The market for apps is becoming increasingly competitive and in order to develop an edge that will capture your audiences from day one, your mobile application needs features that will make your application usable and unique. In almost every aspect of app optimization, the one constant has always been top-notch UI/UX design and development.
In this post, we will be focusing on User Interface aka UI but will also be mentioning a bit of User Experience (UX). While both are different and often erroneously interchangeably used, their benefits and purpose does connect them.
User interface is the way your app looks, when a user has downloaded it and is exploring the way the app works. UI measures are put into place by designers to ensure that the right target market is able to easily engage with your business’s app and therefore your product.
The primary components that fall under User Interface include the graphics, and presentation of the app.
User Experience on the other hand is the way your user perceives or feels about your mobile application which would ultimately define how they feel about your product. It is UI that makes UX satisfactory. In order to do so however, startup software developers are required to be provided with a thorough understanding of your market and product.
Mobile development is evolving each day and it is steadily relying more and more on user interaction.
But what does a brilliant user interface really do for your business? For starters, it effectively communicates your brand image. People dont want to just know what you can do but also what your business is all about.
Check out some of the top advantages of employing fantastic User Interface in your app development journey.
Increases Responsiveness
A good user interface makes you say wow at first glance. A great user interface harbors a high standard of responsiveness.
This means that the app was designed to meet the anticipations of the user. For example, an app that takes forever to load or to switch from one section to another will annoy users to the point where they will stop using it or delete it altogether. Their reviews are going to reflect their experiences and you will have a harder time attracting more users.
On the opposite end of this spectrum is an app that loads fast and is super easy to use without the user wondering if their device might be glitching or if they need to up their internet bandwidth. Spoiler: they will always choose a competitor app over paying more for the internet.
Makes the User Experience Convenient
When creating an app business plan most entrepreneurs wonder about monetization strategies, often because they dont want potential users to be annoyed by the in-app ads. However you have to pick a way to make your app profitable and more often than not this is it.
To make sure that your users do not have to deal with too much inconveniences, is where a UI designer comes in.
A competent user interface is one that adds in functions and buttons that will allow a user to carry out an action with minimal effort. The design solves their problem before they can even bring it up.
Makes the App Navigable
Some of the best apps are the simple ones. We call them simple because they have an excellent degree of clarity of what the user should do next after they have landed on a page.
If a user downloads your app and gets confused immediately afterwards about what to do with your app, they are not going to think much of the app itself. You want users to be able to carry on with their customer journey with as much ease as possible.
One of the ways a UI/UX developer does this is by using familiar icons and graphics to communicate what you should do next. Putting everything in text takes longer and uses up a lot of your interface space. The same principle is applied for when a color scheme is picked out. For instance, using red to alert, and using green to encourage the go-ahead.
Better Return on Investment
Customer satisfaction means a higher ROI. When a user has had a good experience with your app it is likely that they will recommend the app to other people which keeps on multiplying your userbase. Other than their own network, users are prone to review apps on the app store so anyone who would be browsing for a product or service that your business specializes in will likely download it for its ratings.
A Good Looking App
Part of defeating the competition is standing out visually. An aesthetically pleasing app is always enjoyable to use and awes the user into exploring it further. If they have used it once chances are they will be prompted to use it again next time they are browsing apps on their phone.
To make sure your software consultant does this, it is very important that they have been given enough briefing about the app, and the industry it will be operating in. The UI/UX development team will then move on to put themselves in the shoes of your ideal customer before they move forward with building the app skin.
Is Insightful
Your users are evolving and you are here to stay as a business and an app. One of the things a great UI does is that it allows you to gauge what your ideal customer interacts with and what they do not interact with. Over time, you get an accurate picture of what people like and what problem of theirs no one is addressing. This helps you improve your UI game and customer satisfaction strategy. Now you know why Facebook keeps updating its design and interactive features all the time.
