Since eCommerce has gained much traction in recent years, there is a huge need for businesses of acquiring skillful web and apps designers. Which is why lots of design careers have emerged on the IT horizon. However, it’s not all that simple.
What is UI/UX design?
Having artistic skills is not enough anymore for making robust and highly convertible business web pages. To become a decent web and apps designer, you have to vigorously master both user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design practices. So let’s see, what’s the difference between UX and UI design.
Simply put, user interface design is a process of creating great-looking websites that can drive lead generation. Apart from improving a website appeal, UI design focuses on the very structure of the GUI, including the size and position of UI elements, and the choice of brand colors and logos.
What’s more, user interface designers are responsible for utilizing the right visual aids like product videos and imagery, and relevant content like item descriptions, price and order details.
In the meantime, UX design is more concerned with the overall functionality of a website. With the customer satisfaction in mind, UX designers try their hand at enhancing the end-user interaction with the product. UX is much more about ideation, analysis and deployment.
Despite the fact that the responsibilities of UI and UX design are oftentimes overlapping and blurred, the difference between them is quite evident and boils down to the following touchpoints:
- UI design is aimed at pleasing the user’s eye through great graphics aesthetics of an eCommerce (or any other) website. The elements included are the bright yet soothing colors, gradients, contrast, distinct buttons, and comfy menus. What’s more, a good UI designer should think about adding some cute animations, GIFs, and images, and not forget to optimize web pages with smooth responsiveness for mobile devices.
- UX design deals with wireframing and prototyping flow, since in-demand UX professionals are deeply involved in the development process on every single testing and iteration stage. Basically, the corporate goal must resonate with user needs and expectations. In a nutshell, the continuous refinement based on iterative user feedback analysis is what makes a high-profile UX designer.
5 steps forward a promising UI/UX career
Whatever the difference between UI and UX design, the two usually go hand in hand nowadays.
Given this, it is advisable for all prospective designers to consider mastering both techniques and practices to have a competitive edge in the job market.
- Be user-centric
No matter how close your design is to the project compliance, it is still worth nothing if you do not meet your users halfway. With this in mind, you should analyze lots of end-user feedback to know your customers better. Put yourself in their shoes to realize what your design is missing, and what has to be done to improve UX.
2. Learn design tools
Today there is a plethora of tools for design on the market. So it’s all up to you to decide which app or desktop software to work with. More information on popular design toolkits can be found while reading the latest reviews on the topic across various professional UI/UX design websites and forums. Also, always try to keep in the loop on the recent design trends to know the most actionable solutions.
3. Relevant content
The most common content for any website consists of text blocks, videos, animations, and other minor graphic elements. Applying the right content is not only about What, but it is also about Where. It means that you should know perfectly well, which content works best for each and every part of a web page. Avoid long reads and excessive video clips, instead of making it simple and accessible for online visitors.
4. Leverage ready-made templates
Once you are new to this profession, why don’t you tap into the possibility to utilize efficient UX templates available for downloading? Having them at your disposal can help you greatly during your first steps in design. Moreover, this is the best way to learn from seasoned designers as you can acquire their signature style and professional secrets and techniques.
5. Analyze your peers’ feedback
Whatever useful knowledge you may glean from interpreting other people’s templates, the best bet is to proactively communicate with more hardened specialists in real life. So, create more sketches, wireframes, and mockups and share them with your team. Never be afraid of any constructive criticism as you can gain lots of valuable insights from your more experienced colleagues.
All in all, practice makes perfect as the saying goes. So try hard and make use of any opportunity to sharpen your UI/UX design skills that help you stand out from the crowd. Feel free to contact us, in case you need some useful advice or downloadable content.
