{"id":4776,"date":"2023-05-24T02:04:57","date_gmt":"2023-05-24T09:04:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/?p=4776"},"modified":"2023-12-04T23:20:15","modified_gmt":"2023-12-05T07:20:15","slug":"ux-vs-ui","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.springboard.com\/blog\/design\/ux-vs-ui\/","title":{"rendered":"UX vs. UI: The Difference Between UX and UI Design(ers)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

UX and UI refer to two different fields, two different educational paths, and two different jobs with varying responsibilities and salaries\u2014and yet, the two terms are often used interchangeably. But they do have one thing in common: they\u2019re both great options if you\u2019re thinking about a career change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a national survey of UX designers, 81 percent rated their career satisfaction at five or higher on a scale of one to seven, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a faster-than-average growth rate of 13% for UI design jobs<\/a>. However, you can\u2019t begin your learning journey for either profession until you understand the differences between them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below, we have compiled a series of direct comparisons between the two fields, covering their definitions, job descriptions, required skills, salaries, and more. By the end of this post, you\u2019ll have all the information you need to choose which career is right for you, and how to launch a career in UI or UX design. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the Difference Between UX and UI?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"UI
Source: ImaginXP<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

UX design<\/a> is short for \u201cuser experience design,\u201d and refers to the personal experience a user has when using a product. A whole host of different elements can affect this experience, from aesthetics and intuitiveness to customer service and pricing. This means that UX does not only apply to digital products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UI design<\/a>, on the other hand, stands for \u201cuser interface design,\u201d and refers specifically to the digital methods in which a user interacts with a product. This means the menus and buttons used to navigate a website or control a machine. UI is heavily focused on aesthetics, and good UI will contribute to good UX. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

UX vs. UI: Exploring the Concepts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As we just touched on above, UI and UX are fundamentally different things. Of course, they are both geared towards user and customer satisfaction, but so is every element of any consumer product and its development process. Next, we\u2019ll get into the details of UX vs. UI: their definitions, goals, processes, and both good and bad examples of each. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is UX?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"what
Source: Interaction Design Foundation<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Creating a positive user experience is an integral part of product development. UX Design involves keeping tabs on many different elements of the development process, assessing how they come together, and designing solutions and improvements that will make the user\u2019s experience smoother, more intuitive, and generally more positive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is UI?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"UI<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

UI Design is a much more specific field of expertise that focuses purely on creating digital interfaces for products and websites. This could include the interface for the product website, the product itself, any accompanying software, and any online customer support. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"what
Source: Just In Mind<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cinterface\u201d of any digital product is the front-facing elements users can interact with in order to use and navigate the product. The two biggest parts of this are menus and buttons. UI design focuses both on the way these look and the way they are structured. For instance, whether the \u201csave\u201d button should be located in the \u201cfile\u201d menu or the \u201cview\u201d menu. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

UX vs. UI: Goals<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While UX and UI share the meta goal of satisfying users, they work towards different aims in order to achieve this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Goal of UX<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The goal of UX Design is to create a process that results in happy, satisfied customers. The typical flow of events for a customer looks as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Finding the product <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Collecting information about it <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Buying it <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Receiving it <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Learning to use it <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Using it <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Achieving the desired outcome <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. And lastly, receiving any support needed along the way <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    UX aims to give the user everything they need to stay satisfied during each step of this process so that by the end, they can look back and feel they had an overall positive experience with the product and company.<\/p>\n\n\n

    Get To Know Other\tDesign Students<\/h4>
    \"Megan<\/a>

    Megan Bogenschutz<\/p>

    Digital UX Designer at Kroger Technology & Digital<\/p><\/div>

    <\/div>

    Read Story<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/div>

    \"Bre<\/a>

    Bre Walker<\/p>

    UX Designer at KeyBank<\/p><\/div>

    Read Story<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/div>

    \"Trevor<\/a>

    Trevor Tillery<\/p>

    Experience Designer at Nerdery<\/p><\/div>

    Read Story<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Goal of UI<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    The ultimate goal of UI design is to allow the user to complete their desired task as quickly, easily, intuitively, and pleasantly as possible. This means creating responsive menus that are logically structured so users can find what they are looking for without spending more time and effort than necessary. It also means creating visual elements that are easy on the eyes and effortless to comprehend\u2014buttons that are discernible from other elements, drop-down menus which are clearly indicated, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    UI affects a number of steps within the above-mentioned flow of events. A website will most likely be used to find the product, buy it, arrange shipment, receive support, and many electrical products will make use of a screen for navigation and application as well. Many electrical products come with accompanying mobile apps which also rely on UI to allow customers to use the product. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    UX vs. UI: Processes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    This section will give a brief overview of how the UX and UI for a product are developed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    UX Process<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
    \"UX
    Source: UX Mastery<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    The UX design process<\/a> begins at the very start of a product\u2019s development. Before prototypes and designs are even put together, the UX team will be a part of meetings held with the stakeholders to discuss exactly what they want this product to give to their customers and what value they want it to bring to the company. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Next, research will be conducted to gather data about the target audience for the product, including its wants, needs, budgets, and expectations. This includes scoping out current industry standards and trends, and is often referred to as competitive analysis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The third step is when the team will study the customer\u2019s journey from start to finish, and start to pinpoint gaps and room for improvement. A well-used technique is creating a set of user personas and profiles with different needs and assessing how well the current process will work for each customer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Once everyone has a clear picture of what they want to achieve, prototypes will be made and work will start on designing aspects like UI and IA (information architecture<\/a>). During this phase, the UX team will collaborate with everyone involved to make sure the desired user experience comes into effect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Finally, the process will end with rigorous testing of the product and addressing any issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    UI Process<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    The first things the UI team will need to determine are the goals and success criteria for their interface: what does it need to achieve? What problems is it solving?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The research will then take place to scope out similar competitor products and analyze the methods used by these products. The pros and cons of these can be used for reference later in the design process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Next, the UI team will work closely with the UX team to finalize what and how many screens the UI team will be creating UI for, and what the precise goals are for each. After this, sketches, wireframes, and design systems will be created to decide on a consistent aesthetic style and logical structure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Lastly, high-fidelity prototypes will be made that bring all of this together. These prototypes will look fairly similar to the final product and will keep getting closer and closer as usability testing leads to new iterations. Eventually, the last iteration will become the final product. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    UX vs. UI: Examples<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Here are a few screenshots highlighting examples of good UI design vs. UX design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Examples of Good UX<\/h4>\n\n\n\n