UI design vs. UX design – what is the difference?

You have probably overheard discussions about the magnificent “UX” of a product, or the poor “UI” of a website. But what are those people talking about? What exactly is the difference between user interface design (UI) and user experience design (UX)?

Often these design processes are lumped together, and although both are part of the design process, they are quite different, referring to very different parts of the process and the design discipline. Where UX design is a more analytical and technical field, UI design is closer to what we refer to as graphic design, though the responsibilities are somewhat more complex.

UX and UI are some of the most puzzling and misused terms in the tech industry. Yet a great product experience starts with UX followed by UI. Both are essential for the product’s success. Defined very simply, the user interface is the part of the product that faces the user when they look at the site or product, and the user experience is how they feel when they look at the site.

What is user experience design?

User experience design (also referred to as UXD or UED) is the process of increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty by focusing on ease of use as well as improving the overall pleasure in the interaction between the customer and the product.

This implies that regardless of its medium, UX design encompasses any and all interactions between a potential or active customer and a company. As a design process it could be applied to anything – cars, software as a service, web development and so on.

Despite being a design term, its use since inception has been almost entirely within the online or digital industry, possibly due to these industries gaining momentum simultaneously at the time of the term’s use.

The responsibilities of Opus Online’s UX designer are targeted at the development of online products, but the process can be applied to anything:

Strategy and content: competitor analysis, customer analysis, product structure and strategy, content development

Wireframing and prototyping: wireframing, prototyping, testing and iteration, development planning

Execution and analytics: coordination with UI designer(s), coordination with web developer(s), tracking goals and integration, analysis and iteration

So part marketer, part designer, part project manager – the UX role is complex, challenging and multifaceted. Ultimately the aim is to connect a company’s business goals to users’ needs through a process of testing and refinement that satisfies both parties.

What is user interface design?

User interface design is difficult to define because of its wide-ranging variety of interpretations. While user experience is an amalgamation of tasks focused on optimising a product for effective and pleasant use, user interface design is the look, feel and interactivity of a product. But like UX, it is easily and often confused by the industries that employ UI designers.

For example, if you look at job posts for user interface design, you will find interpretations of the profession that are akin to graphic design, sometimes including branding design and frontend development.

Similar to user experience design, user interface design is a multifaceted and complex role. It is responsible for the transference of a product’s development, research, content and layout into an attractive, guiding and responsive experience for users. However, unlike UX, UI is a strictly digital profession.

Examples of the responsibilities of Opus Online’s UI designer include:

Look and feel: customer analysis, design research, branding and graphic development, user guides and storyline

Responsiveness and interactivity: UI prototyping, interactivity and animation, adaptation to all devices and screen sizes, implementation with web developer(s)

As a visual and interactive designer, the UI role is crucial to any digital interface and for customers a key element in trusting a brand. While the brand itself is never solely the responsibility of the UI designer, its translation to the product is. Furthermore, while UX has no need for coding, UI is a role that, as time progresses, will rely on it as part of building interactive interfaces.

User experience is a good place to be if you want to build great products from the user’s perspective – but if you understand those principles and are more visually inclined, you might prefer user interface design. In other words, UI design produces a product’s visual presentation, reactivity and interactivity in response to a user’s input or different display environments.

UX and UI working together

When working on a web or mobile project, a user experience designer is effectively a chief designer. Often, in a more formal team structure, the chief designer is someone who works closely with or leads the user interface team making the project happen. They would oversee the project concerned, but ideally they would not be a joint UI/UX person, unless they were exceptionally talented in both fields. That is not to say that many UI and UX designers cannot perform either role; in fact, most of them are able to do that if necessary.

To begin any project, the UX designer should be there from inception to completion. They are critical in the project’s life cycle. Without them, the product can end up detached from the company’s business objectives and the users’ needs, as mentioned earlier.

Another point to note is that UI design is effectively a tool that you will be using, and those working on it are as powerful as a drill or hammer is to a construction job. Always remember to choose the appropriate designers for the job, those who can work together, even if you believe UX to be more important.

Whether you are beginning a new project or a foray into building your own product, make certain you thoroughly research both the UX and UI design aspects. Failing to do so will have design (and financial) consequences later on, as changes may be necessary and this will impact both users and costs. The same applies if you and your business are thinking of a product or website redesign. Should these concepts remain alien and you are still a bit confused, why not contact the team at Opus and tell us what you need? The team’s user experience and user interface designers would be happy to partner with you.