UX is user experience, and UI is user interface. Together, UX and UI design comprise a subfield that concerns itself with how technology users interact with devices and experience a product, as well as the interactivity and design of a web page or app. UX/UI designers play an integral role in the product development lifecycle.

A UX/UI designer is a professional who works on the development of a company’s products and has input into how those products are marketed to consumers. Do you have a passion for design, but you’re not quite sure how to turn your passion into a career path? You might consider earning a degree in the digital arts to gain advanced design skills. 

The acronyms UX and UI are often used interchangeably. There is quite a bit of overlap between the two specializations, and they are both design subfields, but they are not quite the same thing. UX refers to user experience, whereas UI refers to user interface.

Both of these subfields of design involve creating a seamless, pleasant experience for customers as they navigate a company’s products or services. However, they focus on different aspects of the customer experience. When thinking broadly about UX/UI, it’s helpful to see them as complementary skill sets rather than as competing specializations.

UX, or user experience, is about ensuring that the customer’s journey is as frictionless and easy as possible. UX focuses primarily on the functionality of design.

Consider the hypothetical example of Maggie, who needs to hire a senior caregiver for her elderly mom, Juanita, who has diabetes. Maggie goes to a website that has a compilation of profiles of senior caregivers all over the U.S. She needs to narrow down her search to find caregivers near Juanita, and she also wants to find only experienced caregivers who are knowledgeable about diabetes management.

But Maggie quickly gets frustrated because she cannot easily find the search tools that would allow her to narrow down the list of available caregivers according to their location, experience and areas of expertise. She ends up going to a different website instead because the first one was too difficult to use.

The owners of the first website could have benefited from hiring a UX designer. If a UX designer had worked on that website, they would have ensured that it was easy for users to find what they needed quickly and without getting frustrated.

UX design seems like a relatively new phenomenon, developed specifically for websites and apps. However, the concept of user experience actually predates the computer era, although the concept wasn’t given a specific name until 1995 by Don Norman.^{(See disclaimer 1)}

Don Norman was a cognitive scientist who joined Apple in the early 90s. He coined his own job title: User Experience Architect.^{(See disclaimer 2 )}In his view, this term encompassed every aspect of a user’s experience with a particular system. The user experience includes the product itself, the interface, industrial design, graphics, physical interactions and even the user manual.

Apple provides a good case study for UX design, as the company embraces the philosophy that UX encompasses every part of the user’s experience with a product — from the ease of transporting the product home and setting it up to the ability to learn how to use it quickly.^{(See disclaimer 2 )} Every part of the buyer journey is important. In other words, UX design isn’t purely a digital skill, although UX designers do focus primarily on websites and apps.

When you visit a library, there are a number of factors you might consider before you select a book. You’ll likely head to a specific section dedicated to the genre you enjoy. While browsing the titles, you may search for a specific author, consider the titles and read the book descriptions. You may also consider the visual appeal of the book cover.

This analogy highlights the importance of user interface design. UI design is all about the visual aesthetic of a digital product. It encompasses a websites or app’s typography, images, font, layout and all other visual elements.

For instance, let’s say you have recently browsed the web in search of information about digital design degree options. You find one website that appears highly informative, yet the text is condensed into one very long block, with little white space to give your eyes a break.

Even worse, the background is black and the text is white, which might be difficult to read. You decide that it’s not worth reading through the information, even if it might be useful, and so you click away and look elsewhere. That website had poor UI design.

UX/UI design consists of complementary skill sets that work together to create the best possible experience for the user in terms of both functionality and visual aesthetic. They are related concepts, and there is a great deal of overlap, but they aren’t the same thing.

Returning to the book analogy, UI design would encompass the book cover, as well as the font and layout. In contrast, UX design involves the functional elements of the book, such as its character development and plot points.

Another way to think of UX/UI is with the concept of building construction. UX design would refer to the functional elements of the house, including the framing, plumbing, wiring and HVAC systems. In contrast, UI design would refer to the paint colors and the style of flooring or kitchen cabinets.

As you can see, UX and UI work together harmoniously to optimize benefit to the user. Both UX and UI are essential to the success of a product.

UI/UX design skills are all the skills necessary to create a seamless user experience and an aesthetically pleasing interface. These can encompass both technical (hard) and soft skills. Hard skills are career-specific skills, while soft skills are broadly applicable skills that can transfer to different industries.

These skills are important for creating products, websites and apps because they help connect user goals and experiences to business objectives. In other words, these skills enable users to enjoy products, which in turn can help the business meet its objectives. Strong skills in these subfields may enhance user satisfaction and loyalty, while providing the business with a competitive advantage.

Essential UX/UI Design Skills for Beginners

If you’re just getting started with UX design, you’ll want to focus on the following UX designer skills:^{(See disclaimer 3)}

• Prototyping, wireframing and mockups
• The use of visual design software
• User research
• Usability testing
• Project management skills
• Application development
• Communication skills
• Teamwork

UI designers can also benefit from wireframing, prototyping and visual design software skills, as well as these specific UI skills:^{(See disclaimer 4)}

• Typography
• Color theory
• Branding
• Layout
• Principles of interaction design
• Intuition
• Presentation skills
• Collaboration

The requirements for pursuing a UI/UX design career can vary considerably from one employer to the next. Some employers prefer to hire digital design professionals who have a relevant bachelor’s degree in an area such as web design, digital design or graphic arts. The ability to demonstrate relevant work experience or a project portfolio (such as a portfolio developed in college) can make a difference in hiring.^{(See disclaimer 5 )} 

Some entry-level designer roles in the field include:^{(See disclaimer 6)}

• Junior designer
• UX researcher
• Interaction designer
• Visual designer
• Product designer
• UX writer

Fuel your passion for the aesthetic element by earning a digital design degree at Grand Canyon University. Apply to the Bachelor of Arts in Digital Design with an Emphasis in Web Design degree program. For students looking to continue their education at the graduate level, the College of Engineering and Technology offers the Master of Science in Human Computer Interaction.