If you are new to the world of design, it is likely that you get confused between the terms UI and UX. A significant chunk of the population considers them synonyms – and that is not the case! In this article, we will go through the major differences between UI and UX and understand how they work together in the long-term to give an ideal experience to the user. Read on!
In today’s world, the objective of any design is to create user-friendly interfaces that provide an enhanced user experience to the users. UI and UX design come into factor here.
UI – User Interface
User Interface is basically a combination of visual elements such as icons, menus, buttons, and so on that help users interact with a device or software. One such example is the mobile phone. It defines how the website looks and the usability of the same. It is necessary that elements are structured well, are well-organized, and are grouped in the same style. To have a great User Interface, a lot of planning, prototyping, and analysis takes place.
A user interface is considered to be ideal when it allows users to easily interact with it and gives them the desired results – with minimum effort and time. It aims to provide a smooth and convenient interaction. Such interaction can be with different products such as devices, applications, websites, and so on.
Here are some core principles of UI design:
- Clarity: This means that the user is informed and confident about his interaction with the UI.
- Flexible: UI should be able to retain its practical application in all situations and contexts.
- Recognizability: Simple interfaces are usually more preferred and it helps your design to be associated with the brand in the mind of the user.
- Consistency: When users see something familiar in new situations, the UI becomes more accessible to them.
UX – User Experience
User Experience is what the user remembers about an application or website after using it. When UI is developed, UX is taken into consideration. There are different aspects of UX. Some of them include:
- Processes users go through
- The sequence of actions the user performs
- Thoughts and feelings while interacting with the product
- Impressions
When it comes to creating a digital product, UX design is one of the most important and initial steps. It makes the application useful, convenient, and logical. It includes components such as information architecture, interactive design, usability, and so on. Designers also need to understand the psychology and emotions of the users and give them what they want.
For further clarity, listed below are the differences between UI and UX according to experts:
- UX is focused on the user’s journey to solve a problem and UI is focused on how the surface of a product looks and functions – Ken Norton
- UX designer focuses on the conceptual aspects of the design aspect and the UI designer focuses more on the tangible elements – Andy Budd
- There is no difference between UX and UI design because they are two things that are not comparable to each other – Craig Morrison
- UI is the bridge that gets us to where we want to go, UX is the feeling we get when we arrive – Jason Ogle
- UI is focused on the product, a series of snapshots in time, and UX is focused on the user and their journey – Scott Jenson
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To conclude:
UX is the interaction and experience a user has. It identifies and solves user problems. It is concerned with the conceptual aspects of a product, website, or application.
UI is the specific asset that a user interacts with and deals with visual design elements. UI focused more on the aesthetic aspects of a product.
UX can be easily applied to different kinds of products, experiences, and services. UI is typically specific to digital products and experiences.
UI is a part of UX and the end goal is to simplify the usage of devices and softwares. However, a lot of people deem them as synonyms – which is not the case. It is possible to have a great UI but a not-so-great UX, and vice versa. If you want to give your users an ideal experience, having a good UI and UX is essential. They both go together.
We hope this article has been helpful to you. Did you know the difference between UI and UX before? Did you learn something new today – let us know below. Thank you for reading and all the best! Stay tuned for more such helpful blogs!
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