If you belong to the field of web design or redesign, you definitely must have come across the terms “UX design” and “UI design” before. But, are you aware that these terms aren’t interchangeable? Both UI and UX design fall under the “web design” umbrella and often overlap and work together. However, they refer to two different things.
In order to assess whether or not learning UX and UI is crucial for web development, you will have to get to know each of these terms individually.
User Interface (UI)
UI stands for User Interface and includes anything that a user interacts with on an application, website, or other digital devices. The buttons, controls, text or any other aspect that requires interaction on a website or app is designed by a UI designer. User Interface also includes the appearance and functionality of a website or app, such as the color choice, text font, icon placement and even the use of white or empty space. These are things that you will see in a typical mock-up of a website design.
If a website has a great user interface, the user experience will be not only efficient but also intuitive. However, this isn’t something you would notice as a user. However, a bad UI can make it quite difficult for a user to navigate the website and get the relevant information they need. In this case, a user will face problems and be highly likely to quit using the website altogether. You will need to make some improvements in your UI to keep this from happening.
User Experience (UX)
UX, known as User Experience, is exactly what it sounds like. UX has everything to do with the overall experience that a user has with a business. Even though in the digital world, it is largely linked to their experience with a website or application, it also extends to the products and services of a company.
UX designing includes behind-the-scenes stuff that isn’t evident, but it is crucial for customer satisfaction. A UX designer needs to conduct detailed user research in order to create wireframes and tailor an effective strategy to be executed on a website or application. Their main objective is to make sure that users walk away feeling satisfied, happy and confident of the fact that they have solved their problems that your product or service is needed for.
Web developers are responsible for coding to bring UX and UI design ideas to life in the form of a website. Developers have a very complex and skilled job that includes the usage of languages, such as HTML, Java Script, C++, Ruby, etc.They have to connect the code to real data via APIs and databases and then test it to ensure that their code works properly.
UI/UX Designers and Web Developers
A web developer can’t just build a website out of nothing. Every good website requires proper planning that can help ensure efficient execution. So, when creating a website, a UX/UI designer determines what the website should look like and what it should do, while a web developer brings their ideas to life and makes the website functional.
The aspects of web design, such as UX and UI design, revolve mainly around improving things for other people (users of a website). UX and UI designers should be open to different ways of thinking and should have a fresh perspective of looking at a website through the eyes of a user. This is mainly because their entire job is framed around catering to the needs and problems of their users.
Not only does web development involve coding, but it also entails problem-solving skills. Web developers have to find solutions from technical aspects and implement them effectively while following the ideas given by UX and UI designers.
Here is what and how much UI and UX web developers should know.
Most of the basic terms and skills involved in web design can be beneficial for web developers. It is beneficial to understand the meaning of certain acronyms in relation to UI and UX. As a web developer, understanding what UX and UI designers are talking about can help give you a clear picture of why certain aspects of a website should be designed in a certain way.
Even though many companies hire UX and UI designers separately, having enough knowledge of the basic terms and skills can help improve the coordination and communication between a web developer and UX/UI designer, which will help create a great website!
Another thing that would be beneficial to a web developer is knowing how to use the various tools that are used by UI and UX designers. Some of the most popular design tools include Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, InVision, and Sketch.
With access to these tools, a web developer can save a lot of their time. Instead of coordinating over and over again and waiting for images or fonts, a web developer can just open a design file and find all that information for themselves.
All in all, there are only positive outcomes of a web developer learning even just a little bit about UX and UI design. Is it 100% necessary for them to do so? Probably not. However, learning a few basic things about web design can’t hurt. Even as simple as asking a web designer about the wireframe or design you’re working on can help make your job as a web developer easier and more convenient. Also, a better understanding of UX and UI design will help you develop better websites!
