What is User Interface (UI)?

User Interface (UI) is the interaction between a user and an application within a digital device.

If you have an online business, a good user interface is one of the determining factors of your success. In essence, UI determines how your website or application appears to the visitor both in its functionality and appearance. It includes a wide range of elements such as the layout of your website, color scheme, call-to-action buttons, various functions, and much more.

In case your user interface is not up to par, the users can leave your website without even checking out what’s on it.

Why is User Interface Important?

UI is just like the first meeting between a user and a website. In order to leave a good first impression, the interactions should be smooth, the visuals should be appealing, and the website should be easy to navigate. In essence, make sure your UI is as effortless as possible.

A great user interface has a chance of vastly improving your conversion rate which defines the percentage of visitors that completed your desired action within the website or application.

On the other hand, the issue with a bad UI is that users probably won’t inform you that it’s difficult to navigate through your website or application. Often times it’s because they don’t understand it themselves. They just know that it didn’t do what they wanted, so, they left.

If visitors leave because of bad UI, chances are they won’t come back again. In this case, you will lose potential customers and won’t even know it.

The user interface, just like user experience, acts as an indicator of how easy it is for others to understand and use your product.

Besides, your online presence is greatly impacted based on the quality of the user interface.

What Kind of User Interface Is Considered to Be Great?

There are general features that should be applied when creating user interfaces. At the end of the day, UI needs to be user-friendly, intuitive, and appealing to the eye while keeping in mind the image of the brand.

One of the main rules of a great user interface is that the user is able to understand what your application is about and how to use it within 5 seconds. In other words, the UI should feel somewhat invisible to the user where the interaction is so smooth that they don't have to waste a single second.

Here are some guidelines to create a great user interface:

• Simplicity is key. Don’t overflow the interface with unnecessary content or lines of text. Think of your favorite website, chances are it’s simple and straightforward, and that is exactly what makes it fun to use.
• Establish what your visitors will be searching for, and use that information to drive conversions. Remember that everything your visitor is looking for should be a click or two away.
• Make sure to utilize the navigation bar on the top of the website to provide straightforward instructions to your website visitors. Don’t forget that the right visual design (color scheme, font, size, etc.) can help to draw attention.
• Check if your UI is mobile-friendly. Especially in cases where the target audience of the website uses smartphones and tablets for browsing.