Many people are unaware of the difference between UI and UX design thinking them to be one and the same. All developers, whether specializing in converting websites to WordPress or building custom themes/plugins must know about the dissimilarities. Both elements are distinct from each other but their harmonious association is essential for creating a productive website. UI and UX are crucial aspects of all kinds of product (physical as well as digital) design. They ensure that an item not only looks good but also provide optimum functionality to end users. It is impossible to execute a high-quality project without understanding the distinct nature of both components. In this article, we are highlighting the differences between UI and UX design through a few key points.
Definition Of The Two Terms
UI stands for user interface and it refers to the appearance of a product like a website or a mobile app. The interface is what enables a person to use the product. The button you click or the form you fill are all part of a website’s UI. it is usually a combination of the visual design and the interactive design. For instance, the color and dimensions of a CTA button will be part of the visual design. The manner in which the button’s appearance changes to convey a successful clicking action falls under the interactive design category.
UX is the acronym for user experience and it defines the feeling of a person after interacting with a product. For example, it will be bad user experience, if it takes too long to direct visitors to another page after clicking a button. Interaction design is a part of UX as well. However, where UI involves the creation of micro-interactions, UX requires the fashioning of macro-interactions. UX designers will prepare the flow chart of a visitor’s journey of becoming a subscriber. They will list the steps necessary for the conversion process. A UI designer will make sure that the interactions have clear visual indicators which will efficiently guide the visitors.
Impact On Appearance
The main objective of UX design is to identify the major pain point of the target audience. It then provides an effective solution for resolving the issue, to the people. The aim of the entire strategy is to keep the users happy and satisfied. The prospective user base along with the main competitors are extensively researched. The analysis is then used to create buyer personas which act as the basis for fashioning a valuable product. UX defines how an item must function and look.
UI defines the complete visual appearance of a project. It uses the input provided by the UX research to design a layout that will resolve key customer issues. The color palette used in the website along with the typographical elements chosen by UI designers. However, visual appeal is not the only factor for making the selections. The buyer personas dictate the kind of choices a professional would make while arranging a layout. The manner in which both components affect a layout’s appearance is one of the major differences between UI and UX design.
Effect On Objectives
We will now discuss how both elements affect the objectives associated with a web development project. A website is a vehicle for realizing business goals which are dependent on user goals. Once people start achieving what they want to do with a website, it will automatically help in meeting business aims. The entire UX flowchart is designed after identifying the user objectives of the target audience. Then the business goals are define on top of these aims. Guiding visitors towards their objectives will help an enterprise realize its business goals.
Once the goals become clear, and the UX path is charted, it becomes easy to plan the UI. Designers know the kind of components that the audience expects. They customize the interface elements according to users’ tastes. This helps in creating a layout that a majority of the people will like. It helps in creating an emotional bond between the brand and its user base. A well-thought-out interface will boost the engagement of the users.
Focus Areas Of The Two Elements
The entire focus of UX is on the path taken by a user to resolve an issue. It lists down the steps that people need to take for solving the problem. The UX strategy includes the design ideas which will help users in meeting their objectives smoothly.
UI is focused on the visual or physical appearance of the project. It gives shape to the UX concepts and ensures visitors’ interactions are effortless. UI provides the instruments to visitors for moving ahead on the path to solving their problems.
Conclusion
It is essential to know about the difference between UI and UX design in order to create feature-rich and attractive layouts. Even with their distinct nature, both components are closely linked and designers must know about each of them to improve their productivity.
Author Bio
Jacob Graves is a Sr. WordPress Developer at HireWPGeeks Ltd, a company that provides psd to WordPress theme conversion in a convenient manner.
