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The Difference Between UI and UX Design

User experience vs user interface design… Which should you focus on? How do you improve one without affecting the other? Is there a difference between the two? There’s no doubt you need to have your user interface in mind when building your website. 

But it’s important to note that both elements work together to create a well-rounded user experience. At its core, user interface design is responsible for how your website looks and easy it is for users to navigate. The purpose of user experience design is focused on improving how users feel and act while interacting with your site.

In this article, we’ll look at what each form of website design entails, and how they work in tandem to create a useful, effective site.

What is User Interface (UI) design?

User interface (UI) design is a broad term that can be applied to web designers, software developers, translators, and other professionals who design digital products and services. At its core, UI is about how people interact with technology. It is the study of how to make both new users and experienced users feel comfortable using a digital product or service.

In a nutshell, UI is all about designing how users interact with a website or app overall. This includes considering colour, layout, typography and the way things function and flow. Pretty much every interaction that a person has with your website is a part of the UI.

Things like the checkout process, finding a phone number or emailing someone would all be part of your UI. The experience that you’re providing encompasses everything from the interactions your customers have with each other to how they pay for their purchases. It’s important to get this right because if you get it wrong you can lose customers to competitors.

What is User Experience (UX) design?

User experience is the quality of interactions that a person has with your website. It’s about impressions, feelings and emotions they live through when using your product or service. It defines if it meets people’s needs and wants and if they will embrace your solution or not. 

UX design is an essential component of service design, but it’s not only about making something visually appealing. You have to ensure that the experience makes your customers feel good and that they are delighted by interacting with you.

The Difference Between UI and UX Design

A website is more than just how it looks; it’s how it works that counts. 

Good UI design is related to the overall look and feel of a website – the more visually appealing, the more draw your site has. It makes you feel as if you’re working with a real person, not just a computer.

Good UX design is related to how people interact with your website – the easier it is to navigate your site, the higher the likelihood of landing a conversion. It reduces the number of clicks or taps it takes to get your desired result.

In a nutshell, UI design is the art and science of creating a visual representation of a website for users to interact with. UX design describes how people get things done.

UI vs UX Designers

A good UI Designer should have a strong foundation in graphic design, visual design, and branding. It’s always important to keep in mind that you’re designing for people and not computers. Always keep the user’s needs in mind.

To create a great website, UX designers have to understand just as much, if not more than their target audience. They have to take the time to fully immerse themselves in the shoes of their customers. They need to focus on the target user’s thoughts, feelings and emotions.  And they have to keep everything simple and clear.

Conclusion

In this guide, we went over the differences in user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design, discussed why it matters, and who you want handling these two facets of web design.

Hopefully, some of our tips can help you find the best person for the job, look at some specific skills you’ll want to be sure he or she has, and come up with a few questions you’ll want to ask to make sure all parties are on the same page (literally).

Need help updating your website design? Cornerstone Digital is a website design agency in Sydney that can lead your ideal customer to your website. Call us on (02) 8211 0668 or email us at info@cornerstone-digital.com.au.

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Darlyn Herradura

A self-professed book and digital marketing nerd, Darlyn Herradura focuses on building trust between customers and businesses with the written word. She understands that creating valuable content is the best way to get found online and happily spends her time doing that.