Non-technical entrepreneurs pay attention if you want to know about UI and UX

Starting a business is not an easy task and is involved with several activities. Whether it is laying a business plan, raising capital, selling the products or developing software/mobile app– founders of startup are under immense pressure to get a wide range of things. So, do they really need to add UI and UX design to their list of skills?

 

Well, we would say that it is one of the important skills that entrepreneurs should develop. Whether you are a technical entrepreneur or non-technical entrepreneur — one should have basic understanding of UI and UX. Software development acronyms can be quite confusing and it is rare to hear a conversation where someone is not mentioning of terms like – MVP, PMF, WAP, IAP etc.

 

The two most important acronyms of designing are –User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI).Businesses that succeed in long term are all about the products that they deliver. It doesn’t matter much how well trained the staff is or how much money you have to start with. If you are delivering a product that that doesn’t bring the users on board, you are losing out your business.

 

There are many businesses that failed in the past as they ignored the most viable product. Having UI and UX skill set in your toolkit makes good business sense. As a non-technical entrepreneur who focuses on a particular product or service, you should know that user experience can inspire the team with all positive traits of success.

 

What is UX and UI?

User experience encompasses different aspects of end-user interaction with the company regarding its products and services. The main concern behind UX is to find what your users truly need, what re their abilities and limitations while considering the goals of your organization. UX acts as a bridge between your company and users by making the IoT more human. UX can be considered as blue print that maps the technical structure and outlines how to navigate across the app.

 

 

User Interface is the look and feel that makes your product look professional. Whether it is buttons, graphics or text, everything that attracts the right customers is User Interface (UI).The right interface builds trust and confidence and helps you distinguish your product in the market. The UI is the sensory stuff inside the mobile app that makes sure your app looks great.

 

Why entrepreneurs should not ignore UI and UX?

A lot of entrepreneurs make the mistake of ignoring the UX and UI. Don’t think that it is ok to neglect UX and UI, as it surely can make a lot of difference. UX plays a starring role, especially when you are testing the product and discovering its needs. When the user downloads and opens the app for the first time, what happens next is very essential. Your UI can make the user stick to your app or leave the app.

 

If you are asking new users to do something, the stakes get even higher. There’s a lot to accomplish in a couple of screens. If you want your users to continue using your app, apply proper UI and UX strategies to keep them engaged.

 

Some of the common techniques that help you build a better UI and enhance user experience are as below –

 

a.) User emotional connections

If you want to enhance user experience, you should first incite the user to follow all the steps required to perform a particular action. For instance –you can ask the user to share some personal information to move forward. This way you can connect, chat and even create relationship with your customer before completing the transaction.

 

b.) Find the right triggers

If you want to attract new users, you should first find the right triggers of the existing users. Users who are connected with your app should feel a sense of ownership and share their experience with others. The drop-off rate will take a nosedive, if the new users are asked to share the app with at least 10 people. Users who are already connected with people they knew will obviously be curious about our new app. They will have conversations and may download your app. The loop soon gets tighter and more engaging.

 

c.) Use gamification strategy

Compel the users to take a desired action by turning it into a pursuit. You can use status badges, hooks and wins as a part of your gaming strategy. For instance – the more friends and connections you add on Facebook, the sticker it becomes. The users are less likely to leave, as they have become an important part of network. You can award users the benefit of using your app. When the user is deemed as an “all-star” user, it means you have achieved your goal.

 

d.) Action driven learning

Mobile app development is nothing but making people learn how to do something as they actually do it. Use graphics and text to simplify a complicated process. Users love to go through demo videos, rather than going through pages of text. Smart UX designers will teach people how to use and interact with the app in a better way.

 

e.) Don’t keep the extra stuff

Cut down the extra stuff to the bare minimum will help you keep users stick to the app. Remove as many as obstacles as possible to help people move through the app easily. You can also sequence data to help people understand how long an action will take or how to complete a particular step. It might work better to spread the task across multiple cleanly designed screens, rather than forcing the user to complete an overloaded screen.

 

Conclusion

You can have a massive impact on the success of your app by focusing more on UI and UX. If you are a non-technical entrepreneur who is not familiar with the basics of UI and UX, dig a bit deeper to understand how they can enhance your app.

 

Follow the latest UX and UI design news on a regular basis. Look at some of the best award winning apps and try to keep yourself up on new research. In most of the cases, UI and UX designers work together. As an entrepreneur, if you are hiring someone who claims to be proficient in both UI and UX — inquire about the tools they use.

 

Good UX and UI are essential for every entrepreneur looking to keep customers engaged and satisfied with what they have to offer. The bottom line is – practicing UX and UI means adopting it as philosophy within the organization rather than finding someone else to do the UX and UI stuff.

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