User Interface Design

User Interface Design

User interface design (a.k.a UI design) is an essential process when designing applications for mobile, desktop, and web. When a UI designer begins designing a user interface he almost always start doing at least 10 quick sketches of where and what elements should be visible to the user.














Through this process he is able to discover what looks good and what should not be there. Ideally is interface would require no learning time and be very minimalist to stay out of the user's way and provide the content. This of course is next to impossible. So the designer will host usability testing by inviting people to use the interface while performing different tasks. While the testers are doing their assigned tasks, the designer observes how long it takes them and where the

testers seem to struggle.

User interfaces often have different ways for the user to interact with them whether it be clicking, touching, or gesturing. It is important when designing an user interface to find what the is most enjoyable way to interact. This often is determined by the device. If you would like to learn more, a great website for many forms of design and user interface design is http://uxdesign.smashingmagazine.com/.


Next time I will post on User Experience Design and how it affects where elements are placed on websites and how people learn and use products through design patterns.