The Difference Between UI and UX, and Ways to Test Each

UI and UX go hand in hand – both in texts and when it comes to manual testing services. As a result, the line between these two abbreviations has become too blurry. When people fail to distinguish between UI and UX, it tends to result in misunderstanding and make the work more difficult for everyone in the team.

So we decided to talk a little bit about what each part in the UI/UX pair stands for. It will be interesting and helpful not only for future experts in UI testing services but everyone involved in the software development process.

UI and UX – What’s the Difference?

UI stands for User Interface. We use this term in relation to the visual aspects and characteristics of software design – the looks of the interface. An interface is a point of interaction between a user and a system. It is what appears on the screen of your phone or laptop, a touchscreen of a coffee machine, and so on.

User interface design is about the layout, general visual impression, and interactivity of the elements. Simply put, UI means pleasant colors, readable texts, and convenient buttons. The task of a UI designer is to make software look as nice and intuitive as possible.

UX stands for User Experience. UX refers to the emotional aspect of a user’s interaction with the software. It questions whether UI manages to achieve the desired impression, how well it does it, or what needs to be changed. Thus, a UX designer is responsible for the experience and impression a user gets from working with a specific interface.

So, a UX designer creates a plan of interaction with software, translating the logic of the system into a practical plan, a step-by-step path a user can take. Then, a UI designer visualizes this plan, decorating the pure logic with the specific UI elements.

UI and UX are two irreplaceable pieces of the puzzle that allow us to create software that is easy to understand and use. Usually, one person is responsible for both parts of the design.

UX/UI in Software Development

UX/UI designers are among the most sought-after professions in the digital field. For as long as people keep using websites, apps, online services, and various software, good UX/UI designers will remain in demand. Besides, it’s unlikely that AI/ML technologies will take over this profession anytime soon. So let’s take a closer look at the role of UX/UI designers in the development process.

UX Design

• Interaction at the core. UX design is a non-digital practice used predominantly in the digital sphere. UX is about the interaction, well-built logic, and convenience – some of the core aspects of every highly-praised digital product and service.
• Strategy and content. UX design is based on competitor analysis, audience analysis, product structure and strategy, and content development.
• Prototyping. It means developing the basic working model of the software product or service. The purpose of a prototype is to check the concept and its basic functionality to make sure it makes sense to proceed with the work. Thus, UX designers participate in prototyping and testing this basic concept. They schematically visualize a user flow, creating a backbone for a product.
• Development. As UX focuses on the overall feel and experience, not visuals, it requires some research, as well as communication between the designers and developers.
• Analysis and improvement. Companies are always certain that they know their audience. However, things don’t always work perfectly when software goes live and reaches the real audience. Therefore, the team needs to monitor their software for a while, gather feedback, and decide what improvements are needed (if any).

As you can see, the role of the UX designer is complex and multifaceted. The outcome of their work is not strictly technical or visual. It usually deals with some marketing and project management matters, being a part of the bigger picture.

UI Design

• Visual representation at the core. It is essential to create a consistent and visually pleasant design. While the understanding of the latter can vary, correct color combinations and neat layout are easy to recognize regardless of personal color preferences.
• Vision and perception. Research and ideas on visual presentation, development of the brand identics, custom guides – all the things are the area of responsibility of a UI designer.
• Identity.UI translates a brand’s identity into software design. Therefore, a digital product/service fits perfectly in the ecosystem of the brand and is easily associated with the provider.
• Emphasis on intuitiveness. It is essential to create a design that guides a user through the product/service intuitively and requires as few explanations as possible.
• Responsiveness and interactivity. After finalizing the general design concept, UI prototyping starts. Besides shaping and coloring all the UI elements, interactivity and animations, adaptation to different screen resolutions, etc. At this stage, a designer needs to communicate a lot with developers to make sure all their ideas are feasible.

UI design is an important area that comes with a lot of responsibility (and you can say that about every part of the product development). Long story short, a UI designer creates the facade of software and is greatly responsible for the first impression.

UX/UI Trends

Trends are ever-evolving and quickly changing, so this section can be updated at least once a year. Still, there are several tendencies that define the general direction of design norms evolution. In particular, there are two things worth pointing out:

1. Simplification of the visual part of interfaces. A designer no longer needs to spend time drawing a three-D button or looking for straight-talking images. A modern user easily understands conventional symbols and associations. It is no longer necessary to explain that a colored rectangle is a button and three horizontal stripes are a menu.
2. Complication of design as a discipline. The interfaces have become simpler, but the design as a practice has become more complex and layered. Sites can be complicated systems now, with many different elements: application forms, personal accounts, subscriptions, online consultants, etc. A user path requires a lot of thought if you don’t want a user to get lost and, ideally, complete the targeted actions.

UX/UI in Software Testing and QA

Now, what does a software tester have to do with UX/UI? Or more properly, how should they organize the design review processes? Some would ask why a QA specialist needs to check a designer’s work. Are they competent enough for that?

Well, there are two aspects we’d like to clarify. Firstly, a software tester’s task is to check software from an end-user perspective. That includes design as well. Secondly, many companies test UI but not UX.

The reason is simple. When working with UI, we deal mostly with an objective evaluation of the visual and functional aspects of the software. In particular, we aim to answer the following questions:

• What does the interface look like?
• Is it convenient for the user to click on the buttons?
• Are the icons understandable?
• Are the fonts and text formats in general readable?
• Are the accents in the right places?
• Is the layout neat and without any inconsistencies?

When it comes to UX, deeper research is required. A software tester can suggest what to improve. However, it makes sense to involve a Business Analyst or do the research on your own. For example, prototype testing can save resources and invest in the reliability of a developed app/website/etc. Theoretically, a software tester can run prototype testing, but in practice, it is a task for an Analyst, a Product Manager, or an R&D specialist.

To Sum Up

UX/UI design is a vast and interesting field, to say the least. It requires design skills, analytical thinking, careful planning, an ability to see the bigger picture, and a desire to keep up with the trends changing at a crazy pace.

But as you know, there’s no I in a team. And a software tester is also a part of a development team. So while UX/UI designers are doing their best on visualizing the product, developers write code for the frontend, and QA engineers test how it all works.

Why do we need to know the difference between I and X? It’s simple: to avoid confusion and know what you are working with. Understanding the basics of other roles in a development/project team will help you navigate through the working process much better and develop professionally, that’s for sure.