In this article we explain why good interface design is important, it’s relevance to your business and how creating it can create real value.

With a website often being the first point of connection with a potential client it’s important to make the right first impression. This goes deeper than just the surface-level visual design. How your site works, its messaging, and the way users interact with it can have a very big effect on its success.

The web is a crowded and competitive marketplace, and the businesses that do well online understand how important interface design is in building their brand and how powerful it can be in creating valuable customer relationships.

 

What do we mean by interface design?

To understand why interface design is so powerful, you first need to understand exactly what is meant by interface design.

User interface (UI) design is the heart and soul of digital design. It is defined as the process designers use to create interfaces in websites, apps, software or digital devices, mainly focussing on the look and feel, how it delivers content and its interactive elements. It is a combination of different elements including the site navigation, menu and page layouts, button styling, branding, colours and fonts amongst others. All of these elements should work well  together to provide the interface design.

Whilst a website design can look great on the surface, if it under delivers on the interface and creates a difficult experience for the user then it will under perform and have users bouncing off. In a world where most customer-to-business relationships begin online, particularly in the E-commerce world, interface design is everything.  

Other aspects of web design, such as brand messaging, user experience and accessibility are all important when ensuring the best possible customer engagement. These areas are things we will cover in later articles, but for now, we focus on interface design.

 

How do we define good interface design?

A good user interface presents a seamless blend of visual design, interaction design, and information architecture. Its ultimate aim needs to provide the user with what they want to do in the most efficient and intuitive way possible. 

The most effective interface designs are so intuitive and natural feeling they need little thought to use. The interfaces are quick to learn, logical and use familiar elements. They need no instruction to use. 

The design needs to look clear and logical, with effective uses of colours, images, fonts and interactive elements like button styling all contributing to the overall design.

Navigation is a huge part of what makes UI work. The top-level navigation needs to be clear and indicate to the user where they are within the site or app in a logical way. This sort of navigation acts as a map to the user. The overall navigation, both in page buttons and main menu areas should be clear and logical, ultimately giving the user a satisfying, and hassle-free experience.

User interactions should make sense and all have a purpose. For every action, there should be a relevant reaction. For example, when a user clicks a button it changes colour or reacts to reinforce that intuitive interaction, whilst performing the exact task the user expects it to.

Think about your favourite downloaded apps that are sitting on your phone right now. it’s likely most of these have been chosen partly, if not totally because their interface designs are intuitive, easy and enjoyable to use. 

 

Why is good interface design important to your business?

Having a good interface design contributes to a positive user experience, and helps build a connection with your audience. Done well it can position you above your competition. 

As a user, when you are presented with a good interface design you feel more comfortable and are likely to spend more time on the site or app and choose to return again.

If you develop a good interface that simplifies navigation and makes the site easy to use, you will not only attract new users but you will also make them want to interact with your site for longer. As well as spending more time on your site users are also more likely to return again later. All of this means a lower probability of them bouncing off and this results in a much higher conversion rate.

According to a recent Forrester report, a good UI design can raise a website’s conversion rate by up to 200%.

Interface design is becoming more important as the digital world merges evermore with day to day life. Newer generations of users have increasingly higher expectations for apps and websites. Millennials are far less forgiving of older design trends or fussy interfaces for example. In fact, 54% of millennials surveyed by consumer data company Statista admitted they actively chose which e-commerce app they use over alternatives based on the simplicity of the interface.

Increasing return visits means a good interface design has a direct influence on building brand loyalty, with users choosing to return time and time again and preferring you over the competition.

Having visitors return to your site multiple times gives you an opportunity to build a relationship with them and create all-important brand loyalty. Alternatively, if users find your site frustrating or confusing then the effect will be the opposite, and they will bounce straight off, unlikely to return.

As well as building brand loyalty, minimising bounce rates and increasing return visits a good interface design can be effective in building confidence in your brand. After all, an interface with elements that don’t work very well, look dated or aren’t very intuitive undermines your professionalism. These days users judge companies by their websites and a bad interface can create a negative impression in the mind of potential clients that is hard to shake.

How can you achieve better interface design for your business?

As a digital agency, we spend our working lives planning, designing and building interface designs that deliver results for our clients. What we have learnt is that there is no one-size-fits-all, cookie-cutter approach when it comes to creating good interface designs. Whilst the principles remain the same, how we choose to implement them differs. We find treating each project individually to deliver a bespoke result to be the most effective way to create an interface that works well.

Every agency has its own way of working to deliver effective websites. Our own methodology has been developed over 25 years, working closely with some of the world’s biggest brands and startups. By working to assess our client’s needs, their primary goals and how their overall brand message we work to deliver interfaces that create engaging experiences and create a lasting connection between you and your audience.

Through many years of experience delivering successful projects for our clients, we’re able to get the right blend of design, branding, messaging, technologies, and user journey to provide the most effective solution for your business.

To find out more about how we can help your business increase user engagement and brand loyalty through an improved interface design get in touch with the Above Digital team.

We are excited to officially welcome our new front-end web developer, George Launchbury to the Above Digital team.

George brings decades of experience, working with well-known clients such as Toyota, EasyJet, Toshiba, NHS, Channel 4, Oracle, and Visa. His experience as a dedicated front-end web developer covers HTML, CSS, across multiple platforms including WordPress, Drupal, and Hubspot.

We are over the moon to welcome George aboard Above Digital, and with his expertise added to our team we’re ready to take on more projects and deliver the best bespoke web design and build.

What things would people be surprised to learn about you?

I used to be a Private Investigator. I’m pretty handy with a sewing machine. My favorite film is The Princess Bride. I also used to teach Ninjutsu! 

When you’re not web developing what are you most likely to be doing?
Riding my mountain bike. (See above image!)

What are you looking forward to most about working for Above Digital?
Working on exciting bespoke website design projects after years of dull corporate websites.

Welcome to the team George!

B-Corp certification is deservedly growing in popularity. We’ve compiled a handy overview to help you get your website design B-Corp ready.

 

B-Corp in a nutshell

Certified B Corporations, often referred to as ‘B-Corps’are businesses that prioritise a responsible approach to how they do things, from being eco-friendly and socially responsible to being upfront with their transparency and accountability. 

To obtain B Corporation certification, a company first completes an online assessment. The assessment evaluates the company’s impact across governance, workers, community, environment, and its products or services. Points are allocated based on the relevance to a company’s industry, location, and workforce size.

If you are going for B-Corp certification and have a website then, your website design should not be overlooked in your journey toward B-Corp success. With more and more of our clients looking to achieve B-Corp status, we felt it would be useful to put together a quick handy guide to help you make sure your website design is on track.

“B Corp certification turns the ambiguous concepts of “going green” or “being a good corporate citizen” into something tangible and measurable that people can identify, trust, and support.”

bcorporation.net

 

B-Corp and website design

When it comes to aligning your website with B-Corp you should look to align core areas with your mission. These specifically relate to the functionality of the site, messaging, and its environmental impact, areas that are often overlooked.  Whilst there isn’t a set of rules as such, overarching B-corp principles should be applied to key areas of your website. These areas include the following:

Transparency and Accountability: First off, ensure that your website is transparent in communicating your messaging around your B-Corp status, mission, values, and impact. Clearly communicate your commitment to social and environmental responsibility. This should be integrated into your B-Corp website design. Provide informative, engaging, and accurate content that educates visitors about your B-Corp’s mission, values, and impact. This helps build trust and credibility.

Sustainability: While there are no specific web design standards related to sustainability for B-Corps, you can follow sustainable web design practices to reduce the environmental impact of your website. This includes optimising code and images for faster loading times, choosing an eco-friendly web hosting provider (we can help you), and minimising energy consumption.

Accessibility: Follow web accessibility standards, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), to ensure that your website is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. Accessibility aligns with the inclusive values of B-Corps.

Ethical Marketing: When promoting your B-Corp on your website, avoid greenwashing and use honest, ethical marketing practices. Ensure that your claims about social and environmental responsibility are accurate and transparent.

Data Privacy: Comply with data privacy regulations, such as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), if applicable, to protect the privacy of your website visitors’ data.

User Experience (UX): User-friendly design and navigation to enhance the overall user experience. A positive user experience reflects well on your commitment to customer satisfaction, which is important for B-Corp website design.

 

While these are general web design standards that any responsible business should consider, they are particularly relevant when showcasing your commitment to ethical and sustainable practices on your website.

 

 

In summary

It’s essential to align your web presence with your B-Corp values and principles to demonstrate your dedication to using business as a force for good. It’s also important to highlight that while optimising your site for faster loading times is desirable, it’s equally crucial not to compromise the core essence of your website in pursuit of B-Corp alignment. 

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, and the approach you choose should be tailored to your website’s unique goals, objectives, and content. This is why it is best to seek advice from an experienced digital design agency (like Above Digital) to ensure you meet B-Corp with a minimal impact on the overall user experience.

As a digital design agency, Above Digital has worked closely and collaborated with a variety of clients to integrate their B-Corp principles seamlessly through bespoke website design, enabling us to strategise and develop eco-friendly, inclusive web solutions that align with core brand principles. 

If you’re interested in learning more about how we can support you in getting your website design B-Corp ready, please get in touch.

Aerocomponents, a Reading-based precision engineering company, has been providing top-tier CNC engineering services to the motorsport, military, and aerospace sectors for nearly 70 years. They approached us to create a new brand and bespoke website design.

As you would think, clients of this calibre demand an impeccably high standard of quality, delivered with cutting-edge technology. Whilst Aerocomponents was well known for delivering an extremely high level of service this was not accurately reflected through the company’s brand design or website so a rebranding project was in order.

As a Reading-based web agency we love to work with local businesses, so were thrilled to be asked to work with Aerocomponents. Our brief was to look at the business’ brand delivery and think about how we could redesign it to reflect the modern, cutting-edge positioning of Aerocomponents’ service offering with a focus on its website design. 

The current website and brand design felt out of date and really didn’t represent the amazing level of work that Aerocomponents delivered. So we started by putting together a set of visual mood boards and keywords to strategise an approach to modernise the brand and website design.

Looking at the kind of industries that Aerocomponents worked with there was potential to create a brand that was more along those lines. With that in mind, we began some initial design concepts, taking influence from the themes of precision and movement.

Through a series of development stages, we refined the overall brand design, the colour palette and logo to align better with the key values of the Aerocomponenets, and its high level of service.

With the core brand in place, our next task was to use what we had created with the branding to start the website design. Before any visual web design work was underway, we needed to create the site map and wireframes. We began by following our tried and tested scoping process, leaving no stone unturned in understanding key user journeys, user types and site goals. From there we developed an extensive site map, detailing all pages and the overall site structure.

We produced a detailed set of page wireframes, showing the structure of every page, where the content would sit, and how the brand messaging would be communicated through the careful balance of text and imagery. We assessed how we could achieve key goals around the user journey, with the aim to inspire clients to get in touch through the page structures and interface.

To really set Aerocomponents apart it was decided that an on-site photoshoot was needed at their Reading-based workshop. It was one thing to show off exciting imagery of aeroplanes, and cool cars but to really get a sense of what made the business unique, we felt that showing the team at work would give a better feel of the business. After all, it’s the expertise and passion of the team that makes Aerocomponents an industry leader.

The final website design brought all elements of the branding, messaging and photoshoot together into a set of beautiful, high-impact pages and interface design that shows off all elements of the business, its legacy, amazing services, client base and expertise. The site is sure to encourage any potential new client to get in touch.

The outcome of the project is an exciting new brand that feels more in line with its client base, making it more appealing to potential new clients looking for the best CNC machining in the business. 

 

“I am thrilled with the results! Our fresh new look represents our commitment to growth and innovation. We couldn’t have done it without the amazing team at Above.   Thank you, Above Digital, for helping us achieve our vision!”

-Simon Rose, Director Aerocomponents

 

If you would like to see what we did in detail then view the case study here or check out Aerocomponents,

For more information on how we can help freshen your business’ brand design and get your own bespoke website then contact the team