UI/UX: Is it Important to Identity/Branding?

What is UI/UX?

In the mobile and web development world, UI/UX stands for User Interaction and User Experience.

Clear as mud?

Let’s simplify it down to their basic functions: For example, when a person is on a website or a mobile application and wants to view a photo of a product they are interested in buying, they will most likely have to click on the image they want to view. That specific click to view the photo is the “user’s interaction” within the website or app. What happens before, during, and after the user’s click interaction is what is described as the “user’s experience.” So, when a person clicks the photo (the user interaction) and that photo becomes larger to allow for easier viewing (the user experience), the user has successfully experienced UI/UX.

User Interaction vs. User Experience

Now, think of all the user interactions and user experiences that take place when a person is using a single website or application as a whole. Every time they click, move, and/or press something, an interaction and an experience occurs. It can become an immensely complicated and overwhelming situation to consider all of the possibilities at once. For this reason, it’s great to have an accomplished UI/UX design team analyze, create, and test all of the possibilities for a website or application. They can focus all of their energy on creating and tailoring the best possible experience for a desired audience. To keep consistent within a company’s brand everything has to look, feel, and read similarly. The same goes for developing websites and applications. If certain webpages appear dissimilar and their interactions do not coordinate, the user will have an unsatisfying experience. If they have an unsatisfying experience, they will attribute that to the company’s brand. Keeping consistent and satisfying UI/UX can make or break a company making a sale, an online school teaching a student, or even a friend liking a photo.

So to answer the question, “Is UI/UX is important for branding?” It would most definitely be, yes.