The Difference Between UI and UX Design: A Beginner’s Guide

Introduction

Apps similar to the above-mentioned ones Facebook, Uber, and Amazon. What sets them aside from the rest? That is where they excel at – it is their almost perfect design! Most of the entrants into an App Store believe that if an app is based on a novel concept, then it will be successful. 

But what you might not know is that in the year 2019, as much as 25 percent of the applications installed on devices were opened and used just once. There is one more reason for this: the absence of a unified interface and combined user experience.

There are two terms that one is likely to come across in tech circles and these are the UI (User Interface) & UX (User Experience). But what do they really mean, and what does it take to be a UI or UX designer?

In this article, you will learn what UI and UX design professionals do both simultaneously and differently to figure out which road can suit you. We will also consider the options of entering these professions even if we are without experience or certain key certifications.

What is User Interface (UI) Design?

User Interface (UI) layout is one of the most crucial additives of designing virtual merchandise however at the same time, it’s far the most ambiguous and misconceived pastime.

It is closely related to another branch of design called user experience or UX design, the key difference is that while UX design aims at making a product as functional and entertaining as possible, UI design deals withціhetic aspects that are the most immediate to a user.

The design of these interfaces is peculiarly digital and can range from the screen of one’s mobile phone to the panel of a coffee maker. It means appearance and even such aspects as icons, buttons, fonts, colors, spacing, and the ways in which a site or app will look on different devices. 

In other words, the principle of UI design is to make every interchange as natural as possible, because every picture and every button is designed and positioned consciously.

The position of a UI designer implies the responsibility for the visual appearance of an application and its appropriateness and ease of use. Sometimes this means visually interpreting the product development, the research behind the product and the content into an engaging story. 

The end aim is to direct individuals smoothly through a product, expressing the essential facets of the brand and the interaction with the product and the brand as being as pleasant and quick as possible.

UI Tasks and Responsibilities

Just like with graphic design, if you have a penchant for visual aesthetics and have an interest in making interactive experiences using elements on the site, then you will do well in UI design. Here’s a simplified overview of a UI designer’s key tasks and responsibilities:

The Look and Feel of the Product:

• Customer Analysis: Gaining a better understanding of customers ‘wants and requirements.
• Design Research: Understanding general UI UX design trends with an eye on what is more popular to achieve better results.
• Branding and Graphic Development: Designing among other items logos, icons, and color to match with the brand of its owner.
• User Guides and Storylines: Creating narratives and road maps aiding the users of the product in comprehension.

Responsiveness and Interactivity:

• UI Prototyping: Designing prototypes of the product to assess the ideas of the design and its interfaces.
• Interactivity and Animation: Superimposing extra features such as buttons and other forms of trappings to make the product stimulating.
• Adaptation to All Device Screen Sizes: Make sure that it was designed with passing through various devices and sizes of screens.
• Implementation with Developers: Working simultaneously with developers to put into practice the design and ensure it forms part of the end product.

Aesthetics and interactivity of the product are of great significance when it comes to developing consumers’ trust in a certain brand which is why UI designing is rather critical for forming the necessary components of a product. 

Despite the fact that UI designers have been known to collaborate with developers specifically to implement the designs they have come up with earlier, the role of the UI designer has gradually transformed. Today UI designers also might need coding skills due to this situation new positions such as ‘UI developer’ might appear.

By now you have a crisp notion of what UX and UI entailed so it is easy for you to have a perspective on how these two important areas of design differ.

What is User Experience (UX) Design?

UX design is a social activity of solving practical problems through creating services, products, objects, and processes that help people achieve tasks easily, effectively, and satisfactorily. 

Although the concept of UX was established earlier, it was first defined by Don Norman in the late 1990s as the totality of user’s experience throughout the possibly closest contact with the company and its services as well as its products. 

Originally, it was established on a scientific basis, but modern uses are mainly related to IT because of the technological industry.

Interactive design in this case is based on the emotions users have regarding specific interactions and the extent to which they can reach their objectives. 

The last of these is the optimisation of view and component navigation where user tasks and flows are to be analyzed so that use remains fluid. For example, UX designers would consider the convenience of purchasing on the website or the feel of gripping the kitchen utensil.

UX design targets at developing functional, enjoyable and relevant experience for the users of products and services. Unlike other approaches with a more aesthetical stringent orientation, it targets on the overall interaction quality. 

In its core sense, UX design is a discipline that turns on understanding the process of a user’s interaction with a good or service and optimizing it.

UX Tasks and Responsibilities

The best way for me to explain a UX fashion designer’s paintings is to mention that the career is as much enjoyable as it’s far stimulating because of the character of the responsibilities that a UX clothier performs. Here’s a take a look at their regular responsibilities:

Strategy and Content:

• Competitor Analysis: Benchmarking, can be a method of learning from other companies to identify the fact that they possess certain strengths while they have certain weaknesses.
• Customer Analysis and User Research: Identifying the information about users.
• Product Structure and Strategy: Determining how the product is to be laid down and what aims it is to accomplish.
• Content Development: Developing and structuring content for the product.

Wireframing and Prototyping:

• Wireframing: It involves creating skills in both print and media such as in designing a simple framework to help in conveying layouts of various pages.
• Prototyping: Creating mock-ups of the product to check out hypotheses.
• Testing and Iteration: Exposing designs to the user and then tweaking them based on user’s feedback.
• Development Planning: Coordinating how the design will be constructed and what means will be used to put it into practice.

Execution and Analytics:

• Coordination with UI Designers: UI designers are worked in parallel with, the look and the feel of the application should have the same interface.
• Coordination with Developers: Engaging developers in order to ensure that a chosen design can be implemented.
• Tracking Goals and Integration: Supervising the process in order to ensure that the final outcome corresponds to the product’s objectives.
• UX Analysis and Iteration: Designing this concept and possibly making small modifications that will come up from the users’ feedback and results.

In other words, a UX designer is a jack of all trades. It is a position that is half a marketer, half a designer, and half project manager. It is one that is multi-faceted and very fulfilling.

It is useful to note that the details of a UX designer’s occupation can be different based on the organization. Reduction and iteration or improving the make use of the product depending on the analysis and tests is evident within their tasks. 

The final benchmark is the optimization of business goals on the one hand and users’ needs on the other hand, by means of constant testing and enhancement of the product.

UI vs. UX Design: Understanding Their Key Differences

As you can observe, UI and UX are two things that complement each other and cannot be implemented independently of the other. But they are not the same thing, and, in fact, knowing UI design is not necessary to be a UX designer and vice versa. Let me explain the extent of their divergence.

The discipline that focuses on the overall impression and the sequence of the given interface is referred to as UX Design. It is an approach that is centered on characters and how they engage with a product. 

A UX designer has a more broader view of the process in which the user begins and how they achieve the outcomes. They consider questions like:

What do the actions that the user performs?

What work is still left to be done?

In the case of the considered product, is it difficult for them to apply it?

Much of human-computer interaction is in understanding the issues that people have and how they can be addressed. UX designers strive to understand the people so that he or she can be able to identify what people desire and require. 

While on the other hand UI Design enhances the structure to make it more attractive and monkey clicker. While the UX designers map out a user’s experience, the UI designers add flesh to it. 

They are concerned with all the pieces of an application or Web site that are activated by the user, including buttons, icons, and images. They also make sure that the design implemented is friendly to all manners of disability.

In summary, here are the key differences between UI vs UX design:

• A UX Designer handles the client’s frustrations and combines them to form a smooth process.
• UI Design is all about beautifying and turning that journey into an interactive one.
• There can be two basic types of design – UX design that creates initial scaffold and UI design that puts ornament on it.
• Where UX is used in any product, UI specifically refers to digital products.
• UI in general is only concerned with the aesthetic appearance of the interface; anything visible on the screen including the icons, texts, colors and formatting of the layout.

How Do UX Designer UI Designer Work Together?

So far, we understand what UX and UI mean, let’s proceed with the ways that connect them. One needs to state that neither of these is more significant than the other – both are essential.

This shows that both aspects are equal in importance, as Helga Moreno said: “Great UI and poor UX are identified, for instance, by something that looks great but is difficult to use.’’ At the same time, Helga Moreno defined ‘great UX and poor UI as something very usable that looks terrible.’

Talking about design, it is important to consider that UI is more or less the frosting on the cake that is UX. Let’s suppose you have the idea of an app that you believe would be helpful if it were to be launched into the market. 

You begin by employing a UX designer to conduct what is known as ‘discovery’ and ‘definition’, where he or she determines what the app ought to include as features and ways in which people can use it. This is the concept area where the user journey and functionality are well planned and developed.

However, if the app’s overall design sucks – for instance if the text is cramped or the buttons are placed too close together – then even the crème de la crème of UX won’t be all that visible here. That is where a bad UI spoils a good use of the application or a website by the user.

At the same time a well styled web design that is a pain to navigate is akin to having a delicious looking piece of cake that is indelibly distasteful. Even if the design looks perfect, it is impossible or hard to move around, the usability drops down.

Therefore, UI and UX can be easily compared to two dancers who are inseparable from each other. They have to support each other to be able to produce an aesthetic and efficient product or interface. UI UX design services are two different professions which, however, always complement each other since you work on the same project to create successful products.

What Sets UI and UX Design Apart?

User interface (UI) design and user experience (UX) design are both related fields in digital design that focus on how people interact with products, but they have different approaches:

• Keep It Simple: Also, eliminate the redundancy. It’s advisable to employ standard gestures frequently and provide some simple alternatives/ Variants of them.
• Empower Users: Design should communicate an attitude of user control and user freedom; it must lead users effortlessly through the processes necessary to accomplish their goals.
• Be Intuitive: The goal should be to produce a design that is clear, intuitive, and navigable. Intuitive design gives users the confidence to engage them more so they will continue to do it.
• Create a Sense of Achievement: People also want to feel proud and accomplished when they see the artifacts that they use every day. Ensure that every interaction results in both the provider and the recipient agreeing that it was worth the effort.

To sum up, it is possible to state that a great UI and UX design is all about Clarity, Empowerment, and Satisfaction.

How Do You Know You Have Good UI/UX Design?

In other words, an ideal UI/UX design is one that ensures users can easily locate the relevant information they are looking for and offers minimal interference from unrelated information. 

• Simplicity and Clarity: Good design gives people what they want and tells them how to get it through easy to read and uncluttered graphic design. User experience is on point if users are shooting and making other targeted tasks without confusion.
• Avoiding Distractions: If your design makes users stick to the task without distraction by other details or unwanted information, then your design is as it should be.
• User Experience: Always try to make or improve the user’s experience no matter how difficult it may be . For instance, the use of minimalism is preferred because they allow interaction and attention without interruption.
• Consistency and Enjoyability: Consider an app that you can use both during the day and at night without feeling bored with it. If for example your design is in a position to achieve this level of comfort and satisfaction, then you can probably say that it is very effective.

Which to Focus On: Which one is more important, UI or UX?

UI and UX are therefore related concepts that may be accomplished in convergence or separately to premier digital experiences. Although UX is centered on the users’ experience and their engagement with a product, UI is more about architecture of the graphical front-end interface including graphics, typefaces, icons, colors among others.

It also means that UX designers must have knowledge of the tools which can be used for creating prototypes, wireframes, and information architecture. On the other hand, UI designers are more concerned with detail such as design aspects and making the interface attractive.

When it comes to choosing between UX and UI, there is one thing you always should ask yourself: which of them seems more interesting to you – to create users’ friendly experience or draw the eye-catching looks of the interface. Your decision will determine how you will participate in the endeavor of developing the right digital products.

Wrapping Up

Therefore, the purpose of this article is to focus on the effects of UI and UX design on users and to provide the newcomers with some tips. There is a need to make the difference between UI and UX design, but at the same time, UI as well as UX design are important steps towards launching a successful product. 

On this part, it is upon the businesses and developers to make sure that they adopt these designs to enhance the commodities.

For general product design iteration or if you require a fresh UI/UX for your application or website, MultiiQoS is ready to assist. We have a strong dedicated team of UI UX designers whose mission is to provide the best solutions that are fun to use. Our goal for each venture is to overachieve. Please do not hesitate to contact us for the free quote and MultiQoS will assist you in turning your visions into reality!