What is UI / UX & What do UX Designers Do?

In today's digital marketplace, a user's experience with your website can make or break their decision to buy. 

Did you know that 88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a site after a bad experience? 

Effective UI/UX design is not just an enhancement—it's a necessity. 

If you've wondered why visitors aren't converting to customers or bounce rates are high, working with a UI or UX agency might be key. But what is UI and UX design - and which one do you need?

Let us explain how UI and UX design work, and how they make users more interested, boost sales, and improve online businesses. Whether you're new to UI and UX design or you’ve been through several revamps, you're in the right place.

What is UI and what is UI design?

UI means User Interface. It's how our devices and platforms show information. A UI designer makes websites and apps look good and work well, so users can easily understand and use them.

A UI designer’s main focus is on usability through visuals. They want to make the website attractive and easy for people to use. They will use things like layout, elements and button sizes to guide the user through the website. UI designers also focus on making websites accessible while keeping to brand guidelines. This might include things like using colour contrast and font sizes to improve readability.

What is UX, and what is UX design?

A UX designer works on the user's experience. They understand the customer and how they will interact with your website, mobile app, user interface, or software system.  This means a UX designer's approach is user-centric rather than design-led.

In our team, UX and UI work together to create websites with visual appeal and functional ease.

What does a UX Designer Do?

At Develo, our approach to UX design is centred around crafting intuitive and effective Magento eCommerce platforms. Here's how our UX designers take online stores from initial concept to final implementation.

1. Defining Needs and Goals

The process begins with clearly defining your business's needs and goals. Our UX designers delve into the following:

• Business Objectives: Understanding what you aim to achieve with your Magento site.
• User Analysis: Identifying your target audience and predicting their behaviour on your site. A tool like Microsoft Clarity or Hotjar could be used.
• Improvement Areas: Pinpointing where your current user experience can be enhanced.

2. Wireframing

Designers then create wireframes to layout the basic structure of your website, focusing on:

• Layout Design: Establishing a clear and effective structure before adding detailed elements.
• Functionality: Ensuring all planned components and integrations align with the client’s budget and technological capabilities.

The initial stages of UX UI Design, Wireframes for our client Teague.

3. High-Fidelity Prototyping

With wireframes in place, we advance to creating high-fidelity prototypes that closely simulate the final product:

• Visual Detailing: These prototypes are detailed and interactive, showcasing how the final design looks and functions.
• Content Integration: Including actual content gives you a realistic preview of the final site.
• Flow Testing: This critical step allows our team and yours to understand the site’s flow and make necessary adjustments before the development phase begin

Next stage of UX UI Design: Prototypes.

4. User Testing and Feedback

If budgets permit, engaging real users in testing the prototype provides invaluable insights:

• Usability Sessions: Observing real users interacting with the prototype helps identify usability issues and improvement areas. We utilise internal reviews or client-driven sessions if external testing is not feasible.
• Iterative Feedback: We continuously incorporate feedback to refine the design, ensuring it is easier and cost-effective to make adjustments during this stage than post-development.

5. Implementation and Iteration

A seamless collaboration between our UX designers and Magento developers ensures that the design is perfectly translated into code:

• Development Handoff: Our designers work closely with developers to communicate the design effectively.
• Ongoing Testing & QAT: We test throughout development in sections called ‘Epics’ to guarantee the site works well across all devices and browsers and aligns with the original design.

6. Launch and Evaluation

After launching the site, our work continues with monitoring and optimisation:

• Performance Monitoring: We closely monitor user interactions to identify any issues that may not have been evident during testing.
• Continuous Optimisation: The UX design process doesn’t end at launch. We are committed to continuous improvement, relying on user data, feedback, and conversion rate optimisation strategies to enhance the site.

What are the Benefits of a UX Designer?

Now we know what UI and UX are, we can talk about the benefits  of optimising your site for your ideal customer: 

Enhanced User Engagement

A well-designed UX will increase user engagement, encourage users to spend more time on your site, help them navigate categories efficiently and find products they want to purchase.

Increased Conversion Rates

UX designers simplify the journey towards purchase or sign up by optimising user flows. Getting this right for your customers leads to higher conversion rates.

Reduced Development Time

By defining concepts and features early in the design process, our UX team helps ensure that development efforts are focused and aligned with your business needs. This strategic approach prevents scope creep and reduces resource expenditure, enabling quicker feature deployment. Plus, when phase 2 features are rolled out, their impact can be immediately tested and measured.

Strengthened Brand

A positive user experience significantly boosts your brand perception. A site that is easy to use and meets user needs is more likely to generate more conversions and repeat visits, strengthening your brand’s position in the market.

Data-Driven Decisions

At Develo, our UX decisions are backed by analysis, user research, and industry experience, resulting in more effective and user-centric product enhancements.

Collaborative and Informed Design Process

Our UX design process is critical because our developers rely on detailed blueprints to build your site accurately. It ensures all stakeholders—including users, employees, and marketing departments—are on the same page. This collaborative approach helps iron out potential issues early on and ensures the project remains within budget and aligned with strategic objectives.

At Develo, our UI and UX designers are skilled in creating environments that enhance user satisfaction. Post launch, designers continue to work alongside our development team and CRO services specialists through our 30-day rolling Magento Partnership Support Packages to optimise the conversion rate, reduce friction points, and test theories quickly through A/B testing. This ensures we design with intention and continuously improve your store.

Kathryn Coulter-Patel

Creative Director

Kathryn is our Creative Director who has worked in eCommerce Design with Develo since 2010. Kathryn’s favourite design aspects are UX and UI, blending client visions with her expertise to engage customers and drive growth.

Develo is a leading Magento agency and eCommerce web development company based in Birmingham, in the UK, serving clients globally since 2010. Our Blog covers topics around the array of services our certified Magento Developers offer, including Hyvä themes development, Adobe Commerce, PunchOut catalogues, ERP integrations and much more. To speak to a friendly member of the team about your next project, contact us here.