In the world of app development, there's a multitude of processes, concepts, jargon and things to consider at every step from product strategy to design, development, testing, and release. While most people are familiar with the majority of them, when you are starting a new project it is always good to quickly get on the same page. 

So as part of our back to the basics series, let’s dive into design, and more specifically UI v UX.

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First up: what makes an app?‍

A simple analogy we like to use is that of a house:

Now, we don’t want to go too deep into this analogy because it’s not perfect, but suffice to say that many different elements are critical to making the house liveable… I mean the app usable. 

We can however see that UI (User Interface) and UX (User Experience) are related but distinct concepts in software design and development. Although closely intertwined, they represent different facets of the design process, with UI concentrating on the visual interface and UX prioritizing the holistic user experience.

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User Interface (UI)

UI, which stands for User Interface, refers to the specific components and elements through which users interact with a digital product (website, mobile application, software). This encompasses a broad spectrum of visual elements, including buttons, icons, menus, colors, typography, and layout. 

The goal of UI design is to create interfaces that are visually appealing, engaging, intuitive and capable of effectively conveying information to the user. This requires attention to detail, consistency, responsiveness, and accessibility across diverse devices and platforms.

If you have ever opened an app and thought ‘Woof, this is ugly’, it probably could do with a little bit of UI work…

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User Experience (UX)

UX, or User Experience, is ‘hidden’ beneath the surface. It refers to the overall journey and impression that users undergo during their interaction with a product or service. It encapsulates every facet of the user's experience, including their emotions, perceptions, and responses before, during, and after using the product. 

UX design aims to understand the user’s needs, behaviors, and motivations in order to optimize the experience and make the interactions as efficient, effective, and pleasant as possible. This involves thorough research, user testing, prototyping, and continuous refinement to ensure the product is not just functional but also enjoyable and user-centric. 

If you have ever opened an app and thought ‘What am I supposed to do now?’ or ‘How am I supposed to do x,y and z?’ it probably needs a bit of UX work…

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UI and UX truly go hand in hand and while ideally both will end up being top notch, as you first create your app and put it out in the world the balance you strike may end up being unique to your product/industry. 

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