UI and UX are both crucial elements of web design but what are they, how do they differ and how do they work together?
When it comes to creating websites, the chances are you’ll have heard the terms User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) before.
But are you confused about what sets them apart from each other?
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, explaining how they are both necessary when it comes to digital products and how they work together in order to create an effective user experience.
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, including buttons, icons, text, and images. The goal is to create a cohesive design that allows users to easily navigate the product and perform the desired actions.
UI design uses typography, colours, images and other visual elements to create an end product that is engaging, interesting and digestible.
A well-designed UI can make a big difference in the overall user experience (UX) of a product but it’s much easier to define the limits of UI design as the focus is clear in 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, such as buttons, icons, and 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. A UI designer advances 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, 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 design focuses on the journey a user takes through your website, creating 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 that provides a seamless and engaging experience.
Just like UI design, the clue is in the name. UX design focuses on the experience a user has with a website or app, ensuring they are able to undertake their desired actions quickly and efficiently.
UX design is about ensuring 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 and how the human brain interacts with technology.
The key to being a good UX designer is understanding your target audience. You need a strong understanding of how your 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, research & strategy and wireframes & prototypes.
Key steps in the workflow of a UX designer include:
UX and UI are both incredibly important and shape the overall experience that users have of your finished product.
A great UX and UI 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 and 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.
Good UX and UI design provides your brand with an essential competitive advantage and helps to differentiate you from your competitors.
They may be two separate disciplines but 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 and when done correctly, work together to allow you to provide your desired online experience for users, determining how your website will function.
The reality is, there is no UX without UI and no UI without UX. For example, you could spend weeks designing and creating a website that looks amazing, but if users can’t find what they’re looking for or find it too hard to navigate, they will 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, users will bounce straight back off.
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 design 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.
Be sure to get in touch with the team today to find out how we can help you create UX and UI designs that will put you way ahead of the competition.
