UX vs. UI? Where to Start When Company Sales Drop
A client of our Orange County creative design agency reached out to us for help improving customer acquisition through a more user-friendly website. Repeat customer sales were up, but the executive team noticed a decrease in new business and online sales conversions.
As we worked with the marketing manager to identify possible causes during a customer journey session, we noticed a misunderstanding among the clients’ employees. The User Experience (UX) of customers overall was often confused with the User Interface (UI) of customer-facing contact channels.
To help other businesses understand the difference between UX and UI, we at Revealed Creative gathered helpful tips from our digital creative design experts. These can be applied to any industry to improve sales conversions and refine the digital customer experience.
Difference between User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI)
Before we can truly address the business needs to increase sales conversions through better UX and UI, we need to discuss the difference between these terms.
User Experience (UX) is defined as “all aspects of the end-user’s interaction with the company, its services, and its products.”
Use Interface (UI) is defined as “the visual part of computer application or operating system through which a user interacts with a computer or a software.”
The difference?
UX represents your entire customer journey and company brand. From brick-and-mortar experience, to shipping processes, to customer support, website usability, and more, UX represents your overall company brand and directly impacts customer loyalty.
UI represents the digital customer experience when interacting with a specific channel, such as social media, company website, or eCommerce ordering systems. This directly impacts new customers sales and online conversions.
Improving Sales Conversions through UX or UI
Once we understand the difference between UX and UI, we can address business sales challenges and objectives through better digital marketing and branding. One common example of the difference is in terms of driving a car, which most of us do everyday. UI is the steering wheel and gas pedal, while UX is the feeling you have when accelerating out of turns.
3 Crucial Questions to Ask on Usability
Online, usability is a business’s ability to survive, not only thrive. With only 10-20 seconds to capture your website visitor’s attention and encourage them to engage, the home page needs to quickly win over new visitors. If a visitor cannot quickly tell what you are selling, why it’s relevant, and how to get more information or place an order, you can lose them quickly.
Revealed Creative took our tensix years of helping businesses improve sales conversions through better UI and gathered these 3 crucial questions to improve your usability:
- Can new customers complete tasks the first time they encounter the website/social media page/ordering system? We call this the “design.”
- After customers have used the design, how easily do they remember how to use it?
- Is using the design a positive customer experience with minimal errors?
How do you Know if Your Website is “Usable?” Consider these Examples:
Best-in-class UX: Apple iOS was designed so the customer experience using Apple Watch, Apple iPhone, and Apple iPad feels familiar. Each device has a unique UI based on functionality, but using each separate device has similarities and therefore, the UX is pleasant and easy-to-use.
Best-in-class UI: Dropbox is structured on a simple file / folder structure familiar to both Mac and Windows users. This design is intuitive to anyone who has used a digital storage system.
Best-in-class UX & UI: Nest created smart technology to control home security, temperature, and video systems with nearly invisible products that can be controlled from anywhere. These products can be controlled separately or together with a single app, making both the overall UX and individual device UI seamless.
We at Revealed Creative are ready to help your business improve sales conversions through better UX and UI. Contact us today for a quick, complimentary assessment of your specific creative design needs.
