In the past, user experience or the UX was never the main focus during the development of software programs. In the context of user experience design, an app interface is designed to produce a good and consistent consumer experience. Its main objective is, supposedly, to gain the customers’ interest but this was rarely considered in the past until some recent changes.
Designing a software is now more than just creating functionality. Software innovations focus has now shifted to user experience design or UX design. Software development providers have substantially revised their custom development technique by focusing on the development of UX (User Experience) with UI (User Interface) designs. The change places the main focus on the app’s usability more than the appearance of the product.
Difference between a UX Designer, UI Developer and Application Developer
To simply describe the differences, check below:
User Experience (UX) Designer: Research, Usability and Design
UI Developer: Design and Web Development (HTML/CSS/JS)
Application Developer: Back-End Development (HTML/CSS/JS etc.)
Steps in designing an impressive UX
1. Studying the Target User
Interacting with the main target user to understand their frame of mind is one of the most important step. Designers communicate with the present and prospective customers on several occasions to better understand their thoughts. The designers will then integrate the gathered information into the application UI.
There are ways in how to study and gather the information needed in the development.
a. Play: Many designers invite customers into a game designed around the program. When the game is performed, user’s natural movements and non-biased emotional responses are carefully discovered.
b. Personal Experience: In the real time scenario of the existing program, designers motivate customers to talk about their encounters while using the particular module or features. Listening to customer tales and encounters offers useful information towards the UX development.
c. Real-Time View: The application is offered to some portion of audience for limited time period. Then the interaction pattern is carefully watched by the developers to know prevalent navigation pattern and just how it may be enhanced.
2. Framing The Right UI Design
The most experienced designers make an effort to balance functionality and aestheticism. Their particular choice is mainly towards flat design which allows essential aspects in interface, clearness and flexibility to both desktop and mobile phone screen.
Rather than randomly plugging applications, developers implement the functions collectively. The design consistency is maintained within the application. The feel and look from the application are made identical in all levels and the functions become self-explanatory. This cuts down on the learning curve and causes it to be quite simple for end customers to operate. Rather than dealing with lengthy training consultations, customers simply learn one segment and apply the concept continuously through intuition.
3. Testing and Experimenting
Designing the best UI for an application is not a simple task. Experiments and tests are also used by designers through end-user comments and suggestions. Rather than producing just one interface repeatedly, designers create multiple UI versions. Each interface is examined live and the one which goes maximum consistent result is selected. This process helps to ensure that the applied design produces good results and reflects the voice, emotion and preference of the customers appropriately.
4. Gathering Feedback
Adjustments to user interface doesn’t stop at the deployment of the application. This is the key to creating a custom UX design. Development groups observe the roll-out of each UI enhancement and changes. They prepare and conduct surveys to collect feedback from end-users. Occasionally, the application can also be incorporated with tools which map the usage pattern. These tools help identify the loopholes of an app’s User Interface.
In today’s software development, new technology isn’t always the answer to everything. In this generation where innovation goes beyond technological advancement, we have to remember that customers or end-users hold one of the most important aspect in today’s software innovation and that is user experience (UX).