Understanding the Basic Difference Between UX and UI
User Experience (UX):
Design User Experience or UX is what the experience of the user is of the app. It is determined by how the user interacts with the app. If the experience is smooth and intuitive, then there are high chances that the user continues to use the app and refers it to other people in their network as well. But there is a flip side to it- if the experience is clumsy, confusing and if the app keeps hanging or freezing, then the business will suffer losses as it leads to immediate uninstalling of the app.
In simple terms, user experience is determined by how easy or difficult it is to interact with the user interface elements that the UI designers have created. Thus, the UX designers are very much concerned with an application’s user interface. This is also the major reason why people think UI and UX are the same things. In reality, there is a stark difference between the two, but, as a matter of fact, both are interdependent on each other. If you understand this article, then you would know when people use UI and UX interchangeably- which is of course wrong.
The UX designer determines the structure of the interface and its functionality. The organization, and how different elements interact with each other are coded by UX designers. Essentially, UX designers work on the back-end development of the app- increasing its speed, efficiency, and accuracy and reducing response time and bugs. The UI designer works on the look and feel of the app to make it appealing to the eye. If the app works well and feels easy to use along with a great visual experience, the user is more likely to feel accomplished on a task they set out to complete with the help of the app. This indeed means that UX and UI designers are key to developing an application that gives a complete feel of a good application.
User Interface(UI) Design:
User Interface or UI in simple terms is the graphical layout of an application. The application can be of any type- mobile, web, or hybrid application.
User Interface consists of things like buttons the user clicks on, the text they read, text entry fields( like search bars in a dictionary application), sliders, images, short animations, and many other items that the user can interact with. Screen organization, transitions, interface animations, and very minute interactions like touch or tap(as in a crossword game). In an application, any sort of visual element, interaction, animation, and visual effects must be meticulously designed.
All these elements are designed by UI designers. They take the input and requirements from the business or client and design the look and feel of the application. The color schemes, shapes of icons, font, text size, the width of lines, and many other visual elements are designed as per the need of the business.
UI designers are people who are skilled in graphic designing, they mainly function with the right part of their brain which is the creative side – required to design an attractive interface and aesthetically pleasing applications. It is in their hands to make the interface visually stimulating and thematic in nature so that the design matches the purpose of the app. One important factor they need to keep in mind while designing a user interface is that they need to bring coherence between all the visual elements of the application interface.