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When you are new to the world of Web design, the technical language can be confusing.
But most foreign languages follow a rhyme and reason. Every business should work with a professional web designer at some point. If you want to have a successful site, you might need a translator.
This article will help you. Here we break down four of the most confusing terms in the tech industry today, UI, UX and web design, and explain them.
You'll know not only what each field is but which one your business should focus on.
The ABCs
Before we go deeper, let's first clarify some terms to help you understand the context:
- Web Design: An umbrella category that covers everything related to the design of visuals and usability for a website. Web design elements include UI and UX, as well as many other fields.
- Web Development: Code is the technical aspect of creating a website. The "frontend" and the "backend" of web development are further separated.
- User Interface: Specialization in web design, which deals with controls that people use to interact on a website or an app, such as button displays and gesture control.
- User Experience (UX): Another area of expertise in web design is person Experience (UX), which focuses on how a person behaves and feels while using a website or an app. UX design encompasses many other areas but looks at them from the point of view of the user.
You can already see that these fields are not exclusive. There is a lot of overlap. Web design and web development are two sides of one coin.
UI design influences UX; web development supports all. It's not about which field handles which task but more about the different perspectives each field takes on the same task.
Let's take this as an example. This is a problem that every website faces. What is the impact of each field on loading times?
- Web Design: If a web page is taking too long to load, it's because there's too much or too complex content. Images can be compressed. Assets can be re-exported & adjusted. Pages can be trimmed to remove excess content.
- Web Development: To improve the loading time of content, we can use CSS sprites, better file compression, or even a content delivery system to speed up loading in certain geographical areas.
- UI: The controls must be responsive, and the interface should be simple to allow for instant interactivity.
- UX: With every second that passes, the likelihood of a user "bouncing" (leaving the site in a matter of seconds) increases. We should reduce the loading time first on the homepage and landing page before we address the issue site-wide.
In an ideal world, you'd hire a team or individual specialists to cover each of these areas so that you can have a professional look at your site from every angle.
Budgetary constraints can force you to choose one area over another or hire freelancers project by project. You'll occasionally find someone who says they can do everything:
- Designers with coding skills may claim to be the "all-in-one" package. However, they are more limited than two specialists.
- UI designers and web designers share many skills, so they are often used interchangeably.
- UX and UI, both of which are subspecialties, are often grouped together.
- UX is treated as a skill by many other professions. This includes those outside of custom design, such as product management.
These people are useful when you need them, but remember that they may be able to do the basics in several fields but will likely be experts in only one.
You should also distinguish between desktop and mobile. Some workers have a particular specialty. For example, some developers are more experienced in building mobile websites; others only design apps.
There is a lot of overlap, but if you are hiring for a particular project, ensure that your candidates have the skills to handle it.
Which of these experts can you hire to help you achieve your business goals? What should you be looking for when hiring these specialists? Now let's look into each of them in more detail.
Web Design
The term "web design" has become a bit archaic, as it dates back to a time when one person was responsible for all aspects of the design of a site.
The term "web designer", by modern standards, can be vague. Thanks to technology and increased knowledge of the craft, we now have many subdivisions.
Subcategories in web design include UI and UX as well as other acronyms such IA (information architect, which deals with site navigation menu and mapping) and CRO, or conversion rate optimization (fine-tuning a site's design for increased sales, signups, or other specific actions).
These subcategories are numerous, and new ones are created daily as designers compete to land better jobs.
Web design is a term that refers to the visuals of a website and its functionality. Web design is a field that's intrinsically linked to graphic design on all levels, and it deals with the same principles of visual communication.
Web design is not just about graphic design. Designers who work with apps or websites must be familiar with digital trends, user expectations and technical constraints.
Web design also requires a certain amount of business knowledge: Designers should be familiar with digital sales tactics, such as where to place the "call-to-action" (CTA), which is used to elicit sales and email subscriptions.
The site layout has a huge impact on user behavior. However, because it is so nuanced, certain designers are more adept at it.
Web designers are responsible for both traditional graphic design issues like color and typography, as well as digital issues like selecting the best aesthetics to fit different screen sizes.
To create appealing layouts, they also need to understand business concepts such as leading and closing. Designers are often required to create icons, graphics, or interface buttons, and this requires a wide range of skills.
The designer is largely responsible for the design process, so long as they follow existing brand guidelines. The designer will typically create prototypes, test them with users or stakeholders and incorporate feedback into the next design.
Designers can create wireframes to help prepare a prototype or a Mockup, which is a perfect image of the screen, but without any interactivity. After the prototype has been approved, the code is sent to the developer.
How to Choose a Web Designer: What to Look For?
- You need to be clear about what you are looking for before you can choose the right web designer. There are so many different specializations that it is not about whether the designer is good or not, but if they are a good match for you.
- Attention to their portfolio. Web designers have different artistic styles, especially those who focus on graphic design.
- You should look for mastery in the areas you are interested in. See how they deal with typography, readability, and page layout if you have a site that is text-heavy. Check if the designer knows what makes a great product page if you are building an ecommerce site. Here are the best ecommerce web designers.
- Does their preferred software work with the rest of the team? There are many different design programs, including Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, as well as prototype software. Ask your staff what their options are.
- You should ask your designer to explain their design cycle and how long it takes. All designers have different methods and cycles. Make sure you hire someone who fits both your company's culture and schedule.
Read More: Difference Between A UX/UI Designer and A Web Designer?
Web Development
Coding is a key element of web design and development. The development is where the technical stuff happens, but you don't need to understand everything your developers say (though it is helpful to know the basics).
There are major categories of web development:
Frontend (a.k.a. Client Side): Code that determines how a website or app is displayed. Front-end developers are responsible for bringing a web designer's ideas to life using computer languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Front-end developers often work back and forth with designers because not all of the designs are realistic.
Backend (a.k.a. Server Side): The front-end pulls resources from a digital database hosted on a computer.
The backend developer is responsible for managing those resources behind the scenes, including coding data into the database and optimizing the way that data is delivered. They use languages such as PHP, Ruby, Python, Java, or .Net.
Full Stack Developers: They can also handle front-end as well as backend development. They can be a good option for startups that cannot afford to hire more than one developer.
However, ideally, you would have a team of developers who are all specialists.
What to Look Out for when you Hire a Web Developer?
- Check to make sure they are fluent in any language that you require. Tell them what you want to achieve with your website, and ask for their advice if you are unsure.
- It's beneficial for a designer to have a developer involved in the process, even though it isn't required. A developer can tell a designer in advance if the design is feasible, which will save time and effort on future revisions. It is important to consider how your developer interacts with others, as some developers prefer to work independently.
- Examine their old websites from the perspective of functionality. Everything should work correctly. Do any flags appear? If you don't know enough about the development process to fully understand it, then at least you know how it feels to use a website as a regular person.
User Interface (UI)
After explaining web design and development, we can move on to more specialized areas, beginning with user interface design.
Everyone uses UIs without much thought. You don't have to be an expert to understand that the button has three lines representing your menu.
This is a principle that applies to most fields of web design: If their work is done well, they shouldn't be noticed.
It's most common in UI design. With a truly intuitive user interface, users don't even have to think about using it.
It's bad UI if you have to actively consider how to use controls. You will be distracted from your overall experience if you spend time searching for the button that you are looking for or figuring out the function of a button.
The goal of UI is not only to provide the user with all controls they could possibly want but also to create controls that are self-explanatory and easy to understand.
Space management is another concern. UI designers must find a happy medium between offering users a wide range of options while conserving screen real estate.
This is how techniques such as hover controls and pop-out menus were created. The UI designer must decide which controls are important enough to be visible at all times and which can be ignored or hidden.
UI design is often referred to as interaction design, abbreviated as "IxD". Interaction design is concerned with all of the ways in which a user interacts, not just the interface but also other areas such as pop-ups, chat, and error windows.
Interaction design is a hybrid between UI design and UX because it emphasizes the user's behavior.
What to Look Out for when you Hire a UI Designer?
- Portfolios of UI designers should contain all the information you require. Try out the previous websites of your candidates and see how they work. Can you locate the information you're looking for? How easy or frustrating was it to use the app/website?
- Look for previous work that relates to the type of project for which you are hiring. Even the best website UI designer in the world might not be able to create an interface for a game app. Hire someone with the appropriate experience.
Digital Application of UI
Let's put the record straight. User interface design, unlike UX, is strictly a digital term. A user interface is a point of interaction between a user and a product or digital device.
For instance, the touchscreen on your smartphone or the pad you use to select the coffee maker's selection of coffee.
UI digital design is concerned with the appearance, feel and interactivity of websites and apps. The user interface should be as intuitive as it can be.
This means that every visual and interactive element that the user may encounter must also receive careful consideration. A UI designer considers icons, buttons, typography, color schemes, images, and responsive design.
- The practice of user interface design is exclusively digital. It includes all visual and interactive elements in a product's interface, including buttons, icon spacing, typography color schemes, and responsive designs.
- The goal of UI is to guide users visually through a product interface. The goal is to create an intuitive interface that does not require users to think much.
- UI design transfers a brand's strengths, visual assets, and aesthetics to a product interface.
User Experience (UX)
UX is similar to web design but from the point of view of the user. How does web page design affect the user experience? How does the UI impact the user? As you move on to more advanced stages, UX is becoming more strategic.
For instance, "How can we create a website that encourages users to register?
UX design encompasses a wide range of web design fields. Many people discuss "UI vs UX"; however, the truth is the two are complementary and not in competition.
There's actually so much overlap between UX and UI that web designers of all types can benefit from learning a bit about it. UX is a distinct discipline because hiring a UX specialist frees up the rest of the design team from a lot of responsibilities.
It may not seem necessary at first, but there is a direct link between UX design and business goals such as sales or conversions.
Since human decisions are often based on gut feelings and emotional design, when making design decisions, optimizing a website's design can create an environment that encourages certain behaviors.
UX designers are also heavily influenced by graphic design principles. They use the same techniques to attract attention, create the right emotions through colors, create a visual flow on the screen, and place CTAs in the correct places.
UX designers must consider additional factors, such as interactivity and timing. This makes it different from traditional graphic design but also interconnected with all of them.
What to Look Out for when Hiring a UX Designer?
- You should "test drive" the previous websites or apps of your candidate. Are they easy to use? Do you enjoy using their website?
- Ask candidates from other fields if they have experience in UX. Sometimes, these duties can be performed by different teams. A product manager or marketing team can describe what they would like the UX design to be, and the design team can handle the visual design.
Now that we've established what UX and UI are, let's examine their primary distinctions.
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What is the Difference Between UX Design and UI?
It's a good analogy to describe the different components of a digital product. Imagine a product like a human body.
The bones are the code which gives it its structure. Organs are UX design, measuring and optimizing input to support life functions.
UI design is the aesthetics of the human body, including its appearance, senses and reactions.
User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) are two of the most misunderstood and confused terms in our industry.
A UI without UX would be like a painter slapping on paint to a canvas with no thought, while UX without UI would be like a frame for a sculpture without any paper mache. UX is the first step in creating a great product experience, followed by UI. Both are vital for the success of a product.
UI is the seat, the stirrups and the reins. UX is that feeling of being able to ride a horse. You can't have UX without UI.
UX designers don't have to know UI design to be UX designers, and vice-versa. UX and UI are two separate roles with different processes and tasks.
There are Two Main Differences to Keep in Mind: UX is about the overall experience of the product, while UI is about the interface elements and how they look.
UX designers consider the entire user journey when solving a problem. What steps do they take to get there? What are the tasks they must complete? How easy is it to use?
Their work is largely focused on identifying the problems and pains that target users face and how certain products can solve them.
They will conduct extensive research on actual users to determine who their target audience is and what they need in relation to the product.
Then, they'll map out a user's journey through a product. They will consider things like the information architecture - i.e.
how content is organized, labeled, and categorized across the product - and what features a user may need. They'll eventually create wireframes, which are the blueprints of the product.
The UI designer brings the skeleton to life. The UI designer takes into account all visual aspects of the users' journey, such as all screens and touchpoints.
Think about tapping a button or scrolling through an image gallery. The UX designer plans the journey; the UI designer focuses on the details to make it possible. UI design doesn't just have to be about aesthetics.
UI designers can make a big difference in whether or not a particular product is accessible. Hopefully, you can now see that UX and UI are two different things. To summarize:
- UX design is all about identifying and solving user problems; UI design is all about creating intuitive, aesthetically-pleasing, interactive interfaces.
- UX design is usually the first step in product development, followed by UI. The UX designer outlines the barebones of the user's journey, and the UI designer fills in the visuals and interactive visual elements.
- UX is applicable to all products, services, and experiences; UI is only for digital products and experiences.
How Do UX and UI Design Interact?
Now that we've looked at the differences between UX & UI let's see how they work together. It's possible that you wonder if UX or UI is more important, but in reality, they are both vital! Something that looks great, but is difficult for users to use, is an example of a great UI with poor UX.
Something that is very usable but looks horrible is an example of good UX and bad UI.
Imagine how much better products would have been if they had excelled in both areas. UI design is the icing that goes on top of UX.
Imagine that you have an idea for an app. It's something that is clearly lacking in the market, and it could change people's lives for the better. You hire a UX Designer to help you conduct user research and figure out what features and user journeys your app should include.
The text in your app is not legible. (Think of the yellow text against a white background.) The buttons are also too close to each other; users keep accidentally hitting the wrong one! This is a classic example of a bad UI ruining what could have been a good UX.
Have you ever found a website that looks amazing but is a pain to use, despite the stunning animations and perfect color scheme? It's the same as picking up a beautiful cake but finding out that it tastes terrible when you bite into it.
In today's highly competitive market, it is essential to get both aspects of product design right. It's important to understand both UX and UI design because you will be working with each other.
What about Templates?
What if you use a website template like WordPress? Do you need an entire team? Do you require anyone else? The majority of template sites follow the same rules with some exceptions:
- You don't have to worry about the backend if you use a template.
- Templates usually come with limited and fixed options.
- Make sure that candidates have experience with the site on which you host yours.
A template site can be used in the same way as any other website. Choose your professional designers based on what you want most for a seamless experience.
What is the Most Important One?
Here's a list of problems that each field is known to solve. This will help you decide which one you require. Look at the list below to find your biggest challenges, and then look in the field that corresponds to the solution.
You can test your site to find out what users are complaining about.
Web Design
- The site is not responsive.
- Site looks old.
- Low-quality graphics.
- Customers aren't visiting the pages that you want them to.
- The time spent on the page is too brief.
Web Development
- Bugs (site functionality not working as it should).
- Hacking & web security prevention.
- Too many 404 error pages.
- Too many DNS Lookups Failed.
- Site goes offline.
- Unable to load certain content.
UI
- Poor navigation.
- Lack of customization options.
- Lack of social sharing options.
- Negative comments such as "how can you do that" or "where do you find it."
- UX Low conversion rates—many visitors but little sales.
- High bounce rate (visitors leave after a few seconds).
- Users do not finish content (videos, blogs).
- Fragmented visits, where the user leaves after viewing one page instead of exploring.
As we have shown with the slow loading time example above, there are different ways to fix some problems. It's, therefore, important to decide what you want to prioritize, so you can choose a solution that is in line with your priorities.
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Conclusion
You should now be able to tell the difference between web design and development. "UI vs UX", however, is not as accurate or as precise as "UI + UX".
Perfect designers of user experiences would pay close attention to the functionality of the steering wheel, dials, axles, engine, horsepower, torque, speed, and gearbox.
A UI designer would focus on the stunning sapphire blue paint, the sleek yet rounded shape, the light maple steering wheel that contrasts with the richness of the body color, the look of the control dials, and the feeling you get when you press the accelerator.
The field of web design, as well as both of its subfields, is one that is in high demand. You can better position yourself in this fulfilling employment niche by being aware of these design categories.
