Are you asking yourself what is the difference between UX design and web design? Digital design can be a puzzling world of systems, acronyms, and programs. Web creation is not just about making a landing page and adding content anymore but a complex world of coding for site function and protection. It is also a fun and artistic adventure to create something visually alluring. If you combine this with the psychology behind all the systems of a webpage, you have the basics of web development. Sounds simple enough, right? Not for everyone.
The software industry has skyrocketed, and many people are still trying to understand key differences in standard terms. Terms like UI design, web design, and UX design are often thrown around and are incorrectly interchanged. Nevertheless, following the aim of each tool is as simple as knowing the various parts of a house.
Web design is the base or the foundation, UI design is the architecture, and UX design is the electric, plumbing, and other wiring needed. Before we get into defining these terms, we can say there can be a lot of overlap between them. UX, UI, and Web Designer difference is nothing but a fine line but can have great impacts on your project. However, to excel in any of them, you must have a comprehensive knowledge of all three of them.
What Is the Difference Between UX Design and Web Design?
UX design stands for User Experience design and tends to be the invisible or “behind the scenes” side of design. It is all the work that goes into creating an app, website, software, or service. UX design includes design and user research, information architecture, interaction design, usability testing, and content strategy.
It is easy to rush to design solutions, but UX design works to focus on the user or customer to understand their habits, needs, behaviors, motivations, and emotions. You have to deeply understand the problem and who you are designing for to prototype and iterate on solutions. You are not practicing UX design unless you are talking to actual users.
UI design stands for User Interface design, which is the visual or graphical side of design. Some UX designers will also do some UI, but other UX designers will only go as far as research and wireframes. Established UI designers will know about graphic design, strong typography, color theory, photo direction, vector manipulation, and motion graphics, and at a senior level, be able to work as an art or creative director with a clear, visual, vision for the product or brand.
Web designers may be graphic designers who work on the web or developers who have built enough skills to create a good-looking website or app. Web designers tend not to take the human-centered approach to UX design.
Psychology is embedded in UX design to help understand how people think, and what motivates them. Most web designers do not go as deep to consider all the factors that a UX designer keeps in mind. Web design tends to be less iterative, whereas UX design is about integrating continuous improvements. Whichever direction you take, it is essential to remember that design is not only about making things look pretty. Design is about problem-solving, communication, and people.
Critical Differences Between UX Design and Web Design
Are you still asking yourself what is the difference between UX design and web design? If that is still the case, in this section, we will present more detailed information that will make you realize the main differences between these two design fields.
A web designer is a professional who generates content for a website following the latest trends. They are responsible for designing the layout of the website, along with its aesthetics, utility, and functionality, whereas UX design brings creativity. A UX designer handles the whole procedure of obtaining and coordinating a product, including parts of marking, development, convenience, and utility. It is a process that starts before the product reaches the customer.
The role of the web designer is to compile everything, including the UI and UX, and turn it into a highly-functional and efficient website that people can easily interact with using their smartphones or computers. A web designer might emphasize more of the aesthetics of the site rather than how a user might deal with it. On the other hand, UX design is all about having a deep understanding of the customer, which includes their preferences, behaviors, habits, requirements, and feelings. UX designers must comprehensively understand the issue along with the client whom they are working for to design an optimal and streamlined solution.
A web designer must have in-depth knowledge of programming languages like HTML and CSS, Scripting languages like JavaScript and PHP, and web designing packages like Flash, Photoshop, etc. A good UX designer is expected to have fluent communication, agile and lean development skills, rapid prototyping, revising skills, crowdsourced designing, and relevant soft skills.
Contemporary Web designers are usually modern-era graphic designers trained in visual design to be experts in the following areas: color theory, creative conceptualization, diagrams, interactivity, rollovers, drop-down menus, digital slideshows, call-to-action buttons, and forms, icon development, info-graphics, and typography.
A UX Designer plays a very crucial role in an organization. They have to make sure that a customer is having a good time with the brand. They primarily focus on understanding user psychology, comprehending product specification, finalizing the right interaction model, creating personas through user surveys, and collaborating with UI designers to create attractive and useful designs
Website designers might be visual designers or engineers who have built enough aptitudes to make beautiful and aesthetic websites or applications. Website designers do not tend to adopt the human-focused strategy of UX design. Most website designers do not dive as deep to consider every element that a UX designer remembers. A website designer will, in general, be less iterative, while UX design is tied in with coordinating persistent enhancements by interacting with users.
UX applies to whatever can be experienced, be it a site, a cup of tea, or a visit to the supermarket. The "client experience" part alludes to the connection between the client and the service or product. UX structure, at that point, considers all the various components that shape this experience. A UX designer thinks how the experience makes the client feel and how simple it is for the client to achieve their ideal errands.
Bottom Line
Were you asking what is the difference between UX design and web design? If you were, this guide will answer that question in a way that you never have to ask it again. All the basics are here, so you should put into practice this information.