IndieFolio Blog

5 Indian Websites That Balance Form and Function

We look for inspiration everywhere we can and sometimes that research brings us a little closer to home. We were checking out the UI UX design of Indian companies (most of which are doing well for themselves) to see how they balance their form and functions. When you go to these companies websites, you go with a specific purpose in mind. If you aren’t sure what that purpose is, these websites clarify what you came for.

We loved how they balance looks with what they do and how easy they make it for guests as well as registered users. There’s a lot to learn in UI UX design from these companies. Below, we let you know about what we appreciate in the UI UX design of these big Indian companies. Note: Some of the websites automatically detected our location and then we got screenshots of their landing pages. They might look different when you access them.

1.  Zomato

The collections feature is a nice touch where you can explore the curated list of the top restaurants e.g Happy Hours and What’s New collections etc. Their quick search has easy-to-understand illustrations e.g. the illustrations they’ve used for Delivery, Pocket-Friendly Delivery and different types of meals.

When a user opens a page for a restaurant and bar, options are easily visible to book a table, order online and view the menu. On the cover photo of a restaurant or bar page, there are categories that lead to Food and Ambience pictures.

There’s an extension of the quick searches on the right which are part of sponsored and popular suggestions for you. It’s an easy to move on for those who are looking to browse through places quickly. If a user is still unsure about the place being viewed, their review system helps prospective customers to make their choice.

We love their iconography and illustrations that Zomato users. We enjoy the way they inform users about the steps in their delivery process. It’s great when a user is waiting because it helps them plan their time according to the estimated delivery time.

 

2. Book My Show

Book My Show gains serious brownie points from us in the visual cues department. Their iconography is easy to understand and their illustrations make transactions a pleasure to encounter.

When you have to search for an event, they make it easy and seamless for users. You may not even have to even use the search button because their predictive search only has to go through a small database to find what you’re looking for. Yet, it feels as intuitive as a Google search.

Remember how we mentioned that they get serious brownie points for form, well, their icons for selecting the number of seats you want is great. 1 = Bicycle. 2 = Motorcycle. 3 = Auto Rickshaw. 4 = Sedan. 5 = SUV. 6-10 = Bus. We love this because it’s almost like Book My Show recommends the ideal transportation to get everyone to the venue.

With many options and a UI/UX design that keeps us coming back for more, we believe that anybody will enjoy the process of getting a ticket to an event through Book My Show.

 

3.) Flipkart

No introduction needed. First up, their search, we like how they use their predictive results to narrow your search within a category e.g. searching for ‘earphones’ will have Flipkart asking you if you’re looking for earphones for tablets or mobiles. We think it’s very sensible to have that level of clarification for the user.

Because they’re meant to be an online mall, rather than have aisles, they have links to categories and below that, quick links to products. It communicates that they want to know what the user is there for and they want to help.

The overall look of their website uses a white background in their design because it gives more prominence to the products on display. We love the way a product maintains its prominence once a user reaches a product page. The segregation of product photos on the left and information on the right makes understanding your purchasing options with the product easy.

The fact that the product never moves when you scroll through the information is a lovely experience for a user. They can absorb the information and then see how it relates to the product they are interested in. That’s a robust UI/UX design.

 

4.) Practo

Practo makes it easy for a user to find doctors and other medical facilities they can trust. Their website gives you a way to better facilitate doctor-patient interaction.

A feature that we like in particular (on their app) is their calendar management. A user can be reminded about when to take their medicine and when to go for an appointment. Doctors should be happy with this too because it keeps them organised.

Most of what goes on in Practo has been appreciated for the other websites too but then there are the search results. The search results give all relevant information that a user needs to make a decision. Whether that decision involves choosing a clinic, a hospital or a lab, it’s easy for any user to absorb information from the list of prospects shown.

This has to do with the way the information is segregated. Any information about the medical practitioner, like his name and speciality, is on the left and on the right, is the rating, user feedback, location, cost, timings and a button to book an appointment. It acts like a checklist for a user to make their decision about the medical practitioner they want.

 

5.) Housing.com

 

House hunting isn’t easy, anybody who has been through the process of trying to find a place to live knows this. Housing.com provides a map that defines boundaries well and shows you options that match your requirements. A logged-in user can also shortlist properties they have found for consideration later.

A user can add filters as ‘chips’ in their search. The database for Housing.com is so responsive that selecting chips and modifying filters immediately tells you about how many properties are available according to your parameters. This must be why they’ve dedicated an entire page to tailoring your search first.

The map is the next layer. On the right, the map is seen with the area you’ve chosen outlined. On the left, a user sees a listing of the properties with a brief overview of their details. Clicking on a listing adds another layer above the map which gives a user every detail about the property. We appreciate how all the navigation and information displayed takes place on a single screen. There’s no need to open multiple tabs and lose your way. Search criteria is always placed right on top so filters can be added and removed as desired.

Also, the way a property is highlighted on the map on the right when hovering over a listing on the left speaks well about their understanding of user expectations.

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