Today, UI and UX are the most commonly used and often talked about terms in digital space. Whether it’s about digital marketing, website designing, or app development, the talk hardly completes without the words – UI and UX. You must have noticed that!
So, what are these words? Yeah, UI is User Interface, and UX is User Experience. But what do they mean? Are they the same; can we use them interchangeably? Well, we are going to answer all these questions in this blog. Apart from that, we will also see how do the UI and UX affect the website. Read through for complete understanding.
Let’s start with the basics.
User Interface (UI) is concerned with the aesthetics of the website – the look and feel. It’s anything that lets a person interact with the website smoothly. And what are the components of a website’s UI? The four main components are –
From the search box, drop-down menu, check box to slider, tags and many more aspects, all form part of the user interface of a website.
User Experience (UX) is an umbrella term, having wide-ranging applications. Any segment of a product/service impacting the overall experience of the users forms part of UX, including appearance, functionality, ease of use, and accessibility. For clear understanding, let’s see what user experience is all about through the words of the person who coined this phrase. His name is Don Norman.
“User experience encompasses all aspects of the end-user’s interaction with the company, its services, and its products.”
Don Norman (An American Researcher, Cognitive Scientist & User Experience Architect)
So, that was the meaning of UI and UX. Now, it’s time to address the next question.
Many a time, people use UX & UI interchangeably. You must have noticed this too! But is that correct? Well, you already have the answer!
Though UI and UX are vital aspects of a website’s design and are closely associated, they are not the same. We cannot use them interchangeably. There exists a conceptual difference.
UX is a broader term; the User Interface is just a part of the User Experience. But both are equally important as imagining one of them without another is not possible. Underestimating the power of any of them and compromise with any part can put you into trouble.
Seeing them as the wheels of a two-wheeler won’t be wrong. It doesn’t matter how good one wheel is; it won’t be of any use in the absence of the other one.
“Something that looks great but is difficult to use is exemplary of great UI and poor UX. While something very usable that looks terrible is exemplary of great UX and poor UI.”
– Helga Moreno, a famous designer.
We have seen that User Interface and User Experience both are crucial for success. Now, it’s time to see their role in a website.
Before we talk about that, let’s have a quick look at the facts favouring UI and UX.
Okay! Let’s come back to our previous question significance of UI and UX in website designing.
Well, the facts have already raised the curtains from the picture. But for enhanced understanding, why not talk about the benefits of UI and UX in website designing one by one and see how can it help you.
Boost Engagement Rate
If you expect people to spend time on your website, you have to provide them with the reasons for the same. What can be better than offering an excellent User Interface and a classic User Experience? With that, you can attract them and persuade them to take the desired action.
Inform You About Your Audience
Both UI and UX are meant to serve the target audience well. And that makes knowing the audience essential. Obviously, how can you satiate people without knowing their expectations? You can’t. Thus, coming up with a fitting UI and UX design requires research. Through this research, you get to know a lot about your target audience. That information can help you in many ways, apart from designing UI and UX. Using that information, you can offer customized services and create experiences that your audience can cherish.
Improves Brand Image
What’s the key to getting into the minds of the customer? It’s not the high-quality service/product alone. Neither it can be a great platform. Now, people don’t accept anything below a top-notch overall customer experience. UI and UX together help you meet the desire of the audience. And when that happens, you move ahead on the journey of building an irreplaceable brand.
Creates Trust and Loyalty
Continuing the above point, by offering a matchless experience to customers, you can earn their trust and loyalty. That way, you can obtain a competitive edge.
Improves ROI
Ahh…when everything else works right, ROI increases. A superb website UI and UX can prevent loss of sales, earn you returning customers, reduces technical issues, etc. So, you can achieve more with fewer resources. And can channelize the funds in the right direction.
User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) are interrelated but not the same. So, using these terms interchangeably is not an option. But one thing is evident that you can’t overlook either of these two while going for website designing & development or website redesigning. It’s because they both have their roles to play and are equally important. Missing on even a single part is enough to invite failure.