Technology and design have come together as fields to give birth to the mesmerizing field of UX and UI design. A UX-UI designer holds the power to create the digital world, where all of humankind is present today. But what is UI Design, and UX Design? 

UI and UX design is a field where, through intensive user research and understanding, a digital product, like a mobile application, a website, or a software, is created – which is focused towards solving a user problem. 

Read further to know what is UI design, UI design vs UX design, and how UI as well as UX design are fields with expanding career opportunities in the future. 

What is UI Design 

UI design stands for User Interface design. The UI design process consists of designing and creating interfaces of digital products, which means the graphical floor that will be the base and the face of the digital product that you wish to create. 

Some examples of elements that are designed as a part of the user interface can be buttons, tabs, input forms, and landing pages, among others. The three overall UI design tools, or access points, where the user interacts with the digital product (app or website), are: 

1. Graphical User Interface (GUI) – all visual representations on the screen are a part of your GUI. Each part of the GUI is a digital control panel, such as a computer desktop. 

1. Voice Controlled Interface (VUI) – these interfaces are where users use their voices, such as Alexa or Siri. Many of these interfaces work with Artificial Intelligence. 
2. Gesture-based Interface – these are interfaces that interact with the user’s bodily motions through 3D design spaces, such as in Virtual Reality games. 

UI versus UX Design 

UI design vs UX design is an important distinction that is necessary to be made for a cleaner, better digital product. The official differences between these processes are: 

• User Experience (UX) design is the primary process of the creation of any digital product, where the designer conducts research to understand the users’ needs, and how the user will be experiencing the new product. 
• User Interface (UI) design, as discussed, is the process of creating the digital product and its interfaces, based on the inputs provided by the UX design team. Thus, it comes in as the second step. 

According to this, UX comes as a process prior to UI. Research, information, and the process charted during user experience design is what becomes a part of user interface design, which is more inclined towards visual communication design. 

A step further would be responsive design, too. Now the question arises – what is responsive UI design? This is a design form where the user interface of the digital product adapts automatically to the user’s preferences and to the device they are using. 

What makes a UI Designer 

To be a UI designer, one must be inclined towards graphic designing more than what is required for a user experience designer. Some of the skills required to become a user interface designer are: 

• Creativity and innovation 
• Attention to detailing 
• Interaction and communication 
• Empathy 
• Knowledge of design principles 
• Experience with design – to allow for prototyping and iterations 
• Back-end customer analysis 
• Design-based research for the digital product 
• Graphics development and branding 
• Creation of user guides and storylines 
• Animation and interactivity 

There must also be a constant awareness of the users’ needs and the final combined goal – a product that will delight and satisfy the users. 

Rules of UI Design 

Does UI design require coding? It does not, but there are certain other technical guidelines that a UI designer must follow while designing the three different types of interfaces of a digital product. These UI design principles can be listed as follows: 

• Allow for predictable performances of interactive elements – like buttons, pinch to zoom, etc. 
• Maintain clarity and high discoverability 

• Make interfaces ‘invisible’ and simple 
• Map the journey of the user’s eye 
• One chief function per page 
• Place controls near objects that the user can control 
• Allow for user feedback 
• Maintain consistency for your brand 
• Use appropriate UI design patterns 
• Provide next steps that the user can deduce naturally 
• Maximum tasks must be done in the minimum of efforts 
• Usability is more important than aesthetic 

UI must be delightful and should have an opportunity for personalization and immersive experiences. Thus, these UI design laws can be followed to create a seamless digital product – software, app, or website – that satisfies your users’ needs as well as wants. 

Concluding Words 

We hope you have an answer to what is UI Design after reading this blog. If you are wondering about the UI design trends and how they can develop into careers, know that this field is increasingly interesting, and holds a plethora of opportunities when looked at during the turn of the year 2023. According to AmbitionBox, the average UX-UI designer’s salary can range between ₹ 2.0 Lakhs to ₹ 13.9 Lakhs a year. 

For passionate learners, UI design skills can be a great step ahead from both a technical, as well as a designer background, to guarantee career growth chances. So, why not choose a Master’s Course in User Experience and Interaction Design from JD School Of Design? 

With a detailed curriculum focused on building an innovative methodology with an underlying philosophy, this course allows you to develop a collaborative approach to conceptualization and problem solving in a digital context. 

So, enroll in the course today, and see substantial growth in your career opportunities!