Let’s start off with the simple terms: UI is user interface and UX is user experience.  So, what do they mean, how do they work together and why are they beneficial? Both UI and UX design are used interchangeably very often and are extremely valuable for the usability of your site, so it’s useful to have the knowledge on both terms to get the most out of your digital strategy. And, it’s imperative that they both work together because they can’t work properly without the other.

Something that is arguably one of the most important factors of a website is it’s usability. Both UI and UX affect usability in their own ways, but together create the ultimate website that takes into consideration the main features.  Let’s have a look at how they both benefit usability design…

UI Design

User interface design is basically the look and feel of the site, and how well the customer interacts with it. This includes designing the website with layout, buttons, text sections, widgets, images, sliders and web controls. It’s the visual elements and aesthetic aspect, like colours and animation too. Think about how responsive your site is for your users, and everything that surrounds it. Your brand is your personality, so UI design is taking that into account and emphasises what you are like as a business. Think about the artistic components that go with both the design and interface. In addition to that, UI design is making sure that it is responsive, so making sure that it adjusts to all different screen sizes, platforms and devices. Let’s have a look at how different UX design is…

UX Design

User experience design is based on the users expectations; it’s important to analyse the target audience’s needs and base the design around that. With UX design, think about the content strategy. In short, the job of UX design is to make it relevant, make it easy, and make it efficient. It is more user central than UI design, as it is all focused around the user journey and overcoming problems that might be faced. UX design is basically looking into the product structure and strategy to make the user experience the best it can be.

How they work together 

They have simple differences but they go hand in hand. UI is all about how the customer interacts and UX is what experience they have with it. Design should be good but the usability needs to match that; there is no point in having a well designed page that can’t be used easily online. Think about UX Design as the project management on the website with UI producing the design and technical components. Both are completely influential to each other and although they have their differences, they are not completely separate in their purposes. 

How important are they for usability design?

So, now we know that they work together synchronously, it’s important to factor them both for web development. Being meticulous in the design process and product design is crucial to ensure that the usability of your site is as good as it should be. It’s definitely worth having a look into UI and UX design if you are building your business within the digital world, with crucial factors that could really make a difference. Remember that usability is one of the most important things for your customers, and base the design around that. 

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