Difference between UI and UX – Their Importance and Career Aspects

The first impression is the last impression of a famous proverb that we have been hearing for a very long time, now this is not the case only for people or we the people but also the products being sold in the market.

Now when talking about the new websites and mobile applications coming up in the market, UI/UX plays a very important role in building a brands image and likeness with the customers, the UI/UX factor not only works on the online website factor but also for the products outside the online world.

Now the tech geeks are the ones who may know the difference between UI/UX whereas many believe them to be the same, but if you are the creative mind and want to get into the field of UI/UX designing then you have to know the difference between the two.

Getting to know UI

UI as per the Google and dictionary definition is stated as the “the means by which the user and a computer system interact, in particular the use of input devices and software.” Now let’s understand what the following statement wants to convey to us.

UI or the User interface is the mode of interaction through which the user may interact with the system and would give any input or get the output.

When we say anything about we mean how the User is going to provide the input it can be anything from numbers to words and maybe even the audio and video inputs, since the design and flow are very important for the user indulgence and making the users stay for longer on their platform and also in the process gain more users by attracting them to the cool and new looks of the website or the application that you have made.

Now you may say what are the components of User Interface, the answer is everything making the design element of your website and the way it attracts the user.

It contains the colors, fonts, the photos and the size of the brand logos, the buttons the page or the application, and even the transition animation that you may have used during the designing of the page.

It’s been noticed many times that the website has great function lack in having the predicted traffic only because of their lack in the User Interface making the site a complete junk.

It doesn’t matter how great site or good your application is if the user is unable to find the product useful or even if they find your product even a little bit though to use in comparison to some other website or application the chances of your product decreases exponentially and gaining the interest of the user back is more difficult than keeping them interested in your product.

So we can say that UI is an important element of the website, application, or any software. It plays the most important role in making the user interested in your product and also keeps them coming back to you.

However the concept of User Interface is limited to computers and the software and not explored or mentioned in other fields. 

How did the UI come into existence?

When talking about the concept of User Interface we must know how it came in the world of computers.

As we all know the computers do not understand the common human languages and therefore make the interaction with computers even harder up until the 1970’s the use of computers was limited as the use of these machines needed the knowledge of more coded statements and sometimes even the binaries.

The use of computers was thus concentrated on a few fields like that of military and scientist thus making them a device for the people with high intelligence and power, making the computers we know today a status symbol for many.

Then in the 1980s, the scientists at Xerox PARC came up with the first GUI(Graphical User Interface) based computers where the users were able to use the computer using the buttons, files and checkboxes and other graphic contents as the code was embedded into them and make the use of computers much easier for the common people.

With these new inventions in the market it was predicted that the computers will become a household product with mere years of its arrival and the same did happen.

If it were not done by the scientists of Xerox PARC we would have been stuck in the age of using the computers only for the purpose of military and science and the common people may have been kept deprived of all the advantages. 

Since we have come across the point of what a User interface is, let’s see how it is different from the User Experience, the UX part of our debate.

What is UX(User Experience)?

User Experience the bigger picture when compared to the concept of the User interface, UI is only concerned about how a particular website or software is going to interact with the user and vice versa.

Thus it’s obvious that it is only concerned with the software application whereas on the other hand the User Experience is concerned with how the user feels about the product.

Now apart from the common belief, user experience is not only concerned with the web or software development but to all the products that closely interact with the product.

The term was however made by Don Norman a cognitive Scientist in apple during the 1990s

According to the Scientist it consists of all the components of the product including visuals, feels and even the service for the phone.

Now when we see the components of User Experience it’s very clear if we say that User Interface is just a small section of the User Experience part of the part.

When we consider the User Experience of a product we always about how the consumer will feel while using the product.

Since the concept of User Experience is concerned with any product that can be put in the market the word consumer is more suitable rather than the user.

Being able to calibrate the way the consumer will react to a particular product makes the chances of your product becoming more and more successful.

Difference between UI and UX

When coming to the concept of a match against UI and UX and determining which is better than the other, we basically don’t have any good debate as these are not quite apart and however, we have also come across the point that how the UI is just a part of UX the bigger picture in total.

Where UI is just the way how the product feels and how the user interacts with the product that can be either a website or just a normal phone application.

The scope of UI is thus very small and is not much explored as it is limited to the concepts of online markets, and the reach of UX keeps on increasing with every new invention and product that is born in the modern consumerist world.

When talking about the job and opportunities in both let’s talk about the scope of working.

Career  Aspects

Now when talking about the working opportunities and the knowledge required in both the fields, One of them is highly technical and the other is much more in understanding how the product makes the consumer feel about the product.

UI is more on the technical knowledge and requires you to know the intricate programming languages and the current running trends in the market and how the user is diverted to the new design and also the knowledge to make a new design that allows the person to make it easier for the user to use it. 

Whereas on the other hand, we have UX for working in this field you may need to have something more than just the technical knowledge and also it majorly that the UX departments of the products have a group of people rather than just a simple one-man crew as it requires many aspects of thinking and work.

It is done to decrease a load of work on one single person as it requires multiple aspects like market research, survey and designing thus makes the work for a single person very very hard and even hectics at some time, however, spitting these work make it sure that the product being delivered is up to the mark.

From the above section, you may have already come to the notion of how both UI and UX are very different from each other and how the knowledge for both different in the aspects of work and education now you may have a better idea of the path you may like to pursue and gain the required skills for the path that you choose and become the best at it.

Now if you are interested in becoming the best of your field and want to gain the required knowledge you can reach out to many online course sites like Udemy and other relevant sites for the same.

Conclusion

To Conclude we can say that the UI and UX are not just different but one originates from the other and have a relationship that some may refer to as the symbiotic in nature and its bet noted that UI can not only stand-alone and make the product what it is.

Only having a UI cannot make the product successful as the experience of having a great User Experience is more important as the feel and experience of the user while using the product is more important as the complete experience makes the user or the consumer stay with the product for a longer engagement and make the complete experience of buying or visiting worth for the consumer.

The working and education required for both also have a major difference in them and makes them quite apart from each other and makes them worth learning and if you are good in UX you may eventually be able to better at UI but the reverse may not be the same and hence becoming a master in any of these is great for your career.