UX and UI design are often used interchangeably but you should know that these terms mean two different things.

Before we start, let’s get the most basic definitions out of the way. 

UI stands for user interface and this covers the design of the elements users will interact with. So this means the colours of the buttons, the font and size of the text, and the overall visual appeal is managed by a UI designer. 

UX stands for user experience. This is a more broad field that surpasses just the aesthetic of whatever it is that’s being created. In fact, it can go beyond digital. When a person walks into your store, what they see, hear, touch, and eventually feel all contribute to user experience. 

From here on, you can see they’re not swappable but also why they often appear together. 

In this article, we are going to take a deeper dive into how UI and UX correlate with each other and what this means to you!

UI versus UX design and what it means to you 

Here at Weqollab, making this distinction early on with our small to medium business partners is important.

It’s a great way for them to tackle their projects, especially big ones like website or app development.

There’s a lot of confusing information online about how these things can interact and work together. A great comparison is a regular car. 

The car analogy 

UX can be compared to the engine. It reacts to triggers a certain way like when the driver steps on a break. It also gives feedback to the driver with rev sounds and acceleration. UX is also how the seat design cradles the driver and how the windshield geometry helps the driver focus on the road.

UI, on the other hand, is about the design of the interior, of the instrument dials, the leather on the steering wheel or the shape of that gear shifter. It’s a lot about aesthetics that also influence the user experience. 

Take a dive with UX design 

Good UX design is necessary to create a good product. 

When you make declarations that the experience should feel “seamless” or that everything should feel “intuitive”, you are actually making comments more about UX and not UI. 

UX design is that overarching thought and is often a good place when deciding to create an app or a website. It helps you decide very early on what sort of “experience” you want your audience to have.

In our team, we draw a lot of our UX design from experience. Through multiple UI and UX projects and a lot of testing, we also developed a deeper understanding of good interactive design.

For example, in building dashboards, we want to know what information needs to be front and centre that is the most relevant to the user. We want to know how our app or product can enrich and improve a decision-making process. 

Is UI design more fun?

UX does require a lot of high-level thinking and imagining being in the user’s shoes. When it comes to UI design, one important value we think about is usability plus aesthetic. And many do enjoy this part of the process more. 

Interactive elements like a navbar, buttons, scrolling and other effects on a web page or an app should all contribute to the best usability ever. Except if you’re designing the final boss battle, everything should seem “easy”. 

Of course, it’s also the UI designer’s job to make everything look fun or professional. That depends on what kind of look you’re going for. 

A delicate dance

That’s it! I hope you know more about these two important concepts now versus before you met this article.

 

Fun UI and UX exercise

Now that you know the difference, why not explore our website even more. Take note of how everything has been designed and think of both the UX and UI design decisions have been made to arrive at the final output.

 

Need to create a website or revamp a dated one? Work with our team of talented developers and experienced designers. Contact us today to learn more about our flexible services for businesses big and small!