Last Updated on August 5, 2020
What is the User Experience (UX)? How is it different from User Interface ( UI)? But more importantly, how does this apply to a business’ website?
The terms UX and UI get thrown around frequently these days in the world of website design. People can get degrees or certificates in both. They sound awfully similar and are often used interchangeably. So, what is User Experience? and how is it different from User Interface? Well, it’s all summed up in the names. Put simply, UX is about the experience you, the user, have when approaching a product, museum exhibit, or website. UI is about the way in which you interact with these things.
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User Experience Defined
How does it make you feel? What do you want to do? Do you want to buy more? Learn more? Are you engaged? Wikipedia’s definition also includes a person’s perceptions of the practical aspects such as utility, ease of use and efficiency. It’s subjective in nature as it’s dynamic; UX changes over time as circumstances evolve.
From a practical standpoint, business owners want their website to be their 24/7 sales force. It should quickly convey who they are, what they offer, why they are the best choice, and then inspire action. Is your call to action (CTA) clear? When designing or refreshing your site, all these items need to be considered. Or your website simply won’t earn its keep because it’s not customer-centric.
User Interface Defined
How many buttons do you have to click before you can purchase something? Where is the navigation on the website? How do you access different parts of the website? This all falls under the term UI. You can probably see that the UI of a website can directly affect your experience. So how is that related to UX?
It’s a part of it! UI is a subset of UX. The interface of a website directly affects the experience you have. If the navigation is confusing, if the buttons are hard to find, or if information is presented inconsistently, then the user will have difficulty with the website’s interface. This creates a poor overall web experience. Have you ever searched through a site and not sure what to do next? This is where UX and UI interconnect, and affects a website’s lead conversion efficiency.
So, what is user experience? It’s knowing what feeling you want your customers and clients to have when visiting your site. It’s knowing what actions you want your visitor to make. It’s knowing what will make the visitor’s experience intuitive and seamless. It’s knowing what encourages visitors to come back for more!
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