UI/UX Explained by a Non-UI/UX Designer

Who's the most evil person of all? Before you think of all the nasty rulers or that person who loves to use Comic Sans, let me give you the answer - the most evil person is the one who invented jargons.

I'll explain - I am a content writer. Prior to joining Lemon Yellow, the only thing I knew about UI/UX design was what the acronyms stand for - UI means User interface while UX is for User Experience. I didn't care to venture further than that, because my laziness won over my curiosity to dig deeper than just decoding the acronyms. But then I joined Lemon Yellow - a UI/UX design agency (primarily) - and whatever complex stuff I had read up in preparation fell away to reveal a simple truth - UI/UX design is the design of the digital era. It is everywhere, and we don't even know it because jargons scare us away.

How is it everywhere? We all use WhatsApp; we love Instagram. And in this lockdown, Netflix has become the go-to app for entertainment. All of these apps are a product of UI/UX design. From the way WhatsApp showcases the list of your chats to the small attachment icon, all of it falls under UI design. A UI/UX designer determines where the Settings option on WhatsApp takes you to, and what you'll need when you are there. Whatever you see on a website or an application, from the colors to the buttons, is designed by a UI/UX designer. They map what a user wants and create designs to give them exactly that.

Now when I say they “map” and “create”, it's not as difficult as it sounds. The basic of every job or task is, and should be, research. If you are a graphic designer, you research references, get an idea, and create something that fits your visual. If you are a content writer, you research about how a certain thing is written, and write your piece accordingly. Similarly, a UI/UX designer researches the user needs, and uses the good ole' design softwares to give life to those needs in form of effective visuals. And that's the major difference between a graphic designer and a UI/UX designer - creating visuals that are not only aesthetic but also solves a purpose. Here's a classic example of what a UI/UX design is:

What's the point of the pretty animals if the baby doesn't even see them, the baby who actually is the intended user? Here's where UI/UX designers come in. They don't just create pretty apps or websites, they make the prettiness useful.

So, next time you stalk someone on Instagram or order food from Swiggy, remember that whatever you are doing is possible because a UI/UX designer made it so. That cute design on WeTransfer or that Independence Day special doodle on Google was made by a UI/UX designer. Actually, the entire Google is a product of a UI/UX design. See what I mean by it being everywhere? It is as prevalent as the air we breathe, because we live in a digital world, and UI/UX is the base on which the digital era stands.

So don't let those jargons scare you - UI/UX design isn't as scary or alien as it sounds - it's something we see and use everyday of every minute, and we are all a part of it.