What Is a UI Designer and What Does a UI Designer Do?
User interaction (UI) designers are primarily concerned with how a user navigates through a digital product. User interaction design is considered a UX function, so you will often see UI/UX used interchangeably in job titles and job descriptions, or it may fall under the responsibility of a product designer.
The day-to-day activities of a UI designer may include:
Determine how users interact with products
User interface design concerns the visual styling of an app or website. Think things like how icons are designed, how they’re arranged on the page, and how they relate to each other. Design elements such as font choice, color scheme, graphics, buttons, and menu styling are all elements of interface design. Together, these design choices help people understand what items can be clicked, tapped or swiped, which of a series of buttons is most important, and how to recognize calls-to-action.
Work closely with UX designers
UI designers work closely with UX designers to make sure the user journey reflects the UX team’s product vision. For instance, is a user able to complete all the steps in an online purchase? Do they respond to upsell or cross-sell prompts at checkout? Some UI designers work on voice user interfaces for voice-activated IoT devices, such as smart speakers or virtual assistants. Their job is to design conversation pathways that facilitate tasks for the user without the aid of a visual interface.
What Are the Key Skills of a UI/UX Designer?
The job description of UI/UX designers varies widely. Many professional UI/UX designers originate from unrelated fields and bring transferable skills such as visual design, software development, or digital marketing. Likewise, their educational backgrounds are diverse, although a degree in graphic design or web design can help. UI/UX designers need a range of technical skills such as UX research, wireframing and prototyping, interaction design, visual communication, and information architecture. Because UI/UX design is such a people-focused job, hiring managers differentiate candidates more heavily on their soft skills than their credentials. Soft skills are what make a mediocre designer exceptional. As such, UI/UX designers must show that they are good communicators, are curious, flexible, and empathetic to the user.
5 Common UI/UX Designer Job Roles
UI/UX design is a multidisciplinary field with a growing range of niche specializations including UX writing, interaction design, usability testing, visual design, and more. UI/UX job descriptions usually mention a mix of these roles.
- UI/UX design : The scope of this job is on creating the user interface based on user research insights. To achieve this, designers use processes such as wireframing and prototyping, followed by usability testing. The UI/UX design title is the most comprehensive and may include some or all of the below functions. In most organizations, UI/UX functions are blended under one job title
- Visual design : Visual designers are responsible for the look and feel of a physical or digital product. This can include everything from packaging to web design. They work closely with interaction designers and UI/UX copywriters to create a user experience that is aesthetically pleasing, user-friendly, and efficient. They may also assist UI/UX designers with developing high-fidelity prototypes towards the end of the design phase.
- Research and usability : UI/UX researchers focus on gathering input from users. They conduct user interviews, observe users in their natural habitat or a testing environment, host focus groups and design surveys. They are also responsible for converting structured and unstructured qualitative and quantitative data into usable insights for the UI/UX team, which means they must be skilled data analysts.
- Coding : UX engineers are liaisons between the design and engineering teams. They are responsible for taking a design and bringing it to life with code. A UX engineer’s arsenal includes computer languages such as HTML, JS, CSS, and so on.
- UI/UX writing : UI/UX writing is a niche specialty, but it helps to have an understanding of it. Microcopy is a powerful tool to create a good experience for users. These are the words we read or hear when we use a digital product and are a key element of website navigability and the overall experience.
