What do you do if you need to distinguish between UX design and UI design? (2024)

Last updated on Mar 25, 2024

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  2. User Interface Design
  3. User Experience (UX)

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UX Defined

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2

UI Explained

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3

The Harmony

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Process Differences

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Skillset Variation

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Career Paths

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7

Here’s what else to consider

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Understanding the distinction between User Experience (UX) design and User Interface (UI) design is crucial for anyone involved in product development or digital design. While these terms are often used interchangeably, they refer to different aspects of the product design process. UX design is about the overall feel of the experience, while UI design is about how the product's interfaces look and function. To create a successful product, you need to appreciate the nuances of both and how they work together to shape the user's interaction with the product.

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  • Kunaaal K. Building Tria - one name all things web3 | Product Designer | UI/ UX Designer | thekaypo | BUILD 2.0 | IIITK'23

    What do you do if you need to distinguish between UX design and UI design? (3) What do you do if you need to distinguish between UX design and UI design? (4) 2

  • Terry Bates UX Designer | UX Researcher |Certified Google Cybersecurity Professional | Published Author | Proud Father

    What do you do if you need to distinguish between UX design and UI design? (6) What do you do if you need to distinguish between UX design and UI design? (7) 2

What do you do if you need to distinguish between UX design and UI design? (8) What do you do if you need to distinguish between UX design and UI design? (9) What do you do if you need to distinguish between UX design and UI design? (10)

1 UX Defined

User Experience (UX) design is the process of creating products that provide meaningful and relevant experiences to users. This involves the design of the entire process of acquiring and integrating the product, including aspects of branding, design, usability, and function. UX design is concerned with everything that affects a user's journey and interaction with a product, aiming to make it as efficient and enjoyable as possible.

2 UI Explained

User Interface (UI) design, on the other hand, specifically refers to the graphical layout of an application. It consists of the buttons users click on, the text they read, the images, sliders, text entry fields, and all the rest of the items the user interacts with. This includes screen layout, transitions, interface animations, and every single micro-interaction. Any sort of visual element, interaction, or animation must all be designed.

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3 The Harmony

To distinguish between UX and UI design, it's essential to understand that they work closely together and both are crucial for a product's success. While UX is a more analytical and technical field, UI is closer to what you might associate with graphic design, though the responsibilities are somewhat more complex. Think of UX as "how it works" and UI as "how it looks."

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  • Kunaaal K. Building Tria - one name all things web3 | Product Designer | UI/ UX Designer | thekaypo | BUILD 2.0 | IIITK'23
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    We can also consider UI to be under the umbrella term of UX. I often consider this as a point of union where users find the perfect sense of a trusted usable app.

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4 Process Differences

The UX design process involves research to understand the user's needs, developing prototypes to test different approaches to a problem, and iterating on feedback. In contrast, UI design has a more artistic component as it involves choosing color schemes, designing buttons, and ensuring that the layout follows the principles of visual hierarchy and aesthetics.

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  • Terry Bates UX Designer | UX Researcher |Certified Google Cybersecurity Professional | Published Author | Proud Father

    When designing for an Apple Watch platform, I had to remember the interface is much smaller than desktop or even mobile. The UI design must come first since the requirements are strict and the components are much smaller. While thinking about the design I had the user's experience top of mind compared to the aesthetics and functionality when creating the UI.

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5 Skillset Variation

When distinguishing between UX and UI design, consider the skillset required for each. UX designers must understand user psychology and work with interactive elements to create an intuitive user flow. In contrast, UI designers focus on visual elements and need to have a keen eye for detail and a strong sense of graphic design to create an engaging interface.

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  • Kunaaal K. Building Tria - one name all things web3 | Product Designer | UI/ UX Designer | thekaypo | BUILD 2.0 | IIITK'23
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    UX often requires you to look into how humans function on the core level while UI helps you redefine a wireframe into a usable and interesting app that resonates with the functionality and company's branding.

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6 Career Paths

Finally, if you're considering a career in either field, it's important to recognize that UX and UI designers often have different responsibilities. A UX designer's role is to create the entire blueprint for a digital product, whereas a UI designer's role is to translate this blueprint into a visually appealing interface. Both roles require a deep understanding of users' needs and behaviors, but they apply this knowledge in different ways.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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