Here is why I won’t do UI.

Because I am not a UI designer.

I believe that UI and UX are two completely different skill sets. And I have chosen the latter. I am a specialist.

Yes there are points where the two overlap, where one needs to understand the other and both need to work in tandem to deliver.

But they are two different universes and they should ideally be kept separate.

By asking a UX designer to do UI, you essentially want them to split their focus from research and strategy to implementation, visual elements, look and feel interactions. It sort of takes away from the productivity. Because both these profiles have completely different KPIs. While the UX person wants to ensure that business objectives meet with user needs, the UI person’s focus is to deliver a finished product that can be experienced seamlessly in the hands of the users.

Now this is still probably doable by a single person in a comparatively smaller or younger set-up where you are short of funds or have a very basic product.

But imagine a larger product, where the UX person is not only focussing on getting the journeys right and convincing the client to think user first, but also create mood-boards, set design guidelines, create library, work on systems.

It’s like asking the engineer to make the nuclear plant themselves after designing it.

Or the train driver to build the train because they sort of understand trains.

Or the Prime Minister to do Chief Ministers job because well, they know how to.

Doesn’t work that way friend.