Understanding UX and UI: A Q&A with Brendon Grobler

By Aisling McCarthy

Often, jobs in either field are sold as the same thing, although they require completely different skills. Considering that UX design focuses specifically on the way in which consumers interact with the product, the designers are required to think logically and in simple terms.

UI design, on the other hand, is far more visual. It compromises the graphic representation, reactivity and interactivity, as well as the directives which visually lead the user through their experience.

Great UX and UI are not mutually exclusive, but one can help the other.

What exactly is the difference between User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI)?

The user interface (UI) is all the tangible components of a website which contribute to the user's overall experience (UX) of that site. Physical tools vs Emotional outcome.

To use an example in another context: Think of a building. The planning and materials used are the UI, and the resulting building is the UX.

If this is done well, the building will be structurally sound, use the space to its potential, be visually pleasing, and, most importantly, serve its intended purpose. The result is a space where people enjoy being in and using, or not.

When it comes to web design, some elements are more important than others. Do you think UX or UI is more important, and why?

The experience is the most important thing. But a great experience usually cannot be achieved without the adequate structure, thought and planning (UI).

You can, however, have an amazing UI, but if it does not cater to the exact need of the user, the UX fails.
As an example - a perfectly designed sports website, but with no content about sports the user is interested in.

For a young start-up company, is it necessary to invest in professionals to deal with website UX and UI?

Yes, if possible! Although there can be some cases where they can initially get away with not investing, but it’s risky. Sometimes, start-ups don't have the capital at the start, and their service or product doesn't require a large amount of content to successfully accomplish their goal.

Sometimes, a single paragraph and contact details can achieve that. Another option is to use a very well designed template like a WordPress theme, although they might need someone to identify if it’s well designed in the first place, and if they add more content over time, the website would have to adapt to continually offer a good experience.

Emphasis is often put onto the necessity of engineers in companies, however, UX and UI are seen directly by the user. Does this make these roles more important than the developers?

UX and UI are often undervalued, however, design concepts still need to be implemented by developers and a lot of great UX is through a website that functions as it should and achieves the desired goal.

This is a better experience compared to a website that is designed beautifully but breaks. They are all important.

For more information, visit www.theforge.co.za. Alternatively, connect with Grobler on LinkedIn.