We often see the terms UX/UI in the same sentence when we talk about web or app development. Professionals will often confuse us by calling themselves both UX and UI designers. This article will explain the differences between UX and UI design.
However, they cannot be interchanged, particularly since each term encompasses another.
User interface design (UI), is part of user experience (UX). Both are equally important in product design. UX and UI are both essential to creating marketable products that are easy to use. Let’s now dive deeper into the murky waters of user experience design and user interface design.
What is UX Design?
UX (user experience design) is a multidimensional, complex concept that encompasses many disciplines. These include usability, interaction design, information architecture, and visual design.
According to “Interacting With Computers”, UX Design in Business is about increasing customer loyalty through the ease, utility, and enjoyment of using a product.
UX design basically refers to the creation of useful and easy-to-use products that users love using. Users will find value in your products if they have a better user experience. However, it is not easy to define what user experience design means.
Here’s an expert opinion.
John-Amir Abbassi is a Facebook UX researcher.
UX design refers to a design approach that keeps the user in mind when designing a product or service. These aspects include the usability, beauty, accessibility, and functionality of a product. Emotion and delight are also included, but they can be difficult to engineer.
UX is the sum of all the elements that make a user experience exceptional. User researchers, product managers, interaction designers, content strategists, information architects, and content strategists all collaborate to create exceptional user experiences.
Let’s now talk about UI.
Understanding UI Design
User interface design refers to the design of visual elements for an experience or product. This includes the design of images, text, buttons, icons and screens, as well as all other visual experiences that a user will encounter and interact with. Although this sounds simple, different companies approach UI design with the same goal.
A Wikipedia article states that UI design‘s goal is to make the user’s interaction and use of a product or service as easy and efficient as possible. To make it simple for users to achieve their goals, UI designers employ the principles of user-centered designing.
It is about making interaction with products as easy as possible. Let’s listen to the experts and get a better understanding about user interface design.
Ken Norton, a partner at Google Ventures who was also formerly a product manager at Google, explains user interface design in an easy way. Ken says that UI design centers around a product’s surfaces, i.e. How the product looks and how it works. He also stated that UI is just one part of a user’s journey.
Norton also gives us a simple analogy of a restaurant to illustrate the differences between UI and UX.
The user interface includes the chair, table and glass as well as the plate, plate, and utensils. UX is the whole experience, including music, service and parking.
Technology is constantly evolving, so it is important to consider the possibility of a broader user interface. Leah Kaufman is Senior UX Research Manager at Lenovo. She says keyboards and mice no longer are the preferred way to interact with an interface.
While we swipe and tap with our phones, Kinect and Alexa can recognize our movements, gestures, and postures. Machine Learning is another advancement, as AI systems can track our behavior and respond accordingly.
UX vs. UI Design for Web Development
Let’s now see how we can apply them to the most common piece of technology in today’s world, the website.
Website UX
Peter Molville is a Fortune 500 user-experience advisor who has identified seven factors that can influence user experience on your website or product.
Peter says that a website should have the following features to ensure a positive user experience
- Useful – Your website must be useful to its users. Your website must meet this standard or you will be paving the way to your competitors. Your site should be filled with useful content and features.
- Usable – Your website users must be able navigate it easily without any distractions, difficulties or obstacles. Enhance your website’s design by using large click areas and intuitive click spaces.
- Searchable – This means that search engines must be able to crawl your website. This is closely linked to SEO. Good UX will ensure that your website appears in the SERPs. You need to make your products and content easily searchable. Your headlines should stand out.
- Credible – Trust should be instilled in your users. This can be achieved through testimonials, certificates and images of your team as well as industry recognition badges.
- Desirable – Think Apple. They are more popular than any other brand.
- Accessible – All users should be able to access your site. Accessibility is essential for all users, including those with disabilities.
- Value – You need to give users value in order to create a great user experience. Users expect value from your website when they visit it. This is how users will become loyal customers.
Web UI Best Practices
Your website budget will be wasted if you don’t have a great user interface. The UI design should be simple, clear, and intuitive. It must also not distract from the user’s use of the site. WordPress’ backend is the UI. This is why designers and developers must be able create a functional dashboard that works well and has a high level of functionality.
Professionals must continue to learn and keep up-to-date with WordPress best practices, plugins, and efficient themes. You can find educational websites that will help you with issues related to WordPress. They also keep you up-to-date on the most recent developments in web design services in Miami.
What is an intuitive, interactive user interface? Good UI should be:
- Intuitive Websites should be simple to use. Apps and websites must function in a rational manner.
- Consistent – All sites should have the same design and behavior.
- Responsive – The layout and design should be flexible enough to work across different devices.
- Clean – A clean and simple design is important.
- The familiar – Users shouldn’t be surprised or confused by changes in design.
- Efficient This is crucial, especially if you have a site or app that requires extended interaction with users.
- Elegant – Design and layout must be visually appealing.
- Content-focused – Visuals and text are powerful tools to enhance your UI design.
UX vs UI design: A huge difference, but equal importance
UX design is the design of user interfaces. However, UI design is just as important as UX design when it comes down to UI vs UX design. Poorly designed user interfaces can have a huge impact on the UX of your product or web application. If the user interface is not done correctly, it can deter users from using your product. It is wise to invest in a positive UX and UI design.
Understanding the differences between user experience design and user interface design is key. This will assist you in determining what you should do in order to succeed in your endeavors.