What Is UI Design? Definition, Tips, Best Practices
4 min read Anthony Jnr Ahiable
Key takeaways
UI (user interface) design is responsible for a product's appearance, interactivity, usability, behavior, and overall feel.
Popular UI design tools that professionals use include InDesign, Figma, and Sketch.
Three types of UI design are graphical user interface, voice user interface, and menu-driven interface.
You can explore careers such as UI designer or information architect if you want to work in UI design.
Learn more about the UI design field and how to create engaging products using UI design principles. Afterward, if you’re ready to start building expertise in UX/UI design, consider enrolling in the Google UX Design Professional Certificate. In as little as six months, you’ll have the opportunity to understand the basics of UX research, like planning research studies, conducting interviews and usability studies, and synthesizing research results. Upon completion, you can add this shareable credential to your resume or LinkedIn profile.
What does UI mean?
UI stands for user interface. It is the point of contact between humans and computers. Any technology you interact with as a user is part of the user interface. For example, screens, sounds, overall style, and responsiveness are all elements of UI.
What is visual design in UI/UX?
A user interface involves the following four components:
Navigational elements: Navigational elements help users navigate an interface. Examples of navigational elements in UI include slide bars, search fields, and back arrows.
Input controls: On-page elements that enable users to input information are input controls. Buttons, checkboxes, and text fields are all examples of input controls.
Informational components: Informational components are used to communicate information to the user. A progress bar beneath a video or tutorial is an example of an informational component.
Containers: Containers organize content into easily digestible sections. Rather than listing every subheading underneath a tab, a container element like an accordion menu may be used to hide or show content.
What is the difference between UI and UX design?
In your research into UI design, you may come across the related term user experience (UX) design. While UI and UX share some similarities, you will also find some important distinctions:
UI design: Focuses on interaction design, the visual elements of a website or application, and ensuring a navigation path is visually attractive and effortless to use.
UX design: Focuses on satisfying user intent and providing a clear navigation path to access information on a site or app.
What is UI design?
User interface (UI) design is likely the first thing you encounter when you use an application or visit a website. User interface design is responsible for a product's appearance, interactivity, usability, behavior, and overall feel. UI design can determine whether a user has a positive experience with a product, so it’s essential for companies and creators to familiarize themselves with UI design best practices.
Tips for excellent UI design
Invisibility is a staple of great UI design. Great UI goes unnoticed when users are able to navigate a site or app and find what they're looking for without encountering challenges or getting confused by the elements of the page. Simplicity, familiarity, and consistency are a few of the most important principles for a UI designer to keep in mind. Consider the following UI design tips from industry experts like Apple and Google.
Format content to fit the screen of the intended device. Users should not need to zoom or scroll horizontally to view the entirety of a page’s content.
Ensure there is adequate contrast between the background and page elements, like text, to increase legibility.
Alignment doesn’t just apply to text. Buttons and images must also be aligned to demonstrate relevance and relativity to users.
High image resolution is essential for all image assets.
Make sure your UI design is responsive. Whether users view the UI on a large screen, a small screen, in portrait mode, or landscape mode, they should be able to read and maneuver it with ease.
Check out Apple’s UI Design Dos and Don'ts for more tips. You can also learn more about UI design and development through Meta’s Front-End Developer Professional Certificate.