Do you wonder about the difference between UX and UI design? Don’t worry. You are not alone. Most startup owners have a hard time distinguishing UX designers from UI designers. Identifying which one you need for your startup will help you save tons of money and effort.
This article will discuss the distinctions between these two designers and design styles. We’ll also talk about how to find a designer who is suitable for your project. We will also provide some great examples of UX and UI designs.
The Difference Between UX and UI Design
The distinction between UX and UI design is not always obvious. Even some of the most experienced digital marketers have difficulty differentiating between these two concepts.
UX stands for user experience. On the other hand, UI stands for the user interface. Both are closely related to each other in that they both affect how users interact with your website or mobile app. However, there are significant variances in their functions within a project team. Let’s take a look at them now.
The Purpose of UX Design
UX design’s primary goal is to improve the user experience. This is done by studying how users interact with a product and making changes accordingly. The goal is to ensure that all interactions are as accessible and convenient for the user as possible.
User experience covers everything from the initial idea for the product to its final launch. It includes research, testing, analysis, and feedback. A UX designer’s primary concern is always the customer. These designers must put themselves in their shoes and think about making their experience better.
UX designers usually work on early-stage products where it’s more important to focus on getting things right from the beginning. They aim to develop solutions that solve users’ problems before anything is built.
Examples of Great UX Designs
User experience is a significant facet when establishing a business. Good user experience allows you to create a meaningful relationship with your users. Many modern applications are realizing the importance of efficient UX designs. Here are some of the best UX design examples.
- Gamification: Duolingo takes advantage of creating an engaging environment with its users. They motivate their users to use their app by completing daily missions. In addition, they incorporated light-hearted animation to go with their intent.
- Personalization: An excellent UX design fulfills the needs and wants of its users. You can improve a user’s experience by allowing them to customize their interface.
- Data Visualization: Most users prefer to look at data than read them. It’s easier for most people to comprehend data in figures. Spotify does a great job doing this with their Spotify year-end wrap.
The Purpose of UI Design
UI design’s primary goal is to make the user interface look good. This includes making sure that all elements are visually appealing and easy to use. UI designers also work on the overall layout of a website or app.
One of the critical responsibilities of a UI designer is to take care of how information is presented to users. They need to be able to create an efficient and functional system that looks great at the same time.
Unlike UX designers, UI designers usually work on products already in development. Their primary focus is making sure that everything works as it should. Although UX and UI design have their own distinctions, both are needed for the success of your product.
Examples of Great UI Designs
UI design is associated chiefly with visual aspects. Startups can use many great examples to illustrate how beautiful and functional UI designs can become. An effective way of presenting information in an organized manner helps users find what they’re looking for without any trouble. The website Shopify does this well by making sure everything looks neat and easy to navigate through their site.
- Interactive Onboarding: The onboarding screen is the first thing users see when they open your app. This sets up their expectations for what’s to come next. Indeed uses a great UI design that incorporates compelling interactive features, making it easy for its customers to use their services immediately upon opening the application.
- Dark Theme: A dark theme is a great way to change up the appearance of your app and can be very visually appealing. It’s also a terrific technique to extend the life of your mobile device’s battery. The social media platform, Twitter, uses this technique by allowing users to change the color of their interface themes.
- Visualized Instructions: A great way of educating your users with your app is to have practical visual instructions. The smartphone application, Snapchat, does an excellent job with its clearly defined instruction cards that show the user exactly what they need to do next.
UX Designer and UI Designer Differences
UX designers focus on creating a product users will love by solving their problems before anything is built. They work closely with customers to know what users want from an app or website. Once this has been established, UX designers develop wireframes and prototypes to present their ideas for feedback from stakeholders.
On the other hand, UI Designers take care of how information is presented through various visual elements. They are responsible for coordinating color schemes, typography choices, and layouts. Their process begins once the structure has been approved via strategy sessions with UX designers.
The goal of a UI designer is to take all of the information from the UX designer. They put it in an attractive format for users and ensure everything works flawlessly. They are responsible for making an interface look excellent and easy to navigate.
In conclusion, it’s essential to understand that UX and UI design are two completely different disciplines. A UI designer focuses on how things look, while a UX designer worries about how things function. It’s essential to have both on your team if you’re looking to create a successful product.
What is a UX Designer?
Creating an excellent user experience is the responsibility of a UX designer. They focus on understanding customer needs and developing solutions that solve their problems. UX designers work with customers to know what they want from an app or website, then build prototypes and wireframes to present their ideas.
What is a UI Designer?
A UI designer is the one who ensures that everything looks great in your product. They are responsible for the overall appearance of an app or website, including color schemes, typography choices, and layouts. UI designers begin working once the structure has been approved via strategy sessions with UX designers.
How do UX and UI design work together?
Both UX and UI designers work closely together to create a product that will satisfy a user. A UX designer focuses on understanding customer needs, while the job of UI is to form the vision that attracts users. Both roles are essential in creating a successful product.
Try to imagine this: You go to your favorite shoe brand’s website. You browse through their latest sneaker collection and find a great deal. You immediately added it to your cart. However, you noticed that it was not the color you wanted when checking your cart. You tried to change the sneaker’s color, but there’s no button to customize your order.
Frustrated, you tried to go to their FAQ page to find answers. However, the texts on their FAQ page are not aligned, and the text is too light to read. You gave up out of frustration. Why would you submit yourself to such agony when you can get an identical shoe on another website?
This is how you lose a customer. UX and UI design work better together. To ensure that your website accommodates your customer’s needs, you need UX. On the other hand, you need UI to ensure that your website doesn’t look confusing.
How do you find the perfect designer for your project?
If you need to employ someone for your project, you must know what kind of designers you need. Although UX and UI design are from different fields, looking for a designer with both skills would be beneficial. Being the best is not necessary, but they should at least have a gist of an idea of UX and UI designs.
Although there are differences between the roles of UX and UI designers, their goals remain the same – to improve product usability. It’s essential to understand that UX and UI design can help you create successful products or websites with appealing aesthetics.
Here are some things to consider when you are looking to hire a UX or UI designer:
- Experience: Before hiring a designer, you must set your expectations with them. Suppose you are tight on budget and looking to hire entry-level designers. You can’t expect them to execute complicated designs right away. On the other hand, experienced designers can bring your vision to life, but they may charge higher rates.
- Field of expertise: You must identify what you are looking for in your designer. In most cases, a UX developer is what you need. Suppose you are building an e-commerce website. It would be preferable to hire a UX designer experienced with an e-commerce website.
- Budget: Lastly, think about how much you are willing to spend on a designer. As established earlier, experienced designers charge higher than entry-level designers. However, this does not mean that you can’t find talented designers within your limited budget range. There are designers around the globe who are willing to take your job with your budget.
Where can you find a perfect designer for your project?
There are several platforms where you can find designers. However, most of these sites are marketplaces. This means that you will have to go through countless proposals before finding a perfect designer match.
DesignMatch resolves this issue for you. With DesignMatch, you don’t have to spend long hours and tire your eyes reading through hundreds of proposals and offers. Our team of carefully assessed designers is ensured to deliver the desired outcome.
We take in your client profile and match it with our vetted designers. Lessen your hiring time and reduce risks with DesignMatch now!
Final Thoughts
Both UX and UI designers are essential for the success of your product or service. However, their roles are different. Understanding the differences between these two roles will help you identify what you need to improve in your business.
DesignMatch is here to help you with all your design needs! We provide a platform where you can find talented, experienced, and affordable designers for your next project. Sign up now and find your perfect designer match with DesignMatch!
