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Glossary

What Is UI/UX Design?

UI (User Interface) design is the visual design of a digital product — the look of buttons, typography, colours, icons, and layout. UX (User Experience) design is the broader discipline of designing how users interact with a product — the flow, logic, and feel of the experience. The two disciplines overlap significantly but have distinct focuses: UI is about how it looks; UX is about how it works and feels.

UI design: what it covers

UI designers are responsible for visual hierarchy (what users see first), typography choices (font families, sizes, weights), colour systems (brand colours, states, contrast), component design (buttons, forms, navigation, cards, modals), spacing and layout, and iconography. A UI designer ensures the interface is visually consistent, attractive, and accessible.

UX design: what it covers

UX designers focus on user research (what users need and want), information architecture (how content is organised), user journey mapping (how users move through a product), wireframing and prototyping (sketching flows before visual design), usability testing (watching real users interact), and conversion optimisation (reducing friction in key flows).

Key UI/UX principles

Hick's Law — the more choices you give users, the longer they take to decide (and the more likely they are to leave). Fitts's Law — the time to hit a target depends on its size and distance (CTA buttons must be large enough). Jakob's Law — users expect your interface to work like other sites they use (follow established patterns). The 3-click rule — users should reach any key content in 3 clicks or fewer.

UI/UX Design & Canvas Builder

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is UI design?
UI (User Interface) design is the practice of designing the visual and interactive elements of a digital product — buttons, typography, colour, spacing, icons, and layout. UI designers decide what every screen looks like and how elements are arranged. A good UI is visually appealing, consistent with brand guidelines, and makes interactions feel intuitive.
What is UX design?
UX (User Experience) design focuses on the overall experience a user has with a product — how easy it is to navigate, whether tasks can be completed without confusion, and whether the product meets user needs. UX designers conduct user research, create wireframes, build prototypes, and test with real users. UX is about how something works; UI is about how it looks.
What is the difference between UI and UX?
UI is the visual layer — buttons, colours, fonts, icons. UX is the structural and experiential layer — user flows, information architecture, usability. A common analogy: UX is the architecture of a building (floor plan, doors, corridors), UI is the interior design (paint, furniture, lighting). Both are needed: a beautiful UI with poor UX frustrates users; excellent UX with ugly UI loses user trust.
What does a UI/UX designer do?
A UI/UX designer typically conducts user research to understand needs and pain points, creates wireframes and prototypes to map user flows, designs high-fidelity mockups for the visual interface, tests designs with real users and iterates, and collaborates with developers to implement the final design. In smaller teams, one person often covers both UI and UX; larger organisations split the roles.