If you are accustomed to the world of mobile application development, you may have heard developers and industry experts talk about User Interface (UI) and User Experience Design (UX). Mistakenly these terms are often used interchangeably and mentioned almost in the same breath. The fact remains that both sound similar but they are as different as chalk and cheese. Both these elements play a vital role in the success of your app. As an app developer or someone who wants to get an app developed, you must focus on both UX and UI for success. Let us take a look at the difference between UX and UI and also see why they are vital for your mobile app.

User Interface versus User Experience
To put things in the most simple terms User Interface (UI) can be defined as the information, graphic, buttons and icons that users see on the screen when they use the mobile app. In other words, the graphical element of your mobile app is its User Interface. On the other hand, User Experience (UX) is the experience a user derives while interacting with your app. It is an intangible thing that you create by catering to the needs of the user and ensuring ease of use and access. In short, it includes everything that ensures the desirable experience for the user while using the app.

Importance of UX and UI  

There are millions of mobile apps available on different app stores and thousands are being added every day. Only a small fraction of these apps are able to break the club of the ordinary and create a sizable user base. When you review the most popular apps, there is a common string that binds all of them – it’s the perfect synergy between User Experience and User Interface. And it helps your app in multiple ways –

• Attract New Users – There are thousands of apps in each category and dozens that do almost the same thing. Hence, you can no longer attract users by merely solving their problems. With smartphones and tablets fitted with cutting-edge hardware, users always look for an experience that lets them escape the clutches of ordinary. When your UX and UI becomes a differentiator, you will be able to regularly attract new users to the fold.
• User Loyalty – It is estimated that 25% of all apps downloaded are used only once and only 20% of the apps downloaded stay installed on a user’s device by the third month. So, customer acquisition is only half the job done and it is more important to retain them. This is where your app has to constantly offer incentives to the user and great UX and UI are surely one of the best incentives you can offer.
• Monetization – App monetization is one of the most challenging things to do in a competitive marketplace. You can boost your chances of app monetization when you have brilliant UI which offers a captivating experience to the users.

To sum up, brilliant UI and UX makes your app stand out in the crowd and allows it to make a deep market penetration among the user base and earn their loyalty.