In the modern world, initiatives rather than products are being developed by many people. We can work together to produce a product as engineering and other science-related department students with a UI/UX specialist on our team.
In this article, I'll discuss the responsibilities and roles of UI/UX designers based on what I learned at a side hustle internship. I'll also list the UI/UX designer's tools.
What is UI/UX?
UI/UX means User Interface and Experience of Users. This is an area where consumers and business-friendly goods are built as consumers are pleased and customers make a profit.
A lot of individuals have a wrong interpretation of UI/UX. They assume that the UI/UX designer‘s job is to use software such as XD and Photoshop to design the app or webpage or create prototypes or sketches and hand them over to the developer. Most of them think It’s just connected to typography and graphic design whereas this doesn’t depict the entire process because every design process begins with research. To avoid conflict between the two roles, here are popular understandings of their roles;
UX Designer responsibilities
A UX designer;
Conducts user research and testing.
Develops wireframes and task flows based on user needs.
Collaborates with UI Designers and Developers to create intuitive, user-friendly software.
UI Designer Responsibilities
It's not just all about creating a beautiful design but rather how to make it effective, Proficient designers, especially newbies shouldn't be intimidated by designs they see on the dribble, Behance, and others. Most of those beautiful designs cannot be applied in the real world not even in the future because they are not effective. so as a UI designer, you should be able to;
Collaborates with product managers and engineers to define and implement innovative solutions for the product direction, visuals, and experience.
Execute all visual design stages from concept to final hand-off to engineering.
Design graphic user interface elements, like menus, tabs, and widgets.
How do these two roles work together?
UI designers also have a solid understanding of the user’s needs and goals, but their specialty lies in the user’s visual experience. Based on the UX designer’s wireframes and prototypes, they design all the visual aspects of the product interface, such as color, typography, and spacing, as well as the interactive touchpoints that the user encounters, such as buttons and scrollbars.
So, now we have a user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing design — time to hand over to the developers!
The main difference to bear in mind between these two roles: UX design is all about the overall feel of the experience, while UI design is all about how the product’s interfaces look and function.
Tools for UI/UX Designer
Stationary tools(pencil, erasers, blank sheet, and meter rule)InDesign
Adobe Illustrator & Photoshop
Sketch, Figma, Framer, and Marvel
Adobe XD
Powerpoint and so on…
For the newbies and intermediates that are not sure about where to start, you can start by researching how to make your home a better place for you to study rather going through countless tutorials you don't end up using. When you've made your research, try thinking of a possible solution to the problem found, prototype the possible solution to test it. Mind you, it doesn't end there yet, keep repeating the cycle until you've achieved your goal. It's your home, nobody should know it better than you.
Hopefully, this article has gone in some way to clearing up the long-standing confusion around UX and UI and it's just the tip of the iceberg; there’s a lot more to both UX and UI, so it’s worth reading up on each field in-depth to get a feel for what they entail and a deeper understanding of how they differ. If you’re keen to learn more, the internet is always there for you to use. Thank you very much for your time.