An intuitive UI UX design is a fundamental element of effective UI/UX development. Prioritizing intuitive design fosters a user-centered philosophy, ensuring that every aspect of the interface is crafted with the end user in mind. This focus not only simplifies the user experience but also enhances overall usability.
In today’s discussion, we will delve deeper into the significance of intuitive UI/UX design and its impact on the development process, highlighting how it can streamline interactions and elevate user satisfaction.
4 Steps of Intuitive UI/UX Development
Achieving intuitive UI/UX development is often easier said than done. While it’s simple to claim that a design “feels” intuitive, creating an interface that truly embodies that intuitiveness requires careful consideration and thoughtful design choices.
Fortunately, there are actionable steps developers can take to move closer to that goal. Here are four key strategies to help you get started on the path to more intuitive design.
1. Discoverability
Before using the features on your website or application, users will first have to find them. Discoverability in intuitive UI/UX development means making features easily accessible without becoming cluttered or overwhelming. With a clean, intuitive design, users can seamlessly get started with very little confusion.
2. Affordance
Affordance refers to visual clues in an interface that give indications to the user about their function. This is especially common in menu displays but can be used throughout a UI/UX design.
These can rely on familiar relations outside the site—for example, using a “plus” symbol to add items to a cart. They can also rely on skeuomorphism, or designing a symbolic object to mimic its real-world counterpart. For example, many sites use a bell symbol for notifications. Ultimately, by working with and off of built-in associations like these, you can create more intuitive UI/UX designs.
3. Expectations
Intuitiveness is largely about expectations. Certain links should lead to logical locations and results, and certain buttons should lead to appropriate pages. On an intuitively designed site, you should quickly know what you need to do to access whatever you’re looking for. This relationship is built on user expectations.
4. Efficiency
Efficiency follows expectations, and inefficiency is generally counterintuitive. This refers to reducing the number of steps to access information wherever possible. The more inefficiency, like redundant pages or additional loading times, the more opportunities for a user to decide to leave, thus increasing bounce rates.
4 Additional UI UX Developer Tips on Intuitive Design
While the strategies outlined above provide a solid foundation for UI/UX developers seeking to create more intuitive designs, they are just the beginning. To further enhance the intuitiveness of your UI/UX, consider these additional tips that can lead to even more user-friendly experiences.
5. Responsiveness
At its core, user interaction with UI/UX involves a straightforward process: users engage with the interface and receive the desired results. However, the “and then” in this sequence is a crucial yet often overlooked step. Responsiveness is key to delivering what users seek from a UI.
An intuitive design provides immediate feedback, encouraging users to continue engaging with the interface. In contrast, unintuitive designs can leave users feeling uncertain and frustrated, as they are left waiting and unsure if their actions have produced any results.
6. Forgiveness
Human beings make mistakes, and intuitive design finds ways to forgive their mistakes and let them keep using the interface. This can involve suggested spelling, autocorrect, or other ways to help users quickly fix mistakes and return to usage. This makes a level of forgiveness essential in intuitive UI design.
7. Explorability
What’s the point of having all this information and resources available if it can’t be accessed? Intuitive UI needs to be explorable so that users can see what your site offers without being overwhelmed. An unintuitive UI will discourage users from going beyond just the surface level of what the site has to offer. This will keep it from being used to its full potential, let alone intuitively.
8. Zero Frustration
At the risk of stating the obvious, your UI should not be frustrating to use. Frustrating UI is not just counterintuitive but generally highlights examples of bad design. Use these opportunities to test and fix pressure points so that using your UI is an easy intuitive experience.
Graphem: The Intuitive Choice for a UI/UX Developer
Intuitive design is one of those things that you just know when you see it. The same is true for the best choice in a UI/UX developer. Graphem Solutions has had more than ten years of experience designing UI/UX for a range of clients and situations. Contact Graphem today for more information!
