When you’re looking to create or update a website, you’ll likely come across three key terms that seem similar: Web design, UI design, and UX design. While these concepts are related, they each play a different role in shaping how a website looks and functions. If you’re looking to hire a professional to design your website for you, you’ll need a clear understanding of these terms so you can hire someone right for your needs.
In this article, we’ll break down what each of these design disciplines entails and how they work together to create effective, user-friendly websites.
What Is Web Design?
Web design is a broad term that covers the overall design of a website. It mainly focuses on the visual aspects of a website. Web designers closely collaborate with web developers, who bring their designs to life using code. Web designers work on:
- The layout of web pages
- Colour schemes and graphic design
- Typography and font choices
- Following responsive design principles (making sure the site works well on all devices)
- Basic functionality and interactivity
A web designer’s goal is to create a site that looks appealing, reflects the brand’s identity, and provides a good foundation for user interaction. A web designer might also have an understanding of coding languages and web development. While web design touches on aspects of both UX and UI design, it’s generally a more all-encompassing term that can include elements of both.
What Is UX Design?
UX design, short for User Experience design, solely focuses on how people interact with a product design, whether it’s a website, app or a piece of hardware. Unlike web design, UX designer goes beyond web browsers and websites.
For UX designers who specialise in websites, the goal is to create a smooth, enjoyable experience for users as they navigate through a site.
A UX designer considers the following and aims to:
- Understand user needs and behaviours
- Make websites easy and intuitive to use
- Solve problems users might face when using a site
- Create a positive overall experience that keeps users coming back
UX designers need to have a deep understanding of users. They develop this by conducting user research and testing, as well as creating user personas and journey maps. UX designers also refine the structure and flow of the site, continuously improving it based on user feedback.
A good UX designer looks to solve any problems the user might face. This includes making sure that users can easily find what they’re looking for, complete tasks without frustration, and leave the site feeling satisfied. Rather than just focusing on visual design, the goal of UX design is to make things work well for the people using them.
What is UI Design?
UI design, or User Interface design, focuses on individual visual elements. While web design looks at the whole website, UI design zooms in on the specific parts users interact with. It’s like the difference between designing an entire car and focusing on making the dashboard easy to use.
A UI designer considers:
- Designing buttons, icons and other interactive elements
- Choosing colour schemes and typography
- Creating layout grids and visual hierarchies
- Ensuring consistency across all pages and screens
- Making the interface visually appealing and on-brand
A UI designer typically:
- Creates visual mock-ups and prototypes
- Designs micro-interactions (like how a button changes when clicked)
- Considers visual accessibility (like colour contrast for readability)
- Works closely with UX designers to implement user-friendly designs
Good UI design makes a website easy to navigate and use. It translates the structure and functionality defined by UX design into a visually appealing and intuitive interface. While UX design focuses on the overall feel of the experience, UI design is about the look and interactivity of specific elements on the screen.
Web Designer vs UX Designer vs UI Designer
While the roles of a web designer, UX designer and UI designer often overlap, there are key differences in their focus and responsibilities. Think of creating a website like building a house:
Web Design is like being an architect. The architect designs the overall structure and appearance of the house, considering both form and function. They decide on the layout, the number of rooms, and the general style of the house. This is similar to how a web designer plans the overall structure and look of a website.
UX Design is like being an interior designer focused on flow and functionality. They decide how people will move through the house, where to place furniture for comfort and efficiency, and how to make each room serve its purpose well. Just like how a UX designer makes sure a website is intuitive and meets user needs, the interior designer makes sure the house is comfortable and usable for its inhabitants.
UI Design is like being an interior decorator. They choose the colours of the walls, the style of the furniture, and the placement of decorative elements. They make sure everything looks good and fits together visually. Similarly, a UI designer creates the visual elements of a website interface, ensuring it’s attractive and aligns with the brand.
In this metaphor, all three roles work together to create a house that’s structurally sound, functional, and visually appealing. In practice, these roles often blend. Many professionals have skills across all three areas, especially in smaller teams. The key is understanding that each aspect – web design, UX, and UI – plays an essential role in creating user-friendly websites.
Do You Need a Web Designer, UI Designer and a UX Designer for a New Website?
When planning a new website, you might wonder if you need to hire three different people for web design, UI design, and UX design. The answer depends on the size and complexity of your website, and your goals and budget.
For small, simple websites:
You don’t need separate designers. Many web designers have skills in all three areas and can handle the entire project. If you’re a small business or just want a personal website, this is the way to go.
For medium-sized projects:
You might benefit from having both a web designer and a UX designer. The web designer can handle the visual aspects and basic UI, while the human-focused strategy of UX design ensures the site works well for users.
For large, complex websites:
Having separate web, UI, and UX designers can be helpful. Each can focus on their area of expertise to create a more polished final product. This is often needed for websites with lots of different elements and functions, like eCommerce sites or large company websites.
Keep in mind that these roles can overlap, and some designers are skilled in multiple areas. Working with a web design agency (like Futuretheory) usually means that you don’t have to worry about the various skills you need to employ. An agency would handle everything on their end to ensure that your website project is a success and has the expertise and team that is required.
How Web Design and UX Design Impacts Business Success
Good design affects how well a business does online. Each type of design we’ve discussed helps a business in different ways.
Good web design creates a strong first impression and ensures overall cohesion. UI design makes the website easy to use, keeping visitors on the site longer. UX design aims to make the whole user experience positive, leading to happy customers who come back.
When these three types of design work well together, they can:
- Increase time spent on a website
- Improving your website’s conversion rate (turning more visitors into customers)
- Keep users from leaving the site because they can’t find what they’re looking for
- Build trust in the business
- Help strengthen your brand
Finding a balance between all three fields of design solutions matters. A website might look great but be hard to use, or work well but look unprofessional. The best websites do well in all three areas. At Futuretheory, we balance these elements in every web design project we work on. This allows us to consistently create websites that look good and help our clients succeed.
