If you’ve spent much time around the tech industry, you’ve likely heard the terms UI & UX. These terms are shorthand for designers who work in the field of user interface and user experience design. These are two distinct areas of expertise, but the terms are often mistakenly used interchangeably. To better understand the difference between user interface and user experience design, we’ll dig a bit deeper to truly find the differentiating factors.
User Interface Design (UI Design)
User interface design is simply any graphical interface a person interacts with while using a digital product or service. This covers many devices such as computers, televisions, ATMs, phones, among countless others. Here’s a brief history to better understand how it’s evolved and become a known profession today.
Back in the 1970s, to interact with a computer, you had to understand the command line code. This limited their use to those who knew the language and understood the technology. Fast forward to the mid 1980s and companies like Apple started releasing personal computers with graphical user interfaces (GUI). This allowed people to interact with computers using graphical elements such as buttons, forms, checkboxes, and menus. What followed was the explosion in popularity of the personal computer and the beginning of user interface design.
Building Blocks of UI Design
UI designers generally offer skills categorized into 3 main concepts: interaction design, visual design, and information architecture. These are the building blocks of user interface design and the basis for quality digital products and services. The following outlines the skills for each concept.
- Interaction Design: Interaction design focuses on the behavioral aspects between the user and the user interface. For example, behaviors such as button interactions, error messaging, hover events, dragging, among countless others.
- Visual Design: Visual design focuses on the aesthetics of the digital interface utilizing elements such as placement, fonts, colors, images, icons, among many others. Elements are chosen and displayed in such a way that help communicate the necessary information.
- Information Architecture (IA): Information architecture focuses on structuring, organizing, and labeling content in an effective way. The goal is to help users find desired information and complete tasks in a clear and efficient manner.
Today’s UI designers have a number of opportunities to work on apps, websites, touch screens, and wearable devices to name a few. As long as humans continue to interact with digital devices, user interface designers will be necessary to help improve the ease of use.
User Experience Design (UX Design)
User experience was coined by Don Norman back in the early 1990s while working at Apple to describe a users experience with the company, product, and or service. He describes it as the following:
‘User experience’ encompasses all aspects of the end-user’s interaction with the company, its services, and its products.
With the growing use of digital interfaces, user experience design has become crucial in improving how users feel about their interactions. Have you ever downloaded a new app to your phone, been confused about how it works, and ultimately deleted it? Well, it’s likely the result of confusion stemming from inadequate interface design, leading to aggravation, and ultimately a negative overall experience. User experience design centers around the person interacting with the product or service and aims to improve their entire experience.
Building Blocks of UX Design
To help you understand the building blocks of solid UX design, take a look at Peter Moreville’s “usability honeycomb” below. It outlines the best practices for UX professionals to help guide their efforts.
The UX honeycomb helps designers create an experience that touches on a variety of concerns, improving aspects such as the following.
- Useful: Is the product useful and are there ways to make it more useful?
- Usable: Is the product easy to use and navigate?
- Desirable: Are the aesthetics pleasing to the eye and minimal in nature?
- Findable: Is the information easy to find?
- Accessible: Can users with disabilities consume your information?
- Credible: Does your company come across as authoritative and trustworthy?
- Valuable: Does it provide users with value and the company profits?
Today’s UX designers work closely with UI designers, marketers, and product teams to understand the users needs. Based on qualitative and quantitative research, they make continual improvements to the overall user experience. This ultimately leads to a harmonious balance between user and business needs.
User Interface vs. User Experience Design
While user interface design and user experience design may be related to some degree, they are clearly different. User interface design focuses on the nuts and bolts of interface design while user experience design focuses on the entire experience. UI design falls under the umbrella of UX design, but is an important aspect of the design process. Ken Norton, ex product manager at Google puts it clearly:
UX is focused on the user’s journey to solve a problem, UI is focused on how a product’s surfaces look and function
Hopefully this has cleared up an confusion you may have had about the UI/UX design process and the goals for each. Ultimately, we need technology that’s clear, easy, and pleasant to use. If you’re looking to improve your own website/app/digital device, be sure to keep the information above in mind. Research your audience, conduct usability studies, test, and improve not only the user interface, but your overall user experience. Doing so will help you and your customers reach their goals.
What are your thoughts, have you considered the return on investment of a solid user interface and user experience? Leave any comments or questions below!
