Are You Really a UX/UI Designer?

Most of the Designers who are able to only design a UI (User Interface) using a software tool, are call themselves UX/UI Designers…

Some of you might wonder what’s wrong with it. Perhaps who we call them instead?

A good UX/UI Designer is someone who adheres to a professional process. UX/UI design can be categorized into two main approaches based on their processes:

1. The Amateur Process (Customizing a Proper UI Design Template)

This approach is not recommended for industry-standard applications.
Sometimes, it might be necessary due to client requirements or budget constraints.

Some templates are based on professional UX/UI processes, so using them can save time and cost without compromising too much on quality.

2. The Professional Process (Starting from a Blank Design)

In this article, we’ll focus on the Professional Process of UX/UI Designing.

1. Planning and Strategy

This phase involves a series of WH questions to gather insights from the client and conduct thorough research based on their responses. This planning process is time-consuming but crucial.

For Examples:
- Why are we building this website? (Purpose)
- Who is it for? (Target audience)
- What are they trying to accomplish? (Goals)
- How will we know if we succeed? (Measures of success)
- What problems are we solving for the user?
- What are the primary tasks users need to perform?
- What are the key pain points for users currently?
- What are the competitive advantages?
- What existing solutions do users have?
- How frequently will users engage with the website?
- What devices and browsers will users primarily use?
- What are the technical constraints?
- What are the brand guidelines and aesthetic preferences?
- What is the long-term vision for the website?

After planning, we develop the Strategy for UX/UI design. This involves identifying the problem we aim to solve and determining the Type Of Website needed (e-commerce/ marketing/ business/ content/ blog/ educational/ portfolio/ etc...). The Strategy Session is essential for understanding the client’s current business situation, offerings, customers, and future vision. This session also helps us to align the website’s role with the broader business strategy and determine the content to be included.

It’s also beneficial to request similar competitors’ websites that the client likes, this is to avoid redundancy and understand the client’s preferences.

2. Structuring (UX)

The structure phase, known as UX (User Experience), involves creating a meaningful website structure to help visitors find what they are looking for. Websites can have multiple pages or a single page, each with a distinct purpose.

The most common pages include Home, About Us, Products/Services, Blog, Contact Us, etc. Each page should lead seamlessly to the next like chapters in a book lead from one chapter to another.

Along with the different purposes on different pages of a website, each page contains different sections and each of those sections has a different purpose with itself.

Some sections which commonly includes in a webpage:
- Navigation: Ensures easy identification and navigation of pages.
- Hero Section: Highlights the website’s primary purpose and value.
- Feature Section: Showcases products or services.
- Call to Action (CTA): Encourages user actions.
- Testimonials: Provides social proof from happy customers.
- Pricing: Details the cost of products or services.
- Gallery: Displays images.
- Contact: Provides contact information.
- Footer: Summarizes all pages and includes legal information.

In this structuring process, we also decide on the elements to include, such as headings, paragraphs, buttons, links, images, videos, illustrations, and forms.

2.1 Site Maps

Site maps in UX are the visual representations of a website’s structure, outlining the hierarchy and relationships between pages.

The goal of a site map is to provide a clear roadmap of the website’s content, ensuring that all necessary pages are included and logically organized. This helps in planning the user journey and ensuring a seamless navigation experience.

2.2 Wire-Framing

Wire-framing involves creating a skeletal framework of the website. It focuses on the layout and placement of elements without the distraction of design details like colors and images.

The goal of wire-framing is to establish the basic structure and functionality, allowing designers and stakeholders to visualize the user flow and make adjustments before the detailed design phase begins.

3. Designing (UI)

This phase is the heart of storytelling, which can Make or Break the Project. It involves adding colors, fonts, images, illustrations, iconography, and typography to bring the design to life.

The design should align with the established UX structure, ensuring consistency and usability. UI design principles, such as visual hierarchy, balance, contrast, and spacing, play a crucial role in the creation of an aesthetically pleasing and functional interface along with prototyping.

4. Development (Front-End Development)

This is where the front-end developer takes over, translating the design into a codebase. This phase ensures a responsive design and smooth user interactions, such as animations and actions.

Front-end development heavily relies on the foundation provided by UX/UI design, as a well-structured and visually coherent design simplifies the coding process and enhances the final user experience.

By following this Professional Process, UX/UI designers can create websites that are not only visually appealing but also highly functional and user-friendly, meeting both client and user expectations.