What Do UX and UI Stand For?
May 14, 2025
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2 min read
If you’ve ever wondered what UX and UI stand for, you’re not alone. These two design terms are often paired together—but they serve very different purposes. UX stands for User Experience, and UI stands for User Interface. Both are essential for building successful digital products, yet each plays a distinct role in shaping how users interact with them.
What does UX stand for?
UX, or User Experience, is a term coined in the ’90s by Cognitive Scientist Don Norman.
To paraphrase Don Norman, User Experience includes all aspects of the end-users interaction with a business, its services, and its products. Even though by its definition, you could apply the meaning of the UX to various products and things that surround us, ever since its beginning, UX is used mainly within digital areas.
What does UI stand for?
Did you know that UI, or User Interface, is an older & more practiced field than UX?
Well, even that doesn’t help with common misunderstandings and misconceptions about what UI exactly is. Today, UI is usually wrongly put in the same basket as graphic design, branding design, or even front-end development.
In reality, User Interface (UI) is a strictly digital term—it’s the point of interaction between the user and a digital product. UI is the touchscreen on your smartphone or the touchpad you use to select your seats in the cinema. User interface design complements the product; it unites its look and feel, its presentation, and, most importantly, its interactivity.
What’s the difference between UX & UI?
Now that you’re familiar with the tasks and duties, let’s go through the differences between UX and UI design. Simply put, UX is the “feel” of a digital product, while UI is the “look.”
UX design includes: user research, developing scenarios, information architecture building, wireframing and prototyping, and interaction design. On the other hand, UI design involves layouts, colors, typography, graphic design, and overall visual design. It’s evident that UI design is a part of UX design, so UX and UI Designers need to work closely together throughout the digital product design process. Even though these are two different areas, many companies are still hiring one person to do all UX/UI tasks.
The principal point is that they are both essential in the building process of a digital product: you can create an aesthetically pleasing interface, but if it’s hard to use, your users won’t find it reliable. Additionally, if you create a responsive interface that’s easy to use but looks dull or outdated, that’s still a less usable digital product. When UX and UI designs are combined and strategically put together, you’ll get a beautiful, seamless, and interactive product your users will love to use.
Conclusion
Now you know what UX and UI stand for—and how they differ. UX is all about the feel of the product, and UI is all about the look. While one focuses on usability and flow, the other brings that experience to life through visuals and interaction. Together, they create digital products that are functional, engaging, and user-friendly.
What does UX stand for?
UX, or User Experience, is a term coined in the ’90s by Cognitive Scientist Don Norman.
To paraphrase Don Norman, User Experience includes all aspects of the end-users interaction with a business, its services, and its products. Even though by its definition, you could apply the meaning of the UX to various products and things that surround us, ever since its beginning, UX is used mainly within digital areas.
What does UI stand for?
Did you know that UI, or User Interface, is an older & more practiced field than UX?
Well, even that doesn’t help with common misunderstandings and misconceptions about what UI exactly is. Today, UI is usually wrongly put in the same basket as graphic design, branding design, or even front-end development.
In reality, User Interface (UI) is a strictly digital term—it’s the point of interaction between the user and a digital product. UI is the touchscreen on your smartphone or the touchpad you use to select your seats in the cinema. User interface design complements the product; it unites its look and feel, its presentation, and, most importantly, its interactivity.
What’s the difference between UX & UI?
Now that you’re familiar with the tasks and duties, let’s go through the differences between UX and UI design. Simply put, UX is the “feel” of a digital product, while UI is the “look.”
UX design includes: user research, developing scenarios, information architecture building, wireframing and prototyping, and interaction design. On the other hand, UI design involves layouts, colors, typography, graphic design, and overall visual design. It’s evident that UI design is a part of UX design, so UX and UI Designers need to work closely together throughout the digital product design process. Even though these are two different areas, many companies are still hiring one person to do all UX/UI tasks.
The principal point is that they are both essential in the building process of a digital product: you can create an aesthetically pleasing interface, but if it’s hard to use, your users won’t find it reliable. Additionally, if you create a responsive interface that’s easy to use but looks dull or outdated, that’s still a less usable digital product. When UX and UI designs are combined and strategically put together, you’ll get a beautiful, seamless, and interactive product your users will love to use.
Conclusion
Now you know what UX and UI stand for—and how they differ. UX is all about the feel of the product, and UI is all about the look. While one focuses on usability and flow, the other brings that experience to life through visuals and interaction. Together, they create digital products that are functional, engaging, and user-friendly.
If you aren't following us on Instagram already, you're seriously missing out! Become a part of our ever-growing community and learn something new from the field of product design every. single. day.
Happy designing! 🥳
andrija & supercharge design team
If you aren't following us on Instagram already, you're seriously missing out! Become a part of our ever-growing community and learn something new from the field of product design every. single. day.
Happy designing! 🥳
andrija & supercharge design team
