The user interface (UI) is the connection between the person and the device. It’s number one job is to prioritize the user’s experience. The user interface design focuses on visual experience. It should be reliable, functional, pleasant to use and reduce the effort required to interact with the product, so users can easily accomplish their goals.
What Are the Necessary Components of User Interface Design?
The UI should anticipate what the user needs. To achieve this, the main components are interaction design, information architecture, and visual design.
Interaction design requires you to understand how the user interacts with the technology. Knowing this you can anticipate usage, fix problems, and create new ways of interaction. Some, but not all, of the best practices for IU design are:
- Appearance, including shape, color, and size
- Advanced information about the outcome of an action
- Error messages that help users correct the problem
The best elements of UI visual design are:
- Lines to define shapes and make divisions
- Shapes are self-contained areas
- The texture is usually created by a pattern
- The color palette is an important factor because color can have a powerful impact on users
- Typography and font
- Form or 3D objects created with color, textures, and tones
The best elements of information architecture are:
- How to structure and categorize information
- Label systems for presenting information
- Navigation systems
- Search systems
How to Properly Build Out Your User Interface Design?
While it is fine to be innovative in your web design and think of new features, some UI design elements are tried and true. Users are used to looking for the menu on the left side of the page and a question mark always means help. Here are some tips for building a website with good UI.
- Make sure everything the user needs is easily accessible. This includes design tools for web design apps, a spreadsheet, and inventory for a character in a game or anything else. If the user can’t find it, they will leave your site. Toolbars and tabs are used for this. This also means help options should be on every page.
- Consistency means terminology, prompts, fonts, and menus should be the same on every page.
- Provide feedback so users know they have clicked a button or that a site is downloading. You can even have a popup that tells the user when a download or checkout is finished.
- Pick one movement for navigating the website for every type of interaction.
- Use the standard, recognizable symbols such as a question mark for help and the three bars for the menu.
- Make sure the most important information is at the top of the website. Also, make use of white spaces to help avoid clutter.
- Keep any forms or checkout procedures simple and obvious. Make sure there is a cancel button on each page and a redo or undo button for filling out forms.
Benefits of UI design
Following the best UI practices will give users a good experience with your website and help them achieve efficiency, task completion, and satisfaction. These elements have developed over decades and may vary a bit for different user interface design applications but are basically the same for all.
