It’s all about perspective
Sorting out the confusion between UX, UI, Customer Experience and Project Management
Trying to describe the differences between the various roles in a product development team can be a confusing jumble: UX, UI, CX, PM…what’s really behind the letters? Reading job descriptions can help, but may actually add to the confusion. After all, both the User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) designers are concerned with how the product looks and feels and how the user interacts with it. The UX designer and Customer Experience (CX) professionals are concerned with a user’s overall experience. And not infrequently, duties for a Project Manager and a UX designer can end up looking identical. So if a UX designer’s job overlaps with all these other roles, why are they necessary at all?
There are very important differences between the actual duties and workloads of these roles and they have been well-described here and here and here. I find it helpful to consider a different metric: their primary perspective. Who or what are they advocating for? Who or what is their primary concern? Let’s look at each in turn.
User Interface vs. User Experience
Both the UI and the UX designer have a deep concern in the user’s interaction with the product. They both work hard to develop something that is beautiful, efficient, and easy to use. They both invest their ideas and creativity toward developing the best possible version of the product. Where they diverge is their primary focus. The UI designer’s main concern is the product. Does it look good when a user opens the app? Are the buttons easy to use? Are the menus easy to find and simple to navigate? Is the product accessible to all possible users? The UX designer shares these concerns, but their perspective is broader. The UX designer asks not just how a person is using the product but why? When? Where? How does this product fit into the user’s life? Is it somehow continuing to work for them even when not in their hands? The UI designer’s concern is the product itself. The UX designer’s concern is the user.
Customer Experience vs. User Experience
Let’s move on to CX and UX. Both roles reach beyond a user’s physical interactions with a product and into the greater context of that product within a user’s life. The difference, again, is one of orientation. A CX professional’s primary concern is for the company brand. How is the user’s relationship with the brand affected by their experience with the product? More broadly still, how is the user affected by advertising? What about customer service? Brand reputation? Everything from shipping rates to a scandal involving the CEO affects the customer’s experience and at all times, CX advocates for the good of the company. The UX designer advocates for the user.
Project Management vs. User Experience
In many cases, Project Managers and UX directors might be doing the same job. It’s not uncommon for the UX designer to be responsible for overseeing many aspects of a product’s development, especially in small teams where a few individuals are filling overlapping roles. Again, the difference between PMs and UX designers is simple: primary concern. A PM is responsible for overseeing a team of designers, developers, and marketers all working toward a shared goal: the final product. The PM guides their team to maintain common goals and clear communication. They oversee the work being done by each member and ensure that progress is aligned. Even if the PM does happen to be a UX designer, their role as a PM is not the same as their role in UX. The PM’s primary concern is the team, but as a UX designer, it continues to be the user.
Sorting through the various roles can be confusing, but it’s helpful to remember who or what constitutes each team member’s primary concern. Considered as a group, each role complements and strengthens the unified goal of the team: to develop a product that works well for users, reflects well on the company, and gives satisfaction to both.
