Many people have absolutely no idea about what a UX designer really does. Some have an idea, but they often confuse the function of UX with UI.

That’s why the first and most important point to be cleared is the difference between UX and UI designers by introducing them both in a simple example.

Difference between UX and UI designers

The most convenient way to demonstrate this is by saying that our hypothetical product is a hamburger. Our hypothetical company sells hamburgers to a variety of customers and we have some employees to work on the project too. Just like in real life the UI and UX designers have almost completely different roles.

Let’s start with the UI designers. They are the experts of burger-making. They are almost like cooks: they have the appropriate knowledge and suitable tools for hamburger making. They know how to use the knives, how to perfectly cook the meats and melt the cheese.

Whereas the UX designer will tell the UI designer which specific ingredients to use, how to layer them. She understands the customers’ needs, how the different flavors can be intensified, how the hamburgers should be wrapped etc.

It’s obvious that neither one can be successful without the other.

Who would want a perfectly made cheeseburger, if it has unrelated ingredients in it and looks like rubbish?

On the contrary, who would want a flawless looking hamburger if it has disgusting taste?

So…what does a UX Designer really do?