UI/UX Design and It’s role in the Software Product Development Process

For the past decade, technology has been growing in advancements and innovation. Between 2023 and 2027, over 80% of companies are to adopt the usage of different digital apps and platforms for their internal processes, as well as big data analytics. Some have been calling this a sort of fourth industrial revolution. This means that digital product development is going to be as important as it ever has been.

Whether you’re a software outsourcing company or an enterprise looking towards expanding to software development for your products, ui/ux best practices are going to be key for your product to stand out and constantly last through a fast evolving market. Ui ux design & development allows for your digital products to be set up for success and by taking into account accessibility and usability, making this a branch of development dedicated to the end user. Now, how does one incorporate ui ux design & development into their process? What are their benefits? We’ll take a quick look into their benefits to help you decide if this service is right for you.

What is UI/UX Design?

Ui ux design and development services consist of various tasks in the product design and product development process that take into consideration the expectations of the end user for a specific digital product and translates those needs into interactive designs. These designs are geared towards making sure the user’s mannerisms, behaviors and needs are met to ensure the product they are using is easy and comfortable. However, ui/ux design are not just about the user. Though they are the main focus, smart product development ensures that the business needs of the product owner, as well as the needs of the users are melded together in a design that compromises in the expectations of both company and users during the software product development process.

Know the difference between UI design and UX design

Some would like to use ui design and ux design as interchangeable terms, but the reality is that they are two different disciplines. For software product development of any kind, ux design focuses on the behavior and mannerisms of the users that is being considered in the software product development process. This discipline researches the users and understands how they interact with a product, building different hypothesis based off of possible patterns of use, in order to guide the next part of the branch in their activities. These hypothesis are built upon different methods of research; one method is to benchmark your product alongside options in the market to figure out how these needs are currently being attended, finding holes in the current offer or understanding what universally works to avoid reinventing the wheel. Bad ux design develops a product logic that defies or doesn’t take into consideration a user’s behavior and interactions with a product, limiting the responsiveness of a product as a whole.

Ui design takes these user insights that was developed in the ux design hypothesis and translates them into physical design elements, with the objective of unifying expectations and experience. These physical design elements usually have different stages of deliverables, the most basic of them being wireframes, a proposed spread of different design elements that focus on the design logic before working any further into the “purer” design elements of the process. Bad ui design often favors one set of needs over the other, leaving one of your stakeholders unattended, leading to a potential product failure.

These two disciplines allows for a software product development process to better execute a company’s vision for their product, while not leaving behind the needs of the users. They work in unison to bring the most accurate representation of both worlds into the software product development process. These disciplines are mostly guided by an overarching company goal, and the job of ui/ux design is to develop a design framework that will help that company achieve their goal, supported by data, research and proven design philosophies and methods to better translate. These disciplines include in their scope the entire user journey. This means that the software product development process naturally includes touch points that go beyond the current product, ensuring maximum synergy between the user’s experience in and out of the product.

The Benefits of UX Design and UI Design for Software Product Development

Do you really need to practice ux design and ui design to make a product? If your goal is to ensure it’s success, then you absolutely should. The software product development process benefits significantly from having ui/ux design implemented not only at for when the product is finished, but also during the entire process as a whole. This means that ui/ux design benefits the internal process of software product development, as well as the main product itself.

Internal Process

• Stakeholder communication: Communication is always key during the software product development process. Not just for keeping development on schedule, but also for making sure that stakeholder needs are being considered. Ui ux design and development services ensures software product development keeps all stakeholders in constant contact, materializing their needs into tangible deliverables that unifies expectations. • User-centric: We’ve said it before, but let’s reiterate it all the same. The users only have ui/ux design as their representatives during the software product development process. This ensures that a user’s needs are given priority during development.

Product

• Dynamic development: Software product development is an ongoing process, including ui design and ux design. Users are not stagnant, their behaviors change, and so do their needs. This requires ui/ux design to be as dynamic as users, keeping in touch with what they need in order to allow the product to thrive for many years to come. • Usability and responsiveness: Good ui design and ux design ensures your product is responsive and easy to use. They offer an experience that is hassle-free and is natural to use. • User conversion: A product that is user-centric helps convert users into loyal ones for your product. Good software product development should always lead to a dedicated userbase for your products to thrive with. • User-market fit: Products that perfectly mirror the user’s expectations helps them find their footing in the market. For people, the saying goes “your vibe will attract your tribe”. This is a great way of putting into perspective the customer-centric view of ui/ux design.

Hire UI UX Design and Development Services with Teravision

Teravision has been in the market for over 20 years, offering software product development services to companies large and small. Contact us and leverage our experience for your own software product development process.