Much of what we're talking about when we refer to usability 0:00 is going to relate to a couple of concepts that many people 0:03 connect with websites and design. 0:06 I'm talking about user experience, or UX, and user interface, UI. 0:09 So let's define, once and for all, what the differences are 0:15 between usability, UX, and UI, 0:18 and in the end we should have a better idea how to improve all of them. 0:21 A website user experience refers to the set of reactions 0:26 that users have to their interaction with the entire site— 0:30 from the beginning of their visit to the end. 0:34 When the site first appears, the user has a reaction to it— 0:37 do they like it or dislike it? 0:40 Are they confused, or immediately interested? 0:43 As they go through the site, does it work as expected? 0:46 Do all the links go to the right places? 0:50 Does everything appear to be in order, or is the user confused about where things are? 0:52 Is using this site making them happy and satisfied, 0:58 or unhappy and dissatisfied? 1:01 The user experience refers to the reactions to everything— 1:04 from simply looking at the site to interacting with it. 1:08 User interface refers to how users can interact with the site. 1:13 If users are looking for something specific, they may look 1:17 for menus or search boxes, or both to guide their way. 1:20 These elements are part of the interface, 1:24 as well as order forms, carousels, sliders, and other things that you can click, 1:26 drag, and mouse over to produce some kind of response. 1:31 However, the content you produce can also serve as the interface. 1:35 Take a site like Pinterest, where almost the entire view 1:40 is made up of images of content that users are sharing. 1:43 Those images serve as the navigation that you click to find more information. 1:47 We've talked about the experience users have and their interaction with the site, 1:53 well, finally, usability refers to how easy that interaction is. 1:57 Were the menus you built for your site easy to read, understand, and manipulate? 2:03 Was the text easy to read and understand? 2:08 Very often, usability issues can affect how well users find things, 2:11 like products and details, or their ability to 2:15 complete forms to purchase things, or generate content. 2:17 If any one of these interactions is not positive, 2:21 it means that a usability issue exists. 2:25 Understand that the usability of every website is different 2:29 because the design, the content, and the users are all different, as well. 2:32 One size does not fit all when designing sites and apps 2:37 across various industries or for different clients. 2:40 Now, if you can be proactive and do research, 2:44 you'll be prepared to design a usable UI 2:47 that allows those users to succeed. 2:50 Whether it's adding a button with a perfect text link, 2:54 or designing an intuitive form so that users can order your product, 2:56 a nicely designed user interface will contribute to a positive user experience. 3:01 So, UX, UI, and usability aren't all the same thing, 3:08 but they're certainly aspects of the same mission— 3:13 to give users a positive experience 3:16 through great, intuitive, and usable designs. 3:19