Design your way

So, what is UI design? This question arises whenever you tell a non-design person what you do for a living.

You’re in charge of creating beautiful user interface designs, and in the future, this role will only become more and more important for you!

Most UI design principles of today work revolve around simple navigation and basic contact forms. On the other side of the spectrum, the design world is becoming richer with new standards and technologies that will imply designers to create more customized and dynamic experiences.

What is user interface design? The term encompasses all interface designs created for machines and software, as for instance the looks of websites and mobile apps, and their orientation and ease of use. Some interface designers also define UI design as the art of creating graphical interfaces, excluding in such way user voice and natural interfaces.

With software being as intangible as it is, GUI design plays a crucial role in how users interact with an app or a website, which means that the only good UI design is the one that enables streamlined and seamless experience.

Thereof, the two main design fundamentals are efficiency and usability, so that interfaces would enable users to accomplish their missions without even noticing how a design works.

Basically, the best user interface design examples are those that are ‘invisible’, and they portray reality so effectively that a user doesn’t reckon that it was him who produced the changes happening on screen.

Yet, with so many good UI designs around, it is no longer enough to rely on efficiency to create a functional product – the interface should also be beautiful and enjoyable, as it is with chat apps and games.

Most of the time, UI interface designs appear on services where interaction is required for a user to accomplish a mission and should include all tools and buttons he needs to perform the desired action. GUI design is dictating the user’s approach towards software and hardware and increases usability by making these actions as frictionless as possible.

The UI designer is required to meet both the functional and aesthetical expectations of users. He can do so sketching with paper and pens, using any dedicated visualization program, or even build directly his design using any material. He can also create simulation interfaces to test the effects of his final product prior to release.

What is important is to distinguish user experience design from user interface design – they are both complex and multi-faceted but have a different role. User interface design is created to transform a product’s layout, content, and even development into a pleasant and efficient experience for the user. Thereof, it represents a strictly digital task.

The main responsibilities of an UI designer are as follows: Looks, Feel, Market & Customer Analysis, Research, Graphic Development, Branding, Navigation guidelines, Storyline, Responsiveness, Interactivity, Prototyping, Animation.

Suitability for all devices and different screen sizes

Web development implementation & adjustment

Creating a good UI means the world to any interactive design, and it usually defines how end customers perceive and appreciate a brand. The designer will obviously not be the only person in charge of branding, but it will be his responsibility to translate the brand to the product.

To author a solid UX experience will not require coding, but the designer should be ready to adapt it to the emerging trends and technologies.

Put this way, user experience design matters to everyone interested to create a great product, and moreover to understand what customers really want.

If you’re into interface design, on the other hand, you should be more interested in the basic principles of digital design and think of ways to present a product to the user, both in terms of reactivity upon input and quality of display.

UI Design Fundamentals

Know who you’re creating for

You won’t always like what you’re creating, and you must make peace with that idea. You should always align your goals with the goals of your clients, and get the full picture of what they need and what they want.

Learn from the interfaces they like and keep in line with trends and adjustments. And yes – mimicking the trending designs of your competitors won’t help you achieve these goals!

Be careful with patterns

Make users feel at home! Your interface won’t be the customer’s first encounter with such designs, especially nowadays when people use all sorts of web and mobile apps.

Therefore, you are not required to reinvent the wheel but to simplify these processes, and solve a problem rather than creating one. For the purpose, try to stick to common and familiar patterns, and your users won’t have any issues understanding your work.

Consistency matters

Keep your work consistent. When a user learns how to do something within your design, they’ll expect to do the same again. Consistency matters to both layout and language, and applies to only few main elements that must remain the same on all instances. This way, both you and your customers will be more efficient.

Arrange elements in visual hierarchy

Instead of wasting estate to explain customers what is important, use the interface design to inform them on the order. The placement, size, and colour of the elements can help you create visual hierarchy, and give the user a clear path to follow. Note that successfully displayed hierarchy will also make your designs less complex.

Give feedback

Interfaces are all about interaction, which means that you should remain in contact with users and let them know whether what they’re doing is right or wrong. Use messages and visual cues to evaluate actions, notify changes, and suggest solutions, and your users will find it easy to follow your work.

Expect mistakes

For some people, technology is a burden even when literally served to them. What this tells us is that UI designs should be tolerant to errors and misunderstandings, and always come up with a way for users to undo their actions (would you mind to start filling an application just because you got the birth date wrong?). At the same time, users should know exactly where they messed up so that they won’t let it happen again.

Shift power to your users

As soon as users learn how to work with your design, shift power to their hands. Let them work independently and chop their actions into consumable units, so that they won’t get distracted along the way. Abstract ways to accomplish a task should also be part of the process, as for instance using keyboard shortcuts.

Preserve a conversational tone

Copywriting is quite common even in the best interfaces, as designers are not trying to make a sensation. Instead, they’re walking in the shoes of their users with concise and clear labels and instructions. Users like this even if it is not fancy, because it doesn’t feel as if they were listening to anyone else but themselves.

Make it simple

Many people won’t be able to answer the question ‘What is UI design’, and for a good reason. Most of them don’t even see the interface, as it is a silent engine that moves wok forward, but still stands out of the way. Before you make any change to your design, estimate whether users really need it and whether they’d be able to work with it. That’s the only thing that matters to you.

Keep it going

To develop an interface is not a one-time task, but an ongoing process that needs frequent iterations. Mistakes will happen, but don’t let them discourage you! Learn and practice, and try to create a seamless interface your users won’t even notice.

Best user interface design practices

What is UI design? When learning more about it, your first lesson should be to get to know your users, and estimate clearly what they can or can’t do. You also need to discover their interests, preferences, tendencies, and skills.

Here are the most important user interface design practices to abide by:

Less is more. The less visible an interface is, the more successful it will be. Therefore, get rid of useless elements and use clear labels and messages.
Retain consistency and use only familiar elements and patterns. Doing so will increase the level of comfort and confidence in your website, and help users get things done in less than no time. Consistency refers to layout, language, and many other design elements, and it is your best bet to teach users how to optimize the power of your design.
Give your layout a clear purpose. There are spatial relationships between all elements on your page, and you should use them to show people what is more important. If you place elements carefully, attention will go to the meaningful pieces first, and users will be happy about it.
Use color and texture strategically. They help you shift attention in the right direction.
Increase clarity with typography. Make a smart type decision, and use fonts, sizes, and text arrangements wisely. This way, your texts will be easier to read and understand.
Stay responsive. The users should always be aware of their whereabouts, action results, status changes, or eventual mistakes. You can communicate all these in a variety of ways, and make users feel welcomed.
Consider defaults. If you anticipate the purpose of people visiting your website, you can use defaults to make navigation easier for them. This matters particularly to creating forms where you can enable them to pre-choose or pre-fill random fields.

User Interface Design Laws you must abide to

The law of clarity

All elements that cause confusion and misunderstanding will stay in the shadows, and there are no exceptions to this rule!

Are you a Gmail user? If so, you’ll remember Google changing the navigation panel on the top where you could easily access your Drive, Calendar, Sheets, or other services.

The company, however, came up with the idea that they can simplify navigation by hiding all these elements behind an abstract icon, as a result of which many Gmail users couldn’t find their way around it. Consequences? Ask Google’s support team!

It is absolutely human to ignore what you don’t understand, so make sure your interface won’t cause this problem.

The law of context

If you’re inviting a user to control a certain object within your design, place the interface controls as close to it as possible. The user expects to see interface controls close to the object he wants to control.

The success of such attempt is made obvious on LinkedIn, where you can easily change all the data you want (and your name!) by clicking on the small pencil right next to it. Facebook, on the other hand, has a very long and complex procedure before it allows you to do that.

The context requirement in UI design is reminiscent of context in real life – to prepare popcorn, you put it in the microwave and turn the device on.

Would you still be encouraged to do that if you were expected to run down to the electricity box and switch a button to make it work? Probably not, which is also why most users mind changing their Facebook names.

Users want operations to be smooth and simple, so make it happen for them!

The law of instructed actions

Most users perform an action on a website because they were asked to. The reason is quite obvious, as everyone feels intimidated to take a step he has no clue about.

To get the picture of what we’re saying, think of LinkedIn – as they were introducing the Endorsements feature, they didn’t rely on the assumption that users will know what it is about.

Instead, they came up with large call-to-action banners on top of the profile pages and turned the feature into one of their best updates.

The rule is simple: If they need to do something, ask them to.

The law of timely feedback

To make the user feel confident, give him constant and clear feedback. You can follow Gmail’s example – each action you perform there is subject to notifications, and people feel as if they are in full control of the service.

The law of simplifying

Web designs used to complete complex tasks should be broken into several manageable actions. No one likes complicated and long forms because they’re overwhelming, and one always has to double-check if the info inserted is correct.

Yet, if you take this form and split it into smaller steps (ideally with a progress bar), people won’t find it that boring.

This is the so-called law of simplifying and easing, and it tells us that people would rather go through 5 simple steps than a single large one. The less you intimidate them, the more able they will be to complete the tasks they came after.

Ending thoughts on what is UI design

UI design can be interpreted in many different ways, as it assembles an amalgamation of actions that help creators optimize their service both in function and in form.

In a nutshell, UI design dictates how users interact with a product/service, and how they feel about it. Now you have the answer to the What is UI design question.

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