User Interface (UI) vs User Experience (UX) – What is the Difference Between UI and UX?

In the world of front-end design, UIUIThe user interface, in the industrial design field of human-computer interaction, is the space where interactions between humans and machines occur. and UXUXUser Experience Design (UXD, UED, or XD) is the process of manipulating user behavior through usability, accessibility, and desirability provided in the interaction with a product. User experience design encompasses traditional human–computer interaction (HCI) design and extends it by addressing all aspects of a product or service as perceived by users. Experience design (XD) is the practice of designing products, processes, services, events, omnichannel journeys, and environments with a focus placed on the quality of the user experience and culturally relevant solutions. are two of the terms that are often confused a lot. Since they are often used as a single term, UI/UX, this confusion is quite common. Though UI and UX might appear to be the same, they are different. So, let’s discuss UI vs UX in detail.

UI deals with looks & ensures the responsive design, whereas UX deals with flow, functionalities, and ease of interaction with the app. Let’s discuss the significance of these two features, their differences, and how they need to work in sync for apps to provide a seamless experience.

What is UI?

UI is the abbreviation for User Interface. It includes designing all the elements that the user needs to interact with a website/app. This can be a button, a text box, a scroll bar, slider, animation, etc. Every element that makes your website/app interactive and memorable is part of UI design. UI designers determine how your website/application looks starting from the color palette, theme, button shapes, to line styles, a stroke of the lines and fonts.

UI is about creating the look and feel of a website/application that resonates with your brand with all necessary aesthetic elements. The UI designers make sure all the elements of your website/app are in sync.

What is UX?

UX is short for User Experience. It is determined by the comfort with which the users interact with your website/app. Usually, it involves finding answers to questions like whether your project’s front-end makes the user feel efficient while accomplishing a task? Does the navigation make sense? Are the design elements working in sync, or do they feel out of place? When users answer such questions, it helps UX designers to get a fair estimate of the user experience.

UX designers have the responsibility of making sure the user interface is organized, and all the elements present in the front-end fit seamlessly with one another. This is an iterative process with designers creating wireframes, mockups, etc. and getting user feedback. Based on this holistic view, new ways of interaction are implemented into UX design based on user behavior and preferences.

Why UX is Important?

To put it simply, UX is important because it tries to fulfill the user’s needs. It aims to provide positive experiences that keep users loyal to the product or brand. Additionally, a meaningful user experience allows you to define customer journeys on your website that are most conducive to business success.

Also Read – 6 Contemporary User Experience ( UX ) Design Trends You Must Know for 2020

UI vs UX – The Differences

• UX is the extent to which the demands of a user are satisfied, while UI is the way user interaction is enabled in a website/app’s front-end design.
• UX designers generally ensure the navigation is seamless throughout the app, whereas UI makes use of this very same model to get it represented in real-time.
• UX decides the front-end functionalities and delivers a consistent experience across the website/app, and the UI allows the user to use the front-end in real-time and accomplish a task.
• UX is about setting goals and targets, and the UI is about the user journey that gets users connected to that goal.
• UX design helps with the usability of a website/app, whereas UI design helps people interact with the visual aspects of the website/app.

Research is Key

The primary role of research is to help designers understand the user expectation and start including them. However, the information taken by UI and UX designers is slightly different. Research plays a vital role in deciding what goes into the UI and UX aspects of the website/app design. 

It is important to distinguish between the design elements and gather as much valuable information as possible from the user. This is why UI and UX designers need to assist each other while designing the front-end of a website/app.

This process is often iterative, where there are usability sessions with users interacting with different aspects of the app. Thus, valid feedback can be integrated into the website/app to enhance both UI and UX.

UI and UX are Complementary

UI and UX are complementary. Both are meant to deliver the best website/app possible to the end-user. UI helps with setting standards for the look and feel of a website/app while UX is the journey that gives the user that feeling of comfort while using the app.

UI and UX are equally important. Without UX, UI can result in providing the user with an incomplete and ineffective app. When there is a pleasant UI, but not an impressive UX, the user finds the product not useful, and effectiveness drops. 

UI and UX are co-dependent. Without a pleasant UI, even a brilliant UX would disappoint the user. There has to be a fine balance between UI and UX elements in the successful design of any product. A winning combination has a great UI and UX working in tandem with each other to deliver a remarkable front-end.

Final thoughts

UI Designers need to be aware of the visual appeal and branding elements when trying to design a website/app. They must ensure the designs from the UX designers are implemented in real-time for the users to see and use.

UX designers need to be primarily concerned with satisfying user expectations. Every single user interaction has to come with a sense of comfort and familiarity. For example, a travel website/app might have been differently designed in the past, and it’s important to identify what features to include and exclude. It’s a good practice to follow research-backed data rather than our preferences and biases.  We believe we have explained UI vs UX clearly.

Our expert UI and UX developers have hands-on experience in delivering industry-leading UI/UX design services. For further queries, you can reach us by dropping an email at media@techaffinity.com or you can schedule a meeting.