The Complete Guide to UI UX Design

What is UI UX design and what do UI/UX designers do? Learn everything you need to know about UX and UI in this all-encompassing guide.

UI/UX design is a combination of user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design. It’s a digital design discipline that focuses on the creation of apps, websites, software, video games, and more.

If you’re discovering UX and UI for the first time, it might feel overwhelming. But it’s incredibly exciting, too! Start at the very beginning with this introductory guide and you’ll soon be well-versed in all the key terms, concepts, and principles.

Contents:

• 1) What is UI/UX design? A definition
• 2) What’s the difference between UX and UI design, and where do they overlap?
• 3) Real-world examples of UI/UX design
• 4) Why are UX and UI design so important?
• 5) What are the most important UI/UX design principles?
• 6) What is the UI/UX design process?
• 7) What do UI/UX designers do?
• 8) What tools do UI/UX designers use?
• 9) What skills do UI/UX designers need?
• 10) Where do UI/UX designers work?
• 11) How much do UI/UX designers earn?
• 12) How to become a UI/UX designer
• 13) Other career opportunities in the field
• 14) What next?

First things first: Some user-friendly definitions…

What is UI UX design?

UI UX design is a combination of two design disciplines: user experience design (UX) and user interface design (UI). Together, UX and UI make up the process that goes into designing digital products such as apps, websites, and software.

Despite comprising two separate disciplines, UX and UI are often referred to as one. This is because they go hand-in-hand when it comes to creating successful products—you really can’t have one without the other. What’s more, many digital designers work across both UX and UI.

Still, it’s important to be aware that they’re not the same thing, and that it’s possible to be a UX designer without UI skills (and vice versa). With that, let’s define each term in more detail.

What is UX design?

UX design (or user experience design) is, quite literally, the process of designing user experiences. A user experience is the whole encounter a person has with a product or service and how it makes them feel.

A user experience can be good (accessible, quick, easy, smooth, straightforward, enjoyable, efficient, maybe even fun) or it can be bad (confusing, frustrating, complicated, unclear, slow, inaccessible). UX design is an entire discipline dedicated to creating experiences that fall into the ‘good’ category.

And UX isn’t about design for design’s sake. It begins with a user problem and seeks to design a solution—a solution that provides a positive user experience. It also involves continuously improving existing solutions; for example, by adding new features.

We’ll learn more about the principles of UX and the UX design process later on in this guide.

What is UI design?

UI design (or user interface design) is the process of designing user interfaces. A user interface is the ‘surface’ of a digital product; it’s the part you see and/or interact with when using an app or a website.

UI design determines the overall visual style of a product, such as what colour schemes and typography will be used throughout; what images, illustrations, and graphics will feature; and how elements like buttons, icons, and menu items will be styled. In addition to shaping the product’s overall look and feel, UI considers the design of each individual webpage or app screen.

User interface design also encompasses interactivity and animation. For example, clicking a certain button might trigger a rotating sand timer graphic to indicate that something is loading, before transitioning you to the next screen. Both of these aspects—the animated graphic and the screen transition—are part of UI design.

We’ll expand on this definition throughout our guide. For now, let’s consider what it means when UX and UI are combined.

What is UI UX design?

UI UX design is simply an amalgamation of UX and UI design. It encompasses both the UX part of designing a product—identifying a user problem, coming up with a viable solution (usually in the form of a digital product), and designing the overall structure and layout—and the UI part—designing the visual elements and interactive properties of the user interface (the ‘surface’ or user-facing part of the digital product).

As we’ve established, UX and UI design are individual disciplines in their own right, and together they form the digital product design process end-to-end.

It’s possible to be just a UX designer or a UI designer without overlapping, but it’s also common to span the two as a UI/UX designer. It all depends on where your interests, skills, and talents lie—but more on that later.

Next, we’ll explore both the distinction and the relationship between UX and UI design in more detail.

What’s the difference between UI and UX design, and where do they overlap?

UI vs. UX design: The main differences

By definition, UX and UI design are two different things

UX design focuses on the complete experience a person has with a product or service, while UI design is very specifically focused on the design of digital interfaces.

The key differences can be summarised as follows:

To elaborate: UX is about solving user problems and designing solutions, considering how the product should be structured and what functionality it should offer. UI design is a more visual discipline, shaping the look, style, feel, and interactivity of the product interface.

UX comprises extensive user research to understand the target audience, define the main problem the target users are facing, and come up with ideas for how to solve it. UI design comes in towards the end of the product design process after the UX designer has laid out the foundational structure. It fills in the finer details and breathes life (color, imagery, interactivity, etc.) into the blank product blueprint.

UX and UI designers require different skills, and they each follow their own process and guiding principles. But, despite their differences, UX and UI designers must work together—and they have lots in common, too. Let’s explore those commonalities now.

UI vs. UX design: Where they overlap

Ultimately, UX and UI design both have the same goal: to help the end user in some way, and to create digital products that are accessible, easy, and enjoyable to use.

UX and UI designers work together as part of the product design team (if they’re not combined into a single UI/UX designer role) and they are both critical to ensuring that a product is successful.

In most cases, UX and UI go hand-in-hand and are interdependent. A well-designed user interface gives the user access to, and helps them navigate, a well-designed user experience; a good digital product needs both.,

Real-world examples of UI UX design

The best way to understand UI UX design is to see it in action. Let’s take a look at two real-world products and delve into their UX and UI.

UI UX design example: MAYD

MAYD (which stands for “Meds At Your Doorstep”) is a Germany-based startup that provides a medication delivery service.

Users can browse non-prescription medication using the MAYD app, and then have it delivered right to their door in about thirty minutes. It’s like Uber Eats but for pharmaceuticals.

The finished product (i.e. the solution) is the MAYD app and the almost-instant delivery service it provides. The original user problem that MAYD set out to address was the increasing need for fast, convenient access to pharmacy goods without leaving the house (consider the challenge of having to isolate during the Covid-19 pandemic but needing to get hold of non-prescription meds such as paracetamol or cough medicine).

Identifying MAYD’s target users, understanding their problems, challenges, and needs in relation to the purchase of medication, and designing an effective, easy-to-use solution are all part of the UX design process.

Source: www.getmayd.com

The colors, icons, images, and search fields you see throughout the MAYD app are the result of the UI design process. All of these UI elements combined make it possible for MAYD customers to access the service and accomplish their goal (purchasing medication) in the way that the UX designer(s) intended.

UI UX design example: Slice

Slice is a digital lending platform that caters to millennials. The platform offers a variety of financial services including a credit card with cashback rewards, a budget management tool, and a quick, easy way to send money to friends.

From a UX perspective, Slice seeks to redesign the financial experience for India’s younger generations, with the goal of building a ‘smart, simple, and transparent financial platform.’

Source: www.sliceit.com

Slice’s UI reflects and embodies this simplicity and transparency, making it easy for the user to navigate the platform and convey the Slice brand throughout.

The overall result is a user-friendly product with an accessible, aesthetically pleasing interface—an excellent example of UI UX design done well.

4. Why are UI and UX design so important?

Good UI UX design is about creating accessible, user-friendly, problem-solving products. This is important for both businesses and consumers.

On the business side, UI UX design is essential for understanding what customers want and delivering it in a way that provides a positive experience. This drives customer engagement, loyalty, sales, and revenue.

UI UX design also plays a crucial role in shaping a company’s brand. Through good design, brands are able to create products and experiences that evoke certain emotions and create familiarity and recognition—another important step toward building a loyal customer base.

From the consumer perspective, UI UX design offers solutions to everyday problems and ensures that technology is easy and enjoyable to use. And, when done properly, it contributes to a world that is more accessible and inclusive.

In short? There’s no such thing as a successful product or service without good UI UX design.

5. What are the most important UI UX design principles?

To create good user experiences (and, therefore, successful products), there are certain principles that UX and UI designers must adhere to. Some of the most important ones are:

• User-centricity
• Usability
• Accessibility
• Information architecture
• Visual hierarchy
• Consistency

User-centricity

The most important principle of UI/UX design is to always put the user first. The design process is inherently user-centric, starting with user research, designing to solve a user problem, and conducting rigorous user testing throughout. Only with a user-centric approach can you create products that solve user problems and satisfy your target audience.

Usability

Usability is about designing and optimizing your product for goal completion. If your designs score high on usability, it’ll be easy for your target users to complete specific tasks efficiently and with minimal effort. A product that scores low on usability is, quite simply, difficult to use.

Accessibility

The accessibility principle considers whether or not a product or service can be accessed, used, and enjoyed by everyone in all different contexts. It anticipates potential accessibility issues that users might have, and designs to mitigate them. Accessible design is especially critical when considering users with disabilities, but it ultimately benefits everyone. You can learn more about accessibility in design here.

Information architecture

Information architecture (IA) considers how information and content are organised, structured, and labeled across a digital product. The goal of information architecture is to enable users to find the information they need to complete certain tasks.

Visual hierarchy

While information architecture takes care of the overall hierarchy of information across the product (think main menu items vs. sub-menu items), visual hierarchy considers the hierarchy of different elements on each page or screen. To communicate visual hierarchy, more important elements may be displayed in a larger font or in brighter, more prominent colors. This draws the user’s attention to certain elements first, helping them to navigate the page as intended.

Consistency

The consistency principle is about creating familiarity and meeting users’ expectations. As humans, we expect certain things to work in certain ways. For example, when using a new coffee machine for the first time, you might already have some idea of how to use it based on your experience with other coffee machines. It’s the same for websites and apps. Designers can make their products easier to use by repeating certain patterns and UI components across the board, feeding into what the user already knows about how similar products work.

Those are just some of the principles that UI/UX designers follow. Learn more in this guide: Fundamental UX Design Principles and How To Apply Them?

What is the UI UX design process?

The UI UX design process typically moves through the following phases:

Project kick-off

Various stakeholders meet to define the goal of the project, identify key deliverables, and set milestones and timelines. A UI/UX project kick-off will usually involve stakeholders from the design, product, and technical teams, as well as representatives from the business side. If the UX problem is already known, it will also be discussed here.

User research and analysis

Using a variety of research methods (such as user interviews, surveys, and card sorting), UI/UX designers seek to understand the problems their target users are facing and to uncover what they want and need from a solution.

Defining the problem

Based on their research findings, the designer(s) define the problem they will address. This usually involves crafting a problem statement which clearly and succinctly articulates the problem, giving the design team a clear direction to focus on when ideating solutions.

Ideation

This phase is all about brainstorming and coming up with potential solutions. It may be done solo or as a group (depending on the size and composition of the design team), and usually involves sketching out initial ideas by hand.

Designing the user experience

Once a direction has been agreed on, the UX design work begins. This phase focuses on the steps the user will need to take to accomplish certain tasks, and considers the overall structure, layout, and organization of the product. It includes defining the information architecture, mapping out user flows, and creating low-fidelity (i.e. very bare-bones) wireframes and prototypes.

User and usability testing

Before proceeding, it’s important to test your concepts and designs on real or representative users to check that they’re on the right track for meeting end-user needs and solving the initial problem. Based on user feedback, designs are revised and improved. Ideally, user testing is woven throughout the design process, but it always depends on the time and resources available.

Designing the product interface

With the foundational design in place, the process moves to UI design. This involves turning wireframes and low-fidelity prototypes into high-fidelity prototypes. These are filled out with color, text, and all the necessary UI elements such as buttons, scrollbars, and text entry fields. In their most detailed iteration, prototypes are also interactive, mimicking how the live product will work.

More user and usability testing

The high-fidelity prototypes model how the product will look and function once it’s been developed. Before development, it’s important to run another round of user/usability testing to ensure the designs are accessible, user-friendly, and helping to solve the user problem as planned.

Developer handoff

The final step is to hand the designs over to the developers. They will then be coded into a working product which real people can use.

That’s a high-level overview of what UI/UX designers do. Now let’s drill down to some of the more specific tasks that are typical for the role.

What do UI UX designers do in their daily work?

You’ll know from our earlier definition that UX and UI are two separate components of the product design process. As such, the day-to-day work of a UX designer is different to that of a UI designer, while a hybrid UI UX design role spans both. Let’s dive deeper.

What do UX designers do?

UX designers plan every aspect of the experience a user has with a product. They are researchers, problem-solvers, user advocates, and designers all rolled into one.

Common UX designer tasks and responsibilities include:

• User research—recruiting participants, planning and conducting research sessions, analyzing and presenting the results
• Competitor research
• Creating user personas
• Writing problem statements
• Leading and/or participating in ideation and brainstorming sessions
• Creating user flows and user journey maps
• Designing a product’s information architecture
• Creating wireframes and prototypes
• Running user and usability testing sessions

Take a look at this UX research and analysis project by AND learner, Aromal Jose Baby.

What do UI designers do?

UI designers turn plain product wireframes and prototypes into visually detailed designs. They design all the different elements that shape not only how the product looks, but also the touchpoints through which the user can access and navigate the product.

This includes:

• Competitor research
• Designing/choosing color palettes and color schemes
• Designing typography
• Designing both static and animated UI elements such as buttons, icons, illustrations, text fields, scroll bars, and so on
• Creating wireframes and, eventually, high-fidelity prototypes
• Taking care of responsive design
• Helping to conduct user/usability testing sessions
• Handing over final designs to developers

Besides contributing to individual design projects, UI designers may also take on the task of building a design system and establishing visual guidelines to be used across the entire brand.

What do UI UX designers do?

UI UX designers in a hybrid role essentially carry out the full spectrum of tasks, from user research and problem definition right through to high-fidelity prototypes and developer handoff.

What tools do UI UX designers use?

UI UX design can get pretty technical, so experts in the field rely on a robust stack of tools. Some of the most important tools used by UI UX designers include:

• User research and analysis tools (like UserZoom and Optimal Workshop)
• Collaboration, workshopping, and ideation tools (like FigJam and Miro)
• Design and wireframing tools (like Sketch and Figma)
• Prototyping tools (such as InVision Studio and Adobe XD)
• User and usability testing tools (like Maze and UsabilityHub)

What skills do UI UX designers need?

UI UX design can get pretty technical, so experts in the field rely on a robust stack of tools. Some of the most important tools used by UI UX designers include:

• Research and analysis: Be it user research or competitor research, UI UX designers need to be adept at planning and executing different types of studies and analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data to make informed, user-centric decisions.

• Communication, teamwork, and cross-team collaboration: UI/UX design is a highly people-focused role. It requires communication with end users (e.g. research participants), close collaboration with other members of the design team, and cross-team collaboration with stakeholders from other areas of the business. Communication and teamwork are essential.

• Problem-solving: UI/UX is rooted in problem-solving. Designers must be skilled at identifying the right problem to solve and coming up with user-friendly and business-feasible solutions.

• Empathy: The only way to be a user-centric problem-solver is if you have empathy for your users. UI/UX designers must learn how to consider things from the end user’s perspective, even if it’s very different from their own.

• Creative and visual design skills: For the UI design aspect, creativity and a talent for visual design are crucial. The best UI UX designers know their way around color schemes, typography, and different visual compositions to achieve both a user-friendly and aesthetically on-point product.

You’ll find a more expansive list in our separate guide: 15 Must-Have UI UX Design Skills & How To Develop Them.

Where do UI UX designers work?

When it comes to career opportunities, UI UX designers are spoiled for choice. Essentially, they can work in any organization that provides a digital product. Digital products include things like apps, websites, software, training platforms, and video games (to name just a few).

UI UX designers are employed in startups, agencies, large corporations, and nonprofits across all different industries. Finance, healthcare, e-commerce, automotive—you name it; UI UX designers work there.

At the same time, it’s not uncommon for UI UX designers to carve out a freelance career (especially later on once they’ve gained in-house experience).

The path you pursue will depend on both your own interests and preferred working environment, as well as the opportunities that are available based on your location, experience, and skill set.

How much do UI UX designers earn?

Another important topic for both aspiring and career-climbing UI UX designers is salary. So how much do UI UX designers earn?

The answer depends on your location, your employer, your exact role/job title, and how much experience you’re bringing to the role. As a benchmark, here are some averages across different UI UX job titles and locations.

Source: Talent.com, Clicks IT Recruitment, Salary Expert, Glassdoor, Indeed, Payscale, GrabJobs

Take a look at our salary guide for UI/UX designers for a more in-depth look at the topic.

How to become a UI UX designer

There are many different routes you can take to become a UI UX designer.

Are you entering as a complete beginner with no prior experience? Start by learning the essential UI UX design skills and mastering the UI UX design process. This is best done through a formal UI UX design course (browse our selection of the 10 best UI UX design courses before you decide).

Have you already got some experience in a design-related field and want to move into a full-stack UI UX role? Then you’ll need to identify your current skills gaps and work on filling them. For example, if you’re a UX designer looking to cross over into UI UX, you might consider a UI design course.

No matter your starting point, you’ll also need a UI UX portfolio, a strong professional network, and a UI UX-specific application package (this includes tailoring your resumé and your LinkedIn profile so that they highlight your UI UX skills). You can take a look at AND learner Aromal Jose Baby’s Portfolio for reference.

For further advice on getting into UI/UX, follow this guide: How To Become An Expert UI UX Designer in 7 Steps.

Other career opportunities in UI UX design

UI UX design is a broad and varied field, and there are lots of different directions your career can take within the industry. Besides the roles of UX designer, UI designer, and full-stack UI UX designer, you may end up with any of the following specialist job titles:

• UX researcher
• UX writer
• UX strategist
• Information architect
• Visual designer
• Interaction designer
• UI developer
• Voice designer/voice user interface (VUI) designer
• UI strategist

With UX and UI design skills in your repertoire, there really is no limit to where you can go. From designing video games and virtual reality experiences to innovating on the next cutting-edge health tech product—UI UX design is an incredibly exciting field.

Next Steps

In case you think you need further assistance, here are some of our resources you can consider:

• Watch this session by Shiva Viswanathan, Design Head of Ogilvy Pennywise, and Naman Singh, Product Experience Designer at RED.
• Talk to a course advisor to discuss how you can transform your career with one of our courses.
• Pursue our UI UX Design courses - all courses are taught through live, interactive classes by industry experts, and some even offer a Job Guarantee.
• Take advantage of our scholarship and funding options to overcome any financial hurdle on the path of your career transformation.

Note: All information and/or data from external sources is believed to be accurate as of the date of publication.