Don't ever miss between a UI designer, a UX designer, and a Product Designer.
How to distinguish between UI, UX, and Product Designers without getting overwhelmed?
In the wide world of design, it's important to know the differences. Even though UI, UX, and Product Designers may look the same, they work to very different beats. Even though each is important to make a product, their methods, tools, and end goals are very different.
UI Designers fill in the picture. They pay attention to how things look and make sure that interfaces are both interesting and on-brand. Think of them as artists who work on each pixel to make sure your product stands out from the rest.
UX Designers lay down the groundwork. Their main focus is on being easy to use and making users happy. By doing research, making prototypes, and testing, they make sure that users can find their way around easily and enjoy every step of their journey.
On the other hand, product designers build the link between what users want and what the business wants to achieve. By combining design and strategy, they make sure the product not only looks and feels great but also does well in the market.
The way these roles work together is like a complicated dance. Whether you want to work together, hire someone, or just enjoy the art, knowing these differences is the first step.
Criteria | UI Designer | UX Designer | Product Designer |
Primary focus | Visual design & Interactions | User’s experience & Functionality | Entire product & user journey |
Core principle | Beauty and functionality | Usability & accessibility | Feasibility, viability, desirability |
Research focus | Aesthetics feedback | User needs, pain points | Market needs, competitor analysis |
Design process | Designing an appealing and visually pleasing interface | Designing a seamless user experience | Designing a complete product that satisfies business goals and user needs. |
Examples of work | Creating a visually pleasing and intuitive interface design for a mobile app | Conducting user research to understand user needs and pain points, creating user personas, designing user flows and wireframes, conducting usability testing | Creating a complete product that fulfills business objectives and user needs, such as a website or a mobile app. |
User empathy | Typically has less involvement in user empathy compared to UX designers | Focuses heavily on understanding user needs, behaviors and pain points, and using this understanding to inform design decisions. | Balances understanding user needs with business objectives, and ensures the product meets both |
Design thinking | Applies design thinking principles to create visually appealing interfaces | Applies design thinking principles to create user-centered designs | Applies design thinking principles to create user-centered designs that align with business objectives |
Problem solving | Focuses on solving visual design problems and making the interface visually appealing | Focuses on solving user problems and making the user experience seamless and enjoyable | Focuses on solving both user problems and business problems, and ensuring the product meets the needs of both stakeholders |
Stakeholder Interaction | Mostly with creative team | Often with end-users | High interaction with business and tech leaders |
Champion for | Design consistency | User needs | Business growth and user satisfaction |
Challenges | Maintaining brand consistency | Addressing diverse user needs | Aligning user needs with business goals |
Continuous challenges | Staying updated with design trends | Balancing user needs with business requirements | Juggling between user needs, business, and technology |
Frequent frustration | Restricted creative freedom due to brand guidelines | Limitations due to tech constraints | Balancing stakeholder expectations, timeline constraints |
Primary concern | Does it look good & intuitive? | Is it user-friendly and effective? | Does it meet business and user objectives? |
Metrics | Pixels, visual alignments | Time on task, error rates | Conversion rates, user retention |
Outcome Measurement | Visual consistency, branding alignment, responsiveness | User satisfaction, ease of use, reduced user errors, successful task, completions. | Overall product success, user adoption, market fit, business goals achievement |
Inspiration Sources | Dribbble, Behance | User stories, case studies | Market success stories, user feedback |
Continuous Learning | Design trends, animations | New research methodologies | Industry trends, growth strategies |
Career path | May have a background in graphic design or visual arts | May have a background in psychology, human-computer interaction, or information architecture | May have a background in design, business, or engineering |
Soft Skills | Creativity, attention to detail | Empathy, active listening | Leadership, decision-making, negotiation |
End Goal | Make things look good | Make things user-friendly | Drives product vision and success |
A diagram that shows the scale of the three in usability:
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