A fresh look and feel. A redesign. A sleek modern UI. Something that will WOW them.
Call it what you will, but for many teams, a visual refresh is a key reason for a design project. Many UX designers lament the fact that leaders fixate on visuals or that “wow” factor. And they’re not wrong.
Redesigns are often large, pricey undertakings that suck resources away from other needs, resulting in surface-level improvements that don’t always move the needle in meaningful ways.
But we find that teams seeking a visual refresh often do so with good reason. They may be looking to:
Establish a “north star” visual direction, so they can make decisions consistent with that path over time.
Make better first impressions to the market (and perhaps win more customers as a result).
Defend against competitors who come off as more up-to-date.
Motivate their team with a product they’re proud to work on.
Address usability problems or interaction design issues.
Resolve inconsistencies and the maintenance debt they create.
Establish a design system to speed up problem solving.
Here at Slide UX, we see visual concepting as one of the most exciting steps in our signature process. For Sliders who participate in concepting, it's a chance to let their creativity loose. For the whole team, it’s exciting to see their hard work come to life in full color. It’s always fun to hear how client teams react to the first “pretty” deliverables in the project.
Beginning with a discussion of the goals and the guardrails ensures that the changes we recommend are appropriate. Multiple designers concept in parallel, so that we produce a range of ideas for discussion. By limiting the exploration to a key screen, we keep the effort lean. Clients love knowing that we’ve explored the possibilities, and enjoy choosing the best one for their scenario.
Redesigning for aesthetics alone often not worth the investment, but there are many valid reasons to explore a visual refresh, even if you don’t plan to implement a full makeover immediately. Keeping your eyes wide open about the realistic payoff can help you make smart choices about how far to go with the effort.