UX/UI/UWhat?

What is UX design and why it matters to your business

If you feel like the term UX is suddenly everywhere, you’re not alone. It seems like a lot of businesses are hiring agencies with UX services. Even Google has announced that in 2021 they’ll take your website’s ‘user experience’ into account when they create search engine rankings.

But why? What is UX design? How is it different to UI design? Is this a service your business should consider?

What is User Experience (UX) Design?

In the past, designers made assumptions – or educated guesses – about who users were, and what they needed and preferred. But, design has moved on from thinking that aesthetics are all that matters to audiences. Design is also how people use your product. If a website’s beautiful yet takes forever to load; if customers get lost and confused in a site that’s hard to navigate, then you can very quickly lose your audience.

UX Design is a research-based practice that’s emerged as a way to eliminate assumptions. It gives businesses the confidence to know that money spent will deliver the results they seek. UX design argues that the user experience should be the determining factor for how a website or a product is delivered.

“People ignore design that ignores people.”

– Frank Chimero, Designer

What is UI Design?

Ok, so what is UI Design (User Interface Design)? Are UX and UI interchangeable terms?

If we take the human body as an analogy then UI would be the skin – it’s the part you see. UX is different. In this analogy, it’s the skeleton – the fundamental structure and shape of the body. Computer code, or digital development, becomes the muscle – the connective tissue that brings it all to life.

It’s all important to the final product working and performing as expected. But, going back to the analogy, it’s the skeleton (UX design) that determines everything else.

“UI is the saddle, the stirrups, & the reins. UX is the feeling you get being able to ride the horse.”

— Dain Miller, Web Developer

How does Rock Agency perform UX?

In short, we talk to and observe your users so we can craft solutions that will be more meaningful and useful.

We need to understand what your users’ motivations are – how they interact with your current website and what their issues are. It’s important to our team to talk to a broad range of people using (or not using) your product so that the data and insights collected are grounded in fact.

“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”

— Bill Gates

Why is UX Important for your business?

By prototyping and testing designs on real users we give businesses confidence in the proposed solutions, while also delivering more value to end users of your website or product.

“If you think good design is expensive, you should look at the cost of bad design.”

— Dr. Ralf Speth, Chief Executive Officer, Jaguar Land Rover