UI Design for Beginners
If you are from the design field or someone who is looking to get into this field, UI Design is something that you are going to hear a lot about. Especially if you are into website making and designing, UI design is exactly what you should look for.
What Is UI Design?
User Interface aka UI design is a process that the designers use to build software and other computerized devices. The aim is to make sure the design is not only user friendly but also looks easy and durable for the users. UI designers focus on the looks aspect of the software for the users so their experience is smooth and understandable.
UI design functions around the graphical user interfaces and other forms like voice control.
What Is The Difference Between UI Design And UX Design?
Another word that will be tossed around is UX design. While they do go hand in hand when you are working on a project, it’s best to know and understand the difference between the two.
UX design stands for user experience design. UX design defines how the user will interact with the company, product and services. It functions on the overall feeling of the user after they have consumed the content from the company.
At the same time, UI design takes a different role altogether. It focuses on the aesthetic and the looks of the website or the app. It’s more about the visual appeal of the content so the user can identify their steps forward. It focuses on making the website attractive and responsive to the users.
However, UI designers are engaged in different job roles as well. If you look around for the UI designers job description, you will find positions in graphic design, brand designing and even frontend development.
You must remember that UI design and UX design work together for the website or the app to work the right way.
Types Of UI Design Formats
As we have mentioned earlier, UI design goes across various formats which are as follows:
Graphical User Interfaces
In this, the users interact with the control panels of the software or the device. For example, your computer’s desktop. The way you arrange your icons and what they represent comes under the Graphical User Interfaces.
Voice-Controlled Interfaces
In this, the users interact with the devices or the software through their voice. For example, when you command something to Siri on Apple devices and Alexa on Amazon devices. They come under voice-controlled interfaces.
Gesture-Based Interfaces
This is more about virtual reality that functions on the bodily movements of the users. For example, virtual reality games. The technology assists you to make hand gestures or movements that further proceed with the game.
Why Is UI Design Important?
When you are creating a brand in the market, if you are not over the internet, you miss out on a lot of potential customers. And the key to succeeding with so much competition around is to make sure that your users engage more with your content than anybody else’s.
The key elements that you must remember while creating a website are as follows:
Visuals
Visuals enhance a user’s experience. A user will be able to identify your brand better if you have a distinctive design that is not only aesthetically pleasing but also practical. The visual elements include fonts, colours, symbols, images and much more. As a UI design professional, your job is to ensure that the design goes in hand with the function of the app or the website.
Interaction
As a UI design professional, you must remember that your users might not have the same knowledge as you. The users will interact very differently with the website or the app that you are providing. So you must make sure that your content is as interactive with the user as possible. They must not feel that they have to work too hard to access the services being provided.
You not only have to encourage more engagement with the interactive design and make the steps clear. But also fix the problem if occurs.
Information
Your website or the app is probably the first thing that your users are going to look forward to. So when they are at it, they must know every step that they need to follow to complete the task. And to make it easy for them, you must label, structure and organize your website or the app in such a way that is sustainable and error-free.
How To Make A Good UI Design?
When you are sitting down to research the design that you should approach, it’s best to have the right UI designer qualifications. While there are many UI design tutorial videos available on the internet. But that would be a hard nut to crack because there are certain intricacies that are involved in getting the perfect design.
You can take as much UI design inspiration from the tutorials as possible. But the right way to become a designer is to take a UI design course that will help you build your foundation in the field. It will help you understand the various elements and the tips and tricks for getting the right UI design.
To start, there are certain tips that you can learn before you get your hands on UI design. They are as follows:
Keep It Simple
When you are making a UI design for your website, keep the design simple. If you look across various other websites for UI design examples, you’ll understand that the content and the symbols used to represent functions are very simple.
Keeping your UI Design simple will make it easier for non-technical users to understand the function. This will further enhance their experience with your content.
Stay Consistent
With the trends changing so quickly, you must stay consistent. Keep upgrading your content because your audience will eventually get bored and will look for uniqueness. At the same time, you must not complicate your design. Keep it comfortable.
Draw Attention
Anything unique that your website provides, will likely draw attention to the content. But you must not forget the important parts. Your uniqueness for your website should lead attention to the main purpose that a user is expected to fulfil.
Smart Colouring
Colours affect the mood of the user. The colour you choose and the way you show it on your website will speak volumes for your brand.
Conclusion
In the end, it’s important to remember that UI design is all about the way you represent your brand or the website. The easier it is to interact and understand the functions, the more engaging the website will be.