We have finally reached a point where artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a thing of the past.
Indeed, AI is already very much present and active in several aspects of our lives. And it is here to stay, for better or worse.
Before you spiral into an existential crisis, settle down. Our current reality is still very far from a dystopian sci-fi episode.
While people generally have an unwelcome perception of AI and machine learning, it packs excellent potential that significantly outweighs the negatives.
With the rapid advancement of technology, no industry or profession is beyond the range of AI influence. Businesses are already incorporating AI into their processes and workflow to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and increase productivity.
The experience is no different in user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design.
Over the past couple of years, artificial intelligence has enhanced the field of UI/UX design. It is a welcome technology for UI/UX designers because of the convenience it offers.
8 Impacts of AI in UI/UX Design
Although artificial intelligence in UI/UX design is only in its infancy, it shows great promise. At least in some aspects, AI is already playing a role in enhancing conventional design methods, thus making life easier for designers and businesses alike.
If you’re curious (or skeptical) about the advantages of using artificial intelligence in UI/UX design, you’ve come to the right place! Read on to learn more about the impacts of artificial intelligence on UI/UX design.
Let’s begin!
1. AI eliminates tedious, repetitive tasks
UI/UX design usually requires a lot of groundwork, but with the advent of artificial intelligence, the amount of work that requires meticulous human intervention has significantly diminished.
Thanks to AI, a variety of tasks in the design process are now automated. AI has taken on repetitive and mundane, inconsequential tasks such as image resizing and cropping, color corrections, removing backgrounds, and refining images.
Unbothered by mundane tasks, UI/UX professionals can focus their productivity on what matters: executing product strategy decisions and adding value to end-users.
2. AI makes better design tools.
User interface designers are primarily concerned with creating visual elements that are optimized to enhance the user experience.
The UI design process requires careful consideration of the look, feel, and interactivity of a product, which means dealing with icons, page layouts, buttons, color schemes, typography, imagery, and the like.
With the emergence of applications that integrate artificial intelligence, UI designers now possess powerful tools that make the creative workflow more efficient.
AI applications can identify images and generate dynamic visuals that align with your brand’s goal. With a few clicks, designers can obtain high-quality visuals effortlessly.
Designers can also benefit from the extensive collection of templates, layouts, and design concepts stored in AI memory. You can bid goodbye to hours of scouring the web for design resources. AI makes the process so much easier; even your intern can get the job done!
If you’re a designer, experienced or not, tools may come in handy. Whether you’re working on a webpage or an application, an AI-powered image generation API will help you generate layouts, logos, banners, color schemes, and click-inducing images in an instant.
3. AI improves customer interaction.
Have you ever had a chat with a computer? If you’re spending time online, you probably have.
Chatbots and digital assistants are fast-replacing human service providers, and yes, artificial intelligence is the culprit.
It’s not surprising that businesses are opting to use AI bots to interact with potential customers. Not only do bots work 24/7, but they’re also reportedly effective at boosting sales and enhancing customer satisfaction.
AI is becoming more intelligent by the day. Soon enough, the gap between human-machine communication will narrow down, making it possible for us to have human-like conversations with our hardware. Not only that, but with the power of AI and deep learning, machines will, in time, be able to develop accurate recognition and understanding of human emotions, reactions, and cognition, thereby providing more targeted, responsive services that cater to customers’ specific needs.
What does it mean for UI/UX design? It allows designers to develop more personalized scripts curated to respond to every customer’s distinct needs, thereby giving each user a unique experience.
4. AI collects and analyzes complex data efficiently.
Data is crucial in determining patterns and behaviors that guide UI/UX decisions, and with artificial intelligence, data collection and analysis have never been this convenient.
Artificial intelligence can collect and analyze vast amounts of data in a minimal amount of time. It can be trained to generate surveys and questionnaires and effectively process, filter, and categorize information based on responses; this means a better and more accurate understanding of your desired demographic and what your audience finds appealing.
Further, manual A/B testing may soon be dragged to the verge of extinction with enhanced AI-driven data collection. There will come a time when machines will be able to pinpoint potential areas where optimization is necessary. Self-optimizing e-commerce websites might be a thing shortly, and it’s something to look forward to sooner than you think.
5. AI makes decision-making easier.
With robust data collection at play, AI significantly enhances the user experience by easing the decision-making process.
User predictability is made more accessible through the use of AI. The more data is fed into the AI system, the smarter it gets, which means more accurate user predictions.
Having a precise prediction of your users results in better-targeted recommendations. By narrowing down the number of choices displayed, you can help customers make decisions faster and more confidently.
The future of marketing entails a customized and hyper-personalized user experience.
Imagine visiting an e-commerce website and finding just what you need, when you need it. AI is gradually making this idea a reality.
UI/UX designers can use AI to enable more personalized experiences for customers. As AI becomes more innovative, it can be trained to take multiple data points and consolidate all this information to efficiently provide creative insights about your users and what they are likely to be looking for online.
Take facial recognition and computer vision as examples. This AI-driven technology is already playing a massive role in determining user demographics such as location, age, gender, context, and even the current mood of users. UI/UX designers can use this information to deliver more personalized experiences for users.
A personalized user experience ultimately translates to higher click-through and conversion rates. Everybody’s happy, right?
6. AI makes global marketing possible.
Artificial intelligence is making it easier for designers to build products that are optimized for global markets.
Language translation used to be a painstaking task, but with current technology, you can conveniently recreate the English language experience for your business’s target audience.
To give a clearer picture, say your business is operating in the United States, but user demographic research dictates that you have good traction in non-English-speaking countries. Localize your customers’ experience by using AI technology. AI can easily translate design elements to fit your customers’ language preferences.
AI and machine learning systems can help your business broaden its reach and engage with customers, wherever in the world they might be.
7. AI is changing the design workflow.
Wireframing is an essential process in the UX design workflow, but with the involvement of artificial intelligence, we’re seeing great strides in wireframing automation.
Product design is usually a multi-step process; it starts with research, ideation, prototyping, and user testing. Ordinarily, it takes an entire team and several weeks to turn a design idea into an actual functional product.
Get ready to have your mind blown. At present, designers are already using artificial intelligence to turn mere wireframe sketches into actual working products in mere minutes!
Wireframing AI teaches machines to understand drawings and translate them into user interfaces. This saves designers a lot of time because it means skipping a few steps in the product design process.
Not only can designers use wireframing AI to turn raw sketches into high-fidelity prototypes, but it can also be used to explore ideas and develop workable design solutions.
8. AI reimagines creativity.
UI/UX design requires a hefty amount of creativity to build a real connection with users. Frustratingly, creativity is not always consistent.
Coming up with unique UI/UX design elements that are relevant and appealing to potential users and meet business goals at the same time can be tricky, and one way to solve this problem is through the generation of multiple options.
Thankfully, artificial intelligence and machine learning have made it possible for machines to generate unique designs from nothing at all, just as well as a human could.
In 2017, Nutella used an AI algorithm to generate millions of unique packaging designs for its product. Each visual possessed a customized code to ensure that no two designs were alike. The marketing stunt impressed customers, as every jar was off the shelf in one month!
With AI aggressively collecting data, designers can program algorithms that allow the creation of multiple iterations of a single design. All that’s left for our designers to do is choose the best one or recombine prospects.
Nothing can replace the role of humans in the creative industry, and AI cannot easily replicate the creativity that characterizes the industry. Nevertheless, we now see computers playing a role in creating visual outputs through computational AI-based art.
With AI, we are seeing the emergence of computer programs capable of replicating aspects of creative artistic behavior, allowing machines to generate artwork and sophisticated visuals. Image generation APIs are a good example.
Machines might be getting more intelligent, but designers have nothing to worry about. Instead of looking at technology as a threat, designers must look at the exciting opportunities ahead.
Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the way humans and computers work together. As AI advances, UI/UX designers must focus on strategies that leverage the advantages while ensuring that people remain an integral and indispensable part of the design process.
Conclusion
Artificial intelligence has already made considerable strides in enriching the user experience since its inception not long ago.
Here’s a quick rundown of ways AI influenced UI/UX design:
- Automation of repetitive and tedious tasks
- Creation of practical design tools
- Improved customer interaction
- Efficient collection and analysis of complex data
- Ease of decision-making for customers
- Convenient global marketing
- Changing the design workflow
- Reinventing creativity
AI is one of the most influential trends in the business industry today. Considering the convenience AI offers, it’s not surprising that 73% of global consumers are open to its use in companies, provided it makes life easier for them.
AI is relatively new in the business world. Still, it has already significantly transformed the way we work, and we see a lot of happy faces from those who truly matter—our valuable customers.
Although many businesses are still skeptical about the effectiveness and practicality of AI, we cannot discount the fact that it is what’s in store for us in the future. As long as we use AI responsibly, empower consumers by giving them control over their decisions, and adopt a human-first AI strategy, we can reap the benefits and maximize its full potential.
Author’s Bio:
Shelly Solis is the co-founder of SaaSaunchr, a service provider for SaaS startups dedicated to content writing, guest post outreach, SaaS SEO, and other growth hacking tactics.
