UX & UI Explained: What’s the catch?
There are so many critical areas of your business that you have to pay attention to. Why should you care about something as trivial as design, visual elements and user-friendliness when it comes to digital products?
Because 88% of users are less likely to return to a website after a bad user experience. Also, mobile users are 5 times more likely to abandon a task if the website isn’t optimized for mobile.
This is where great design steps in and does the work for you: a good first impression will transform a one time user into a loyal customer of your brand. Get inspired by some of the best app designs according to DesignRush.
That is why UX and UI design is worth investing money and time in.
But first, let’s shed light on two of the most confused terms in web and app design and see which one guarantees success for your product or service.
Spoiler: UX and UI are complementary. To put it simply, UX is like a recipe for your cake, while UI is more like its decoration.
What is UX design
The term ‘UX’ stands for ‘user experience’ and it refers to the experience that a person has as they interact with a product. It originally emerged from the digital world, however, nowadays, the term relates to any specific human-design interaction.
Where did this term come from? It was coined by Donald Norman back in the 90s when he worked at Apple, making him the first person to hold the job title of ‘User Experience Architect’.
By this definition, UX is everywhere. In Norman’s own words: ‘I walk around the world and encounter new objects all the time. How do I know how to use them?’
How do we manage in a world of tens of thousands of objects? The answer is great user-centered design practices. A user-centered mentality is necessary for the success of any interactive system.
To sum everything up so far, let’s use this analogy: ‘User experience is like a joke; if you have to explain it, it’s a bad one’ (tweet by @SwissUXNews).
What is UI design
UI stands for ‘user interface’ and it only refers to digital products. Simply put, it is anything a user may interact with in order to use a digital product or service.
In the case of mobile apps or desktop software, the user interacts with various components of a product: menus, buttons, videos, forms, basically anything you can swipe, scroll, or click on.
User interface is designed to allow humans to control machines effectively and efficiently, and a good UI should make the interaction between the user and the product as smooth, effortless and enjoyable as possible.
UI is created in layers of interaction that appeal to the human senses (sight, touch, auditory and more). They include both input devices (keyboard, mouse, microphone, touch screen, fingerprint scanner, camera) and output devices (monitors, speakers and printers). For example, everyday UI uses a combination of tactile input (keyboard and mouse) and a visual and auditory output (monitor and speakers).
UI is always part of a bigger UX picture and every UI decision needs to be traced back to UX.
UI’s role is significant, but it’s just one of the elements of UX.
The infamous UI vs UX Ketchup meme
Memes like this one represent a good place to start for someone that has never heard of UX or UI. Although both terms have a much more complex understanding, this is a good starting point in educating people on the matter with the intent of giving design the recognition it deserves.
Design is a field that is constantly changing. In fact, there is no single definition of UX/UI that suits all the perspectives.
We shouldn’t get caught up in trying to settle the debate on the difference between user interface design and user experience design. Rather look at them as complementary, as two disciplines working together in harmony. In our opinion, a very good starting point is focusing on acquiring a general understanding of how and when to use these key terms.
Main takeaways of UX/UI:
Yes, the terms are related.
Yes, the terms can overlap.
No, they are not interchangeable – no matter how often people use them interchangeably.
How much does this matter? It can matter a lot. Paying attention to the UX and UI design of your product can make or break the success of a product or service.
Let’s keep the conversation going! What are your thoughts on UX/UI? Let us know in the comments below.
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