What is UI and UX design
What is UI and UX design? UI design stands for user interface design and UX user experience design respectively? User interface (UI) design refers to the ways and methods to present a product digitally for getting the user’s attention. User experience (UX) design refers to how a user feels and gets results while and after using the product.
1. Ins and Outs of UI and UX designs
User interface and user experience designs both are used for displaying a product for its sale and getting reviews of users about the product after its trials. UI UX design process helps to provide the best customer service for the targeted audience.
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UI design is the process of visualizing a product in such a way as to get the attention of the user or searcher. It depicts the imagery of the product that provides complete visual knowledge about the product so the user won’t go for further searching. He can be able to get the whole knowledge, uses, and benefits of the product at a quick wink.
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The user interface is a graphic design used to grab the audience’s attention by creating an attractive UI UX design process. If you are a graphic designer, then (User Interface) UI developer or job is relatively easy.
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On the other hand, UX design works with the foresight of how a user should feel after using the product. The ultimate goal of UX design is to provide users the best feel of what they want in a product.
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User experience (UX) design is about the flow of the user experience and eliminating the source of friction during interactions. UX developers need to know the methods of studying user behavior and how to attract users.
1.1 Some factors about UI UX designers and UX & UI development
UI and UX developers get some suggestions of their targeted audience before launching any new product in the market. They implement the visual design findings in mockups, wireframes, and prototypes, test them and gather user feedback to make further changes and launch the product in the most excellent possible shape.
After getting a basic knowledge of UI and UX let’s move in the details of these terms separately.
1.2 User interface design
User interface design is a process in which designers visualize a product for advertisement in such a way that is intuitive and welcoming to the user. Display a product on software is as important as the quality of the product is. If the product itself is good but its information is not depicted very well then users will not take interest in that product. So the product must be visualized precisely to users with the adroitness of displaying aesthetically.
1.3 User experience design
User experience design is a process that takes users into account while making the product. This involves the feel and results that users get after using the product. User experience designers take all the measures in views like the user’s need for the product, design of the product, and it is quality. If a user feels good and is happy with the product then the user experience design has gone right, if the user doesn’t reject the product then the user design has gone wrong. So up to here, we come to know how user design is important.
Summary
UI design is user interface design and UX design is user experience design. Both are the processes related to effectively displaying a product on the internet or online store and the user gets results or experience after getting a product trial.
2. The working framework of UI and UX designs
Although UI and UX designs are different terms and have separate frameworks, both designs work in parallel. As UI design is a subset of UX design, many people mix the functions of both designs. People first should know the difference between the work of a UI designer and a UX designer.
2.1 What a UI designer do
A UI designer works by creating and using unique and attractive designs of products and their background. He also beautifies its information. When a user finds intuitive and attractive graphics of the product of his need, he will go for it. UI designers built the best framework for product interface screens which a user will move while using a mobile phone, website, application, or video game.
Let’s compile the work a UI designer does
- He makes a style guide for the interface and builds a welcoming visual language, to bring consistency to the whole screen.
- The UI designer checks out the interface in different kinds of screens so he can get ideas about the display to the user.
- Checking different screens, he comes to know different ideas and then makes a layout to create the best intuitive visual interface.
- He designs the interactivity of users with interface elements.
- He creates proper animations.
- Then he checks out the size of layouts on all kinds of screens.
2.2 What a UX designer do
On the other hand, a UX designer collects, facilitates, and analyzes the research data. A UX designer knows the requirements of a user, he makes a product by keeping all the interests of the user in view. He can design a product with new features and can modify the already present product for users to get a better experience.
In short, the UX designer does the following
- For most, he conducts thorough research to get an idea of what users want.
- Then he creates a user persona to make a layout of UX design.
- He also studies the product and gets an understanding of its virtual architecture.
- UX designers also design digitally the user flow and wireframes. He then makes prototypes and selects the best of them.
- To get an idea about the product and its results for getting a better user experience, the UX designer conducts user testing of the product and brings the product under trial.
2.3 UI and UX main focus
User Interface UI developers deal with the quality and visuals of the end product. They use hi-fi models as prototypes. On the other hand, (User experience) UX developers deal with the functionality of the product. They focus on the purpose of functions and logic of the UI UX design process.
Summary
A UI designer works for the betterment of the Interface through the product and its information is displayed to users. A UX designer works for making a product by knowing the interests of users for that product.
3. Features and Tools for User Interface design
The user interface can be made user-welcoming by putting different features in it. The designer creates a concise and clear interface with the help of so many handy tools. Let’s talk about UI design features and tools one by one.
3.1 Features of UI design
A UI design Should contain the following features
1. Simplicity
Simplicity is the first requirement of a UI design. It should not increase any ambiguity in the user’s mind. Key tasks and clicks must be less so a user gets maximum information about the product in less time.
2. Intuitiveness
The foremost important requirement of a quality user interface design is intuitiveness. Intuitiveness is a user interface design that helps the user to get an easy and quick understanding of the product in an instant. All the labels must be according to the application so the application can better support all the functions. Icons must be clear and unique for making an intuitive user interface.
3. Consistency
All the typeface, styles, layouts, and sizes must be applied in a consistent way to all screen components so it will make screen readability and screen learning better. Consistency also fades away all the designer information chaos and unclarity. So an interface should be consistent to get better results.
4. Conciseness
UI designer works to make an interface as concise as possible and try to give all important information through an adorable interface. So the users get satisfied by getting maximum knowledge about the product through an interface.
5. Prevention
The user interface must be specific, its icons and labels must provide only specific activity and should not let users perform the unseemly task. This is done by disabling certain components.
6. Graphics
User interface design should be graphical that provide users with a good visual operating mode. A good graphical user interface must include icons, text, buttons, fields, windows, images, and different pop-up and drag-down menus.
3.2 Tools used for UI design
For a UI design, many tools are involved in making a design reliable and usable. User interface design can be constructed with the help of the following tools:
1. Mockflow
It is one of the best UI design tools. It is easy to use by the designer. Mockflow is mainly used to build wireframes. When you get the idea of design this tool helps you to make an image of your idea in the form of a layout. It provides free as well as paid features. A single person can use it easily. Although collaboration and sharing features are present in paid plans.
2. Balsamiq
This tool is also for wireframing. If you want a large number of wireframes in a short time, then this tool is best. By using this tool designers can produce layouts and put buttons that are linked accurately through this tool. Its features are paid but a free trial is also available.
3. Axure
For long projects and heavy data, Axure is in use for designing for a long time. It helps in technical aspects of projects like the structure and data of design. This tool builds prototypes of high complexity. The point to note here is it only works in Windows and Mac and no free plan is available.
4. Adobe comp
Adobe Comp is a tool for wireframing on the iPad. For creating advanced layouts, this tool is good to use. It is very handy to use and a designer can use it in the park, in the bus, or in the plane. Its free plan is available and free to download, a designer is just required to make an Adobe ID. It is integrated with Creative Cloud in a paid plan to get more graphics, fonts, texture, colors, photos, and brushes.
5. Sketch
This tool is highly used by professional designers for prototyping. UI Designer makes unique interfaces and prototypes by using this tool. An interesting feature is present in it is symbols that assist in making an incredible interface. Its paid version is available and a free trial plan is also present.
Summary
A good UI design should contain all the features that provide a unique, adorable, and comfy interface to users. These features can be granted to a design by using the multi-tasking tools that are mentioned above.
4. Features and tools for User experience design
UX design must contain different features for getting the attention of users. These features can be created by using effective tools.
4.1 Features of UX design
Following are a few features of a UX design to be good
1. Information architecture
A well-organized and well-maintained informative architecture is the basic requirement of UX design. This includes accurate marking and pointing the software and websites involved in the design of the product. So the user will get better access and easily perform his task. Effective information architecture should contain the following features:
- An organized structure in which websites are categorized, labeled, and uniformly structured. This gives a way to provide information in the simplest and easiest mode.
- Easy navigation is necessary for browsing and finding required information in a short time.
- Search systems must be efficient and improved by which users seek information.
An information architecture requires different elements for its accomplishment. Without any of the following factors, a UX designer cannot get an intended user experience design.
- Users: The ultimate audience for whom the product is made. User’s needs are very important. For a UX design, the designer must know the requirements of the user for the product. He should check out whether the product contains all benefits which the users want or not. So users are important for building an information architecture.
- Context: The message UX designers try to provide must be according to the product. It must be relevant and authentic. The UX designer should make sure the message is clear and louder.
- Content: This is the third most important thing. Content must be precise and include text, animations, images, icons, labels, and videos. All that must be made in such a way to work in synchronization.
2. Interaction Design
Complete interaction of the user with the product is very necessary to get a feel and experience thoroughly. The UX design must give a full feel, aesthetic, and sound. Interaction design mainly focuses on user behavior and how users get a personal experience. The interaction design work provides user-product simplicity and transparency.
Follow aspects must be kept in view to get reliable interaction design
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Words: Interaction design requires fluency in work so the buttons used must be fluent and work quickly. For this, buttons should be sound, simple, understandable, and easy to use.
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Screens: The design must be according to fit in all screens that a user can use. The user experience design must be in accordance with all the accessible platforms. It can be a desktop website, mobile phone, or tablet through which user searches. So the best design is made with such adroitness that it can be valid for available screens.
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Visual presentation: This is the use of images and icons to get a better display of the product. A visual presentation must include relevant text, animations, and icons that precisely depict the message of the user experience designer about the product.
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Responsiveness: All the icons, buttons, and labels included in the design should be quick at responding. It means when a user touches a button it must delay all the intended information without any delay. It should not take a long time to load.
3. Planned User research
For making the layout of the design, a user experience designer first goes through the research. He should try to know the requirements, mindset, preferences behavior, and objectives of users which assist him while shaping the design. Research must be done on a wide range to get maximum information. Any research is going to be vain if a user experience designer will not get the actual result through all the research. He should go through all the results obtained after thorough study and research.
4. Prototyping
Prototyping is a good way to get a better idea of how a user interface or website will behave in front of the actual user. User experience designers get a virtual scenario of the user’s feel and experience. They use different tools for getting prototypes. This helps the UX designers to check whether a few amendments can be made in design or what will be the reaction of the user after viewing such layout, or if the design works exactly in the same way he wants or not. All these possible queries can be answered by using prototypes and potential users.
4.2 Tools for UX design
For making layouts and architecture of the whole user experience design many tools are used by UX designers. Following is the list of designing tools for UX design:
1. Adobe XD
This tool came up with many new features after evolving in a few years. This tool allows the designer to work in collaboration. It provides animation transitions to its user as well. Its free and paid plans are available.
2. Figma
It is another effective tool for prototyping. Its best quality is that it allows live co-editing of two or more persons. This tool also gives designers the liberty to use codes along with other elements for making high-quality prototypes.
3. Sketch
A sketch is a tool used for both UI designing and UX designing. It is used to create clear, clean, and sound mockups. It doesn’t provide collaboration with others for it only works on Mac. No free plan is available but a free trial can be taken of Sketch.
Summary
A UX designer puts so many features that are explained above in a user experience design to make it worthwhile with the help of nifty tools that are free or paid to use and increase the credibility of UX design.
Frequently asked Questions
Let’s go through a few of frequently asked questions.
1. What are UI and UX with examples?
UI (user interface) is a process that provides interaction to users with software, applications, computer systems, and other screens through which a product is displayed. UX on the other hand deals with the user’s feel or experience with a product or service.
2. What is the purpose of UI UX design?
The basic purpose of UI design is to make a product effectively showable and the purpose of UX design is to help users get a good experience and results from a product.
3. Can UX without UI?
Both UX and UI design separate terms but work parallel. Both go together. Each of these cannot work by removing the other.
4. Who earns more UI or UX designers?
A UX designer earns more than a UI because UX design tends to be more complex than a UI design. So a UX designer does more work and earns more than a UI designer.
5. What programming language is used in UX?
HTML and CSS are basic markup languages that UI and UX designers should know. HTML is used for formatting and structuring the page while CSS is used for styling the page and product.
6. How long does it take to learn UI UX design?
It will take 10 weeks maximum for the designer to learn UI and UX designs. Designers take different courses to learn these designs and go to many boost camps.
7. Is UI a good career?
Yes, UI is a good career and advancing so fast in this era. People who love to design a thing or product and like to make layouts can enjoy UI designing.
8. What degree is needed for UI design?
You need to get a bachelor’s degree in Computer science or a related field for UI design. The degree will teach you the theory-related designing process but you need the practice to gain and improve your skills.
9. Can you be both UX and UI designer?
Yes, you can be them both. Many companies are employing a single person for both qualities and skills. You can learn both skills by giving a bit extra time and can become an expert.
10. Should I learn UI or UX first?
You should learn UX first because UX design is a major category and UX designer maps out all the designing journeys first.
Conclusion
UI design means user interface design and UX design means user experience design. Both these terms explain the formation of a product for accomplishing the need of users and its display to users in a comfy way.
UI and UX designers work separately but work for the same ultimate goal. UI designer creates an exclusive interface including the images, tags, buttons, icons, websites, and animations that perfectly visualize the product. A UX designer does research and studies the needs of users, their mindset, and objectives related to the product. So he can get an idea for making the layout of the product. Then he tries to fulfill all the user requirements by making the product effective.
Both UI and UX designs have specific features that are necessary for getting the best results after reaching the end working.
These specific features can be bestowed to UI and UX designs with the help of a handful of available tools in the digital market. All the tools have their specific grounds.
References
What is UI design? What is UX design? UI vs UX: What’s the difference | by ✨ They Make Design ✨ | UX Planet
19 Best UI/UX Design Tools for 2023 (Ultimate List) | Maze
UX vs. UI Design: What's the Difference? [2023 Guide]
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