Do you even know what UI means? It stands for user interface and the simple definition is that UI makes up your UX (user experience) good or bad. Your design is not just about your interface (website, registration form); it's about everything that touches your product or brand: process, workflows, etc.
In order to understand UI, you need to go beyond what it can do for your customer and your attendees. You need to understand it in its broadest form. There are a few rules that many people don’t think about when it comes to UI design: it's everywhere, it's a service and it’s a dedicated project.
Let's see how much you really know about UI.
UI is everywhere
UI is more than just technology; it is everywhere and everything that touches your users. Think about what you see, touch and experience when at an event – That is UI. You need to consider all the components individually and as an overall journey to make the UX amazing. One thing can go wrong and ruin your whole experience, which is why you need to step in your attendees shoes and test what they will see.
UI as a service
One component of UI that is completely intangible is the service. Service can and should be designed. It follows rules, processes and even budget. Everyone that your audience interacts with at your event is a representation of your brand from the staff to the suppliers to the hostesses. That is why briefing ahead of time about communication and guidelines are important. You need to design it and create rules for everything that can happen at an event.
UI is a dedicated project
You need to consider UI as its own project with timeframes, stakeholders, goals and more; otherwise you are likely to fail or deliver incomplete work. Do you regroup with your team on UI/UX after events? Have you ever held a meeting about “UI global review” to go over UI from start to finish? If not, then you are not making UI a priority. It’s hard to focus on because intuitively we think we are taking care of all the little things when designing events, when in reality we are missing the big picture. Addressing your goals up front and putting the work in will lead your team towards excellence and customer satisfaction.
UI Can be the Beginning of Something New
After months of work and customer and employee feedback, etouches unveiled its new UI to customers. The result is a more robust, user-friendly, simple and intuitive experience for the user. The key was to follow the rules that we mentioned above: know that it is everywhere, it is a service and that it has to be a dedicated project. This can be seen in the long term plan to make the software more mobile friendly on the backend for users and on the attendee facing platforms as well. UI cannot be an afterthought, it is a complex process and you need to find a way to make it easy for your users by narrowing it down to the single most important element and creating legibility.
See how etouches did it in this interview with CTO Shane Edmonds:
Want to get even more tips on event UI and see if you pass the test to become an event UI master? Then follow us to the etouches blog where Nicola Rossetti dives deeper into these three points in his post: Event UI: Do You Pass or Fail the 3 Point Test?
