The difference between UX and UI design - Back to Basics

UX and UI design are some of the most misused terms in our field. Luckily, once you read this easy back to basics article you’ll be able to not only hold a conversation with your peers but also sell it for your agency’s Web Development department.
UX design refers to the term User Experience design while UI design stands for User Interface design. Both terms are extremely useful and used in our field and work closely together to deliver a fully functional website.
Even though they work closely together, both terms are very specific and refer to very different parts of the website development process. Where UX design is more of the analytical and technical side of the website, UI design closer to what we refer to as an extremely complex graphic design.
To put it simply, an analogy we like to use here in Atuqui is that a car with UI design but no UX design is like having a beautiful and ergonomic interior/exterior but it doesn’t run while a car with UX but no UI design has the best motor on a chassis but you can’t sit in it.
What is User Experience Design?
UXD is a term that exists in every industry out there. It encompasses any and all interactions between a potential or active customer and a company. In the non digital world it is the cognitive science practice, but used and defined predominantly by the digital industry.
Essentially it works to define the structure, analysis and optimization of a customer’s experience with a company and it’s products. It is the process of development and improvement of quality interaction between a user and all facets of a company.
The process in Atuqui is quite complex but can be simply explained in three easy steps: We define the Strategy & Content, we Wireframe & Prototype and finally we Execute & Analyze. Each step takes into consideration Market Research as well as internal Company Business Goals and yes, a lot of testing.
What is User Interface Design?
While User Experience is a conglomeration of tasks focused on the optimization of a product for effective and enjoyable use, User Interface Design is its complement; the look and feel, the presentation and interactivity of a product. It is responsible for the transference of a product’s development, research, content and layout into an attractive, guiding and responsive experience for users. It is also a field that, unlike UX, is a strictly digital profession.
In Atuqui, our process for UI design can be summarized in two major steps. The first is the Look & Feel, which deals with customer analysis, design research as well as branding and graphic development closely aligned to the brand’s guidelines. The second step can be defined as Responsiveness & Interactivity, which deals with UI Prototyping, Interactivity and Animation, Adaptation to All Screen Sizes as well as Implementation and Testing.
User Interface Design is responsible for the transference of a brand’s strengths and visual assets to a product’s interface as to best enhance the user’s experience. It is a digital field, which includes responsibility for cooperation and work with developers or code.
In conclusion:
Both techniques are crucial for website development. A lot of agencies and freelancers offer website creation as part of their services but when you want to create a website that is not only beautiful but also intuitive and engaging, it is very important to choose a partner that has these capabilities.
In Atuqui we live for digital and our process is well mapped and delivers results. Contact your Atuqui representative for a free analysis of your website and how you can make it effective to reach your goals!