In this article, we will look at what UI and UX are, what the rules are to create interface design, what influences UX and what is the difference between these two concepts.
This terminology is often used in IT, but it has gained the bigger popularity in websites and application development. These terms are often confused, although they are approximately 70 years old.
Let's find out what the abbreviations mean and how they differ.
UX, or User experience is a term that contains the general experience that users can gain or gain when using programs or websites. UX design is responsible for how the product will function and how it will be adapted, what feedback and emotions it will cause in an ordinary user. Many aspects impact this type of experience so it's hard to count them all, but we can highlight the main factors. These are language clarity, high-quality content, obvious actions in the product, unity in interface development solutions, clear logic of the interface and its identity with the user mindset. It is from this term the interface design of the program or website begins based on the study of user experience and their behavioral reactions.
UI or User interface is a term that includes the means by which users can interact with the product. These means can be audio, physical (based on tactility), graphical or voice. In this article, we will consider only the graphical part of the interface as most of the design solutions in IT are based on this element. UI design of the graphical interface is focused on work with fonts, illustrations, sliders, menus, input fields, animation, buttons and photos. User interface design is a process of creating a visual prototype the development of which is formed on the user experience and analysis of the target audience of the product.
The main task of a UI designer is to help the user understand how to use the software product in the most user-friendly way whether it is an application, tool, website, gadget or any other object that surrounds us in daily life. For this, designers should stick to the next rules:
Well-developed interface saves a lot of time and nerves of the user and directs them to the necessary place with minimal effort.
The interface of a developed product should not be overloaded with various tips, animation and pop-up windows. It is necessary in order not to confuse and overwhelm the target audience with information. Conciseness will be able to emphasize the specific product aspects.
There should not be any ambiguity in the interface of the developed product and text and structural content must direct the user to the right place.
An aesthetic user interface attracts plenty of users to your product and it will be very pleasant to work with it. It is one of the main things that should be present in every content.
Interface elements such as sliders and menus should have the same behavior on any page of your product.
The interface should be recognisable on an intuitive level even if the user visits the site for the first time. For example, the confirmation button is usually displayed in green, which is why it is not advisable to make it another color or make a horizontal scrolling on the site instead of a vertical one.
A well-designed interface interacts with the user instantly and in such a way that the user understands what happens on the page at this very moment: informing about a successful product payment, message sending, etc. Animations, icons, pop-ups, and text content are functional solutions for this aspect of interface development.
A user can often make a mistake, which is why you as a UI designer need to consider special messages to such instances, which will carefully explain what happened at the moment. This solution helps significantly to keep nerves, time, money and loyal users in case of critical situations and crashes.
An example of good UX/UI design that includes all the rules mentioned above is the ZARA HOME website:
Then what is the difference? In short words, the distinction between UI and UX is the difference in tasks:
In order to achieve the goal you need to use UI and UX together otherwise there is a high risk of getting an interface that simply won’t work. Only by using both of them, it is possible to reach the perfect balance between appearance, clear functionality and easy perception. Because of this, the interface is developed by the same person and this profession is written together with these terms using a slash.
In conclusion, design is not only the appearance of an object and the feeling of observing it. Design is how the object works. You should remember that UI is the same for everyone, but UX is unique for each user. Thus, it does not matter how many people (one or multiple) are involved in the development. It is important to secure the user's comfort and desire to return to the product again and again.
