People often get confused when they hear terms like UI developer, UX developer, UI designer, and UX designer. While these terms may sound similar, they are, however, very different from each other in terms of functionalities. Most people think they refer to the same thing. I believe you’re also one of them. That’s why you’re reading this article. So, today we’ll talk about UI/UX Designers vs Developers and the key difference between all of them. Let’s get started.
What is the difference between UI and UX?
Before we talk about the difference between UI and UX designers and developers it is important for you to know what is meant by UI and UX in the first place. Once you know about these terms it will be easier to understand the difference between them.
A User Interface commonly used as UI is the visual and functional elements of a digital product or service such as layers, buttons, and menus. Users use these elements of the product or service to communicate with it. Essentially, it involves transforming prototypes and wireframes into a graphical user interface that is appealing and functional. By doing so, the usability of the product is increased as well as the emotional connection between the product and the user is created.
UX also known as User Experience describes the journey a user takes when interacting with a digital product or service for the first time. In order to ensure that the product or service provided a meaningful experience for the user, it is important to take into account a wide variety of aspects during the design process of a product, including branding, usability, functionality, and design. It does not pertain to the physical aspects of the product, but rather to how user-friendly the overall interface is for the user.
What is a UI/UX designer?
A better way to understand the difference between UI/UX developers and UI/UX designers is to know the difference between the skill sets they require. To begin with, UI/UX designers are the ones who conduct research and generate design ideas. In other words, they analyze and understand the market and user requirements and then generate design ideas that will be easier for users to understand and navigate through.
This requires a thorough understanding of the psychological aspects of online users, as well as their behaviors. As a matter of fact, a designer walks in the shoes of users in order to gain a complete understanding of what is going on inside their minds as they browse the web. To sum it all up, it is the responsibility of UI/UX designers to make sure they match customer needs with business goals.
What is a UI/UX Developer?
The role of the UI/UX developer is more technical and practical than creative. After the UI/UX designer does all the research and analysis, he collaborates with the developer to get the design ideas into wireframes. This allows him to understand the thinking behind these designs. Other than creating the design concepts, the main role of a UI/UX Developer is to ensure that the design ideas in the final project are fully compatible with most browsers, machines, and operating systems.
The UI/UX designer may not know whether the design will work on all browsers and machines. This is why collaboration between designers and developers is effective for making a final design that works for both the UI/UX developer and the UI/UX designers. However, the UI/UX developer’s job is to think logically about whether the design ideas are feasible or not, rather than falling in love with them like most designers.
What is the difference between UX/UI designers vs developers?
Well, we discussed the UI/UX designers and developers in detail. You may now understand the key difference between both of these terms. However, if you still have any confusion, you don’t need to worry. Here is a table that explains the difference between UX/UI developers and designers for you to understand them easily.
| UI/UX Designers | UI/UX Developers |
| UX/UI designers should have a thorough understanding of the business objectives and customer requirements. | UI/UX developers are responsible for implementing and fine-tuning the project pages and the interfaces based on the designer’s recommendations. |
| Designers create blueprints and plans for websites using the tools they use. | A UI/UX developer develops the code and integrates it with the designers’ layout to create a fantastic website. |
| A UI/UX designer must have a strong command of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Sketch, InDesign, and InVision. | A UI/UX designer must have a strong command of Frontend languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Backend languages such as Python, and server-side languages such as SQL. |
Conclusion:
In this article, we talked about UI/UX developers and designers in detail. We also talked about the key differences between both these terms. We tried to keep things as simple as possible. We hope you now know the difference between both these terms and will not get confused the next time you hear any of these terms.
