[UX] What is UI, UX? (Definition of UI and UX)

I am going to state the definition of UI and UX. Recently I have heard of them words at work. I think these two different and similar words will be used without any distinction so much. I am just worried about the confusion at work.

(Translated in Korean: Link)

1. What is UI(User Interface)?

In the dictionary, that is defined as an interaction point with User. I know this definition is not enough to understand it. Let’s see the example.

You can understand the definition easily as long as you can understand that Interface is a kind of system to interact among objectives. In this case, you can distinguish the cases like human to human, human to computer, computer to computer. Thus, we can define that Interface is a kind of systems to communicate each other.

Furthermore, let’s give a case about human to human. There are two people who can speak different language. When they talk each other, an interpreter must be helpful to understand what they are talking about. In this case, the interpreter could be an interface.

Let’s imagine another case about human to computer. Human usually control computers with keyboard, screen, and mouse. In this case, those can be an interface.

At this point of view, User Interface can be defined as an system to communicate when objectives interact each other including human(user).

2. What is UX(User Exprience)?

Most concepts or definitions in the world are changing by itself including the previous one. UX is also a brand new one since UI came up with and is focused on nowadays.

UI is a little difficult term for normal people to understand, but UX might be easier to catch what the term means than UI. UX is an abbreviation of User eXperience. Lexically that concept is so easy but people can think of that, and so what? I mean it is easy for people to understand but the definition of UX is not as clear as UI.

For this reason, people might use the word, UX, without any consciousness.

I believe that the concept of UX is for everything that people can enjoy with their senses. Therefore I think the concept of UI can be defined as one of the parts about UX.

Before the term, UX, came up with, usability which is the important one of HCI concepts had been used commonly, and the concept of usability was also very confusing like UX.

People normally understand that usability is only easy and simple but there are lots of inconveniences because it’s very hard to do something without enough information due to only simplicity.

Here is an example. If there are signs on the road but the signs are not including the rest of the distance to get somewhere. Can you guess how much you will be uncomfortable in driving? In this case, you should be thinking about when you turn right or left all the time while you are driving.

I know this example is not so realistic ,but we could find out many examples around us like this easily. For this reason, I believe that only simple or easy things can’t give a good user experiences all the time.

I don’t handle usability definition at this time. Anyway usability can be one of the concept of UX but that can’t represent all concepts of UX.

In HCI area, there are some similar concepts to usability. As I said shortly that usability concentrates on how makes people’s experiences convenient. Usefulness is related to how makes people do something exactly. Emotion focuses on how you can give a pleasant experiences to people.

At this point of view, I think UX is what giving all good experiences to people with UI considered by usability, usefulness, emotion.

However, unfortunately I’ve experienced too much about what people said that something beautiful is all UX or just simplicity is all about UX.

As a result, they insist that they considered UX after they just designed the interface with the only one-sided view.

3. Conclusion

We should consider many things as much as various and complicated UX concepts. A Good usability for some people can be an inconvenient experience to the other people or pleasant emotion for some people also might be an unpleasant experience to the other people.

When we just defined the concept of UX, there were lots of biases. We should consider much more various things, when we design UX. If not, it is like a building on sand. (I mean it is not safe at all and it will be broken down soon.)

You can have people’s attention with just an aesthetic point now but as time goes by, they’ll recognize how the beautiful appearance is not so convenient and important when they use it, and it will be changed to a bad experience easily.

I meant if you only give a good experience to people emotionally, you may need to give more provocative experiences to people in order to get attentions more and more. If not, people lose their curiosity of your consequence. In addition to, you need to pay more for trial and error.

I just defined a concept of UX from a business perspective. I know this approach can not be enough to develop it theoretically. However, I tried to reduce a gap about UX among people, and I hope that we can give positive experiences to people with the right understanding it.

Next time, I’ll talk about what the difference is between UI and UX with a real example. See you then.