UX vs. UI Understanding the Key Differences for Better Design

UX vs UI

 Published on 16 Jan 2025 

With a vast proliferation of websites, site owners struggle to attract visitors, review products and services, and read the content. Attractive and visually appealing websites increase traffic and draw in visitors. The UI designer manages the designs and creativity to make the first impression.


Once visitors open the site, they interact with the links, menus, and review the content, product, and other offerings. The UX designer analyses customer experience and ensures that the site is informative, meets expectations, and the site is effective with the required functionality that makes visitors explore the site. 


Therefore, UX and UI design complement each other and synchronise their efforts to meet the site objectives. With the rise in web, mobile, augmented, and virtual reality sites, the demand for specialised UX/ UI designers is increasing.


A report by Business Research Insights indicates that the global market for UI/ UX designers will reach USD 8.75 billion by 2032, up from USD 1.43 billion in 2023. This blog examines the differences between UI and UX design roles and work.


Differences in UX and UI roles and tasks


UX vs UI  differences

Image Credit: UX Design



Some important differences in UX and UI design are examined.


Nature of work

UX designer manages the content strategy, testing and prototyping, coordination and analysis, and carries out consumer research.


Content strategy is about creating, planning, and implementing text, images, multimedia, and video. The number of page visits, time spent on each artefact, and actions visitors take after reviewing the content indicate the quality of the content strategy. Other activities are analysing customer behaviour, mapping, and auditing content, analysing rival sites, and devising ways to improve site content. New content and artefacts are essential to drive user interactions. 





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UX design is about creating prototypes and testing the page components. Multiple design iterations are used, improvements and changes are tracked, and the final design is implemented. Wireframe design is used for the basic model and prototyping is done to test the functionality. A/B testing is carried out to identify the design and placement of the menu, links, buttons, and graphics, and ascertain loading speed.


Coordination and analysis is about working with other teams. Coordination has stages such as developing a detailed granular strategy, planning, implementing, and then analysing the performance metrics. UX designers plan for improvements, analyse trends, and examine how new technology can be used.


Consumer research is about evaluating customers' needs and gaps in the product and using the findings to refine the site offerings. Tools such as surveys and interviews with focus are used to obtain customer feedback. UX designers also use qualitative data to develop empirical-based research.




UI designer carries out tasks such as developing the brand style, providing the visual design, and  for an interactive and responsive design.


UI design is about creating functional products that are not complex, and that customers appreciate. A high-level perspective of the customer's journey is designed and effort is taken to provide value in the interactions. 


Brand style provides the site with a unique self-identity and voice. Style comes from design elements and visual elements such as fonts, buttons, and graphics to enhance the site objectives. UI design is used to create guides for the brand style and should be consistent across all pages. Design elements include accessibility features and follow standards and best practices.


Visual design helps to optimise each component to ensure that they provide an attractive and coherent interface. Some tasks are developing unique buttons, fonts, and typesetting that are soothing, functional, and effective. All elements must provide a smooth journey for visitors.


Interactive design is a new trend that allows users to interact with the site. Some interactions are animations and videos, games, quiz and puzzles, voice interactions and these are run when users click an image. Chatbots are also interactive in function, though developers do the coding and other technical work. UX designers track these interactions.


Responsive design implies that the site should display as designed on all devices. Customers use mobiles, laptops, computers, TVs, and tablets with different operating systems. Consistent and uniform content should be available on all devices. The layout should be flexible, automatically resize, and follow guidelines.


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Tools and Skills

UI designers use tools such as Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, InVision, Zeplin, Figma, and several others. These are imaging generation and modification tools with features to create unique elements for the site. Skills that UI designers require are typography, graphic design, colour theory, iconography, developing visual consistency, UI prototyping, and others. These skills help in creating a consistent brand style.


UX designers use tools such as Axure RP, Dreamweaver, Adobe XD, Sketch, Balsamiq, Figma, and other tools. The UX designer needs to have skills like conducting user research with surveys and interviews, developing information architecture, wireframe and prototyping, and interaction design. They should have skills to understand user empathy, and know about journey mapping, and analyzing feedback.



Product development process

UX in the Product lifecycle

Image Credit: Career Foundry


Both roles work together to meet the project objectives. Each has a different role in the process of product development. They are involved in the initial user research. Important points are to understand the customer requirements and find the best way to translate them into design specifications. 


The UX designer and project owners then define the product idea. The UX designer develops  the information architecture. The role creates the wireframes and low-level prototypes with the brand voice. Some initial testing is done, and then the wireframe is given to the UI designer.


The UI designer uses this information to create the visual and interactive elements, colour, icons, animations, and the brand voice. UX and UI designers create the prototype and offer it for user feedback and testing. The UX designer obtains feedback from stakeholders, and then the final design is given to the developer. Both roles cooperate to deliver the project.


Conclusions

UX design is involved with tasks such as content strategy, testing and prototyping, coordination and analysis, and consumer research. Content provides visitors with information about the site, and its offerings. Hire UI/UX Designers to emphasise the expectations of customers, perfecting visual design, Overcoming UI/UX design challenges and engaging in usability testing. Web developers create opportunities that lead to an increase in sales.


UI designers manage the customer's journey and define the brand style and voice. UI design looks after accessibility problems, standards for design, and best practices. Interactive design is a trend that motivates customers. UI designers implement animations that encourage interactions, they study customer behaviour. They ensure that the site runs on all devices.


Both roles play an important role in the product development cycle. Each role is involved at one stage and hands over the project for further development. Both roles have good potential for growth, and both are important in the project.



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