UX design and UI design: differences & connections

UX and UI not only sound very similar, but are also closely related thematically. Nevertheless, the distinction between the terms is important. Our guide explains what's behind it and what the interfaces look like.

The user at the center: UI and UX both refer to user experience.

As technology advances, ease of access on the part of users becomes increasingly important. UX and UX design are responsible for this.

UX design and UI design: a close relationship

The two terms can be explained and assigned as follows:

• UX stands for "user experience". This is an overarching term that is composed of quite a few factors.
• UI ("User Interface") refers to a user interface, such as a graphical one like a smartphone operating system. The term is thus very concrete.
• This results in a hierarchy, so to speak: the user interface is part of the user experience, which in turn includes many other aspects.
• Because of its practical importance, however, the UI makes up an important area of the overall UX.
• Ein gelungenes UX-Design setzt somit ein gutes UI-Design voraus.
• Andererseits ist das UI-Design zwangsläufig immer mit dem UX-Design verknüpft.

Auch wenn die Begriffe verschiedene Bedeutungen haben, wird klar, dass sie beinahe untrennbar sind. Für Branchenspezialisten ist das keine Neuigkeit, für Außenstehende dagegen sehr nützlich, um das technische Thema etwas mehr im Detail zu verstehen.