UI design vs UX design: Understanding the difference

What is UX design?

UX design is all about the overall experience a user has when interacting with a product, service, or system. It encompasses the entire journey—from discovering a product to making a purchase or completing a task—and focuses on how easy and enjoyable that experience is. UX design is rooted in research, psychology, and an understanding of human behavior. It begins with identifying user needs, pain points, and expectations. Through methods like user research, personas, wireframes, and prototypes, UX designers create structures that guide users seamlessly through a product. The goal of UX design is to solve problems, ensuring users can achieve their goals with minimal friction.

What is UI Design?

UI design, on the other hand, is concerned with the look and feel of the product’s interface. It’s about translating the wireframes and user flows created in the UX phase into visually appealing designs. UI design focuses on the finer details—the colors, typography, button styles, icons, images, and overall aesthetic that make a product visually engaging. A well-executed UI ensures that the design is not just functional but also visually cohesive and aligned with the brand’s identity. Good UI design enhances usability by creating interfaces that are intuitive, attractive, and consistent.