UI, UX?
Isn’t it all the same? Short answer, no!
If I had a dollar for every time these two have been confused with each other or I have actually had to explain their difference, I could probably retire under a coconut tree in St. Barts.
There’s a misconception about the two, and in most cases a basic lack of knowledge about this. It gets to the point where even my family has no idea what I actually do to earn a living, I guess it’s easier for them to think of me and say things like: “yeah, he’s in marketing” or “sure, he makes things pretty.” And, while having a marketing mindset as part of your toolset or knowing how to “make things pretty” doesn’t hurt, it could not be farther from truth.
Wikipedia defines UX as “a person’s emotions and attitudes about using a particular product, system or service. It includes the practical, experiential, affective, meaningful and valuable aspects of human–computer interaction and product ownership.” Furthermore, it also says: “According to the ISO definition, user experience includes all the users’ emotions, beliefs, preferences, perceptions, physical and psychological responses, behaviors and accomplishments that occur before, during and after use.”
So what is all of this? There’s a lot of talk about emotions, attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, even physical responses, this sounds more like your therapist and nothing like computers or apps or digital products, right? Wrong!
UX means User Experience, and it’s about you interacting with a product online or in the real world.
More than likely, you have interacted with User Experience in one way or another, not only in the digital world, but in real life. From things like where a button is positioned in a kiosk or in your coffee maker, all the way to how the dashboard in your car is structured to give you the information you need in a timely manner while looking great!
And yet, it’s even more than that, when you start adding the interactions you have with a product, this sums your actual experience with it. Was it easy to use? Was it useful? Did it solve a problem for you? Were you delighted when you interacted with it? These are the measures of a successful user experience!
Now let’s talk about UI, because while very closely related, they’re not exactly the same.
UI is defined as the design of user interfaces for machines and software, such as computers, home appliances, mobile devices, and other electronic devices, with the focus on maximizing usability and the user experience.
User Interface Design has a simple goal, and that is to make the user’s interaction as simple and efficient as possible supporting the user experience. And while this statement is true, as a Visual Designer I am a little biased to say I would expand this argument by saying that our job is to empower the user experience by creating a beautiful model that is efficient, clean, simple and delights the user.
Some of the elements of UX overlap with UI, as the interface also touches on emotions and conveys different attitudes and emotions through tone, color, appropriate use of typography and consistency throughout the entire experience. UI also encompasses disciplines such as working hand-in-hand in the information architecture team and providing a visual hierarchy to communication priorities and effective message delivery.
So, while UI is an integral part of the user experience, UX designers are not creating in the same vein or spirit as graphic designers; rather, they are creating the functionality behind the visuals. And yes, you could say that visual designers make everything pretty, but there’s much more to it than that. And to this purpose, I always like to refer to a quote I use as a signature in my email from Peter Phillips’ book, “Creating the Perfect Design Brief” that reads: “Design is a problem-solving discipline. Unfortunately, most businesses don’t regard design as innovative, or even a strategic business process. Rather, they think of it as a decorative service.”
