UX. The line is really thin. UX is needed in order to understand the user, and the UI helps to apply the obtained data and make it so that the visitor can easily understand the product.
During the development of the user interface, it is necessary to study in detail the target audience and satisfy all its needs. Therefore, UI development consists of several stages:
Concept development
Based on the research of the target audience, having analyzed the needs, behaviour and desires of the client, the designer sets the tasks. The concept of the user interface, future elements, colours is being considered. This stage is very important and takes a significant amount of time. But it is during the development of the concept that the most important tasks are solved.
Creating a mockup
This stage, even before the development of the user interface, allows you to understand how the client will see the site. All changes are made immediately. Initially, the location of all graphic elements is marked, including buttons, forms, menus. Next, a colour palette is selected with a prerequisite – all colours must be in harmony with each other. Images are selected, their style, and as a result – a layout is created.
User Flow Diagram
After the sketches are created, the specialist proceeds to the screens map. This helps to understand how the user will behave when he gets to the website of the online store, or to the application. What does this give the store owner? A significant reduction in edits and attachments in the future. At this stage, you can understand how the graphical interface of the system will look and how the user interacts with the resource.
Structure alignment
At this stage, the owner of an online store or application must approve the structure developed by the designer. First of all, the design is created for visitors to turn them into customers. But without approval, it is impossible to move forward.
Choosing and agreeing on the UI style
There are quite a few ready-made UI styles and working concepts out there. Each of them performs specific tasks. When designing web interfaces, it is worth considering the adaptability of the style, design features and trends, the time to implement the design and many other points.
Bright, attractive colours are good for one site, while others should be more discreet. You can use non-standard design elements if they are relevant, but if such elements negatively affect the user experience, then they fade into the background or are completely excluded. In any case, the choice of the UI style is a crucial step, which is individually determined for each project.
Interactive prototype
At the final stage of the user interface development, an interactive prototype is created. This is a kind of “draft” of the future site. Some developers skip this stage, as they can stop at creating a mockup. But the interactive prototype will give a complete picture of what features of the site will be implemented, how it will look. For a business owner, this is an opportunity to once again familiarize themselves with the concept of a designer, conduct analytics and identify edits. Indeed, in the future, their correction will require an investment of resources and time.
An interactive prototype makes it possible to see the future site even before the development stage by programmers.
After this step, approval is carried out, the UI designer makes the last edits and the design can be considered complete. Then the work of programmers, content managers and other specialists begins, who create an online store or application.
Conclusion
The user interface is an important part of any web resource. It helps to establish user interaction with the site and makes it understandable. This is one of the main criteria for increasing conversions. That is why considerable time is devoted to the development of the user interface. The UI designer must clearly understand the needs of the target audience, and visually make sure that these needs are met. Do you want your visitors to turn into customers? Do not ignore the design, keep the site comfortable and visually pleasing for your visitor, then he will most likely become your client.