Stage 1 · Lesson 1 of 6
UX and UI: what each one covers
(UX) is everything about how someone gets a job done with a product. Do they understand it, find what they need, trust it and succeed? User interface (UI) design is the part you can see: layout, , colour, buttons and other components, and how each one looks in its different states.
UI is part of UX, not a separate job. Most roles expect both, with a different balance. A beautiful screen that hides the main button is bad UX.
A well-researched flow drawn as messy, cramped screens is bad UI. This split shapes how you learn. Visual skills make your work look credible. Research and interaction skills make it actually work.
Common traptreating UX as "making it pretty", or treating UI as decoration added at the end.
A question to check yourself, an AI practice session and 1 cheat sheet entry come with the full roadmap. Unlock
Resources for this stage
Start with· follow one of these
- GuideFreeInteraction Design Foundation (IxDF) Free Articles
Interaction Design Foundation · Beginner
Free articles on every step of the design process, written for beginners
- CoursePaidGoogle UX Design Professional Certificate
Google (Coursera) · Beginner · $49/month on Coursera (US and Canada)
A paid, structured course if you want deadlines and three portfolio projects; the free articles cover the same ideas
Keep handy
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A clear overview of the stages of a human-centred process, with the common misunderstandings
- Nielsen Norman Group ArticlesGo deeper
The largest free archive of research-backed UX articles; search it whenever a topic here raises a question