Have you ever had an interaction with a product or service that just felt off? Maybe the website was confusing to navigate, or the app wasn’t intuitive to use. Chances are, you probably didn’t have a great experience with that company.
The goal of a good UI/UX design is to solve this problem.
Nowadays, first impressions matter more than ever. In fact, UI (user interface) and UX (user experience) design can be the make-or-break factor for businesses when driving leads. UI/UX design go hand-in-hand to create enjoyable and efficient user experiences that will keep people coming back for more.
In this article, we’ll explore what UI/UX design is and how it helps to drive leads. Finally, we’ll teach you how you can use both elements to your advantage.
What is UI/UX Design?
UI/UX design is the process of planning, creating, and optimizing systems to make them effective and appealing to users. In the design world, the two terms are often combined but they are separate entities that tackle different things.
UX is the abbreviation for ‘User Experience,’ while UI stands for ‘User Interface.’ To learn UI/UX design is to understand how both elements differ and how they complement each other.
User Experience deals with how users feel when they interact with an online asset. This can be desktop software, a mobile application or a website among others. Therefore, UX design is the process of creating products that offer meaningful, relevant and valuable experiences to users. The UX design process covers everything from product acquisition, branding, usability, functionality and even design.
According to Interaction Design Foundation, User Interface design is a subset of User Experience. The User Interface deals with the graphical layout of the product. A UI designer is in charge of making sure that the graphical elements are visually appealing, engaging and stylistic. This can range from properly displaying and positioning buttons to creating interactive elements.
In other words, UX is about how it works and UI is how it looks. Basically, UI/UX design are two inseparable peas in a pod. You want a product that’s both useful and a head-turner. Unless you have both, driving leads can be a tough nut to crack.
Doubling down on your branding will also amplify your leads. Reach out to Business Marketing Engine if you need certified UI/UX designer pros to work on your asset.
Importance of UI/UX Design-How it Drives Leads?
The goal of every business is to generate leads and drive sales. Unfortunately, you can offer the most impressive value and still fall short if your website’s interface is unappealing. On the other hand, no amount of stunning graphical layout or design can hide a dysfunctional system. Basically, it’s not one or the other, both UI/UX design are important pillars to your sales success.
For example, think about a website. What qualities of a website make you want to stay and explore it? What attributes convince you to sign up and be a part of it? What UI/UX design features can you not live without?
Here are three common UI/UX design elements that drive people to take action:
-
Send Impactful message
The UI/UX design must send a strong, impactful message that speaks to your target audience. You achieve this by having a clear grasp of who you are and the solutions you offer. More importantly, you should know who your target audience is, their felt needs and your solution’s usefulness to their problem.
The asset should effectively communicate the value proposition of a product or service. The message must be convincing enough to make users want to know more. Eventually, sign up or buy the product.
-
A Specific Call-to-action (CTA)
The UI/UX design should include a specific call-to-action that encourages users to take the next step. The CTA might be to sign up for a newsletter, download an e-book or white paper, or start a free trial. What matters is that it’s distinguishable, convincing and located in a place where users will see it.
An easily navigatable CTA improves a lead’s user experience. The text must be legible and the button should stand out on the page. When creating eye-catching and engaging CTA’s, this is where a good UI designer shines through. By using colors that contrast with the rest of the design, you can make it more visible.
-
Adds User Value
User value is the conception of a product’s practical or symbolic benefit that is realized through user interaction. Value is an intrinsic perception among users, which means only a user knows what’s valuable to them and why. That’s why a clear grasp of your users is the initial step to driving leads.
Do your users value a cluttered interface or a simple, straightforward one?
Do you users need a lead magnet before they sign up?
Does your content hold valuable pieces of information that add value to your users’ lives?
All of these value-adding elements rely on a good UI/UX design to get the message across.
Which is More Important UI or UX?
UI and UX are integral parts of each other. UI without UX is a car with a great paint job but has no engine under the hood. It looks good, but it doesn’t go anywhere. On the other hand, UX without UI is a car that runs but is an eyesore to pedestrians. It works, but I doubt anyone would like to drive or hop on one.
Though if we scrutinize and compare both of them, UX has a slightly more significant advantage. Any user can overlook a lousy-looking UI, but no one can ignore a bad UX. The User Experience is important to help users achieve their goals. A user will choose functional UX despite sub-optimal UI as long as it gets the job done. Provided, of course, that there are no other competing alternatives.
However, in the context of driving leads, you will need both to be completely user-optimized. This will ensure higher odds of generating leads and driving sales. This is especially important in this era where businesses are becoming increasingly more consumer-centric than ever before.
Important Questions When Designing UI/UX
Now then, how do you make sure your UI/UX design is up to par? If you’re a business owner, here are some key questions to ask to know if you’re on the right track.
-
How simple is it to locate your contact information?
Your contact information is the primary link between you and your leads. If your contact details are out of sight, prospects may be forced to search elsewhere for a solution. Also, your “contact us” button must be compelling and prominently displayed to convince users to click through.
-
How straightforward is it to find someone on your team?
Teams are often composed of different people working on distinct responsibilities. A good UI/UX design should make it easy for users to access the roster. This will help users identify which is the best fit for the solution they’re looking for.
-
How clear is your communication or messaging?
Communication relies heavily on a good UI/UX design. Even if your business had some of the best content to publish, a bad presentation can render all efforts moot. Every font style, font size, margin, placement and interactive design should communicate your brand effectively.
-
How strong are your calls-to-action (CTA) across the site?
Calls-to-action are no more than buttons if there is no compelling copy to support them with. Every CTA button you set must coincide with the interface and content on a webpage. CTAs that are out-of-place are off-putting and leave a negative sleazy impression on users.
How you design your CTA buttons also plays a significant part when driving leads to action. An interactive CTA can tip the scales in your favor over a bland hyperlinked CTA, despite a good copy.
-
Does your home page entice them?
The homepage or landing page is the epitome of good UI/UX design. Most of the time, this is where businesses allocate the budget to drive conversions. A good UI/UX design of a homepage should be highly functional, possess an intuitive interface and look aesthetically pleasing.
The design architecture of your homepage should meet your target’s preferences. In today’s fast-paced online environment, everyone wants fast. Fast entails a simple, clutter-free and easily navigatable UI for users.
-
How does your menu appear? Is it user-friendly?
Menus are a normal component of websites. They are tools meant to help users navigate through the entire site with ease. If menu options are not legible or don’t possess drop-down capabilities that make navigating easier, you disrupt a user’s experience. This, in turn, affects their tendency to convert and your ability to drive leads to a sale.
Conclusion
The point of a good UI/UX design is to make processes simpler while maintaining desirable visuals for users. Implementing both on any asset you’re driving prospects to will increase your chances of converting prospects to full-fledged customers.
If you’re selling great value, useful products, or unrivaled services, implementing a good UI/UX design is all that’s left.
We can do that for you.
Give us Business Marketing Engine a call to get started on your game-changing UI/UX design journey.
