The world of tech can be a confusing place full of complicated terms and theories. Are you new to the world of tech? Or do you just want to be informed about what’s going on? After all, advances in technology affect all of us.

 

This is the latest article in a series where we explain important tech terms you should have at least a basic understanding of.

 

Terabyte

Used to describe a unit of digital information storage. 1 terabyte contains 1000 gigabytes (GB). If you want to imagine how much data 1GB contains, this handy list can help:

 

1GB=

• 3000 web pages
• 1,500,000 WhatsApp messages
• 4000 photos
• 10,000 emails
• 310 minutes of YouTube
• OR
• 160 songs on Spotify

 

UX and UI

The terms UX and UI refer to User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) Design.

 

UX and UI Designers are involved in the designing of products, usually digital or with a digital element, but both look after different specific aspects of the design process, namely how people interact with and experience the product as a whole. So what’s the difference between the two?

 

UX Design – Normally when you think of design, you probably think of some form of visual design, such as graphic design or interior design. UX Designers design experiences. The role of UX Designers is to ensure that a company’s customers have a positive experience of their product.

 

A cognitive scientist called Don Norman, who worked for Apple, coined the term in the early 90s. His aim was to explore and improve everything involving a person’s experience with a product –including the design, functionality and how they interact with it. Today the term encapsulates everything from apps and websites to wearable technologies, smart-home products and more.

 

“UX design is about making the user’s experience with the product the best it can be. We want to make sure we attract people to our site who are interested in this kind of product, and then, once they are here, make their journey from the home page to purchasing the product as easy and fun as possible,” explain UXmag.com

 

Broadly this means ensuring that when using a product, the user can solve their problems without any frustrations. It should:

 

1. Be logically organised,
2. Be easy to work out how to use, or intuitive,
3. Provide an all-round delightful experience.

 

UI Design – If UX Designers are concerned with the overall feel of the product, then UI designers are responsible for the look.

 

Careerfoundry give a great analogy:

 

“If you imagine a product as the human body, the bones represent the code which give it structure. The organs represent the UX design: measuring and optimising against input for supporting life functions. And UI design represents the cosmetics of the body–its presentation, its senses and reactions.”

 

UI Designers might look after the branding, the graphics, the interactivity, or animation.

 

 

Next time, you’ll get to read the final instalment in the A-Z of Tech series.