User Interface (UI)

User Interface, or UI, is everything your visitors interact with on your website: buttons, forms, navigation, colors, typography, layout—even how your site responds when they hover, scroll, or tap. It’s the visual and interactive layer of your site—the part users actually see and touch. While UX (User Experience) focuses on how it all feels, UI…

By Henrik Liebel

What does the term User Interface (UI) actually mean?

User Interface, or UI, is everything your visitors interact with on your website: buttons, forms, navigation, colors, typography, layout—even how your site responds when they hover, scroll, or tap. It’s the visual and interactive layer of your site—the part users actually see and touch.

While UX (User Experience) focuses on how it all feels, UI is about how it looks and functions. A great UI makes people feel at ease. A poor UI causes confusion, frustration, and drop-offs—no matter how good your product or content is.

The building blocks of UI

A well-designed UI includes:

  • Navigation menus that are easy to find and use
  • Clear buttons with meaningful labels like “Book a Call” or “Get the Guide”
  • Forms that are simple, logical, and easy to complete
  • Readable typography with the right font sizes and spacing
  • Color schemes that reinforce your brand and support accessibility
  • Interactive feedback like hover states, error messages, or loading indicators
  • Layouts that guide the eye and emphasize what matters most

The goal? To create a digital environment where users feel confident, oriented, and ready to take action.

Why UI matters for business owners

You don’t need to be a designer to care about UI—because your potential customers certainly do.

A polished, well-structured interface:

  • Makes your site feel more trustworthy and professional
  • Helps visitors find what they need quickly
  • Encourages interaction with your content and CTAs
  • Reflects your brand’s attention to detail
  • Supports better conversions

Meanwhile, outdated, inconsistent, or hard-to-use interfaces signal carelessness—and users might assume your services follow the same logic.

Good UI vs. Bad UI: Real-world examples

Let’s say a visitor lands on your service page. Here’s how the UI can make or break the experience:

Good UI:

  • The headline is clear and scannable
  • The CTA button stands out and uses action-oriented language
  • Icons visually break up the content
  • The mobile version is just as smooth and readable

Bad UI:

  • Text is crammed or misaligned
  • Links are hard to distinguish from regular text
  • Buttons are inconsistent or vague (“Click Here”)
  • There’s no visual hierarchy, making it hard to know where to look first

UI best practices

  • Be consistent: Buttons, headings, and spacing should follow a pattern site-wide.
  • Prioritize accessibility: Use sufficient contrast, legible fonts, and large enough buttons for touch screens.
  • Use whitespace wisely: Don’t be afraid of empty space—it gives your content room to breathe.
  • Design for clarity, not cleverness: Users shouldn’t have to think too hard to use your site.
  • Test on multiple devices: Your UI should look and function beautifully on desktop, tablet, and mobile.

Bottom line

Your UI is your website’s first impression—and often your only chance to earn trust. A clean, intuitive interface doesn’t just look better—it performs better. It supports your content, elevates your brand, and helps turn casual visitors into loyal customers. If the UX is the journey, the UI is the vehicle—and nobody enjoys riding in a broken-down car.

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