In order to appreciate how UX and UI design play their part towards making the website successful, let’s take a look at the elements that comprise a great design:
Research & Persona Development
A great design is only possible if the audience is understood. Research enables designers to discover the kinds of people that will use the website; what their interests are, what their needs are, as well as what difficulties they have. This data is useful when developing user personas: imaginary figures who illustrate target users.
The following questions arise, for instance:
- What is it that they try to achieve?
- What do they find difficult?
- How can their needs be addressed through the website?
If these personas are kept in mind while designing the website, it will be easier for target users to relate themselves with the website due to its personal touch.
Design System
Design systems guide a web designer on controlling the look and feel of the entire website in a harmonious and appealing manner. It consists of graphical things like shades, typography, graphical representations, and graphical buttons. Consistency is essential since it enhances the professionalism of the website and develops the users’ confidence.
For instance, if the size, color, and style of all website buttons are the same, users will never be disappointed when clicking any of these buttons as there are no variations in the expectations.
Wireframes
The wireframes can be referred to as drafts of the website. They sketch out the main content of each page as it appears structurally, without any consideration about its look. Wireframes facilitate the website design for everyone who is concerned about the project.
For instance:
- Where would the point of the navigation be?
- Where would the pictures and the content be located?
Wireframes make it easy to spot problems, and errors, and make corrections before proceeding on completing everything.
Prototyping
A prototype, in this case, is the functional constituent of the website which is an adequate representation of the end product. This empowers the designers to assess the possible final appearance of the website before its construction work is complete. A prototype can be used by the users in various ways, and feedback can be provided for the purposes of redesign.
For example:
- How does it feel like to use the menu?
- Are the buttons easily identifiable?
Prototyping guarantees to a considerable extent that customer’s expectations will not be too high for the completed website.
High-Fidelity Design
High-fidelity design brings forth all steps after the development of the idea as well as building the website. At this stage, some of the visual elements (UI) are incorporated into the already established structure as well as functionality (UX), thus an organized website is attained.
At this stage of the web development cycle, the design is as complete as possible, before it is published for end-users, who are expected to enjoy the website due to its appealing and functional nature.