Ever wonder why some websites feel easy and enjoyable to use while others make you want to pull your hair out?
This all comes down to two things: UX and UI.
You may have heard of them before, but let me help explain further.
UI: User Interface
When talking about the UI, or User Interface, of a website, we are referencing how a website looks. It’s all the buttons, colors, fonts, images, and layouts you see when you’re on a site.
Think of it like the design and decoration of a house. It’s your paint colors, your cabinet choices, your furniture.
They all come together to create a beautiful home that feels cohesive and all one style.
UX: User Experience
Now when we mention the UX, or User Experience, of a website, this is how a website works and how it feels to use it. It’s about how easy it is to find what you need, how quickly the site loads, and how smooth the experience feels overall.
Think of it like the structure and functionality of a house — where the rooms are placed, how easy it is to move around, and whether the doors open the right way.
A great UX will make a website (and home) feel like a seamless experience, flowing from one page (or room) to another.
Why do both matter?
Remember, UI is what you see. UX is how it feels. Having the two work together is incredibly important!
A stunning website with confusing navigation? That’s great UI but poor UX. On the other hand, a plain website that’s super easy to use but visually dull? Strong UX, weak UI.
Imagine a house where the rooms are beautifully decorated, but the doors don’t open properly, the light switches are hidden, and you keep running into furniture. That’s what a site with bad UX feels like — frustrating and inefficient.
The magic happens when both work together — a beautiful design that’s also effortless to use.
3 Tips to help find a balance
So how can you strike a good balance of great UI and UX? Quite honestly, it’s not always that easy — it takes a lot of experience to really understand them both and get it right.
Don’t get discouraged though! Here’s a few tips to help get you on the right track:
- Keep navigation intuitive: Make sure users can easily find what they need without overthinking. You should be able to navigate to your most important content within 2 clicks of your homepage!
- Prioritize readability: Choose fonts, colors, and layouts that enhance content clarity — and most of all, be consistent!
- Test user experience: Gather feedback and adjust both design and functionality for improvement. It’s easy to stare at a site for hours and think it’s good to go — but give it to someone else to use and you’ll find many tweaks.
Still unsure about UI vs UX, or feel like your site could use a professional’s point of view? Just hit reply and let me know — I’m always here to help!
See you soon,
