📖 Notes
LESSON 1 OF 26
What is UI vs UX Design?
Two Disciplines, One Product
UI = what it looks like. UX = how it works. Great products need both. This lesson covers the distinction, common career paths, the tools designers use, and what to expect from this course.
The Core Distinction
UI vs UX
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UI (User Interface)
The visual layer — colors, typography, buttons, icons, spacing. What the user sees and taps.
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UX (User Experience)
The overall experience — how easy, logical, and satisfying the product is to use, from first impression to task completion.
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They Overlap
A beautiful UI with confusing navigation is bad UX. A logical flow with ugly visuals is bad UI. Strong products need both working together.
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Shared Tools
Figma is the industry-standard tool for both UI design and UX artifacts like wireframes and prototypes.
Common Career Paths
- UI Designer — focuses on visual design, design systems, and interface polish.
- UX Designer — focuses on research, information architecture, and user flows.
- Product Designer — a hybrid role covering both UI and UX end-to-end.
- UX Researcher — specializes in interviews, testing, and data-driven insight.
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What to expect from this course
You'll learn design fundamentals, Figma from the ground up, UX research methods, UI patterns and accessibility, and finish with two portfolio-ready projects.