UX Vs. UI: What’s The Difference?

User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) are among the most popular terms associated with web development. The words UI and UX are often used together, as a result, many people use them interchangeably. However, it is important to understand that these two terms are not similar, and comprehensive knowledge regarding each is essential.

Web developers are aware of the importance of quality user experience and interface. So, regardless of using WordPress, Webflow, Wix, or any other high-quality web builder, the experts always invest significant time and effort in offering top-quality UI and UX. The significance of UI and UX can be determined by the fact that providing quality UI and UX is one of the features of an ace website. Even if a website is well-built, it won't be successful if users don't like its UI and UX.

As a beginner, you may have a hard time understanding the difference between UI and UX. Many people will also threaten you with the complexities associated with understanding UI and UX. However, this is not a thing to worry about, by investing some time and effort you will be able to get all your queries cleared in no time.

To make things easier for you, here we have decided to provide you with a detailed guide regarding the differences between UI and UX. Read it properly and get all your queries regarding UI and UX cleared.

What Is UI?

The user interface can be simply regarded as the way humans interact with a website or app. Offering an easy and friendly user interface is the ultimate goal of every website. Buttons, controls, and other elements users use to interact with the website are components of the user interface.

The importance of user interface can be estimated from the fact that it is the main contributing factor towards the success of the website or app. Web developers ensure to make the user interface simple and clear.

In short, the user interface deals with the overall look of the website including its theme, font, and other elements you use to interact with the website.

The Significance of Offering Excellent UI

Excellent user interface when offered can do wonders for your website. The points discussed below will help you to further estimate the importance of offering excellent UI:

• Getting impressed by the UI, many visitors can turn into users of your site and hence will benefit you,
• By providing a friendly user interface you can give tough times to your competitors,
• Excellent User Interface keeps the users engaged without undertaking many efforts,
• The number of queries can be reduced significantly by offering a simple and friendly user interface.

What Is UX?

User experience involves making the interaction between the user and the website the best. User experience, as its name indicates, is focused on making the users' overall experience wholesome. Websites or apps providing excellent user experience attract more traffic and thus are successful.

It is fair to say that the user interface is backed up by user experience. No matter how friendly the interface is, if the experience fails to impress the audience, it is of no use. Owing to the importance of user experience, web developers undertake critical efforts while planning the UX of their sites.

The Significance of Providing Optimal UX

The optimal User experience when offered by websites proves to be extremely beneficial for them. The points emphasizing the importance of offering excellent user experience include but are not limited to:

Offering an ideal experience increases the loyalty of users. Loyal users are not likely to shift to competitors. Thus, you can retain your users by offering optimal experience,

Optimal user experience can help you in improving your site’s ranking. Users satisfied by the experience offered will keep on visiting the website repeatedly, and hence will increase the visibility of the site,

Providing excellent experience introduces the site to many new people.

Differences Between UI And UX

User interface and user experience back up each other, hence, are mostly used together. However, these two terms are not the same and have some major differences. Unfortunately, not many resources are available to help beginners thoroughly grasp the key differences between these terms. If you are looking to figure out the differences between UI and UX, then congratulations you have landed on the perfect site. Here we will assist you in understanding the difference between these two in the simplest possible manner. So, read on:

One most prominent difference between these terms is that user interface design guides the users regarding the process of interacting with the website. However, user experience design involves research, planning, and coming up with ways on offering the best experience,

User interface design involves only the look and ease of use of the website or app. On the other hand, user experience deals with the overall experience of the users while surfing the site,

User experience is not limited to the digital world only, however user interface encompasses only the digital world,

User interface design is virtual, whereas user experience design focuses on the interaction element,

The user interface is more concerned with the choice of theme, colors, fonts, and other elements to appeal to the users and allow them to interact with the website easily. Whereas user experience is aimed at using elements that will make the user's overall experience amazing,

User interface plans only the visuals of the website or app, but user experience plans visuals, informational, and all other aspects of the site or app,

The goal of the user interface is to amaze the users with the look of the website, whereas the goal of the user experience is to satisfy the users with the operations of the website.

Do UI And UX Have Something in Common?

As we already discussed, user experience and user interface supplement each other. These two terms are mostly used together and are crucial for making the website a hit. User experience and user interface have some minor similarities. The things that make these two terms similar include:

• Both user experience and user interface are aimed at providing a high level of satisfaction to the customers,
• Both user experience and user interface improve the SEO optimization of the website and attract visitors,
• User interface and user experience are related to the end product,
• User interface and user experience both are offered to meet the needs of the users in the best possible manner.

Can UI And UX Work Simultaneously?

User interface and user experience work together to determine the final look and operations of the website. In the absence of a user interface, user experience is nothing. Similarly, without user experience, the user interface is nothing.

Imagine that you landed on a website that is designed perfectly, however you can’t figure out how to navigate through it or cannot find out what you are looking for. In this case, you will get frustrated and will leave the website within seconds. This shows that the user interface alone is not enough.

Similarly, now imagine a situation where you have developed a website conducting proper research to provide the best experience to the users. However, you didn't take the user interface seriously and ended up using colors and fonts that are too light to read. As a response to this situation, users will end up leaving the site regardless of the experience it offers. This sums up that providing optimal experience alone too is not enough.

For improving the ranking of the site and attracting an audience it is essential to ensure that the users can navigate through the site easily while enjoying the overall experience. So, we can say that user interface and user experience need to work together to deliver the results they are supposed to.

What Is the Role Of a UI Designer?

The person responsible for making the website user-friendly and visually appealing is referred to as the user interface designer. The increasing significance of providing quality UI made the role of UI designer popular yet challenging. The UI designers undertake considerable efforts throughout the process of web development to ensure that the final product is ideal for the users.

It is not possible to mention all the responsibilities of a UI designer in one single document. However, here we will try to discuss the main responsibilities that a UI designer has to fulfill, and the roles a UI designer must play.

Conducting Research

Firstly, UI designers are responsible for conducting research regarding design. Design research helps to understand the latest design trends and the needs of users. UI designers use the data gathered through the research to make the overall appearance of the website appealing. It is the prime duty of UI designers to make?the?website visually appealing, and perfect for different screen sizes. While designing the overall look of the website, UI designers need to ensure the use of attractive colors, understandable fonts, and user-friendly icons.

Improving The Existing UI

Secondly, UI designers are responsible for updating and improving the existing user interface. The UI

designers keep a close eye on the feedback received by the users regarding the interface of the website and alter the UI of the site according to the feedback received.

Testing The Functionality of the Website

Testing the website or app for experience and functionality frequently also is included in the job role of UI designers. A UI designer analyses all the elements and components of the website to ensure that they are user-friendly.

Understanding The Client’s Business

In case the UI designer is a third-party providing services to different clients then the UI designer is also responsible for understanding the business of the client. The UI designer researches to understand the target audience and the goal of the business to provide an appropriate interface.

Competitor Analysis

Conducting competitor analysis is also the responsibility of the UI designer. The UI designers navigate through the competitor’s sites to find out their UI strategy and course of action. Conducting competitors’ analysis is valuable as it helps to determine how the competing sites are designed and what they are lacking. This then helps the UI designer in designing the user interface for their site, better than the competitors.

Prototyping

Lastly, prototyping is also expected of user interface designers. In prototyping, UI designers design the interface of the website roughly to figure out how it will turn out. UI designers may seek experts or web developer approval or suggestions on the prototype UI before finalizing it.

What Is the Role of A UX Designer?

The success or failure of a website depends upon the users, hence providing users with optimal experience is essential. UX designers are responsible for making the users’ experience great by designing the site to meet the needs of its users. UX designers have a very challenging role, and many responsibilities are expected of them. Some of the responsibilities of a UX designer include:

Conducting Research

Firstly, UX designers have to research to recognize the needs of the clients. A UX designer also needs to research to identify the difficulties faced by the users while interacting with the website. With the help of research conducted, UX designers can design a site that is appreciated by the users and can solve the problems encountered by the users frequently.

Knowing The Target Audience

UX designers are further responsible for understanding the target audience of the site. By knowing the target audience UX designers can provide the experience that the target audience is looking for, hence can better meet their needs.

Tracking User’s Journey

User experience designers also have the duty of creating a system for tracking the user’s journey as they navigate through the site. The tracked journey is referred to as the user journey map. The user journey maps help the designers better understand the overall experience and difficulties faced by the users while navigating through the site. Keeping in view the user's journey map, the UX designers update the site to provide an optimal experience to the users.

Figuring Out Problems

Identifying problems and testing the website frequently is also required of the UX designers. They communicate with the users to determine the problems faced by them and monitor the feedback received. Also, user experience designers first design a rough model, test its functionality, and then finalize the interface that is perfect in all ways.

Collaborating With Relevant Parties

A UX designer is also responsible for communicating and interacting with the website owners, web developers, UI designers, and other stakeholders to understand and define the process. Organizing the content of the website and designing the informational architecture to help users in accomplishing their needs is the responsibility of UX designers as well.

Identifying Right Interaction Tools

A UX designer is required to identify the right interaction tools and combine the interface with the functionality of the site to improve the user's experience.

To conclude we can say that turning an ordinary website into a useful and appreciated one is the role of a UX designer. The UX designers work to improve the usability of the website by solving the problems faced by users.

Tips On Improving UI

We have compiled some tips to assist you with designing an easy-to-use, attractive, and user-focused user interface design. Make sure to consider them while developing the UI of your website:

Understand The Audience

Understanding your target audience will help you in improving the interface of your site to a huge extent. By knowing your users, you can design a website that is appropriate for them. If your users are kids, then you need to use funky colors and animated elements. For a female-centered website, you can choose feminine colors.

Knowing About The Device Used to Interact with The Website

For providing an optimal user interface you need to carefully analyze the stats regarding the device used for navigating. People can interact with the keyboard, mouse, or simple touch. It is a good idea to offer elements that meet the needs of users regardless of the mode used for interaction.

Make It Simple

While designing the UI of the website, always ensure to keep things simple. Simple things don’t consume much time and are easily understandable by the user. You can use the symbol of a trash can to indicate the delete option, a plus sign to add something, magnifying glass for the search feature. Similarly, you can use the red button for an exit, and a green one to continue.

Except Mistakes

Another tip regarding improving the user interface of the site is to anticipate mistakes. Don’t assume that you have designed a perfect website. Keep a close eye on the comments and feedback received and fix the mistake pointed out. Expecting mistakes makes it easier for you to correct them, hence helping in satisfying the users.

Position The Elements Appropriately

Carefully consider the size and position of elements. The navigation buttons should be placed at the corners of the website and should be large enough to be seen easily. Other elements should also be located and sized efficiently so that they don't cover the main content of the site.

Tips On Offering Excellent UX

Excellent user experience is the key to a successful website. In case you are looking for ways on offering an excellent user experience, then the tips shared below will help you a lot. Have a look at them:

1. Offer Something New

Users are tired of websites offering the same things. To produce a great level of user engagement you need to invest in things that are already not offered. To provide the change you can shift the navigation bar from top to bottom or from left to right. Other creative solutions to offering something new include choosing a distinct theme for the landing and onboarding sequence.

2. Design Every Page With A Purpose

All the pages of your website must have some well-defined purpose behind them. The page should include content relevant to the purpose only. For example, the about page should focus only on the brand, similarly, the contact page should include only the contact details.

3. Emphasize The Crucial Information

By choosing the appropriate font you can help the users grab the relevant information quickly. Users don't have enough time to read all the content and locate the crucial ones. Thus, by emphasizing the important text you can make the user satisfied.

4. Keep Everything Easy

Adding unnecessary elements and using technical terms worsen the situation. As a UX designer, you need to keep things easy for users to interact with and understand. Many well-developed websites fail only because they are too complex for the users to understand.

UI Designer Vs. UX Designer: Which Role Is Better

UX designers and UI designers both work to make the website interactive and to improve its interface, however, they are expected to exhibit certain skills during the whole design process.

Both these roles are challenging but rewarding ones. So, there is no one-word answer to the question regarding which role is better for you. To figure this out you need to consider certain characteristics associated with these roles. These characteristics include:

Cooperation

UX designers have to cooperate with UI designers, developers, managers, and other stakeholders. UX designers collaborate with others to understand the goal of the project and to understand the target audience’s needs better. On the other hand, UI designers don’t necessarily have to collaborate with others. UI designers have to research to identify the needs of the target audience and to identify the latest trends. Based on the data gathered UI designers can develop the interface solely on their own and can get it approved later.

If you are okay with collaborating with others then you can choose the role of UX, and if you like to work alone then UI is the perfect role for you.

Educational Background

People with any educational background can choose the role of UX designer. People who have knowledge regarding computers and understand computer-human interaction can easily become UX designers. UI designers often have studied fine arts, graphical design, or computer arts. Many short diplomas and courses can also give one enough skill to start a career as a UI designer. You need to choose the role based on your education, skills, and interest.

Expected Payoff

By choosing the role of UX designer you can make around $85,000 annually. On the other hand, being a UI designer offers you annual earnings of around $76,000. Based on your earning expectations you can choose the role that seems best.

Skills

To be efficient in the job UX designers need to possess excellent strategy-making, prototyping, research, and usability testing skills. UI designers need to have a strong grip on designing, animation, and the visual interface design process. It is better to reflect on your skills before finalizing the career for you.

Conclusion

With this comprehensive guide, we hope that now you have a clear understanding of the difference between UI and UX. By reading this guide, you might have understood the importance of providing excellent UI and UX. Undertaking significant efforts in designing the UI and UX of the website is crucial for development and success of the website. Lastly, while supplementing each other UI and UX help to improve the ranking of the website.