The digital era has impacted the lives of the general public, one of which is owning a smartphone. Owning a smartphone is something that can be considered essential to survive in a world that is increasingly electronic, from electronic money (e-money) to electronic learning (e-learning). Of course, to meet all these needs, many applications on smartphones continue to emerge.
Each application has its own appearance and strives to provide easy and comprehensive access to its users. This is where UI/UX plays a role in realizing this. In fact, according to a Populix survey, 69% of the respondents they studied said that one of the reasons they continue to use an application or decide to stop is due to the UI/UX of that application. So, what is meant by UI/UX?
UI itself is User Interface Design, which is part of UX or User Experience Design. Hugo Raymond, a designer advocate at Figma, explains that effective UI helps build a relationship between users and a product through usability and interactive design. This means that UI plays a role in the visuals and other elements to shape a product or page with an emphasis on aesthetics. On the other hand, UX has a broader scope, as it involves understanding user needs for a product or page as a whole. Therefore, for UI, the key points are related to aesthetics, such as typography usage, color palette selection, animations, buttons, and images. Meanwhile, UX plays a role in the user's experience of the overall interaction with a product or page from start to finish, as well as the service provided.
Although different, UI/UX is treated as a unity in product design formation. This happens because creating an attractive product design while considering effectiveness requires both to work together. Helga Moreno, an experienced writer, in her article titled “The Gap Between UI and UX Design,” states that something that looks good but is difficult to use is an example of good UI and poor UX. Conversely, something that is very useful but looks very bad is an example of good UX and poor UI, such as buttons that are too close together, causing users to press the wrong button. Thus, UI/UX designers complement each other.
The continuity between UI and UX that builds a pleasant user experience will affect an application. Applications will have competitive advantages depending on the UI/UX of each application. Populix mentions data that 85% of their respondents have switched to other applications due to more complete features and more attractive appearances. Therefore, this presents a challenge for applications today in competing and maintaining good UI/UX. On the other hand, it also presents an opportunity for companies to remain creative and develop ideas that can have a significant impact in the future.