Whether you own a desktop or a mobile phone, many people are using digital media, and taking advantage of hundreds of apps. However, if you want a unique User Experience, then mobile phones are your platform, with a high number of users to date.

With the advancement of mobile technology, as well as the growing popularity of it, more and more people are expecting less costs and more high-quality features. With that said, you need to deliver these expectations with an app that has good UI and good UX.  And, with more people opting for mobile applications over its desktop counterparts, you need to make sure that the app is not only serviceable, but also quick and easy.

Did you know that in 2018, around 205.4 billion mobile apps were downloaded worldwide? And that that number is expected to reach 258.2 billion by the year 2022? Sounds amazing, right? In fact, the statistics itself point to the idea that desktop has already become the “secondary touch-point” for a growing digital audience.

So, with digitalization growing and reaching more and more people, it’s your job, as an app developer, to deliver a great-quality experience for mobile users. If you want your app to have a chance in the digital market, your app needs to have an appealing and eye-catching design that will wow users.

In mobile apps, UI/UX design is everything. But before we explore the two, first consider design thinking, and what that entails.

Why Design Thinking Is Essential

Design thinking is essential to the UI and UX parts of an app, because it supports the innovation needed to support the two. By observing and considering multiple solutions to a single issue, design thinking is able to assert a user-centric approach in product development. Thus, the app is able to compete with other similar apps with strategic marketing and its advantages.

So, what is the design thinking process?

This process is dependent on a framework that’s flexible, iterative, and calls for collaboration between designers and users, so that they’ll learn the tendencies and behaviors of real-life users – what they’ll think and feel. For example, ask yourself: What would a user think and feel about a certain design technique, or a certain design choice? That’s only one of many questions that need to be considered when working on UI and UX (as well as the app itself). However, the process still needs to have the five core phases (called “Design and Discovery,” as a whole):

• Emphasize
• Define
• Ideate
• Prototype
• Test

Once you address the possible outcomes and challenges of an app, and have people test it, then you can tackle UI and UX. UI will define the interactions by adding visuals and colors to the UX design. Though, in most cases, the UX would be addressed first, instead of the UI.

Define UI

UI is short for “user interface”; and it allows users to interact with the mobile app by using elements such as controls, buttons, and blocks. The goal of UI is to give users easy, enjoyable, and effective interaction, by allowing them to select and customize things within the app.

Define UX

UX is short for “user experience”; and it provides the best user experience with the easy navigation and how it can make your brand look good. With that said, a UX has to be good to look at, but also be accessible to users.

Why Not Use Only One Of Them?

Although people may confuse UI with UX, or vice versa, they each have their unique traits and responsibilities in mobile app development. As mentioned before, UI is about having a user-friendly interface, while UX is about how the app looks and feels. Without one of these, your app will not function properly nor look well. An app must have a good balance of both, and both should be working properly.

Importance Of Having Both?

There has to be a balance between UI and UX, to make the app successful. Here are reasons why:

• Engages Users – Having a good impression is essential, when users open your app. From the time that they open the app, to the moment that the app introduces itself, the first few seconds of operation has to leave a valuable impact on them. Either they’ll continue further into the app, or they’ll leave due to disinterest and boredom. Therefore, engagement is important, when people use the app.
• Enhanced Content And User Navigation – Catchy content and easy navigation are essential in an app. When a user sees the impressive designs and the content that the app has to offer, they’ll most likely be satisfied with the app’s services. As you gain more and more satisfied customers through your app with these successful components, people will start recommending it to other people, having your business’s ROI increase.
• Saves Time And Money – You may think that UI/UX design may require time and money. But don’t worry! When you get the hang of both UI and UX, not only will you and your team see little to no trouble or difficulty in using the app, but your customers and or users won’t recognize issues either. When your product is flawless, you won’t have to release updates, thus saving you time and costs.
• Visibility In The App Store – Despite whether an app is good or bad, the visibility of an app depends on how many users have or are using it to begin with. With amazing UI and UX, satisfied users will most likely give your app positive ratings and reviews in the app store, thus bringing the app to the top of the charts. And, when your app is on top (or, at least, in the top list), more users will most likely come across it in the app store.
• Boosts Your Brand – Want to increase your customer’s satisfaction? Want to make your clients happy? Great news! Having a great UI/UX design will help you make it to where people want your app, since they tend to stay with brands that they’re satisfied with and are loyal to. Therefore, your brand will greatly benefit from UI and UX.

Ultimately, the main goal of these points is to build a good relationship between your organization and your users and or customers. When you do that, you will increase the plausibility of your business, as well as create good value in your brand.

Conclusion

UI and UX are both essential in a mobile application, because they act as a differentiator and help establish unique value for the app.

From the outside looking in (your users and or potential customers), people will be more attracted to designs with good UI and UX engineering than those who are either poor quality, unfinished, or both. And, from a business perspective, good UI and UX allows customer satisfaction to be more likely, and eventually turn into loyal users, thus creating a great reputation for your brand and generating revenue from the app.

Finally, it’s one thing to confuse the two; however, having both UI and UX in your app design are important to have. And, with a thriving app market, it’s important now more than ever to offer the best UI/UX design that will keep people coming back for more.

Author Bio. :- Beatrix Potter is a writer and editor at Marketing Essay Help. As a professional writer, Beatrix specializes in writing about mobile app development, and she blogs about the latest trends in mobile applications. When she’s not writing, she offers editing advice on numerous writing forums. In her spare time, she likes to play apps on her smartphone.