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UI UX

What’s the Difference Between iOS UX and UI Design?

UX or UI? UX refers to User Experience while UI refers to User Interface. Are they the same? While they are often used interchangeably there are significant differences between UI and UX. The most important difference is that UX is the bigger picture. It covers more disciplines including UI design, visual design, content strategy, content creation, information architecture, user research, interaction design, and psychology, among others.

Understanding UX

The main objective of working on UX is to design a product that users need and understand to work on tasks. It goes beyond the clicks, links, and designs. One way to explain UX is to give an example. It’s like logging into a mobile app and then wanting to call the company to talk to someone. A good UX design would allow you to call the company using the mobile app and without the need for authentication. Another example of a great user experience would be returning goods bought online that does not require the buyer to go to the post office and mail the product back then wait for the refund. UX can make it possible for everything to be coordinated online including pickup of product and refund via online transaction.

In other words, UX accomplishes more because it streamlines online business, makes customers feel more secure, and really goes beyond the Internet. UX uses UI and other disciplines to make this possible. It focuses on the usability of technology like an interface so using the Internet is efficient, enjoyable, and easy.

Understanding UI

The modern definition of UI is an industrial design that allows man and digital devices to work together to achieve a task. UI covers everything a person uses to interact with digital devices including the mouse, monitor and other hardware and the software with its design, commands, and features. UI aims to achieve the following: clarity, concision, familiarity, aesthetics, responsiveness, efficiency, and consistency.

UX and UI: A Beautiful, Tangled Relationship

Because UX and UI are so strongly linked together, designers assume both roles. They use different approaches in managing UX and UI tasks like the color-coded task analysis grid. A strategy like this will allow designers to focus on the priority tasks, modify objectives, and structure the product development logically and without having to keep stepping back to review past work. The UI designer can focus on the layout and interface while the UX designer can refine the application and design. Sometimes, as mentioned earlier, the UX and the UI designer is the same person. This happens with small companies although such an expert is not easy to find. Thus, design companies eventually shift to the T-shaped skill model which is able to balance the workload while bringing all the required skills to the project and allowing the skills to develop as needed.