The goal of a website is for you as a user to be able to solve your problems by accomplishing a certain goal, such as purchasing a needed item. Successfully getting you from the main page to the shopping cart requires ecommerce web design with a good user interface (UI) and a good user experience (UX) as well.
Are either of these elements more valuable than the other in terms of effective web design? An ecommerce web designer must understand the differences between the two and how to make them work together.
Understanding User Interface (UI)
User interface is the attribute that every web design has. It is the collection of pages, menus, buttons, and other elements along with their appearance and function that allow you to use a website to accomplish your goals. The various UIs include standard websites, mobile apps, ecommerce web design with catalogs and shopping carts, and any other sites that exist to perform a specific function.
UI provides a look and feel to the site that ultimately allows you to have an experience. It is the map that allows you to journey through the site and lead to a conversion.
Understanding User Experience (UX)
User experience is how you feel about a website in direct response to how the interface works for you. Web design focused on UX strives to improve your ability to accomplish goals by giving you a positive experience. It involves interaction with the interface and how well the site can predict your actions and serve your needs to accomplish your goals.
Achieving good UX requires that ecommerce web designers know their users and how to design an appropriate interface that will provide the best experience. It is the journey you experience while using the interface map as a guide.
Is One More Valuable Than the Other?
The answer to whether one is more valuable than the other lies in the ability to understand the differences between UI and UX and how these two critical elements work together. Simply stated, to have any experience on a site, you need an interface that allows that to happen. To have a positive experience, you need an interface designed with the right function, looks, and features that make the site work the way you need it to. UI focuses on the website product, while UX focuses on how it can best be used.
Even though both of these elements are really different concepts, they each need the other to provide the best experience. When attempting to relate that to effective ecommerce web design, you must develop a visually attractive interface that does what you need it to do in the way most preferred, helping you to accomplish your goals as the end result.
Effective web design should not rely on interface or experience alone as success comes from the combination of both. A site that looks great but cannot be used fails in UX as a result of poor UI. Ecommerce web designers must make UI and UX work together to be successful. When you are able to make these two things work together, you will have a great experience and achieve your goals with the most functional ecommerce web design!