UI UX; both crucial elements of website design but what’s the difference between UI and UX? What does UI stand for? What does a UX designer do?
If you’re in the business of creating websites, the chances are you’ll have heard the terms UI and UX. As technology continues to evolve, so do UI and UX designs. It is important to understand the differences between these two terms to ensure that your website or app design is successful.
In this blog post, the KIJO experts will discuss the differences between UI and UX. We’ll explain how they are both necessary when it comes to digital products and how they work together in order to create a seamless on site experience.
UI stands for “User Interface”.
UI design is all about how a user interface looks and feels. The best UI designs are both visually appealing and easy to use.
A good UI design should take into account the various elements of the user interface. This includes buttons, icons, text and images. The goal is to create a cohesive design that allows users to easily navigate the service or product and perform the desired actions.
UI design uses typography, colours, images and other visual elements like page layout and interactivity to create a website design or app that’s engaging, interesting and digestible.
A well put together and thoughtful UI design can make a big difference in the overall user experience of a website. However, it’s much easier to define the limits of UI design as the focus is clear from the name; interfaces. It covers every element that the end user sees and interacts with.
A UI designer is responsible for the look and feel of a website or app. They create the visual elements that users interact with. That means elements such as buttons, icons, and the page layout. A good UI designer will have a strong understanding of colour theory, typography and user experience.
A UI designer takes the wireframes already created by the UX designer (more on those later) and adds the visual elements to the site structure. They advance on the work of a UX designer, making websites and apps more visually appealing and user friendly.
A UI designer has two key areas of responsibility when it comes to designing websites. Those are the look and feel of the end product, and the responsiveness and interactivity of a website.
Key steps in the workflow of a UI designer include:
UX stands for “User Experience”.
UX design focuses on the journey a user takes through your website. A UX designer’s job is to create a user-friendly and positive experience.
Good UX design makes products more enjoyable to use, and can even make them more efficient and effective.
UX design usually starts with a problem – e.g. the need for a new website – and works through the stages to create a wireframe. This wireframe provides a seamless and engaging experience.
Just like with UI design, the clue is in the name for UX. UX design focuses on the experience a user has with a website or app. The UX design ensures they are able to undertake their desired actions quickly and efficiently.
UX design is about making sure users can achieve their goals in the easiest and most enjoyable way possible.
A UX designer is responsible for creating engaging and user-friendly designs for websites and apps.
Working closely with teams of developers, marketers, and other designers to create prototypes and wireframes, a successful UX designer must have a strong understanding of human behaviour. They need to know how the human brain interacts with technology.
The key to being a good UX designer is understanding your target audience. A UX designer needs a strong understanding of how a website’s audience behaves online, what they are looking for and the journeys they take.
UX designers have two key areas of focus when it comes to designing websites and apps. The first is research and strategy and the second is wireframes and prototypes.
Key steps in the workflow of a UX designer include:
UI UX are incredibly important and shape the overall experience that users have of your finished product.
A great UI UX design will help your website to stand out from the crowd. Whilst you may offer the same or similar services or products, if the UI UX of your website is better, chances are users will choose you.
A good user experience is no longer a “nice to have”; it’s an essential part of any online platform. With so much competition and technology out there, users will no longer stand for sub-par experiences when browsing online. They’ll simply head to your competitors.
Good UI UX design provides your brand with an essential competitive advantage and helps to differentiate you from your competitors.
They may be two separate disciplines. However, UX and UI design do in fact work together to create a finished product that offers an unrivalled user experience every step of the way.
Both elements are just as important as each other. When done correctly, UI and UX work together, providing your desired online experience for users. Their synchronisation determines how your website will function.
The reality is, whilst there is a difference between UI and UX, there simply isn’t one without the other. You could spend weeks designing and creating a website that looks amazing (UI), but if users can’t find what they’re looking for or find it too hard to navigate (UX), they’ll become frustrated and leave.
Similarly, you could conduct extensive user research and testing and create a website that provides an exceptional user experience. But, if the colours and fonts are illegible (UI), users will bounce straight back off.
They work in tandem. You need both UI design and UX design to ensure your finished product is something all users can interact with.
As you can see, UX and UI design are both paramount to great website and application builds. Whilst they are two separate disciplines and cover different elements, one doesn’t work without the other.
Here at KIJO our team of expert UX and UI designers work together to create online masterpieces you could only dream of. You can check out our previous website designs and apps on our case study page.
Be sure to get in touch with our expert UI UX team today to find out how we can help you create exemplary UX and UI designs for your brand and business. Ones that will put you way ahead of the competition.
