Concepts such as analyzing products, the appearance of websites and applications, and designing are relatively often used as interchangeable terms. Therefore, both at industry conferences and on the Internet, we constantly encounter lively discussions about what the differences between UX Designer, UI Designer and Product Designer are. In addition, recently one more position is being heard more and more often about – Interaction Designer. At first glance, all of these roles are held by individuals who focus on creating better products for users based on behavioral and data analysis. So what are the actual differences in the tasks of the above-mentioned people?
Product Designer, or a person who cares about product development
Product Designer is a relatively new position, which is a kind of a sign of the times. It was created as a response to the lack of a holistic approach to product development. Product Designer is a person responsible for the highest quality of a product or service. Its task is to adjust the product not only to the needs of customers, but also to the requirements of the business behind its introduction. Product Designer is often referred to as a product developer – they are responsible for product creation from the concept phase, through research and design, to implementation.
Their task is also to estimate and solve future problems related to a given product in advance. Product Designer is an extremely interdisciplinary position – it is the person responsible for subsequent iterations of a given product. Ultimately, the task of Product Designer is to combine business goals with user needs, but also to create wireframes and mockups.
UX Designer – the creator of a pleasant experience
UX Designer is a person whose task is to design a user-friendly experience while using a given product. Currently, UX Designers mainly work with digital products, but it can be said that UX Designer tasks cover a wide range of products and services. They work on the concept of operation of the entire product, are responsible for the overall feeling of the user. They are considered a person who brings the perspective of the final recipient to the product or service and makes sure that the needs and convenience of this recipient are taken into account at every stage of using the product.
For example, UX Designer is responsible for designing a website or application in such a way that its use is intuitive, easy and pleasant; also for the website or application to be improved based on the understanding of users’ needs. UX Designer is also heavily involved in product prototyping. They work, among others, on lo-fi mockups and recommends the direction of product development.
UI Designer – product appearance above all
UI Designer is a position that is often confused or even used interchangeably with UX Designer. Indeed, both of these positions are aimed at guaranteeing a high-quality final product solution. UX Designer, as mentioned above, works on optimizing the operation of the product, while UI Designer is responsible for its appearance. UI Designer deals with graphic design, selects the appropriate colors, photos and a set of key visuals. They focus on what the website or application should look like, both aesthetically and technically/digitally.
It is worth mentioning that UI Designer does not create the interface design from scratch – this is what the graphic designer does. UI Designer is responsible for styling the graphic design – they are responsible for the appearance and style, button design, typography, the appearance of forms, as well as the selection of photos in such a way that they form a coherent, visually attractive whole. UI Designer works closely with UX Designer, but focuses primarily on aesthetics.
Interaction Designer focuses on interaction
Interaction Designer is the newest of these four positions. The area in which Interaction Designer works is the interdependence and interaction between the product or service and the end user. Interaction Designer is often confused with UX Designer, who focuses on the general perception of the user about the quality and functionality of the website or application. And in some respects it makes sense – Interaction Designer is based on similar analyzes and research as UX Designer.
However, they have a more comprehensive approach – their task is to ensure the correct operation of the product or application in every respect. Responsible for product design, its development and promotion, i.e. all aspects that affect the development strategy of a given product. To make it easier to understand what Interaction Designer does, there are five dimensions to this position:
- Content, that is words used in buttons.
- Appearance, that is photos, typography, icons used by the user.
- Objects, that is proper space management on each device.
- Time, that is all changing media such as animations, movies, sounds.
- Behavior, that is the way customers use the website or application – how the above-mentioned dimensions affect the user’s interaction with the product.
If you still find any of these concepts unclear or you want to learn more about what the above-mentioned people do, please contact us. Our design team will be happy to help you!
