UI/UX DESIGN

The terms user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) are often used interchangeably and even with so many articles published on UI and UX architecture, we can all accept that they are the two most misunderstood words in the tech world.

While some believe there is a significant difference between the two terms, others are certain that they are the same thing with a different tag name.

And, like me, you may be wondering why this is the case. Is it because there aren’t enough examples available, or because they haven’t been clarified well enough? In this article, I will attempt to clarify the two terms using real-life examples to give you a complete understanding of each and the distinction between them both.

What is User Interface (UI) design?

User Interface design is made up of all the elements that allow user to communicate with a product or service at its most basic level. It is the look and feel, the presentation and interactivity of a product. Good user interface (UI) design ensures that interface is user friendly and easy to navigate. Now let’s look at a scenario, So you go to the supermarket to do some shopping, and while you’re there, you notice that the aisles aren’t categorized, like how the baking aisle has everything related to baking, from flour to sugar, and so on. But not in this case, and to make matters worse, you look around and notice that not only is their aisle uncategorized, but all of their products are mixed together.
In all honesty, what will you do in this situation, given the time and effort it will take to search through the aisles and products to find what you’re looking for?

Walk away gracefully

If I was to be in the same situation, I will carry myself out the same way I carried myself in and save myself from unnecessary stress. Imagine how much easier it would have been for customers (users) to navigate and shop if they had organized the aisles according to different categories and organized their products accordingly.

What is User Experience (UX) design?

The User Experience, on the other hand, is what the user engaging with the product or service gets out of the whole experience. In relation to the previously created scenario, User experience is to be able to walk into that supermarket, easily navigate your way around the supermarket, buy products, compare prices, interact with the cashier and get to know if they have good customer service or not. Now with this experience, you can now decide if you would go back there to shop next time or not.

It’s obvious from the scenario that you would have had the opportunity to experience what it was like to shop in that supermarket, but you didn’t because of the bad interface, which in this case was the uncategorized aisle and disorganized goods, and this only goes to show that, as different as they are, UI is still a part of UX.

A visual representation of user interface design/user experience design.

Sketch, Figma, Adobe XD, inVision, Wireframe, Lunacy are but few of the many tools and programs created and designed for UI/UX design. Designers can use UI tools to create accurate wireframes and prototypes, as well as make minimally feasible products. They communicate the functionality of a design by representing the nuts and bolts. UX tools concentrate on the user and how they will interact with the content.

Some of the UI/UX design Tools

I hope this article clarified and helped you understand what user interface design and user experience are and the distinction between the both of them.

Thanks for reading, until the next post. Love and Light!