Greetings from far and wide dear readers, the elite coder is back again with yet another interesting topic for your digest. I was going through the Figma YouTube channel and did a little walkthrough on their beginners guide to designs and prototypes. It was a bit confusing as the tutorial was done on an operating system different from mine. As I went through the process I kept asking myself, "Is this necessary? Why do I need to bother myself with extra work when I could just focus strictly on developing websites and web applications? "After all, this is the job of a UI/UX designer, and besides a jack of all trades is a master of none." If you're like me, you probably have asked yourself these questions. Let's break it down together, shall we?
For easy understanding. A UI (User Interface) designer specializes in building interfaces in software or other computerized devices. They focus primarily on the overall look, style, and visuals users interact with to complete a task. A UI designer is responsible for the way an application looks and feels. A UX (User Experience) designer is responsible for a user's meaningful and enjoyable experience.
UI design according to Wikipedia can be defined as engineering the design of user interfaces for machines and software, such as computers, home appliances, mobile devices, and other electronic devices, with a focus on maximizing usability and the user experience In computer or software design, user interface (UI) design primarily focuses on information architecture. It is the process of building interfaces that communicates to the user what's important. UI design refers to graphical user interfaces and other forms of interface design. The goal of user interface design is to make the user's interaction as simple and efficient as possible to accomplish user goals (user-centered design). UX Design on the other hand can be defined as the process of defining the experience a user would go through when interacting with a digital product or website. Design decisions in UX design are often driven by research, data analysis, and test results rather than aesthetic preferences and opinions. Unlike user interface design, which focuses solely on the design of a computer interface, UX design encompasses all aspects of a user's perceived experience with a product or website, such as its usability, usefulness, desirability, brand perception, and overall performance. UX design is also an element of the customer experience (CX), which encompasses all aspects and stages of a customer's experience and interaction with a company.
Now that that's out of the way, why should someone interested in Front-End development learn UI/UX Design? As a front-end developer, it’s important to know how to design user interfaces that are both functional and attractive to the eye. While many developers may not deem it necessary basic knowledge of UI/UX design can help you to better understand how to improve your project's usability and the look and feel of your websites and application interface in general. Overall, learning UI UX design is a valuable skill for any front-end developer which could come in handy in the long run, do not get me, wrong reader, This isn't me saying you must learn everything about UI/UX design. All you may need is at least a simple background on the protocols involved and you're good to go. Besides, no knowledge is a waste.
This will be where I drop my pen for now dear reader, remember to always put in the work even when you don't feel like it. No one ever regretted giving it their best shot, stay strong, and Keep winning! 💪🏾
Ad Meliora!!!