When it comes to web design, few areas cause more confusion than UX design and UI design. UX stands for user experience, and UI for user interface. Some tech professionals specialize in one or the other, while others learn both, leading to roles with titles like UX/UI Designer.

UX Design vs. UI Design

UX design focuses on functionality, information architecture, and ease of navigation—in short, on overall user satisfaction. UI design emphasizes front end development aspects like graphic design, typography, and branding, to name a few.

Although there may be considerable overlap between a distinct UX position and a UI role, their similarities often cause them to be lumped together. UX design training can lead to positions with titles like:

To further distinguish the differences between UX and UI design, it’s helpful to be familiar with certain must-have skills for UX that aren’t necessarily part of a solely UI role. Here are a few:

  • Wireframing - Wireframing tools like Axure RP, Adobe XD, and Balsamiq are crucial to the UX design process.
  • Prototypes - Axure RP, Adobe XD, and Figma are also used for prototyping.
  • Sketch - The Sketch designing tool is helpful for both UX and UI.
  • Adobe Creative Cloud - Adobe programs in general can be essential for both UX and UI design, but UX roles in particular may include Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and Illustrator.
  • UX Research - User research and testing is typically a role separate from UI design, except in cases where a design pro is the organization’s UX/UI Designer.
  • Project Management - While a UX Designer may hand off a blueprint to a UI Designer, a UX Designer may have more responsibility for incorporating UX workflow with the overall development process.
UX & UI Design Certificate: Live & Hands-on, In NYC or Online, 0% Financing, 1-on-1 Mentoring, Free Retake, Job Prep. Named a Top Bootcamp by Forbes, Fortune, & Time Out. Noble Desktop. Learn More.

Starting a UX Design Career

Now that you know something about the differences and similarities between UX and UI design, the field should not look overwhelming. Keep in mind that you can train to become a UX Designer, UI Designer, a UX/UI Designer, or a related role like UX Researcher or Design Director.

How to start will depend on whether you have a particular design career goal in mind. If so, focusing on UX design skills and tools makes sense; if not, an overall UX/UI design course of study might be the way to go. Consider your options:

  • Free Learning Platforms - Blog posts and YouTube videos may be somewhat helpful when you’re researching UX design. But learning prototyping tools like Figma and Adobe XD requires much more. You’ll want a formal course of study to become a UX Designer.
  • Single Courses - Individual classes can be an excellent way to start learning about UX design. Noble Desktop offers one such class, a UX Design in a Day workshop that gives beginners an introduction to topics like user research, wireframing, and prototyping, among others. You can also take short classes in HTML and CSS or JavaScript to begin learning about related topics in web development.
  • College Degree - A college or university can provide an education in UX and UI design. However, if you’re interested in specializing in UX, your choices are somewhat limited. The cost can be prohibitive, and many colleges offer only in-person alternatives.
  • Bootcamp or Certificate - The bootcamp learning model is increasingly popular among students looking to learn UX design and comparable curricula. Many of these immersive programs are available online, and can provide everything a job-focused student needs. 

One such example is Noble Desktop’s UX & UI Design Certificate, which combines UX and UI principles with tools like Adobe XD, Sketch, and Figma. A separate Visual Design Certificate offers training in Adobe XD, Photoshop, and Illustrator.

Resources for UX Design Pros

Once you have trained in UX design, it’s time to find work in the field. You may have already started, especially if you take the certificate program route. These courses provide 1-on-1 mentoring, including career advice, and you can often find work through them.

Another advantage of the bootcamp learning model is that many are portfolio-based programs. As you look to develop your skills and knowledge base, you may find a specialization within the UX field, like UX research, product audits, or usability testing.

Along with those discussed above, here are some additional prototyping/wireframing tools for UX design students to check out:

  • Figma - Included in the Noble Desktop UX & UI Design Certificate training, Figma connects design pros as a “one-tool” solution.
  • Webflow - Webflow is a prototyping tool for responsive websites, and has been used by Dell and NASA, among other organizations.
  • Marvel - Not the media company, this is a cloud-based solution for prototyping, testing, and handoff.
  • InVision - The InVision prototyping tool is one of the most popular collaborative prototyping design tools.
  • Framer - A free code-based prototyping tool, Framer is also used for wireframing, user testing, and collaboration.

Other popular tools include ProtoPie, Proto.io, Justinmind, and UXPin.

Professional Development

UX design pros from UX Researchers to Design Directors find meaningful connections through ongoing professional development, which may include continuing education units (CEUs).

Professional development for UX design pros takes many forms, and several organizations provide support, networking, and conferences. Here are a few of them.

UXPA International - Provides support for people who “research, design and evaluate” the user experience.

The Interaction Design Association (IxDA) - An organization dedicated to the discipline of interaction design.

UX Collective - A publication and blog focused on UX, visual, and product design.

Usability Geek - One of the most popular blogs for the UX, Human Computer Interaction (HCI), and Information Architecture (IA) fields. 

Nielsen/Norman Group - An internationally known research-based consulting firm whose clients include Google, Visa, and eBay. 

LinkedIn is also a great resource for networking, and top LinkedIn groups for UX Designers include some of the most well-known organizations.

  • The 30,000-member Interaction Design Foundation group
  • User Experience Professionals Association International (the UXPA International group)
  • UX Designer - for UX, UI, and Web Design pros
  • UX/HCI Researchers - UX and Human Computer Interaction (HCI) dedicated to the UXtweak platform

Depending on the UX position you choose, other organizations may better suit your needs. When you find a role that best utilizes your skill set, ongoing career development can be one of the best methods to assure your continued success, as well as the value you provide to clients or customers.