Yes, I’m with you on the conflict, that’s why I asked him and others about it. To me UX/UI has just been thrown around way too casually and even in wanting to hear and know other people’s opinions on it, that in itself could be considered “UX”, just on a more social scale than web oriented. Even within the comparison image, I can see still see some gray areas, but in a Venn diagram I think the overlap is still thinner than it is thick. I personally believe that content can drive the UX of a website more than the UI, because the UI is not the primary engagement, or, at least shouldn’t be. (Edit: unless you’re a UI designer giving an example.) Years of usability testing has shown me the evolution of (baby) “boomers” using the browser’s Back button instead of trying to figure out the navigation, even though it may have been very simple. In the last few years you can see user testing supports more complex UI models, however, it’s proper use is still centered around the web/tech savvy and younger demographics like Generation X, Generation Y (Millennials) and especially Generation Z, who actually grew up with the web as a constant, having never known a time without the high speed web access. So, those who’ve embrace technology may have a better UX via the UI than other, more passive web users, so it can’t be a universal cover all like UX/UI suggests to me.
~B.