1. The Difference Between UI and UX
by Shawn Borsky on 15th August 2011 with 15 Comments
In today’s creative and technical environment, the terms “UI” (User
Interface) and “UX” (User Experience) are being used more than ever.
Overall, these terms are referring to specialties and ideas that have been
around for years prior to the introduction of the abbreviated
terminology.
But the problem with these new abbreviations is more than just nomenclature.
Unfortunately, the terms are quickly becoming dangerous buzzwords: using
these terms imprecisely and in often completely inappropriate situations is a
constant problem for a growing number of professionals, including: designers,
job seekers, and product development specialists. Understanding the proper
separation, relationship and usage of the terms is essential to both disciplines.
UI != UX
The most common misconception that you will hear in the workplace, in client meetings and
often in job listings or job requirements is the inadvertent combination or interchange of the
terms. In many cases, the incorrect expectation is that an interface designer by default
understands or focuses on user experience because their work is in direct contact with the user.
The simple fact is that user interface is not user experience. The confusion may simply be
because both abbreviations start with the letter “U”. More likely, it stems from the overlap of the
skill-sets involved in both disciplines. They are certainly related areas, and in fact many
designers are knowledgeable and competent in both.
“UI refers to the aggregation of approaches and elements that allow
the user to interact with a system.”
However, despite the overlap, both fields are substantially different in nature and – more
importantly – in their overall objectives and scope. User interface is focused on the actual
elements that interact with the user – basically, the physical and technical methods of input and
output. UI refers to the aggregation of approaches and elements that allow the user to interact
with a system. This does not address details such as how the user reacts to the system,
remembers the system and re-uses it.

2. Such problems bring us to the user experience. Don’t be fooled! User experience is much more
than just the end result of user interface. Instead, I have always found it best to consider user
experience as the reactor or nucleus of a brand. A brand being, in essence, the sum of the
experiences that a person has with a company or organization. User experience is the goal. Not
just the goal of an interface, but of a product or interaction with an organization. When good
user experience is achieved, every desirable or positive effect that one could possibly think of
flows from it. UX is focused on success of the whole. In reality, the product is not the sum of its
parts; the experience is.
“Consider user experience as the reactor or nucleus of a brand.”
At the end of the day, that is all we get to leave the user with: a memory. As we all know, human
memory is astounding but it’s imperfect. Every detail contributes to the ingredients of a good
user experience, but when it all comes down to it, the user will remember products in somewhat
skewed way. UX contains a much bigger picture than UI does but it still relies on the smallest
details to drive it. This understanding is the most powerful asset anyone can have in product
development.
UI is a Tool
User interface is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal in the quest for great user
experience. Why? Simply, the interface is the most tactile, visceral and visible method with
which our users interact with us. UI is the front line. This is possibly the best explanation for why
the two terms are so often used interchangeably or combined into one.
Incorrect Usage is Dangerous
Communication is complex and can be confusing. The development of precise and specialized
terminology facilities easier communication. But what happens when we are effectively not
speaking the same language?
“Unthinkable amounts of time and money are spent to dance around
the incorrect focus and usage of these terms.”
What if I said, “Use a screw” meaning a corkscrew metal fastener to an engineer assembling a
product, but he thought it referred to an angle bracket or chemical adhesive? The product might

3. have some serious problems. Granted, interfaces and experiences aren’t going to literally blow
up in our face. However, the effect is no less powerful. Unthinkable amounts of time and money
are spent to dance around the incorrect focus and usage of these terms. Eventually, wasting
time and money will put a company out of business or cause products to fail. Improper
application of the concepts can be disastrous.
Finding the Right Designer
Some of the most common usage failure for the UI and UX terms is where it matters most: job
listings and requirements. It is already difficult to locate excellent candidates for specialized jobs
such as interface design and user experience design. But it’s certainly more difficult to hire the
right person for the job when the skill set and design focus are miscommunicated. It’s expensive
to hire a specialist, and it’s even more costly to hire one that cannot solve the problem you need
solved. More often than not, the job requirements and responsibilities are skewed toward the UI
designer job description but come loaded with the responsibility and expectation of a UX
designer.
Responsibility For the Problem
Whether a UI or UX designer, there is still the element of design. Design is a solution to a
problem. When roles are clearly defined and universally understood, it’s much easier to attack a
problem, propose a solution and execute on it. In the case of UI and UX, the problem normally
applies to situations where the responsibility for the interface and the experience is assigned to
one designer who simply does not have overall control of both aspects.
It’s tough to own up to a problem when the ability to solve it is not in your hands. A UI designer
may have the ability to create interactive designs, icons, colors, text, and affect a number of
other elements that solve problems dealing with direct interactions to the user. Those elements
are fantastic tools to affect user experience but they are only part of the equation. The user
experience is influenced by a multitude of things such as marketing copy, speed, functional
performance, color scheme, personality, customer support, set expectations, financial approach,
visualization… well, you get the idea.
“It is not that one designer cannot handle both areas. It is about the
tools and ability to problem solve.”

4. It isn’t fair or practical to tell the UI designer that they are responsible for all these things and
more. It isn’t that user experience cannot be designed. If the situation were reversed for a UX
designer it would be equally difficult. In order for a designer to rightly take ownership of the UX
problem, they must be enabled to recommend and effect changes, implementations and
decisions that control the experience. The flawed understanding is about designer focus and
scope. It is not that one designer cannot handle both areas. It is about the tools and ability to
problem solve. Effectively, a builder without any tools is just as powerless to build as a person
with no skill or knowledge.
Conclusion
The first step to successfully attacking any problem is to understand what must be done.
Understanding the difference between UI and UX is an intellectual asset with staggering
ramifications.
From hiring the right person for the job to simply understanding what is required to approach the
problem, proper knowledge of the UI and UX terminology is a simple way to facilitate better
communication, better problem solving, better design and better user experience.