So, what is UI/UX Design?
In this past years it seems like we are familiar with a job that offers the position of UI Designer, UX Designer or UI/UX Designer. But what exactly is that? Are the UI and UX related or separate from each other? Or what is the true relationship between the two? Let’s start the discussion here.
So what is UI/UX Design?
One could describe “Design” as a plan for arranging elements to accomplish a particular purpose.
From this statement, I agree. Design can be interpreted as a plan in which contains various methods to solve a problem or goal to be achieved. So what to do with UI & UX design? Before discussing this, we must first understand the terms of the two things.
UX or User Experience
Let’s start with UX first. UX or User Experience in a nutshell is all the whole aspects of a system (product, website, apps, service, etc.) that is felt by the user from the first time he interacts by the design until the whole process ends. Simply to say it’s a whole journey for user to experience the product.
Then what can be applied by designers in this case?
The answer is simple, we created not only a good experience but engaging experience for user. When we realized that the beautiful product that aren’t useful are ugly, that was the time we need to implemented more time to understand how the user habit to use our product as well as their desire to use it.
Let’s empathize them more!
Put more feeling to get to know them well as well as their problem. Which one the hardest or complicated thing to do by the user? Which part the user doesn’t like the most? What makes them think like that?
So in the end, when we reach an understanding of the how well the user interacting with our design, we can bring out the best experience for user.
UX is not UI
To make it simple, UX design is the journey while the UI is the destination. In other words UI design is an implementation of all UX processes that make the user drawn to it, make it easy to understand and make it easy to use.
So what does UX Designer do?
I found interesting article in medium that suits it best to my understanding. So here they are.
UX designers are generally focused on development of digital products, but the theory and process can be applied to just about anything:
Strategy and Context:
- Competitor Analysis
- Customer Analysis
- Product Structure/Strategy
- Content Development
Wireframing and Prototyping:
- Wireframing
- Prototyping
- Testing/Iteration
- Development Planning
Execution and Analytics
- Coordination with UI UX Designer(s)
- Coordination with Developers
- Tracking Goals and Integration
- Analysis and Iteration
In conclusion UX designer need to understand how the user feeling, what is their critical issue & pain and what are their desire & motivation to use the product. What makes them happy and what makes them bad. In the whole UX process are not only do by the UX Designer but also the UX Researcher to collect the fact and data about the user and other related thing, and by the end of processes they need to collaborated with UI Designer and Developer to make it works.
UI or User Interface
A user interface is like a joke. If you have to explain it, it’s not that good.
That quote somehow makes me laugh. Do you know why? Well lets take a look at the picture below.
My question is “For example, my room is in R.102, so I have to take the left or right?” The explanation is below.
In the picture there are two possibilities. Someone might choose the right way because he captures visual information horizontally, but what if someone capture it vertically? She/he will definitely head towards the left. Then why did this happen?
This happens because there is an ambiguity in a design and this is a strict prohibition for a designer. There is no clear information so that requires the user to ask questions when someone saw it for the first time, right? Then what if there are no employees standby, who should they ask? No one.
But what if it becomes what I have designed below?
When there is a clear “group” in each visual element it makes it have an attachment to one another. What I mean by groups are the blue squares (group 1) and the green squares (group 2). This will make the user more aware of the information, right?
When users still need an explanation of what we design, it will become a problem for the user and it can be said that what we have designed is the real problem. Just imagine how that problem occur in an digital product or something that we design? Wouldn’t it be very confusing for users? And it might lead to lower their satisfaction right?
As you understand that, lets move to this question
So what exactly is the UI design?
UI Design or User Interface Design is something that I can’t define for sure because the scope is very broad, but when the scope is narrowed to a digital product, UI Design is a “beauty and complement” in the sense of how the look & feel of a product and its interaction (visually) between the product and the user. But is it that simple? Of course not.
In the process, UI design was born from a process of transformation by long data research, which of course has been done by a UX Designer & UX Researcher, in an attractive visual form and makes it easy for users to understand each user process when the user is interacting with a digital product. Not only that, but a good UI must be able to guide the user when they used the product without having a problem.
So what does UI Designer do?
Here are the answer.
Look and Feel:
- Customer Analysis
- Design Research
- Branding and Graphic Development
- User Guides/Storyline
Responsiveness and Interactivity:
- UI Prototyping
- Interactivity and Animation
- Adaptation to All Device Screen Sizes
- Implementation with Developer to code and make it happen
So in conclusion, UI Designer must be able to attract and guide the user to use the product with good visual and clear user flow. UI Designer should have an obligation to transform the value of a brand owned by the company into a digital product that will or is being developed, so the user doesn’t miss the value concept of the company identity.
Shoot me an email or comment to have a discussion and perhaps correct my understanding about this thing. And if you like it give me some claps if you don’t mind :)
