Understanding the value of UX, UI and Service Design for Government

User Interface (UI) Design is the art and science of creating the visual and interactive elements of a digital product or service to ensure a seamless and engaging user experience. 

UI Designers look specifically at a product or service’s interface – the point of interaction between a user and a digital product, encompassing all the elements and components that users see and interact with on a screen. This ranges from buttons, icons, menus, scrolling features, text fields and more.

UI Designers arrange these elements to guide users, establish visual hierarchy, and evoke a specific emotional response and create a cohesive look and feel that aligns with the product’s purpose and target audience. UI Design can sometimes also include the coding and programming of the software itself (termed UI Development).

Common tools:

Adobe CD, Sketch, Figma, InVision, Balsamiq, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator

Visual design, typography, wireframing and prototyping, user testing, interaction design, and responsive design

User Experience (UX) Design is concerned with the overall user experience, i.e. how a user feels when they interact with a product or service. 

UX Designers look at the entirety of the user’s journey, focusing specifically on their moments of interaction – or ‘touchpoints’ – with the product or service. These touchpoints can include digital user interfaces, but may also include non-digital artefacts such as a train timetable or printed list. UX Design involves addressing a wide range of factors including user interfaces, but is not concerned with the specific detail of the buttons or scrolling features one uses when interacting with a screen.

A useful metaphor for understanding the difference between the UI and UX is thinking about restaurants – if the user interface (UI) is the crockery, cutlery and table dressings; the user experience (UX) is the lighting, music, decor and customer service you experience while you’re there.

Common tools:

Adobe CD, Sketch, Figma, InVision, Balsamiq, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, Optimal Workshop, Miro, Typeform

User research, persona, journey maps, information architecture, wireframing and prototyping, user testing, interaction design, and responsive design

Zooming out again, Service Design takes a more holistic view of all aspects of the system involved in that product or service.

Service Designers look at both what the user is experiencing (as in UX Design), and the entire sum of behind-the-scenes processes that are involved in delivering this service. Service Design often also considers the other products and services that are within the ecosystem their design is operating in in order to develop a system-level view of how their service fits in.

Service Design considers both the macro-and the micro-level, and so necessarily encompasses addressing UX and UI Design in its remit. Designers break down a service into its component elements, optimise each of these elements, and then optimise how these elements work together.

Common tools:

Service blueprints, personas, user journey maps, stakeholder maps, ecosystem maps, storyboards, affinity diagrams, prototyping and wireframing,
user testing

Design research is a systematic and investigative process that aims to gather insights and inspiration to inform the design and development of products and services. 

It involves observing, interviewing, and interacting with users and stakeholders to uncover their needs, behaviours, preferences, and pain points.

Through methods like ethnographic studies, surveys, usability testing, and contextual inquiries, design research provides designers with a deep understanding of the target audience’s motivations and challenges. The collected data is then analysed and synthesised to generate valuable insights that drive informed design decisions, ensuring that the final outcomes are user-centred, effective, and aligned with the intended goals

Common tools:

Interviews, surveys, observations, data analysis

UX design research is a subset of design research that is focused more specifically on understanding and enhancing the user experience of digital products and services. 

It encompasses a range of research methodologies aimed at comprehending user behaviours, emotions, and interactions within digital interfaces. UX design research involves activities such as user interviews, usability testing, card sorting, and eye-tracking studies to uncover usability issues and gather feedback on design iterations.

By delving into the user’s mindset and observing their interactions, UX design research informs the creation of intuitive and engaging interfaces. The insights gained from UX research help designers refine user interfaces, optimise workflows, and tailor interactions to align with user expectations, ultimately crafting digital experiences that are both enjoyable and efficient.

Common tools:

Usability testing, prototyping tools, user analytics, eye-tracking, card sorting, A/B testing, clickstream analysis, heatmap analysis