UX Design ≠ UI Design ≠ Graphic Design: A Designer's Perspective

Image credit: Pixaby. Alt: Image is a photo of a desk with pencils, pens, an eraser, a smartphone, and post-its with sketches drawn on them.

The slash. Most OG UX Designers abhor the slash. You know: UX/UI. You wouldn't say potato/strawberry. They're both foods but they aren't exactly interchangeable. What's the big deal of UX/UI? Its all design right? Let's take a closer look.

User Experience, abbreviated as UX, focuses on how users interact with a product or service. It involves ensuring that the process from one point to another is intuitive and user-friendly, while also meeting accessibility standards to accommodate all users. UX prioritizes functionality and involves conducting research to advocate for users throughout their experience with a specific product or service.

UI is an acronym for User Interface. The Graphical User Interface, known as GUI, serves as the primary interaction point when a user interacts with a button on their mobile device or uses a mouse to select the button. These icons are what users tap when engaging with applications or social media on their smartphones, emphasizing the importance of maintaining consistency in colors, layout, component size, and overall visual aesthetic.

Graphic Design is the art of creating logos, flyers, brochures, signs, t-shirt designs, church graphics, magazine & book covers, packaging, and a wide range of other visual elements. In this field, the Artist skillfully utilizes typography, colors, patterns, and shapes to effectively communicate a message.

After fulfilling all three roles of Graphic Designer, UI Designer, and UX Designer, and more over my 20-year career in Design, I view myself as a distinct individual. I find it unfair that contemporary employers demand UX Designers to be proficient in Sketch, Figma, After Effects, HTML, and UX Research, while offering lower compensation for the workload of multiple positions. Nonetheless, the primary purpose of this writing is to enhance the understanding of the general public (including recruiters) regarding these distinctions.

Take care, and know your worth.

-TND