UX Design 101: Difference between UI and UX Design!

Although the UX (User Experience) and UI (User Interface) have similar names, they are completely different. While one refers to the user’s experience and sensation, the other is directed d towards a more rational side of the navigation.

The website UX plays an essential role in the success of any Digital Marketing strategy.

The problem is that there is a lot of confusion about what design means or how it should be used in a company’s digital strategy.

It is not surprising that companies around the world, the size of Nike, Cola-Cola, Google and Apple, are so concerned with this aspect in their products and services.

The good news is that not only the giants of commerce can use design to their advantage. Your company can (and should) do it too.

But how do you use what you still don’t understand? Therefore, we will explain today two of the most important concepts you need to learn: UI and UX design.

If you already knew them and thought they were both the same, we will help you correct that confusion. Ready? Let’s go!

What is UX design or what is user experience?

The most frequently asked question is what is a UX design? UX stands for User Experience. It refers to how a person feels while using your digital product or service.

Website UX also has to do with the feeling of this person after using your product.

That includes their experience with your website and blog, the online system or the application, even if your business is not 100% digital it also applies. That’s why while choosing the  UI UX designer company do check their portfolio. If the portfolio attracts you then go for their service.

What is user experience design and its role in Digital Marketing?

The software UX design is what a user feels about your software or website and the impact of a website on a user in a first look. Imagine the following example: when accessing your website, a potential customer wants to know how to contact one of your salespeople.

He searches for a long time to find a link for the contact page, but the form is broken and it takes him three attempts to complete the request for a quote.

Now, what kind of experience do you think this user had? During the search, he is probably already frustrated, don’t you think? Probably when faced with a problem on the form, it may be that you have become angry or discouraged.

The truth is that in such a situation, most users wouldn’t even bother trying to log in three times, as in our example.

But the point is: who does, will not have the same willingness to continue the chat after receiving the contact from the seller, right?

In other words, the best UX websites with the best user experience design can help generate more leads and close more deals. On the other hand, a bad experience implies the opposite.

What is UI design?

The expression UI comes from User Interface. The idea of ​​the UI is to guide the user through your application during the time that he uses it.
To facilitate the explanation we will use the same example.

The moment a person enters your website, there are some specific actions that you want them to take.

So a good UI/UX design job will allow you to guide users through the navigation and lead them to take such actions naturally.

If the objective is for the person to ask for the contact of a seller, everything on the page (content, navigation menus, CTAs, images, etc.) must collaborate so that they feel this need.

What is the role of UI design in a digital strategy?

If your website does not direct users in the right way through the interface, they will hardly take the right actions. As a result, this sales channel will fall short of its business objectives.

Now, have you ever visited confusing websites that did not clearly communicate the value proposition or that made it difficult to find the necessary information and what you were looking for? Well, then you’ve been in the presence of examples of a poorly crafted UI.

And a poorly made UI costs a lot since the almost immediate reaction of visitors will be to return to the search engine and switch to another website that offers a better experience. So the UI UX designer should use the best strategy to improve the visitors’ experience with the best UI. Because the UI directly affects the UX since if your site navigation is bad, it is quite difficult to provide a good experience.

However, that does not mean that the two concepts are the same thing. To be clear, let’s see below 3 clear differences between them.

3 fundamental differences between UI & UX design

There are some important differences between UI and UX that need to be considered in order to fully understand what each of them does. Now see 3 of the main differences between UI UX design.

UI only exists with a visual interface, UX does not

UI, as the name implies, is concerned with the visual interfaces of your website or application. Without a screen, there is no UI. But we can’t say the same about UX, why?

Because, in many cases, the user’s feeling in relation to the browsing experience has nothing to do with a screen.

It is capable of making this experience even more pleasant if the designer manages to eliminate some stages in the process of using the product, which means fewer screens to interact with.

UI directs the user, UX makes navigation worthwhile

We already talked a bit about that, but it is worth reinforcing that the roles of UI/UX design are essentially different, even though they complement each other.

If on the one hand, the UI directs the user and what to do while using the site or application, the role of the UX is to make navigation pleasant.

The UI allows navigation to be easy to understand and actions simple to perform, yet even the most pleasant site in the world will not leave visitors satisfied if you do not have the information they expect and in the way, they want to consume it.

UI is about reason, UX is about emotion

What is the simplest method to use a website or application? There are solid methods in this area, and it is a pretty logical procedure.

In the West, people normally read top to bottom, left to right, not counting the various systems out there, but what does this have to do with UI and UX?

Well, despite the fact that both are directed towards different sides, to evoke a positive reaction in the user (both with UI and UX) you have to take into account who your audience is, what is the context in which they use your application and what do you want to find.

4 benefits of using UI UX design together

You’ve already recognized that UI and UX are critical to the success of your digital strategy. So it’s natural for you to ask yourself: which of the two should I use?

However, the answer is both. There is no need to pick just one or to believe that they are in competition with one another. As previously said, UI and UX complement one another. 

Separately, each one can bring good results for your company, but only if you use both together will you have the following benefits:

Generation of high value for the public

With both a well-designed interface and in-depth understanding of how your buyer persona behaves, you can produce far more value for your audience than if only one of the aspects was included in your approach.

It’s important to remember that providing value to your audience is never too much. Finally, even if not all visitors are ready to take instant action, if the UI and UX work is done properly, they are likely to return.

High chances of retaining and enchanting users

Many sites and applications have as one of the main success metrics the length of time users have been on the website. This indicator is used when engagement is important for the success of the project.

If this is your situation, there is nothing more valuable than combining a good interface with a positive user experience.

This couple is responsible for the retention and enchantment of users, which generates traffic and more engagement that comes from recommendations.

Strengthening the brand

Brands that care about the complete experience that customers have in their digital channels achieve the strengthening of the relationship with users.

In the digital world, everything is shared, which involves the joys and frustrations of people with their favourite brands.

Increase in conversions

In the end, nothing is more crucial in a digital strategy than conversions.

That is why any company invests in Digital Marketing and insisting on the design of the interfaces, as well as the complete experience, is what guarantees the return on this investment.

The best part is that after seeing positive results, it is possible to continue optimizing efforts and reaching even higher goals regularly.

Conclusion

Now that you know about UI and UX designs, you know that they are intimately connected, but they are not the same thing. Keep in mind that the secret is to use the two together to strengthen your digital strategy.

In the end, if your audience had a great experience, you will probably have more conversions.

If you are looking for a UI UX design agency in Vancouver Saintcode is the best option.