User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) are the most widely used terms in web and app design. Although extensively used, both the terms are often confused and used interchangeably.
While they refer to similar functionality, there are primary differences between UX and UI, each having its importance and need. So, it is obvious we need to understand what each term means, why we need them, and where we need them.
The Basics
UX and UI often appear together and are considered replaceable. UX/UI together form the basis of the design architecture of any web and application development. But the two terms have very different meanings. What are these differences?
User Interface (UI)
In non-technical terms, user interface or UI is any web or application aspect an user may interact with to acquire its digital service. The screens, keyboards, app sounds, even lights, and design layout all come under the user interface’s broad heading.
UI determines the look, feel, and activity of the digital product. A UI designer will consider icons and buttons, typography and color schemes, spacing, imagery, and responsive design.
This design aspect is responsible for transferring a product’s development, research, content, and layout into a pleasing layout that guides user experience.
User Experience (UX)
UX stands for ‘user experience.’ An user’s experience while using the website or app is measured by how they interact with it.
Whether the interaction was smooth and straightforward, in which case the UX is good. If it were complicated and confusing, the UX was not good.
UX deals with questions like – Is navigating through the application easy? Do people understand the functionality offered? Does the layout of the website feel logical, or was it difficult to grasp? The UX determines the level of ease or difficulty of interacting with the user interface elements designed by UI engineers.
So, UX is concerned with the interface (UI) to a certain extent. This is why it is understandable why people often consider UI and UX to be the same. UX designers deal with measuring how well the interface operates while UI designers are in charge of how the application will look (i.e., the interface).
The user’s experience ultimately decides the overall structure of the interface and its functionality. How the website will be organized and all the elements will react with each other comes under the umbrella of UX.
Consider the UX to be the end test for UI. If the interface is constructed logically, the user experience should be seamless. In contrast, a poorly designed website would prove to provide an unsatisfactory UX.
Simply put, an user interface (UI) is anything an user may interact with to use a digital product or service. It includes everything from screens and touchscreens, keyboards, sounds, and even lights.
So, What’s The Difference?
To better understand the relationship and differences between UX and UI, you should assume the digital product to be the human body.
If the product is the body, the codes giving it a basic outline will represent the skeleton. The organs that carry out the organism’s primary functions will be analogous to the UX design. The UI forms the body’s facial and cosmetic structure – the presentation, senses, and reactions.
The main difference boils down to this – the UX is concerned with the overall feel of the web or app, whereas the UI deals with the actual structure and functionality.
Which To Prioritize?
UX and UI are two different aspects of web/app designing and they go hand-in-hand.
Since UX and UI are inter-related, we can not give more importance to one over the other aspect.
A UX designer puts the entire user journey in mind starting with; what steps does the user take? How do they think? What will they need? They focus on finding what obstacles an user could face and help present solutions to make the processes simpler.
In the end, UX maps out a bare wireframe for a basic blueprint for the product.
With the outline laid out, the UI sets out to build the technical and visual elements to bring the digital product to life.
The minor things like tapping a button, scrolling down a page, swiping through a gallery, etc., are thought of by UI designers.
But, UI does not just deal with looks and design. It goes more than that by involving various functionality. The interface plays a large part in deciding whether a product is accessible or not.
UX and UI work in pairs to come up with a final product to provide the best. Hence, there is no ranking amongst the two aspects and ignoring either of them is out of the question.
Simple and Complex Designs
Interfaces are always complex. The trick is to present complex codings in a clean and visually easy-to-grasp concept.
Minimal designs are the top choices for most designers. Although minimalism means ‘less is more’ for the user, they are perhaps the most complex ones to design.
Research shows that users interact and appreciate simple design approaches much more freely as compared to complex ones. A clean and clear layout provides a good user experience and a highly-skilled interface.
To Conclude
By now, you should probably recognize the critical difference between User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX). In case you are still a little confused, that’s okay too. Most people connected to the web development industry do not understand the different concepts either.
What’s important to note is that both UX and UI are equally important factors to consider when building a new website or an application. You can not hope to create a high-rating digital service without the ‘approval’ of UX/UI.
While thinking of the construction and layout, consider how the user would approach the digital service. What thoughts may come to their mind? Build your app/website following an user’s thought process and you will appreciate the concepts of UX and UI even better. So get thinking, start building!