“How do I use this?” Those are the last five words that a UI designer wants to hear.
When crafting a digital product like a website, app, or wearable, the key is to ensure it's user-friendly and efficient. This hinges on the principles of User Interface Design (UI), which centers on creating intuitive and visually pleasing interfaces for seamless user interactions.
Effective UI design, whether it‘s emphasizing the login button on a membership site’s homepage or strategically positioning a cart icon on an e-commerce website, is instrumental in guiding users and achieving your product's goals.
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Consistency in colors, typography, animations, and language usage is vital for a cohesive interface, impacting both the user experience and brand identity.
For instance, using different labels like “Submit” and “Send” on forms can confuse users. To ensure internal consistency, it's best to standardize button copy, using either “Submit” or “Send.” This is one facet of the consistency principle.
External consistency, the other facet, involves following established conventions from other products to avoid burdening users with new patterns. For instance, most websites use “Home” for their homepage navigation. Imagine if it said “House” instead. Consistently adhering to established conventions, such as “Home,” reduces cognitive load and enhances the user experience.
Creating an interface that empowers users to feel in command encourages them to explore and learn the application further. This involves allowing room for mistakes and the ability to reverse actions. Consequently, it's essential to add clear close buttons on popups, straightforward options for revisiting or editing cart information on checkout pages, and providing undo and redo functionalities in text editors, among other features.
For instance, consider this example from LoveOhLou, where a lightbox popup presents users with the clear choices of entering their email address or clicking the close button. This approach prioritizes user control and enhances their overall experience.
You can boost user confidence by providing feedback as they interact with the interface. This can begin with a loading animation, indicating successful page access. There are various ways to keep users informed.
Consider an order confirmation message on an e-commerce site, which not only confirms but also reassures users. Without such feedback, uncertainty may lead to duplicate orders or early exits.
Similarly, informing users about their progress towards free shipping before checkout, as done by The Wrap Life, manages expectations and encourages additional spending.
A user interface should not just allow errors but also enable users to correct them. This is where error messages come into play. An error message with clear language and visuals identifies the issue and suggests a solution, aiding users in understanding, resolving, and avoiding the same mistake.
Take the “incorrect password” message on a login page as an example. It typically offers two solutions: re-entering the password or resetting it.
On Package Free Shop, an error message notifies users of an incorrect email address or password and provides options to keep trying different combinations or initiate a password reset.
Empowering users with control while ensuring effective navigation and task completion requires not only error-handling mechanisms but also error prevention measures. These measures include offering undo options, mandating steps to verify personal or payment information, issuing warnings, and applying constraints to prevent error-prone actions.
For instance, when setting a password, certain requirements like length, character combinations, special characters, and uniqueness must be met before a password can be created. This prevents duplicate passwords and ensures compatibility with processing requirements, enhancing security.
Another example of error prevention is in form completion. If a required field is left blank, users cannot submit the form; instead, they receive an error message, prompting them to review and correct the omission.
Regardless of where users are within the interface, whether at the bottom of the homepage or ready to check out, it‘s crucial to provide all necessary information for their next steps. Users shouldn’t have to recall details from other parts of your site or perform cumbersome actions like scrolling up or using the back button.
For example, imagine offering a discount prominently displayed on your homepage but nowhere else. Users on product pages may be uncertain about the discount, and those on the checkout page might need to return to the homepage, potentially leading to cart abandonment or site exit.
To prevent this, ensure information is consistently visible and accessible across the entire user interface. For instance, place a discount banner on every page, allowing users to easily find it.
COIX, a user-focused footwear store, effectively implements this by showcasing the discount with a hero image on the homepage, using icons to indicate the discount on product archive pages, and clearly displaying reduced prices on individual product pages. This design approach eliminates the need for users to remember or calculate discount details, enhancing their experience.
Keeping the user interface simple doesn’t mean make it flat and avoid shadows, effects, or other decorative elements. It just means use a minimalist approach when designing the interface. Think: what elements must I include to enable users to complete their goals. Anything else will compete for the user’s attention and is likely better left out.
Let’s say you’re designing an interface for a content management system. Some users might have a lot of experience with other CMS platforms, while others might have never used one before. That’s why it’s important to design with both experts and beginners in mind.
You can achieve this by offering demonstrations or tooltip recommendations for newcomers, as well as shortcuts and other speed-enhancing features for experienced users. Importantly, all of these functionalities should include options for users to skip or exit at their discretion. This way, users who require guidance can utilize the demos and suggestions, while those with greater expertise can seamlessly navigate the platform and leverage shortcuts.
You can find a good illustration of this in the WordPress admin dashboard. Novice users can access helpful information about dashboard navigation, layout, and content, along with links to support threads or documentation, by clicking the Help tab. Meanwhile, advanced users can choose to minimize or disregard this tab entirely.
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