If you’re looking at reworking your website with web design services, you’ve probably heard the terms UX and UI thrown around. But what in the world are these seemingly nebulous concepts? Do they actually stand for something or are they just words that web designers use to trick you into buying their websites? As it happens, UX and UI are actually very important parts of web design and they’re critical to the success of your new website. Let’s dive into what they are and how they’re different.
Understanding UX Design
UX stands for user experience, and in simple language is a process that design teams implement in order to provide meaningful and relevant journeys for users on a site. That doesn’t just mean one part of web design services, however. UX design takes into account the entire design process with everything from product, branding, usability, and function of the website.
A successful UX design strategy engages users and keeps them excited about the products and services that your company has to offer. This is especially important in the digital world, where the difference between a good design and a bad one could mean a high bounce rate and less web traffic for your site.
Getting to Know UI Design
Similar to UX design, UI design is also an acronym. In this case, however, the UI stands for the user interface. User interface design is a type of design that creates interfaces on electronic devices which improves overall user interaction and usability. UI design takes place on software and machines such as smart home devices, personal computers, and mobile devices.
You really can’t have a good UI design without a solid UX design, however. Why? Because while UI design is the basic creation and engineering of design and the interface a user goes through to access a webpage or software, UI design covers the look and feel of that platform. In essence, UI design provides functionality while UX design provides the visuals.
The Differences Between UX & UI
So now that you understand what UX and UI design are respectively, what exactly are the minute differences? To sum it up, UX design is what makes the overall look and feel of a user’s experience on a site, software, or mobile app. In contrast, UI design is all about the function and usability of that platform. These two roles work together in harmony, but they simply aren’t the same.
Another difference between UX and UI design is that UX design takes user frustrations into account and tries to solve those problems. It’s all about identifying customer needs and creating a game plan around them. UI design is about making interactive interfaces that are intuitive and responsive to customer needs. While both types of design are customer-centric, they’re very much focused on different parts of the customer’s journey and experience. Understanding the nuances between the two can help you to create better web designs and to further engage with your consumers.
