UI or UX, where to focus?

Some see them separately, few see them as one. Let’s clear the air!

There are humans around the world who call themselves UI/UX Designers and not sure who has the major stake, UX, or UI. Let’s take a look at it.

In the industry, there are UX Designers and UI Designers, and both of them have their responsibilities. Instead of comparing each other, let’s take a look at who is capable of what.

User Experience Design (UX)

A skeleton.

Yes. If we consider the human body as a product, the skeleton is what gives you stability and shape. This is what a UXD in a product does. There are other parts in the human body like the heart, kidney, liver, lungs, etc. which can relate to user personas, user scenarios, competitor analysis, information architecture, task flows, wireframes, user interface, prototypes, etc.

If a body part is malfunctioning, it surely affects the function of other parts too. Similarly, one wrong step in different stages of UX Design can leave a critical impact on other stages of design. For Example, Your actual user is a 50yr old with poor eyesight, and you considered a user persona of 21yr old Rock band artist in your research. The needs of both are entirely different, and if not corrected before going to the next stage, your final product may not serve the needs of your 50yr old target.

User Interface Design (UI)

At some point in your life, you must’ve told yourself that “She is beautiful or He is hot”. It’s a human instinct. It happens when something tickles your eyes. Similarly, UI is what makes someone say “This is cool, awesome, smooth, or even disgusting” about a product. In the example of the human body, UI components like layouts, colors, inputs, buttons, lists, typography, etc., can relate to makeover elements like a shirt, pants, tops, jackets, watches, shades, etc.

No matter how good the groundwork (UX) is, people always judge just by looks. So, UI is important. But that doesn’t mean beauty without brains will work. UX is needed too.

“You can attract users by showcasing extra-ordinary visuals in UI, but you can’t make them stay unless your product is usable.”

The balance of both is the key to awesomeness.

If you notice clearly, UI is a segment of the UX Design Process. And it is the medium through which you showcase your entire hard work.

As a designer, each stage of the UX Design process helps you make decisions that make a difference.

• The user persona tells you who you’re designing for.
• Competitor Analysis tells you who you are competing with and how to make yourself stand out.
• User Journey tells you how to keep the digital journey intact with the real world.
• Sketching allows you to validate your research and conduct rapid brainstorm sessions
• Wireframes help you craft your successful ideas on a design tool to test with your focus groups.
• User Interface is the stage when you implement your visual design skills into the given wireframes.
• UX Writing lets’ you create a copy that engages users to stay on your product.
• Interaction Design, let’s you define the smooth transitions and micro animations in the UI to keep your product engaging.
• Prototyping, helps you validate your design decisions with your focus groups, stakeholders, and test participants. This can be done in different stages of design.
• Usability Testing is where you verify whether you’ve reached your goals in terms of product usability or not by testing it out with a prototype or even your end product.

No matter your role as a designer, it is better you stay in the loop with every aspect of the UX design process and ensure your ability to process the results in crafting better UX and UI for your products.