UI vs UX: Differences In Frontend Design
By: Talha Waseem
Tags: UI, Product Design, Design, Front End Development, User Experience

User experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) are two of the most important elements of a front end design. Why do I say that? Have you heard of the following quote?

“For every dollar, a business spends on UX, they earn $100 from it.”

That means that a business is earning a 9,900% Return on Investment!

As much as the two terms, UI and UX are important, people often confuse them when discussing web design and application. Perhaps these confusing design terminologies are no one’s fault. The surface-level description of the UI/UX design loosely means the same thing. It is only when you scratch the surface when one starts noticing the thin line that separates the two.

This is where I will try to explain (in detail!) what is a user interface and user experience. By the end of this discussion, you will be able to differentiate between the two and have a better understanding of both.

What is UI Design?

A user interface (UI) is anything a software user interacts with on their screen while using the online application/tool. By anything, I mean everything; from sound to lights to buttons to forms and screens to pages.

UI refers to the visual elements of a digital product and the way the product presents those elements to users. As of January 2020, over 1.2 billion websites exist on the Internet. Moreover, we know that Google’s artificial intelligence also looks a the website’s UI and UX for ranking. So, how did the front-end design become such a huge deal for businesses?

History of User Interface

Going back to the 1970s, when computers first came into the market, we had to use the Command Line interface for even a small interaction. This was a simple black screen with white text and A LOT of lengthy commands. The graphical interface was not only unavailable but, the computers could not support them either. A strong know-how of programming language was necessary to run simplest commands.

Fast forward to the 1980s, Xerox PARC invented a “graphical user interface” (GUI), which allowed users to interact with computers through icons, menus, checkboxes and other buttons. A simple but hugely helpful interface was now present.

One of the first Macintosh computers by Apple Computers. Photo Credits: Museums Victoria

Finally, around the same time, Apple (formerly known as Apple Computer) invented a mouse-system for “point-and-click”. The Macintosh quickly became one of the first computers commercially available for homes and offices.

By the mid-1980s, it was clear that UI design was important to grow a digital brand and the Macintosh was a huge example. If the users could not interact easily with computers or any digital (or physical) product, it would not sell. This is how UI web design was born and has progressed into one of the fundamentals of building a great online product.

Thanks to the incredible progress in IT and software development, UI designers have an almost limitless opportunity to build just about anything for different products. From smart wearable devices to computers, mobile phones and everything on the internet, UI design is a prevailing element.

What is UX Design?

A user experience (UX) is a process that designers use to create meaningful products and provide relevant experience to users. If the UI design is about how a product will look and function, the UX design is about the experience the product will offer. Creating a perfect user experience involves designing the entire process of acquiring and integrating the product with usability, branding, and function.

Perhaps one can even say that the work of a UX design goes beyond UI design. Specifically, you may even say that the UI is a subset and one of the important aspects of a broader term UX.

Let’s hear it from Donald A. Norman, who is a co-founder and Principal Emeritus of Nielsen Norman Group. He is also a researcher, professor, and director at UCLA, and the author of The Design of Everyday Things:

Donald A. Norman on User Experience (UX). Video Credits: Nielsen Norman Group

According to Norman, the first requirement for outstanding user experience is to meet the exact needs of customers in priority. It is about creating a simple-to-use tool and goes beyond giving customers what they say they want.

Researching UX Design Techniques

As far as we have discovered, user experience is about researching the best experience for end-users. It is about putting them at ease, even if it requires making smaller packaging boxes of equipment or making a small handle to easily lift heavy equipment.

User experience research methods are great for gaining insight and understanding of products or services. When research combines with UX design activities, then the overall product development efforts become more effective and useful. One question that usually comes to mind is:

“When should I start my UX design research?”

The answer: Right Now!

While the method of UX design research for a brilliant UI UX strategy is a complete subject on its own, I am only going to touch it briefly. The earlier the research you begin, the more impact you will create with your product. Hence it is imperative that regardless of the stage of research you are in, you should begin your UX research at that moment.

Important UX Research Methods & Activities. Photo Credits: Nielsen Norman Group

User research is necessary for all stages and there is a useful method to go about it as well. The famous saying “the early bird gets the worm” is true for for UX design research. Luckily for you, there is an incredible ‘cheat sheet’ available that I discovered for myself.

The infographic at the left speaks about the major UX research activities and consist of:

Discover

Explore

Test

Listen

What is important to note here is that not all stages are exactly as prescribed, and none of them are placed in a rigid step-wise list. The concept here is to start from somewhere and learn more as you proceed. If you are confused about where to start or how to conduct research, then these UX research methods are a great place to start.

You may find some methods more feasible than others, depending on your time limitations, product/service type, or other concerns. This is why I would prefer that you proceed to try different methods at different product/service development stages because all method types are aimed to achieve different goals and insight.

What are the Differences Between UI and UX Design?

If you require the most basic summary, then I would say that UI is simply the elements that users see and interact with while using a product or service. On the other hand, UX is purely about the experience that users get from using a product or service. For example:

If UI is about making a curvy ketchup bottle that looks great, then UX is about making the curves of the bottle in such a way so consumers can easily grab it (even with oily hands!).

Google is perhaps the best example. I would call them giants of the UI UX model as well. Consider this:

The famous, white Google Search Engine Result Pages (SERP) is offering more than just thousands of links to your keyword search. Google knows when you come to their website, you are looking for accurate information. And, you want it instantly!

Google built its entire environment around delivering accurate results in the shortest possible time. This is why it has dominated the world of Internet search engines. Statista reports that Google enjoyed a worldwide market share of whooping ~87% during July 2020. The rest of 13% divides between Yahoo!, Baidu, Yandex and Bing.

Google’s Huge Market Share Recorded For July 2020. Photo Credits: Statista

Imagine Google taking even 5 seconds to give you results. That would be a disastrous day for the multibillion-dollar company!

Here is what Ken Norton, who is a partner at Google Ventures and a former Product Manager at Google has to say about the UI UX design:

“Start with a problem we’d like to solve. UX design is focused on anything that affects the user’s journey to solve that problem, positive or negative, both on-screen and off. UI design is focused on how the product’s surfaces look and function. The user interface is only piece of that journey. I like the restaurant analogy I’ve heard others use: UI is the table, chair, plate, glass, and utensils. UX is everything from the food, to the service, parking, lighting and music.”

If you are not into much of a reading mood, then here is a fantastic video to distinguish between UI and UX:

A Quick Look At UI and UX.

Career: Jobs of UI and UX Designers

We now know the individual descriptions of UI design and UX design. We also know how the user interface is different from the user experience, and vice versa. Now it is time to analyze how the professionals of these respective fields work.

Role of UI Designers

UI designers are masters in visual designs. They work on design research and customer analysis. They take care of branding and graphic design. A UI designer will typically engage in user guides and build storylines for their brands. Although building a brand is not the sole responsibility of a UI designer, translating the brand into visuals and interactions certainly is. UI designers do this by:

UI prototyping,

Creating interactive features and animations,

Creating responsive screens for all display sizes,

And building an overall integration with backend development.

Role of UX Designers

A UX designer’s role is more spread out towards several areas. As an overview, UX designers are also concerned with user research to develop the best customer experience. Competitor analysis is prominent along with customer analysis for optimization. Wireframing and prototyping also matter here. These include:

Wireframing

Testing & Iteration

Development plans

Prototyping

User experience designers need to have strong coordination with user interface designers. They must coordinate with developers, analyze product performance and track goals.

As you may notice, the UX role is challenging and multifarious. The design of any product has deep roots going into multiple research levels. It is about iterations and refinements until one develops a perfect product for its customers. It is about building a product that accurately represents a company brand and satisfies customer relationships.

Wrapping Up — UI UX Matters!

When aiming for a design of an online product or service, SEO and content are not the only things that matter. This is especially in the case when trying to grab user attention to increase reach of your digital product. Whether you are designing a web application, mobile application, any digital product or even a physical product, design and experience are two of the most important elements to remember. Growing software development companies already realize the importance of a great UI design structure. However, it is paramount that businesses also consider UX designs in the process. A great UI/UX and branding will:

Encourage user interaction with your platform,

Generate customer and brand loyalty,

Generate recommendation and referrals,

Reduce development costs,

Reduce internal costs, and

Increase overall profits.

Useful Stats Regarding UX Design. Photo Credits: InvoZone

In this modern era, where consumers and clients are becoming aware of their rights and values, customer experience matters a lot. Consider the following stats by Forrester, Adobe and Google on the left.

The field of UI and UX are confusing only because they are relatively new terms in product design. However, people can avoid this unnecessary confusion and this article will provide enough insight to get you going for future.

In a nutshell, while the user interface is about how customers will interact with a product, the user experience is about their overall thoughts before, during and after using your product.