What is the difference between UX and UI design? What skills do they each require, and which pays more? Learn all about two of the most important design disciplines in this guide.
It’s impossible to learn, read, or hear about UX and UI design without asking yourself: What’s the difference between the two? Perhaps you’ve also wondered why the terms often appear together as one single discipline (UX/UI design).
You’ve got questions, and we’ve written this guide to answer them. Let’s put an end to the confusion that is UX vs. UI!
Contents:
- 1) UX vs. UI design: What’s the difference?
- 2) How do UX and UI design overlap?
- 3) What’s the difference between a UX designer and a UI designer?
- 4) UX vs. UI design: What skills do they each require?
- 5) UX vs. UI design: Which pays more?
- 6) How to choose between a career in UX design, UI design, or a hybrid role
1. UX vs. UI design: What’s the difference?
UX design stands for ‘user experience design’, while UI design stands for ‘user interface design.’ One entails designing the entire experience a user has with a product or service; the other focuses on the design of digital product interfaces.
That’s the first difference between the two—but, if you’re new to UX and UI, that might not make much sense right now. Let’s explain what each term means before comparing their differences.
What is UX design?
UX design is the design of user experiences. These experiences are shaped by how the user interacts with a product or service, and whether or not it’s an enjoyable, smooth, easy-to-navigate endeavour.
The purpose of UX design is to create products and services which solve a specific problem for a specific user group. This might be designing an app which helps people to track their food intake and make sure they’re hitting their dietary goals (e.g. getting enough vitamins, protein, and fibre each day). It could also apply to designing a service or a process—for example, designing a more efficient way for people to order and collect medication from their local pharmacy.
UX design applies to anything that can be experienced by an end user. So, although it’s usually associated with digital products, it isn’t limited to websites and apps.
What is UI design?
UI design is the design of digital interfaces. A digital interface is the medium (the ‘surface’) which humans use to interact with computers and digital products. It contains visual, auditory, and functional elements that the user interacts with in order to navigate websites, apps, and technological devices (like a smartphone or smart watch).
The purpose of UI design is to provide human users with all the touchpoints they need to work a digital product and complete their chosen tasks. It is to ensure that the product interface is both functional and aesthetically well-designed. This includes designing colour schemes, typography, buttons and icons, and considering the hierarchical layout of each page or screen. Unlike UX, UI design applies strictly to digital products.
UX vs. UI design: The main differences between the two
We’ve got a working definition of both UX and UI design. Now let’s outline the main differences between them.
User experience (UX) design |
User interface (UI) design |
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We’ll learn more about the differences between UX and UI later on as we explore the roles of the UX and UI designer.
2. How do UX and UI design overlap?
While it’s important to recognize UX and UI design as two separate areas of the product design process, it’s just as important to understand how they intertwine.
Both UX and UI design are user-centric and concerned with ensuring usability and accessibility for human users. They both have the end goal of creating products that help people in some way and are easy and enjoyable to use.
The two disciplines support and complement each other. Successful digital products need both good UX and good UI; the user interface provides access to the user experience. One without the other is largely pointless.
In fact, UX and UI design are often combined into one discipline or career path: UX/UI design. You can learn more in this guide: A Complete Guide to UX UI Design.
3. What’s the difference between a UX designer and a UI designer?
UX and UI designers have different tasks and responsibilities. Let’s compare them side-by-side.
UX designer |
UI designer |
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4. UX vs. UI design: What skills do they each require?
Both UX and UI designers need to understand key principles such as usability and accessibility, and to have a natural curiosity regarding how human users behave and interact with digital products. They also share proficiency in some industry tools, such as Figma, Adobe XD, and Sketch.
Beyond that, UX and UI designers must each master a unique set of skills specific to their role in the product design process.
Among the most important UX designer skills are:
- Research and analysis
- Wireframing and prototyping
- Information architecture
Some of the most important UI designer skills include:
- Wireframing and prototyping
- Visual design (including colour theory, branding, and typography)
- Interaction design
And, if you’re considering a hybrid UX/UI design role, you’ll need a mix of both. You’ll find a more extensive guide here: 15 Must-Have UX UI Design Skills & How To Develop Them.
5. UX vs. UI design: Which pays more?
Now for the question of salary. Both UX and UI design are crucial aspects of the product design process, but how do they compare when it comes to pay?
It all depends on your location and the type of company you work for. But, in general, when you compare the average UX designer salary vs. the average UI designer salary, UX designers tend to earn slightly more.
In India, for example, the average UX designer salary is ₹8,00,000 compared to the average UI designer salary of ₹6,59,660 (Glassdoor).
In the United States, the average UX designer salary is $96,930 compared to the average UI designer salary of $85,543 (Indeed).
It’s a similar story in the United Kingdom, where UX designers earn an average salary of £46,592 while the average UI designer salary is £44,840 (Indeed).
For more salary data, consult our UX/UI designer salary guide.
6. UX vs. UI vs. a hybrid role: Which career path should you choose?
If you’re deciding whether to pursue a career in UX or UI—or to combine the two and go for a hybrid UX/UI role—the main thing to consider is how you’d most like to spend your working days.
Do you like the thought of conducting user research and delving into the behaviours and goals of your target audience? Are you keen on the idea of solving user problems and working collaboratively with a variety of business stakeholders? How about creating different UX deliverables such as personas, empathy maps, and user flows? That suggests you might be leaning towards UX.
Or are you more interested in the visual side of things? Do you relish the idea of getting hands-on with colours, typography, and icons and coming up with beautiful, functional designs? Are you a stickler for consistency and keen to play a role in shaping a product’s overall visual brand? Then it sounds like UI design is calling your name.
Perhaps you want to do both—and that’s perfectly possible, too. It’s not uncommon to see companies advertising for UX/UI designers, and there’s nothing to stop you from learning both sets of skills and landing a role which sees you executing the product design process
from end to end. To get you started on the learning journey for UX/UI, we’ve put together this guide—check it out: How To Learn UX UI Design: A Step-by-Step Guide for 2023.
What next?
To dive deeper into the world of UX/UI design, consider taking the following steps:
1.Watch this session by industry leader Shiva Viswanathan and design professional Naman Singh.
2 .Talk to a course advisor to discuss how you can transform your career with one of our courses.
3 .Pursue our UX UI Design course, which is taught through live, interactive classes by industry experts, includes a capstone project to give you the practical experience you’ll need, and comes with a Job Guarantee .
4 .Take advantage of our scholarship and funding options to overcome any financial hurdle on the path of your career transformation.
