“Interface vs. Experience” and other myths

You've probably heard about UX (User Experiences) and UI (User Interfaces), nowadays they are very used terms, mainly by companies dedicated to web or mobile design. Here we will define what is each one of them and what is the difference between them, besides some other myths about UX.

UX or User Experience Design is in general terms any interaction that the user has with a specific product or service. Taking into account the different elements that determine how the user feels when interacting with the product and how easily he can accomplish the tasks he wants to do. Meanwhile the UI or User Interface Design is what the user will interact with directly, what he sees of the product.

Now, we must be clear that UX and UI are not the same, many times we see that these terms are used without differentiation, however, a good User Experience Design (UX) takes into account the Interface Design, but it is not the only element.

UX design is a process that seeks to give users interfaces with correct solutions, with which they can perform tasks easily and quickly, making them feel attracted to the look of the interface. Something important to consider in UX design is that the user must be understood, which are the needs of the user and that will make the design provide a better user experience when interacting with our interface, in addition, it considers the content that the user is provided with quality sea as well as what Inbound Marketing recommends, something that the UI design does not contemplate.

The myths of UX Design.

1. UX design and aesthetics

If we talk about UX design and aesthetics there are two possible scenarios, the first is that UX design is only about aesthetics, and although a good UX should consider how the product looks, it also considers how it works and how it feels to use it.

The other scenario is completely the opposite of the previous one, considering that the aesthetics of the product does not affect the experience, and that a usable design cannot have a nice look, which is completely false, and that is exactly what UX seeks, to offer the user a nice experience both in the usability of the product and in its visual aspect.

While it is true that content that is important to the user should not require too many clicks to access, not all content should be governed by this rule since there will be certain content that we need to have a slightly longer navigation path for it to be logical. In addition, it has now been determined that there are other predominant aspects that cause the web page to be abandoned by the user, more than this "3 clicks" consideration.

3. Creativity and originality are essential

Many times it is believed that if there is no originality and creativity within the design it is not a good design. However, there are already solutions to common interaction problems that have been tested and work. In addition, it is important to emphasize that users like familiar experiences, and if certain conventions are changed within the design it can cause a feeling of frustration and generate an unpleasant experience. In order to change these conventions, there must be a compelling reason and justification that is clear in the eyes of the user and that avoids generating bad experiences.

UX design is not just another phase in the process of designing an interface. On the contrary, it is a process itself that in the end results in the interface. In this process, aspects such as research, tests with users, definition of navigation, interaction and visual aspect, among others, are taken into account.

5. In UX design only the user matters

Although the final objective of UX design is to provide a valuable user experience, and clearly for this it must take into account what the user needs, it must also take into account the business objectives and thus design according to these aspects too, achieving a good design in terms of UX but realistic.

There is a misperception that the more features a product is given, the better it is, but covering so many features can lead to user confusion. It is best to concentrate as much as possible on the features that are really important and create value for the user. Remember that less is often more.

A false conception is that the more visual elements like icons are used within the interface design, the more it will help the UX to improve, which is completely false. We often see how they try to add icons to many parts of the interface, but they are not clear about what they want to communicate, so the visual elements do not achieve their purpose and can even confuse the user. It is necessary to understand that not all words have a visual representation that is easy and clear to catch.

White space is not a waste, on the contrary, it is an ally to achieve a good UX design since it can help you improve the understanding of content, hierarchy, readability, etc. It gives the user visual breaks and helps to give emphasis to certain elements, among many others.

Summing up, UX design and UI design are not the same, but they are not opposite terms either. Rather, they are terms that must go hand in hand to achieve a good design result. UI is within a good UX process, where ease of use and pleasant aesthetics are achieved, and ends up being the final result offered to the user, however, it is not the solution to the problem.