What is UI/UX?
It is fascinating to know that a very important part of the tech industry (UI/UX) is now a burgeoning career and is becoming well-known. I first heard about UI/UX last year when I attended a Giz fully sponsored design school, where Mrs. Grace Adenle meticulously treated the subject. I always thought the front-end developer worked first, but I have come to realise that it is the UI/UX designer, and you will know why as we proceed. UI is an acronym for "user interface," and UX is an acronym for "user experience." According to the dictionary, an interface is the point of interaction or contact between entities. You pick up your phone, open the messaging app, click on the “+” icon, select a contact or type a number, type a message, press send, select your preferred sim (in the case of a dual sim phone), and then a notification pops up that your message has been sent. You then close the app. Every point of smooth interaction or contact with the messaging app is made possible by the UI/UX designer. UI/UX simply means designing interfaces and experiences for humans and users. You go to the ATM, insert your card, go through interfaces, withdraw money, and you are happy. It is okay to say that UI is the look, and UX is the feel. UI uses visual and design elements to solve problems (in tech) or build digital products, while UX makes sure that the solution is soothing and desirable to its users. UI is creating aesthetically pleasing solutions, while UX is ensuring that users feel good using the solution (a psychology kind of thing).
Attributes of a good Product
Three significant things make up a good solution: the SEE or UUD. S — Satisfaction, E — Effectiveness, E — Efficient or U — Usability, U — Usefulness, D — Desirability. Apart from these, the solution must be easy to use, have a reduced number of steps, and have a clear CTA (Call to action).
The U in UI/UX
The U in UI and UX must never be neglected, as it represents the people who will be using the solution (the users). The UI/UX Designer must keep the users in mind at all times during the design process because they guide the UI/UX Designer in making good design decisions. The UI/UX designer must also not forget the customer’s (CEO's or stakeholder's) goals and objectives, along with their value proposition. Let me tell you a short story: Bisi and Tobi went to the market to buy foodstuffs, and on getting home, Bisi volunteered to cook (may this not end in tears!). Bisi presented a good-looking food (UI) that tastes peppery (UX) to Tobi. Tobi had a portion of good-looking food but had a bad experience. This is one of many reasons why involving the users from the start of the project is imperative; hence, user research.
UI/UX design is not limited to digital products alone; we can also like a physical product and feel good using it. Have you ever used a physical product and felt vexed? That is UX. It is okay to say UI is a subset of UX, and UX is a subset of CX (customer experience).
UX Design Process
UX design is a non-linear process that involves the following steps: Understand, Research, Analyse, Design, Launch, and Analyse again. The designer must keep the users in mind for each process, and the users must be at the center of decision-making because they are the ones who interact with the product. Bridging the gap between the company’s value proposition and the user’s needs is one of the things the UX designer does.
Careers in UI/UX
According to Abisola Jegede, the second most important thing to do after diving deep into the history of UI/UX design is to specify and choose an area of specialisation.
Since UI is already a subset of UX, research and strategy complete the list. The three main categories of UX careers are design, research, and strategy (SRD). Under design, we have the Visual, Interaction, Information and Service Designer, the Information Architect, and the UX Writer. We have UX Research, Accessibility Specialists, and Human Factors and ergonomics under UX Research. Finally, the CX (customer experience) and Content strategy are in the strategy category. These career paths will be discussed in subsequent writings.
I am glad you read through this article to the end. I hope it was worthwhile and that you learned something about UI/UX design.
My name is Isaac Akinyemi, and I am a co-learner.
Cheers!
Contact me: dareytemy@gmail.com
