The history of UX/UI design is important to understand where it started and how it is progressing through time as the use of technology increases. During the 1970s in order to operate a computer you had to use the command line interface. The communication was strictly via programming language requiring lines of code to complete simple tasks. Computer scientists from Xerox PARC developed the first graphical interface in the 1980s. The technology has allowed users to interact with their personal computers by visually submitting commands through icons, buttons, menus, and checkboxes. The increase of this technology paved the way for Macintosh to introduce a personal computer with a point and click mouse. With the increased development of this technology required interfaces to be designed with the users in mind because interaction was extremely important for major computer sales.
UX/UI has become a crucial part of the design industry especially with the increase of user centric technology. Everything at this point has become about the user, the design, experience, and interactive component. There are a variety of opportunities within UX/UI design such as websites, mobile apps, wearable technology, and smart home devices. There is undoubtedly an opportunity for designers to pursue UX/UI design in their professional careers. This avenue of design has become widely popular and the demand for these type of designers are crucial for the technology of today.
To understand UX/UI design you must look at them as separate parts within design that make up the whole user satisfaction. UX is user experience which applies to anything that can be experienced such as a coffee machine, website, or the grocery store. Everything someone does involves some sort of interaction and experience. The purpose of UX design is to create easy, efficient, relevant, and all-around pleasant experiences for the user. It is important to understand how a user will interact with a product in order to design it in such a way that will be pleasing and enjoyable for that user. This is where the success lies for UX designers. The design part of UX considers all the different elements that shape the user experience.
“User experience encompasses all aspects of the end-user’s interaction with the company, its services, and its products.”
Don Norman, Cognitive Scientist & User Experience Architect
UX designers have to go through a variety of steps in order to successfully understand and work toward the user experience. The combination of desk based and field research is necessary to fully understand who they are designing for. A lot of planning goes into the execution of UX design because it is important to understand and research the demands of the user. For a softer introduction to UX design “What is UX Design” offers a different perspective from the article “What Does A UX Designer Actually Do?
UI is the point of interaction between the user and a digital device or product. It considers the look, feel, and interactivity of the product. UI designers have to consider all aspects of design when approaching their work. They have to make sure the user interface of a product is as intuitive as possible which means they have to consider every visual, interactive elements the user could potentially encounter. This may include the consideration of icons and buttons, typography, color schemes, spacing, imagery, and responsive design. To sum it up the goal of UI design is to visually guide the user through a product’s interface. The idea is to make the design as seamless as possible so there are no difficulty in understanding. The goal would be to create a welcoming interface that any user is happy to interact with. The worst possible outcome is when the user interacts with an app for example, but navigation is difficult to understand and the functionality is nonexistent. Functionality has to be the most important part of the UI experience. Users need a variety of features that make the experience with the app enjoyable.
Although UX/UI are often associated together as one there is a difference between the two. UI is made up of all the elements that enable someone to interact with a product or service. UX is what the individual interacting with that product or service takes away from the entire experience. Although they are different in the job they have each one is important. There cannot be success without UX/UI together.
“UI is focused on the product, a series of snapshots in time. UX focuses on the user and their journey through the product.”
Jason Ogle, Host and producer of User Defenders podcast, Designer at NCM
Mikayla Lovering 
