WHAT IS UX & UI?
What is UX Design? User Experience Design:
UX applies to anything that can be experienced—be it a website, a coffee machine, or a visit to the supermarket. The “user experience” part refers to the interaction between the user and a product or service. User experience design, then, considers all the different elements that shape this experience. A UX designer thinks about how the experience makes the user feel, and how easy it is for the user to accomplish their desired tasks. For example: How easy is the checkout process when shopping online? How easy is it for you to grip that vegetable peeler? Does your online banking app make it easy for you to manage your money? The ultimate purpose of UX design is to create easy, efficient, relevant, and all-round pleasant experiences for the user.
What is UI Design? User Interface Design:
Unlike UX, user interface design is a strictly digital term. A user interface is the point of interaction between the user and a digital device or product—like the touchscreen on your smartphone, or the touchpad you use to select what kind of coffee you want from the coffee machine. In relation to websites and apps, UI design considers the look, feel, and interactivity of the product. It’s all about making sure that the user interface of a product is as intuitive as possible, and that means carefully considering each and every visual, interactive element the user might encounter. A UI designer will think about icons and buttons, typography and color schemes, spacing, imagery, and responsive design.
Think about it like this:
“User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) are some of the most confused and misused terms in our field. A UI without UX is like a painter slapping paint onto a canvas without thought; while UX without UI is like the frame of a sculpture with no paper mache on it. A great product experience starts with UX followed by UI. Both are essential for the product’s success.” or “UI is the saddle, the stirrups, and the reins. UX is the feeling you get being able to ride the horse.”
More about the Difference between UX and UI:
https://careerfoundry.com/en/blog/ux-design/the-difference-between-ux-and-ui-design-a-laymans-guide/
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.
“Something that looks great but is difficult to use is exemplary of great UI and poor UX. While something very usable that looks terrible is exemplary of great UX and poor UI.”
How to become a UX Designer:
https://careerfoundry.com/en/blog/ux-design/how-to-become-a-ux-designer/
How to become a UI Designer:
https://careerfoundry.com/en/blog/ui-design/how-to-become-a-ui-designer/
Check out this online tool we will use today & follow along:
https://mockflow.com/
You will love this! It’s a blast, and an extremely useful tool that’ll come in handy down the road.
Discussion 7 - User Experience – Good & Bad Apps
*Submit Discussion into D2L
Think about the apps on your phone from an actual experience and usability perspective… Think about how the app opens… Think about the options that are available, the feeling you have, and the icons and tabs available to navigate… If any! Share a link to 2 apps in the app store, one that you always have a great experience with and naturally just works extremely well, and also one that you know you just absolutely do not like using at all and drives you nuts… Glitchy, bugs, slow, crashes… I can think of one, my bank app!
Assignment 7 - Design a Watch App for Student-Instructor Communication
*Submit Assignment into D2L
Objective:
Your task is to design a new Watch App using the online tool MockFlow (https://mockflow.com/). The app should facilitate communication between students and instructors via their smartwatches. You are required to create a minimum of three separate screens showcasing your interface design and the flow between these screens.
Instructions:
Use MockFlow (https://mockflow.com/) to create your app mockup. You can sign up for a free account if you don’t have one. Create a Watch App that allows students to connect with their instructors conveniently.
Screen Designs:
Design at least three screens that demonstrate the flow and functionality of your app. Consider including screens for:
- Main Dashboard Screen
- Select a Class? Select an Instructor? What do you think would flow best and why?
- Send a message screen? Read a message screen? How are users exchanging messages? Text? Audio? Video?
- Feel free to add more screens if needed to showcase additional features or functionalities.
Submission Requirements:
Submit screenshots of each of the screens you’ve designed, totaling a minimum of 3 screenshots.
Include a brief description for each screenshot explaining the elements and interactions in the design, and why you designed it the way you did.
Submit into D2L when complete!
Sample Student Work
