User interfaces are usually the most or the least glorious moments of a designer’s career.
A great user interface is not just a piece of art – it needs to be flawlessly functional and leave no space for confusion when performing different tasks.
Perfect UI design is what makes the difference between good and great apps/websites.
The practice of outstanding web developers shows that UI can either make or break a design. Still, it is an indispensable element of every app/website which is exactly why every piece of technology requires it.
Use a sketch
Image source: Alexander Bickov
Believe it or not, perfect interfaces are born on a piece of paper. It is much later that the same is applied in Photoshop or Sketch App.
The main benefit of paper sketches is the possibility to make mistakes. Unlike restricted design software, paper is open to everybody’s imagination and can employ all ideas to create a clear concept. Once it is done, designers replicate it on the computer in order to refine it.
Familiarize with your audience
Image source: Anatoliy Nesterov
Interface elements are respectively standardized nowadays. Users have a certain perception for web or app design and you have to make sure your product is going to match their expectations. Therefore, keep customers satisfied by choosing predictable layouts and well-known methods for task completion.
Still, don’t go as far as to expect users to have the same app design knowledge as you do. As functional as your app may be, users will strive towards simplest solutions to accomplish their tasks.
Image source: Nikhil Singh
Your audience is already there and you don’t get to choose who your users will be. Therefore, your UI elements need to remain intuitive and predictable, even if that’s going to affect the final result. Take a moment and put yourself in your customer’s skin-you’ll understand what he/she is expecting to find in your app.
Designing UI Elements
Image source: WORAWALUNS
Regardless of whether you’re designing apps/websites, apply only elements that serve a specific purpose. Icons, for instance, are there to save space and to help your users.
Therefore, they should be as intuitive as possible, and precise enough to ensure a logical workflow. If done wrong, icons look so confusing that they can destroy the entire experience users have you’re your product.
Image source: Anton Chandra
Icons should be that simple, that only minimal thinking effort will be required. This is easy to accomplish if you follow these guidelines:
- Avoid similar icons; and such that have conflicting meaning
- Don’t make it too fancy/futuristic
- Attach textual labels to help confused users
- Don’t forget to test the choice you’ve made
Tips for creating user interfaces
Image source: Matt Thompson
The page layout should express your purpose. Not even the space between elements should be purposeless. Then, structure the elements on the page according to their importance. Proper placement will tell your users which are the most important parts and it will help the readability/scanning of your content.
Let us list the basics for you: design should be consistent and well-organized, based on a model that users will recognize; related things ought to stand together, while unrelated and dissimilar should be clearly divided. Visual resemblance between elements ought to be avoided at any price.
Image source: Willionaire
Grouping elements together shows there is a natural connection between them and this can reduce the cognitive load of your user. His first impression ought to be-easy. You don’t want to make users struggle to find what they need, just because you grouped elements in a weird manner. The reason why users downloaded your app is because they don’t want to figure out how to do things. Don’t force them to do the exact thing.
Apply keyboard shortcuts for your app
One of the biggest advantages of apps’ usability is the fact that they are equally suitable for new and professional users. While beginners are getting used to the app and they use their mouse to open it, experienced ones save time by pushing few keyboard buttons to get where they want.
Since the idea is for every user to become a loyal customer, take time and think about shortcuts. An easily accessible app will be simple to use and it will gain popularity in no time.
Developing a website? Think about responsiveness
Responsive nowadays it’s not an option – it is a basic necessity. Users turn to different devices and operating systems to approach a website, so you have to make sure yours will always be there, perfectly good-looking and perfectly functional.
The hidden message of colors
Image source: Alex Martineau
Colors are essential tools in any design branch. Subconsciously, colors attract attention and they motivate users to perform certain tasks. For instance, color can tell users whether they opened a certain link or not, or whether the accomplishment of their tasks was successful.
You want a great website? Make effective use of your color palette! Think how you’re coloring each element (lists, forms, tabs, text, etc) and what the meaning you’re trying to convey is. Colors can express cultural values, types, status, importance, and other important features of your app.
Smart typography
Image source: Gaurav Joshi
We can all agree that excellent communication is crucial in the world of design. Regardless of the device/system your customers are using, you have to give them the proper possibility to communicate intentions and purposes. The biggest burden here relies on text, which should be perfectly understood and purposeful.
Choose typefaces that are equally suitable for all sizes
Image source: Lisa Macklem
The size of text elements varies from one UI to another (different button copies, labels, section headers, etc). What you need is an excellent performance typeface, which preserves its appearance and readability on screens from all sizes.
Distinguishable letterforms are always the best chose
Many typefaces have resembling letterforms and they can be confusing. For instance, lowercase I’s and uppercase L’s can look absolutely the same. R and N, on the other hand, can look like a lowercase M when they stand next to each other. Make sure your users will never have such dilemmas and employ typefaces that are clearly distinctive.
Remember – The great things in design aren’t necessarily visible
Image source: Emil Widlund
Yes-users will be aware your app is awesome and easy to use, but they will not be able to explain why. And this is the way it should be! Users ‘land’ in order to have an awesome interface, not to think about it.
If not satisfied, they will quickly move to another app and they will not think about your design problems and how you could solve them. This is exactly why great design secrets are hidden and cannot be easily explained.
Consider the defaults
You are supposed to create such defaults that will reduce users’ burden. The way to do it is to consider and anticipate the purpose they have when they use your app. Form deign can really benefit from outstanding defaults (pre-chosen fields, filled out fields, etc).
Ready to popularize your interface? Test it!
Image source: Awesomed
You went through all of the phases-you researched, sketched, designed in accordance with the rules, and you optimized the user interface. It is about time to polish it and to push it on the market. Well-not yet! Before it reaches its final users, an app needs to be tested, discussed, and eventually improved.
You might have perfect confidence in your app and your skills, but mistakes happen to everybody. Even the best deign can prove to be unintuitive, it can contain spelling mistakes, tricky codes, or similar errors that can cost you the entire success of your UI.
One rule is always valid-design is as successful, as it is being applied. Take interior design as example-gorgeous wooden chairs may attract people at first glance, but if they are uncomfortable no one will use them. The same applies for interface design-a beautiful app which satisfies the designer’s ego is not enough. People need functionality.
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