Two of the phrases used in web and app design that get mixed up and confused the most are UI design and UX design.
A content management system (CMS), such as WordPress, is software that enables users to generate and manage content.
On the surface, they appear to be describing the same thing because they are frequently combined in the phrase “UI/UX design.” Finding accurate descriptions of the two that don’t go too deep into jargon is frequently difficult.
In this post we will look into what these terms mean and how they relate to each other.
What is UI design?
“User interface” is what the “UI” in UI design stands for.
A software application’s graphical interface is called the user interface. It consists of all the elements that users interact with, such as the buttons they click, the text they read, the graphics, sliders, text entry areas, and other things.
This covers every single micro-interaction, as well as screen layout, transitions, and interface animations. Design is required for every visual component, interactive feature, and animation.
Graphic designers also work as UI designers.
They care about appearances. It is their responsibility to ensure that the interface of the application is appealing, aesthetically interesting, and correctly themed to reflect the function and/or personality of the app.
Additionally, they must make sure that every single visual component feels cohesive, both aesthetically and conceptually.
What is UX design?
User experience is abbreviated as “UX.” The way a user engages with the app affects their experience with it. Is the experience slick and natural or awkward and perplexing?
Does it feel rational or random to navigate the app? Does using the app make users feel as like they are successfully completing the activities they set out to complete, or does it feel more like a struggle?
The ease or difficulty of interacting with the user interface elements that the UI designers have built determines the user experience.
Therefore, UX designers are equally concerned with the user interface of an application, which is why some people are unclear about the distinction between the two.
UX designers, on the other hand, are in charge of establishing how the user interface will function, also known as the UX strategy, whereas UI designers are responsible for deciding how the user interface will look.
They decide how the interface is organised and how it functions. How everything is put together and how each component relates to the others.
Simply said, they create the interface’s functionality. The user will enjoy it if it functions effectively and feels frictionless, however, if navigation is difficult or confusing, users are likely to have a bad experience. UX designers strive to prevent the second possibility.
How do UX and UI work together?
Let’s imagine that during the design phase it is decided that additional buttons should be added to a specific screen. This will require rearranging the buttons and possibly modifying their size or design.
It is possible to ensure that the final user interface looks as excellent as it can while still functioning effectively and intuitively by combining UX and UI.
UI design and UX design involve very different skill sets, but they are integral to each other’s success. A beautiful design can’t save an interface that’s clunky and confusing to navigate, and a brilliant, perfectly-appropriate user experience can be sunk by bad visual interface design that makes using the interface unpleasant.
Both UI and UX designs need to be flawlessly executed and perfectly aligned with pre-existing user expectations to create an excellent user interface/experience.
If you would like to know more about UX and UI or discuss your requirements then please get in touch or call us on 01625 666900.
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