Almost every business has a website nowadays. Many clients use these websites to contact the business for feedback or complaints, purchase products or services, or edit their accounts. Some companies even have their own app to make their process even more streamlined.
The website or app being something that represents the company to the clients makes it significant. The quality of the software matters, as it’s the clients’ means of interacting with a business- and that’s where UI/UX comes in.
What Is UI/UX?
In its simplest definition, UI means user interface, the very thing that customers interact with. It’s the look and feel of the apps. It’s the colors and the icons- it’s the visual representation of your business. UX is user experience, referring to what it feels like when interacting with the interface. How many clicks does it take for your clients to get to your system’s homepage? Is it easy to navigate and to find the necessary buttons? UI and UX are inevitably tied, and it’s important to understand that improving one can come at the expense of the other. It takes fine-tuning and tweaking to balance both.
Why Is It Important?
But why is UI/UX so important that businesses either develop an in-house development team or even hire app or web development businesses to do it for them? Does it really affect the performance of the business? Below are some reasons to consider.
Next Logical Step in a Technological World
Gone are the days when you need to write on a piece of paper to file for a loan. You don’t have to mail complaints or orders either. Even buying something nowadays doesn’t require you to be physically at the store. Because there’s a rather extreme reliance on software technology to help both businesses and individuals to accomplish their tasks, it merits an attempt to make it better.
People use their desktop computers, laptops, smartphones, and tablets to interact and make business transactions, requiring the application to be responsive and intuitive. By paying attention to the design and feel of your software across all platforms, clients will be more inclined to use your services as there would be a seamless transition between devices.
Increases Customer Satisfaction
Businesses attempting to meet customer demands often neglect the notion that such demands would not be made had proper systems been in place. Among the many complaints customers have is poor app performance, where everything is loading slowly. Many are frustrated and confused over the layout, and some even decide to leave the business altogether. Almost 40% said that they would immediately stop when something doesn’t load immediately! By putting in effort into your UI/UX, you’re keeping customer satisfaction high. While there is an initial investment in establishing good UI/UX, the return on investment is staggering.
Keeps a Consistent Brand
Regardless of the business, the brand is important as it sets expectations and increases your business’s reputation. A good UI/UX can help you manage both: great experience when interacting with your software tells clients that your company is reliable, and your reputation increases. This also extends to your visual branding. Your software should reflect your business’s visual profile.
With a unified visual and color scheme throughout, it gives a more professional and concise look. The feeling of navigating through the software, plus the ease of use of actually using it, all goes back to you as a business: clients are more likely to associate their good experience with your company.
Makes Transactions Easier
As mentioned before, since most transactions happen online nowadays, having good UI/UX on your software means transactions are easier to make. This makes it likely that clients will use your business as there’s less hassle, especially if it only takes a few clicks to get what they want. This, in turn, allows you to actually increase engagement and business! There are very few barriers for your customers to purchase your services as it’s convenient. There’s a centralized hub where interested individuals can go and make their purchases. Having good UI/UX is necessary, especially if a business wants to increase its activity and customer base.
Ultimately, UI/UX plays a large role in your business. While you can provide an easy and seamless transaction and interaction in your brick and mortar shop, you need to translate that into the software. Especially nowadays, as there’s less physical business activity. UI/UX is customer service, efficiency, and logistics all rolled into one, making it a worthy investment for all businesses.
