What is the Difference between UI and UX Design?

User Interface Design and UX Design are two of the most confused and mixed up terms in web and app design industry. They are often lumped together. It’s often difficult to find solid definitions of both that don’t get too bogged down in jargon. But don’t worry!

By the end of this article, one will have a better understanding of what makes them different and how they relate to each other. So let’s dive in!

What is UI Design ?

 “UI” stands for “user interface”. It is the graphical layout of the application. The look and feel of an application’s user interface is created by the UI designers.They deal with aesthetics. It is up to them to ensure that the app’s interface is attractive, visually stimulating, and appropriately themed to the app’s purpose and personality.  This includes the buttons users click, the text they read, images, scroll bars, text input fields, and all the other things the user interacts with. This also includes screen layouts, transitions, interface animations, and any micro-interaction.

What is UX design?

“UX” stands for “user experience”. The user’s experience with the application is determined by how he works with it. Is the experience smooth and easy to understand or clumsy and confusing? Does the app’s navigation seem logical or random? Does interacting with the app make people feel like they are effectively completing the tasks they set out to do, or does it feel like a struggle?

So how is User experience determined?

UX is determined by how easy or difficult it is to interact with user interface elements created by user interface designers. So, UX designers also deal with the user interface of an app, which is why people get confused about the difference between the two. But while UI designers are tasked with deciding what the user interface looks like, UX designers are responsible for determining how the user interface works. One can embrace their knowledge in the UI UX field by enrolling for the UI UX design course.

Difference between UI and UX Design

So a UX designer decides how the user interface works, while a UI designer decides how the user interface looks. This is a collaborative process and both design teams tend to work closely together. While the UX team works on the flow of the app, how all the buttons navigate you through your tasks, and how the interface effectively serves the user’s information needs, the UI team works on how all the interface elements are visible on the screen. Constant communication and collaboration between UI and UX designers helps to ensure that the final user interface looks its best while working efficiently and intuitively.

UI and UX design involve different skill sets, but are essential to each other’s success. Beautiful design can’t save an interface that’s clunky and confusing to navigate, and a perfectly tailored user experience can be drowned out by poor visual interface design that makes the app awful to use.

Aspirants can also take up a UI UX design course if they wish to pursue their career in the UI/UX field.