
When you are new to website design, the technical language can be confusing. But most languages do have rhyme and reason.
Every business needs to work with a professional web designer at some stage. You might need a translator if youre looking for a great website.
This article will help you. Here we break down four of the most confusing terms used in the tech industry today, UI, UX, and web design, and explain them.
Youll know what each area does and which field your company should focus most on.
The ABCs of IT

Before we go deeper, lets clarify some terms to help you understand the context.
- Website Design: An umbrella term for all things related to the design of visuals and user-friendliness on a website. Web design includes UI/UX and many other areas.
- Development Web: Code is the technical side of creating a website. The "front end" and the "back end" of web development are further separated.
- User interface (UI): Specialization in web design, which deals with controls that people use to interact on a website, app, or other media. This includes a button display and gesture control.
- UX (User Experience): A specialization in web design that focuses on the users behavior and feelings when they use a site or an app. UX encompasses many areas but from the point of view of the users.
You can already see that these fields are not exclusive. There is a lot of overlap. The two are the same. UI influences UX, while web development is the backbone.
Its not about what field handles which task but how they approach the same problem from a unique perspective.
Lets take, for example, the loading time, a problem affecting every website. What is the impact of each field on loading times?
- Web Design: If a web page takes a long time to load, then there is too much or too complex content. Images can be compressed, assets adjusted, re-exported, or pages trimmed to remove excess content.
- Web Development: To improve content loading time in some geographical regions, you can use CSS Sprites to conserve bandwidth or better file compression.
- UI: UI must have controls that are as quick and responsive as possible. The interface should be easy enough to allow for instant interactivity.
- UX: With every second that passes, the likelihood of a visitor "bouncing" from your website (leaving it after a short time) increases. We should reduce the loading times on the home and landing pages before we address the issue site-wide.
Hire specialists or a team of experts in each field to ensure your site is viewed from every angle. Budgetary restrictions often force you to choose one area over another or hire freelancers project by project.
Youll occasionally find someone who says they can do everything:
- Some designers who are also coders call themselves the "all-in-one" package. In reality, they have more limitations than two specialists.
- UI and web designers share many skills, which is why some use these titles interchangeably.
- UX and UI, both of which are subspecialties, are grouped.
- UX can be seen as an essential skill for other fields, including those outside the design industry, like product management.
These people are helpful when you need them, but remember, they may be able to do the basics in several fields but will likely be experts in only one.
It is also essential to distinguish between desktop and mobile. Some workers have a particular specialty.
For example, some developers are more experienced in building mobile websites; others only design apps. There is a lot of overlap, but if your project requires specialized skills, you should hire candidates to meet those needs.
Which experts can you hire to help with your specific business objectives? What should you be looking for in a specialist when choosing them? Now lets look into each of them in more detail.
Website Design

The term "web design" has become a little archaic, as it dates back to when one person was responsible for all aspects of the websites design.
By modern standards, the term "web designer" can seem a little vague. Thanks to the technology of today and the increased knowledge of this craft, there are many sub-divisions.
Subcategories in web design are UI, UX, and other acronyms such as IA (information architect, which deals with navigation and site map) and CRO, or conversion rate optimization (fine-tuning a sites layout to boost sales, signups, and other actions).
These subcategories are numerous, and new ones appear daily to help designers compete in the market.
Web design is a term that refers to both the aesthetics and functionality of an online site. Web design is a discipline thats intrinsically linked to graphic design on all levels, as it deals with visual communication principles.
Web design involves more than graphic design. Designers with apps or websites must be familiar with digital trends, user expectations, and technical constraints.
Web design also requires a certain amount of business knowledge: Designers should be familiar with digital sales techniques, including how to use the "call-to-action" button (CTA), which is used for email subscriptions and sales.
The layout of a site can have a significant impact on user behavior. However, because the design is so complex, it takes specialized designers to get it right.
Web designers are responsible for both traditional design issues like typography and color and digital ones like selecting the right aesthetics to fit different screen sizes.
They also need to understand business principles like leading and closure to create appealing layouts. Designers are often required to create icons, graphics, or interface buttons from scratch. This requires a wide range of skills.
The designer is responsible mainly for the design process, provided they follow existing brand guidelines. The designer will typically create prototypes, test them with users and stakeholders and incorporate feedback from those tests into the next design.
A designer can create wireframes or mockups. These are pixel-perfect images of the final screen but without any interactivity.
After the prototype has been approved, the code is sent to the programmer.
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What to Look for When Hiring a Web Designer
- It would help if you were clear about what you are looking for before finding the right web designer. There are so many different specialties that it is about something other than whether the designer is good or not, but whether they fit you.
- Attention to the portfolio. Web designers have different artistic styles, especially those focusing on graphic design.
- It would help if you looked for mastery in the areas you are interested in. See how the designer handles typography, page layout, and readability if your site is text-heavy. Check if the designer knows what makes for a great product page if you build an ecommerce site. Here are the top ecommerce web designers.
- Does their software match the other programs used by your team? You can choose from various design programs, including Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, along with prototyping tools like UXPin, Balsamiq, or Balsamiq. Ask your staff what their options are.
- It would help if you asked your designer to explain their design process and the timeframe. All designers have different methods and cycles. Make sure you hire someone who fits both your culture and schedule.
Web Development

Coding is a crucial element of web design and development. The development is technical, but you can understand only some of what your developer is saying (although it is helpful to learn some basics).
There are two significant categories of web development process:
Front-end: Code determining how a website or app is displayed. Front-end developers are responsible for bringing the designers vision to reality using languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Front-end developers often work back and forth with designers because not all of the designs are realistically possible.
Back-end: A "front-end" pulls resources from a system hosted by a server. Back-end developers manage these resources behind the scenes by coding data into the database or optimizing how the data is delivered.
These developers use programming languages such as PHP, Ruby, Python, Java.Net.
A full-stack programmer is someone that can do both the front-end as well as back-end. They can be a good option for small businesses that can only afford to hire top website developers.
However, a team of diversely-skilled developers is ideal.
What to Look for When Hiring a Web Developer
- Check to make sure they are fluent in any language that you require. Tell them your goals for the site, and let their recommendations guide you if you need clarification.
- Its beneficial for the developer to participate in the design phase, even though it is not mandatory. A developer can tell the designer in advance if their choice is possible. This will save time and effort on future revisions. It is essential to consider how your developer interacts with others, as some developers prefer to be autonomous.
- Examine their old websites from the perspective of functionality. Everything should work correctly. Do any flags appear? If you dont know how to code, at least you know what it feels like for a regular person to use a website.
User Interface (UI)

After explaining web design and the development of websites, lets move on to more specific fields. Lets start with the user interface (UI) design.
Everyone uses UIs with little thought. You dont have to be an expert to understand that the three-lined button is the menu.
This principle applies to most web design fields: If their work is done correctly, you wont notice them. Its most common in UI: a user does not have to think about the interface to use it.
It could be a better UI if you need to think hard about the controls. You will be distracted from your overall site experience if you are searching for the right button or spend a few minutes figuring out the function of a particular button.
UI designers should provide the user with more than all the necessary controls. Instead, they should create rules that are self-explanatory and easy to understand.
Space management is another concern. UI designers must find a happy medium that allows users to have a wide range of choices while conserving space on the screen.
This is how to hover controls and pop-up menus were created. The UI designer must decide what rules are essential and which can be ignored or hidden.
UI design is often called interaction design, abbreviated as "IxD." The interaction design field focuses on all the different ways a user can interact with a system.
This includes the interface and other areas such as pop-ups, chat, and error messages. Interaction design is a hybrid between UI design and UX because it emphasizes the users behavior.
What to Look for When Hiring a UI Designer
- Portfolios of UI designers should contain all the information you require. Try out the previous websites of your candidates and find out how they work. Can you find what youre looking for? How easy or frustrating was it to use the app/website?
- Look for previous work related to the type of project you are hiring for. Even the best website UI designers can improve at creating an interface for a game app. You should hire someone with the appropriate experience.
User Experience (UX)

UX can be compared to web design but from the end-users point of view. What is the impact of the layout on the user? What is the effect of the UI on the user? As you move on to more advanced UX, it becomes much more strategic.
For example, "How can we design a web page that makes the user sign up?"
UX design encompasses a wide range of web design fields. Many people discuss "UI vs. UX"; however, the two are complementary and not in competition.
Theres so much overlap between UX and UI that web designers of all types can benefit by learning a bit about it. UX is a distinct discipline because hiring a UX expert relieves the other team members of many responsibilities.
It may not seem necessary at first, but there is a correlation between UX and goals such as sales or conversions.
It makes sense because human decisions are often based on gut feelings and emotions. Optimizing a websites design can encourage these behaviors.
UX designers are also heavily influenced by graphic design: they use the same principles to attract attention, create a visual flow on the screen, and place CTAs in the appropriate places.
UX designers must consider additional factors, such as interactivity and timing. This makes it different from traditional graphic design but also interconnected with all.
What to Look for When Hiring a UX Designer
- You should "test-drive" the previous websites or applications of your candidates. Is it easy to use them? Do you enjoy using the site?
- Ask candidates from other areas about their UX experience if you need more money for a UX designer. Sometimes, these duties are handled by different teams. A product manager or a marketer may explain their vision for the UX, and the design team will oversee visual design and implementation.
What is the Template Site?

How about using a website template like WordPress, Squarespace, or Wix? Do you still require a whole team? Are you in need of anyone else?
Most template sites are the same, but there is one major exception.
- Using a template, you dont have to be as concerned about the back end.
- Site templates usually offer limited options and fixed UI.
- Ensure that candidates are familiar with the site on which you host yours. Squarespace is not the same as WordPress.
A template website is no different than any other. Choose your designers based on what you want most.
Web Designer vs. UX Designer

There is more in common between web and UI designers when comparing them to UX designers. Visual designers are experts in this field and can also do programming.
Web designers need to be more skilled at creating products that genuinely cater to users needs and follow different methods UX designers use.
Most web designers are concerned with the visual aspect of a site and its functionality. They are primarily concerned with creating functional and visually appealing software and only superficially consider the feelings and experiences of users.
UX designers are more knowledgeable in the niche and understand users psychology much better. The designers strive to select the most appropriate interaction model and create personas using user questionnaires and surveys.
They also analyze the feedback to ensure the user finds the helpful product.
You cannot choose between a UX designer and a web developer because they are different and perform distinct tasks.
UX specialists are a vital addition to ensuring optimal user experience.
Web Designer vs. UI Designer

Both Web Designers and User Interface Designers have some similarities. However, the first has a broader range of roles.
A web designer, on the other hand, is more focused on the entire project. It is most noticeable when comparing the backgrounds of each designer.
A UI designer, for example, should be familiar with the limitations, capabilities, and peculiarities of the language used to build an interface.
In turn, web designers understand how programming languages function and can use them directly to create products for the internet.
Most web designers have a basic understanding of HTML. Most web designers are also familiar with scripting languages such as Javascript, Microsoft Silverlight, and CSS, the stylesheet language.
Some technologies require a steeper learning curve than others, but they all demand solid knowledge and a skillful approach.
Modern web design focuses on improving the UI in a specific niche. At the same time, front-end developers deal with all other aspects.
What is the Difference Between UI Designer and UX Designer, or UI Designer + UX Designer?

Another critical point to remember is that there shouldnt be a choice between "UX vs. UI Design" or any other design, as both are necessary to build a successful project.
UI and UX design are very different disciplines, but their work is closely related and depends on each other.
Even the most attractive user interfaces will only succeed if navigation and interaction between the computer and the human are good.
The same thing happens when the product looks good from a UX standpoint but is designed like a site from another decade. UX Design and UI Design are always combined, as they go hand-in-hand; this is UI UX Web Design.
UX designers and UI developers often work together. In this collaborative process, UX designers decide how the interface will function on a website, app, or other digital product:
- How to organize the content.
- What buttons to use.
- How to guide users to the desired interaction.
They also determine where the essential elements should be placed to ensure that users know them. Then they conduct User Research, Usability Testing, and Experience Maps.
They also interview and survey users and create Wireframes.
The UI team should then come up with a visual implementation plan. The UI design team decides how interactive elements will be displayed on the screen and aims to meet the aesthetic requirements of the users.
UI Designers use wireframes to create Layouts, Visual Design, and Branding. They also produce a prototype clickable that developers later utilize.
You must update your website/app when your company grows and offers new products or services. Whether its a new landing page, a service page, or rearranging UI buttons on the homepage, the aesthetics and navigation could suffer if your UI designers and UX designers dont communicate and work together effectively.
Even a minor change can harm the entire structure. UX and UI designers are needed to ensure your app or website continues growing.
Consider both design approaches if you want to make a software product that is beautiful and functional. Modern designs should be polished both in terms of UI and UX.
What is the Most Important One?

You should now be able to tell the difference between web design and website development. "UI vs. UX" isnt as precise as "UI+UX." The real question is, which of these should you focus on if you need more money to hire specialists in each area?
This question still needs to be answered. It depends on the unique requirements of your business, as these different fields deal with various topics.
Depending on your companys goals and weaknesses, you may require a particular specialist.
Heres a list of problems that each area is known to solve. This will help you decide which field you require the most.
Look at the list below to find your most significant obstacles, then look in the domain corresponding to a solution. You can test your site to find out what users are complaining about.
Web Design
- The site is not responsive
- Site looks old
- Low-quality Graphics
- Customers need to visit the pages that you would like them to.
- The time spent on the page needs to be more.
Web Development
- Bugs (Site functions that do not work as expected)
- Hacking & web security prevention
- Too many 404 error pages
- Too many DNS Lookups Failed
- Site goes offline
- Unable to load certain content
UI
- poor navigation
- Lack of customization options
- Lack of social sharing features
- Complaints about "How can I find this?" or "Where do I go to do that."
UX
- Poor conversion rates (significant traffic, but few conversions).
- High bounce rate (visitors leave after only a few seconds)
- Users do not finish content (videos, blogs, or other types of media)
- Fragmented visits, where the user only stays for one page instead of exploring.
As shown in our example about slow loading speeds, there are different ways to fix some issues. Its essential to decide what youre most concerned about to choose the best solution.
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Wrapping Up
You should now know the differences between a UI/UX designer and a web designer.
UX design is based on the feelings of users and seeks to create a navigation and structure that promotes human-computer interactions and meets users requirements. UX design is intended to anticipate and resolve problems that may arise when users interact with software programs.
UI design is concerned with aesthetics and visuals.
Its goal is to translate UX ideas into attractive reality. You can choose whether UX design or UI is more important for your project.
However, they are equally as vital because they complement each other. There is also web design which includes both directions and even goes further to cover different aspects of website development.
Web design, on the other hand, covers many topics only briefly and without a thorough understanding or research.
You may wonder if you should hire UI/UX or web designers to work on your project. I can only give you a definitive answer after a particular time because it depends on the project.
Web design and UI/UX are both excellent in some instances. This isnt about "UX Designer vs. Web Developer" or "UI Designer vs. Web Developer" but what you need and want.
You should contact our team to tell us more about your project. We will then give you the best advice on development.