What is UX and what is UI?
A lot of clients ask us “What is the UI UX difference?” so below we explain the meaning, the differences and the impact on your business.
The Meanings.
So first things first. What do those acronyms stand for?
The ‘U’ in both of these stands for ‘User’ and generally this user is the customer who has purchased - or is thinking of purchasing - a product or service. The second letter is what establishes the difference in these two terms:-
UX stands for User Experience.
UI stands for User Interface.
What’s The Difference?
UX is really defined by the experience of a consumer and this is a very broad remit. That experience could be in a real space, or it could be online. The experience revolves around the customers’ interaction with the product or service. How do they experience your brand and your products? This could include:
→a sales agent in a high street shop
→ordering an item or items on a retailer’s app
→engagement with the final product
UI is a more specific concept - you’re only looking at the actual interface that the consumer interacts with. There is a focus on how the interface is designed. This can range from the interior design of a retail space to the graphic design of a flyer. Some simple examples include:
→an information board in a high street shop
→the design of a button on a website or app
→fonts and colours used on product packaging
How Does It Impact You?
Consider how the information you’re giving to your consumer is interpreted, based on the design, and how that impacts their opinion of (and ultimately their decision whether or not to buy) your service or product.
It seems strange but using a specific colour or button contrast can increase customer click throughs, and purchases. Similarly, a particular font could switch a person off completely.
These things go through fashions and phases, where more ‘likeable’ fonts or a specific colour are seen as “friendlier” or “retro cool” and therefore more clickable. This will change over time. That’s why it’s so important to keep up with trends, and continue to review what other persons are doing in the same industry.
Your Next Steps.
What you can do, starting today, to give yourself the edge on your competitors, is to hire a review of your UX and UI and see what improvements can be made. Depending on your budget, you could make this an annual review, (and you can even take the steps to make the amendments required yourself), or you can hire someone - or a whole team! - full time to adjust and improve your customer engagement constantly and consistently. Your customers will benefit, and so will you.
If you have any questions about the above article, please leave a comment below or email us at hello@caribbean-collective.com or you can contact us on social media. We look forward to hearing from you!
