Struggling to tell your UX from your UI?
The world of technology is always evolving – and it’s really exciting. What that also means, however, is there’s a constant feed of new terms around, and it can be hard to keep up…
Whilst we can’t teach you everything, from a web development standpoint, we can teach you plenty. We’ve collected just a few important words and acronyms we commonly use, alongside an explainer of where you’re likely to hear them and why.
Call to action (CTA)
A call to action is exactly what it says on the tin. This is a message directly from you to your reader, telling them why they need to perform an action. For websites, that action is usually picking up the phone and calling, signing up for a free trial or completing a contact form.
The call to action often referred to as a CTA, is often found at the top and bottom of many web pages. It’s an integral element in increasing conversions from your website and helping you generate more conversations that turn into sales.
UX
User experience (UX) is the overall relationship and experience a user has with your products or services. Specific to web design, a good or bad user experience is defined by the level of ease with which someone can navigate and use your website.
UX is a blanket term but covers multiple factors within your website design. This includes how easy it is to use, intuitiveness in design and development and the positioning of elements within your website.
It’s really important that your UX is taken into account when designing a new website, as the easier it is to use, the more conversions you’re likely to receive.
UI
User interface (UI) design is focused solely on ensuring websites look the part. The user interface is what your web visitors see when they visit your website.
UX is the mechanical aspect, whereas UI is the visual aspect. The look and layout of your website are covered by UI, which can include typography, colour palettes, animations and graphics.
Your user interface is essential if you want a website that delivers results and wows visitors. Something that doesn’t have your brand or looks a bit rubbish might turn potential customers away and on to your competition.
Plugin
Plugins are extra additions to your website that offer better or more specialised functionality. They can also be used to connect and integrate external services to your website, such as SEO tools or Hubspot features.
Around 43% of websites online use WordPress – including most of the websites we build. You might hear us talking about plugins, as WordPress is versatile and allows for a vast number of integrations via plugins that can help turn your brochure website into a lead generation machine.
You can build websites without plugins, but they’re often extremely useful in creating a better user experience and helping you get more from your investment.
Favicon
Look up to the top of your screen at this tab within your browser. What do you see? A fancy-looking F. That’s our favicon!
It may seem simple, but it’s another brand reminder for visitors and helps consolidate your identity. It’s something that many take for granted, but when you enter a website without a favicon – you’ll notice how strange it seems.
The idea of a favicon is to keep customers aware of what tab they’re using. If you know someone who’s always got 30 tabs open, they’ll know how important it is to be able to easily navigate and know what they can and can’t close.
Talk to the jargon-free website designers in Southampton
Phew. If you’re still with us, we’re going to talk jargon free for a minute. We’ve built over 500 websites for businesses in Southampton, Hampshire, the UK and even across the world.
When the time comes for a new website, it’s always a good idea to talk to someone you can trust. Professional, experienced and (most importantly) jargon-free, we’re happy to chat and learn more about what you need from a website – and how we can bring it to life.
