First things first: UX Design refers to the term User Experience Design, while UI Design stands for User Interface Design. Both elements are absolutely crucial to a product, and work closely together. Despite this close relationship, the roles themselves are quite different. User experience (UX) refers to any interaction a user has with a product or service, while UX design addresses every element that shapes this experience, how it makes the user feel, and how easy it is for the user to accomplish their desired tasks. UI design is the look and feel, the presentation and the interactivity of a product.
The main difference to bear in mind is this: UX design is all about the overall feel of the experience, while UI design is all about how the product’s interfaces look and function. UX design is all about identifying and solving user problems, UI design is all about creating intuitive, aesthetically-pleasing, interactive interfaces.
User experience, or UX, refers to any interaction a user has with a product or service; anything from how a physical product feels in your hand, to how simple the checkout process is when online shopping. The goal of UX design is to create easy, efficient, relevant and all-round pleasant experiences for the user.
Not having a consultant on UI and UX is like not having a football medic for a football team
Anna Jonson
Unlike UX, user interface design is a strictly digital term. A user interface is the point of interaction between the user and a digital device or product—like the touchscreen on your smart device. When it comes to websites and apps, UI design considers the look, feel, and interactivity of the final product. It’s all about making sure that the user interface of a product is as intuitive as possible, and this requires careful consideration of every visual, interactive element the user might encounter.
UX and UI are relatively new fields, and are generally still specific to the tech industry. Outside of design and tech they’re not very well known or understood roles, despite being incredibly important for business. While the value of good design is increasingly recognised, many hiring managers and recruiters assume that UX and UI are done by the same person—hence the incredibly broad job ads you may have come across (or maybe even written yourself!).
UI & UX with KanyaTech
Are you ready to stop settling for clumsy, “design by committee” UI & UX work on your web app or software? Get in touch with KanyaTech today! We take pride in simple, intuitive design work that will delight your users. We can’t wait to work with you.