The Myth of the UX/UI Unicorn

In software and game development, UX and UI are often bundled into a single role—the mythical “UX/UI unicorn.” This talk will discuss that while they come from the same litter, they grow into very different cats. This talk examines why UX and UI are, in reality, two very different disciplines with distinct responsibilities, skill sets, and impact on player and user experience. Using primarily game development examples (with lessons that apply broadly to software), we’ll explore where UX lives in systems, flow, learning, and feedback, and how UI translates those decisions into clear, usable interfaces. Rather than arguing for one over the other, this session focuses on how UX and UI work best in tandem—and how teams that respect both build experiences that are not only beautiful, but intuitive, resilient, and enjoyable to use.