UI and UX Design – What’s the Difference?

One question that is often asked when it comes to website design is what the difference is between UI and UX design? The countless analogies online can quite easily leave your head in a spin as a definitive answer can be hard to find. However, understanding this distinction is essential, especially if you wish to find a career in design. 

In order to simplify this topic as much as possible, this article from a Surrey web design specialist will guide you through everything you need to know about this topic. 

 

So What is The Difference?

The difference between User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) design can be explained as follows. UI refers to aesthetic elements that people use in order to interact with a product. On the other hand, UX refers to the experience a user has with a service or product. Thus, UI focuses on visual interface elements. These may include typography, colours, menu bars and more. Alternatively, UX focuses on the user and their experience. 

Often UX will be considered first. Imagine your website as a house. UX will establish how each room of the house connects and how they relate to one another. UX will focus on the practical aspects of your site to achieve a simpler and more intuitive user experience. 

Once these organisational factors have been established, you can then consider the design. This is where UI comes into play. UI is like the interior design of your home. It’s like choosing what pictures to hang on the wall, and what colour to paint the walls. UI design will have an unconscious effect on the visitors of your webpage. Your choice of colour and style will reflect your brand and identity as a business. 

 

What Does UI Design Include? 

UI designers add visible design elements that aid usability and make a webpage more aesthetically pleasing. Typical tasks for a UI designer may include:

 

Visible Design  

UI designers often will design the product layout and all visual elements of the user interface. This may include colours, fonts, buttons and icons.

 

Design Research 

In addition to carrying out design changes on a web page or site, UI designers will also carry out research. This research will provide essential information about competitors and users. It will also provide insight into current design trends that should be considered. 

 

What Does UX Design Include? 

User experience designers aim to understand your customers journey and optimise to aid this. This involves understanding the target audience, designing user flows and conducting user testing. 

Here are a few examples of the tasks carried out by UX designers:

 

User Research 

Design is not all about the visual factors. UX designers use research and data in order to problem solve and come up with ideas. 

 

Information Architecture (IA) 

Information architecture is the process of organising and labelling content for websites, apps and products. The aim is to facilitate users in finding information and accomplishing their goals in as simple a way as possible. 

 

Summary – Why is UI and UX Design So Important? 

UX and UI design will help shape the experience of your product for your audience. Where one product has better UX/UI design in comparison to another, the UX/UI designed product will be more successful as the product will have a better overall experience. 

Furthermore, despite their differences. Both UX and UI design work best when working together. Both elements will influence one another and will determine how a product looks and functions.

 

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As Surrey web design specialists, we are confident that we can meet your web development needs. To find out more about what we can do for you, get in touch with us today!