Recognition and recall are two ways we retrieve information from memory. Recognition involves identifying information when it is presented to us. For example, recognizing a friend's face in a crowd. Recall, on the other hand, requires us to retrieve information from memory without as many cues. For example, remembering a friend's phone number without looking at it.

In UX design, recognition is utilized by providing users with familiar cues or prompts, such as icons or labels, to help them easily identify and interact with interface elements. Recall is engaged when users must remember specific information, like login credentials, without any visual cues. Balancing both types of memory retrieval ensures a user-friendly experience by accommodating different levels of cognitive effort.