UI vs UX! You may have heard about these terms when you jump into the world of web designing. While many believe UI and UX complement each other, there is no definitive answer whether they are the same. In short, both are equally important for web designing.
So what is the difference between UX and UI? What should you consider first, UX or UI? What should you consider while designing a user interface?
If you are new to web designing and want to learn more about the user interface vs. User experience battle, this article is for you. Our guide will help you understand UI vs UX design and how you can implement them to improve your website.
User interface vs user experience – Difference
The primary difference between UI and UX is the way they work. For instance, the user interface includes visual elements, including colors, menus, or buttons that you can interact with on a service or product. On the other hand, user experience focuses on the user’s journey through a service.
In short, the UI UX difference is the boundary between the aesthetics and experience of a specific service or product. However, they are essential parts of a service, and you will have to implement them to make your products or services better.
According to Jonathan Widawski, CEO of Maze, UX is the foundation of any service, while UI is the aesthetic element of that service. For instance, when you build a service, you establish links to connect all your features. These connections act as the foundation where users can easily access your service.
Once you develop your foundation, you can implement the aesthetics or UI to make the experience more compelling. These visual elements will include colors or menu bars that help the users interact with your service without hindering the user experience.
Businesses also employ this analogy to build their products. These enterprises use UX designers to develop fundamental parts and hire UI designers to design the aesthetics. These designers collaborate to produce a tried and tested service for the users.
According to Forbes, many enterprises consider the UI and UX formula to achieve success. Additionally, AI-driven product implementations also utilize this process to build better products with a prolonged life cycle.
User experience vs user interface – Importance
Earlier, people associated web designers with the development of online products or software. However, web designers split into specific units like UI and UX designers as the industry evolved. This industrial revolution has led to more divisions, including content designers and UX writers.
As for UX, the primary goal of any development team is to build a solid foundation, and it’s more like creating plans after considering the business and user goals. In short, understanding your service and how users interact with it is an excellent way of determining your goals.
So how do you design an engaging UX? Before developers pin their plan, they always pick their target audience to get maximum impact. In short, the UX design focuses on how you intend users to use the product and will it suffice your user’s needs.
After determining your users’ goals, you can achieve yours, generating more engagement and revenue. In short, distinguishing UX from UI is a crucial step in any software development process, as, without proper user experience, your service will lack performance and engagement.
On the other hand, the user interface elevates the user experience by incorporating visual elements into your product. UI also covers the interface that allows us to interact or use a service. For instance, a computer’s UI consists of a keyboard, mouse, and other input devices.
Besides individual experiences, companies also focus on providing thoughtful UI/UX designs to stay on top of the competition. For instance, the Forbes Technology Council shared design trends that will impact UI/UX design in the future.
These design trends include:
- Companies will have to understand their customers better to meet expectations
- Businesses will have to keep their designs clean and focused
- Brands will have to use carefully designed AI to drive the user interface
- The UI/UX design needs to be flexible and adaptive
- Quicker UI/UX design to retain customer attention
- Companies will have to put more focus on conversational interfaces
- Brands will have to employ better security measures without hindering UI/UX designs
UI vs UX design
Although UI and UX designs are crucial for a service, UI turns the fundamental blocks into functional and attractive elements, elevating the overall user experience. In short, UI creates a polished interface that establishes a connection between a product and the user.
Here are the steps UI designers take to create an engaging user interface.
- Research – As we mentioned earlier, researching user goals is a crucial step in product development. Design research allows designers to create interfaces that suffice user needs and expectations.
- Visual design – After analyzing competitors and the latest trends, UI designers can implement visual elements that enhance the user interface. These elements include icons, menu bars, fonts, and more.
- Brand identity – Although the user interfaces talks more about the end-user, UI designers need to ensure that brand identity is consistent throughout the UI.
- Design systems – UI designers develop various components and style guides to ensure brand and product consistency. These factors allow UI designers to meet user expectations and establish brand identity.
On the other hand, UX designers plan, research, and organize to provide an engaging user experience. Here are the steps UX designers take to create a compelling user experience.
- Identify user goals by creating a strategic plan
- Research the target audience and understand their requirements and expectations
- Organize information architecture to meet user goals
- Interact with customers
- Develop an interface wireframe to understand functionalities
- Test a prototype to validate assumptions
- Analyze the final product with researchers to find flaws
Additionally, UX designers use various tactics, including polls, data, and A/B tests, to evaluate their designs.
UI vs UX – Final Thoughts
Although UI and UX may sound similar, they are two separate branches of the same story. Both UI and UX play a crucial part in elevating the end-user experience, and it would be best to put your best efforts into making them count.
