It is a no-brainer that we live in a digital era. Whether you own a brick-and-mortar or an online startup, having an online online presence is a must. Although it seems counterintuitive to think that a startup needs a digital solution at all, without such a product, it is unlikely that you’ll land customers. But, it shouldn’t be just another website or app. It has to be fully optimised with stellar UI/UX Design.
But why both? UI design simply refers to the space you use to interact with a website/app/product, and UX is all about how you engage with that website, for example, and how you feel about it. UI design and UX design are intertwined, so if you need to get your business kick-started, hands-down you need both.
That said, let’s dive into how exactly UX/UI design is beneficial for your startup.
Good UX/UI design improves the quality of your brand
When you're just starting to break into the industry, regardless of how cool your product designs are or how versatile your services are, users can make or break your reputation. Having said that, making the first impression through the quality of your brand is quite imperative.
Before committing to your product, the first thing your customers see is its interface.It directly represents your whole vision.
For instance, if your website is cluttered with poor UI and UX design, users will find it very uneasy to navigate through it. On the other hand, any product should be user-friendly, accessible, and should meet the customers' requirements.
An intuitive layout with proper graphic elements can give you an edge over your counterparts while letting your users find what they’re after faster and easier.
The bottom line is, that a well-thought-outUX/UI design brings your brand closer to your customers. As a result, they vouch for you.
It optimises development time and costs
As the cost of web development services increases by the day, especially as a startup, you wouldn't want to afford mistakes.
That's why seasoned UI/UX designers don't plunge in without thinking about the consequences. They always focus on building flexible and scalable digital products that won't lag behind when the users grow.
It's easier to implement pre-eminent UX/UI design in the development stage. Plus, it helps developers to build a cost-effective framework that can be easily expanded over time.
On the other hand, without integrating a proper UX/UI design into your website/app, you'll never foresee the usability issues that surface during and after the development process.
Not to mention, the majority of the errors are easily avoidable if your UI/UX design is up to par. For instance, extremely confusing navigation makes users get stuck, or lost. Moreover, the unnecessary or inaccessible features of your solution can easily be detected through proper UI/UX design.
This can drastically change the way you address these issues and will save your resources, money, and time.
Good UI/ UX design allows clear navigation for users
How many times have you cut your venture short after trying to go through a webpage? If this rings a bell, then the culprit is the substandard UI/ UX design.
In fact, navigation is one of the key areas of effective product design. When using a website/app, locating what the users need, and moving from one page to another should be effortless.
For example, the interface of your web or app should have a search box. This eliminates the extra time a user spends scouring through your web pages to find what they're looking for. Pair this up with a digital product that boasts fast loading speed and natural design—then you're good to go.
Moreover, according to Google, the navigation of a website/app is quite essential for search engines.
Because well-structured navigation helps visitors to find any content they need on your digital product in a matter of seconds, it also supports search engines to understand which content the product owner assumes to be important.
Besides, Google prefers to see how your webpages act in enhancing the overall site. Therefore, while your customers will stay longer on your website/app due to outstanding user experience, you will have a head start over your competitors.
A great UI/UX design will increase your sales
One-of-a-kind usability equals a substantial amount of conversion rate. The reason is that no one needs to buy something online if the buying process feels tedious.
In other words, the purchase process has to be short and straightforward. Your priority should be asking for less unnecessary data and displaying the remaining steps of finalising the purchase clearly.
However, a good UX/UI design can rule out the possibility of a faulty checkout process, which is one of the many foremost reasons for cart abandonment.
UI/UX designers, who are worth their salt, can successfully modify design elements and make the purchasing process comprehensible.
Consequently, the prospects will be sifted through the marketing funnel till the end without any interruptions. After all, this is the end goal of any business, i.e. gaining more sales and revenue.
It boosts ROI
Believe it or not, according to Forbes, intuitive UX design is responsible for the highest Return On Investment (ROI). As a matter of fact, when you spend $1, you'll generally earn $100 in the US. For example, in 2018Walmart's sales skyrocketed after upgrading its UX design, from 0 to 43% to be exact.
This is where a team of competent UX/UI designers comes into play with their A/B testing skills. They analyse how users respond to your webor app and fine-tune the user experience to increase your brand's value.
Wrapping up
It is crystal clear that having a nonpareil product isn’t enough. If you’re after customer retention, UX/UI design will be the ace up your sleeve.
Likewise, with good UX/UI design, you can avoid many shortcomings even before launching your business. Unmatched navigation, uninterrupted checkout process, overall user-friendly interface, etc. Surely can guarantee the success of your startup. From aesthetics to functionality, UX/UI design can turn any mundane digital product into a goldmine.
In light of that, if you're just starting out or halfway through developing your business, it's high time you prioritised the UI/UX design of your digital solution.