If you are getting your business up and running in 2022 with a new website, smartphone app, or bespoke software, the interface design is going to be of huge importance when it comes to achieving success and meeting all of your objectives in terms of effectiveness, enjoyability, and ease of use.
If you want to make certain that users adore the new product you are creating, mastering UI design is a must, which is why we have put this guide together for you.
What is UI design?
User interface (UI) design is about creating interfaces that concentrate on style, interactivity, and addressing any issues your business customers have throughout their journey. The aim here is to create an interface that is enjoyable to both use and look at.
Some UI design tips you won’t want to miss for your project
Creating a user interface that is stylish, usable, and efficient requires constant work and dedication. You will need to make some revisions along the way.
You will want to constantly look for ways to enhance your offering, whether this is to add chat to website interfaces or to make Call To Actions more prominent.
With that being said, here are some tips to help you when it comes to creating an excellent UI design that really works:
Create a hierarchy of text styles
The first piece of advice that we have for you is to generate a hierarchy of text styles so that your project has a style sequence. To achieve this, you need to generate a style hierarchy that you can use throughout all of your projects. Start with the biggest text style, and then make your way down to the smallest.
For example, a basic hierarchy is usually going to start with H1, and then H2, and then H3 – for your headers, of course.
Southeast Asia’s digital economy is driving payment evolution
People often have a tendency to skim the content they read, and this is why we would advise making the most of eyebrow text above your chief headline. Tags are also critical.
You should use a different style of text to highlight links to ensure that the reader can locate them with much greater ease.
Accessibility should always be a priority when designing the UI
You need to carefully think about how people can use your products without there being any sort of obstacles in the way. For example, one of the most common mistakes that we see people make when it comes to UI design is that there is not much of a contrast between the colours used for the text and the background.
It is vital that you remember that both contrast and colour are key factors to consider when you design for accessibility. All of your users, incorporating any of those with colour vision deficiencies, need to be able to view and use your product easily.
There are plenty of excellent tools on the market that can assist with this, so we recommend that you make the most of them! You can use colour contrast checkers to make sure that the ratio is optimised for your website.
Always go for consistent iconography
Moving onto the next point, icons are an important part of UI design, and it is likely that you will get yours from the web. No matter how you source your icons, consistency is everything, so do keep this in mind.
Needless to say, consistency is a quality that you should be aiming to accomplish throughout all of the design of your user interface. Nevertheless, we do see a lot of inconsistency when it comes to icons, including those with a bold outline and those without, as well as different widths being used.
If you are utilising icons that you have taken from various sets, you should customise them if you are able to. Excellent attention to detail is needed to make sure that all of your icons are unified and look great together.
You need to ensure that all of the thickness lines of your icons are identical. This is one of the most common mistakes we see in terms of the consistency of icons.
Carefully think about the platform you are creating
It is vital that you know the specifics of the platform that you are designing for. The two main operating systems are Android and iOS, and they both have different design specifics.
To enable you to better understand this, let’s give you a few examples of the differences so you can see what we mean.
Take system fonts, for example; iOS uses SF Pro Text and SF Pro Display, whereas Android uses Roboto.
Another example is the clickable area for icons on these operating systems. Android provides 48 x 48 px. On the other hand, iOS provides a smaller range of 44 x 44 px
Therefore, it is critical to make sure that you consider the design specifics for the operating system in question so you can make sure your interface works effectively. Testing is critical here.
Check out the different native platform elements that are available
When you are designing an interface for a mobile device, it is always a wise idea to check out the native platform elements that are provided by iOS and Android.
Many young developers and designers become focused on generating elements that are way too complicated, including their own non-native elements. However, this can often be unnecessary and end up making the project too complex. Yes, there are going to be times whereby this is needed but you should only revert to this when it is required, otherwise you will end up wasting too much time and too many resources.
It always makes sense to find out what native platform elements are available before you consider making your own. Yes, it is likely that some non-native elements are going to be needed, as this is critical in ensuring your interface does not come across as monotonous. Nevertheless, this does not mean you cannot use native elements, or that you should not!
Make sure that your user interface is responsive
Aside from the tips that we have mentioned so far, it is important to make sure that your user interface design is responsive, which essentially means that the design looks great and works perfectly irrespective of the size of the device. The importance of this cannot be ignored when you consider how many people access the Internet using their mobile phones today. With most people using their mobile phones to access the Internet, it is imperative that you make sure that your product is designed so that it is easy and effective to use on a smaller device. It can be incredibly frustrating if you are trying to view an app or a website and you have to scroll continuously or you struggle to click on the icons on a smaller device.
Not only is this imperative from a design perspective but it is also important in terms of SEO as well. After all, it has been a few years since Google announced that it would be ranking websites based on their mobile website. Therefore, you need to make sure that your site works effectively, is optimised for mobile use, and is designed with this in mind.
Hire a professional UI designer if you are struggling to achieve the tips and goals mentioned above
If you are struggling to create a winning UI, the best thing to do is get in touch with an experienced UI designer who can assist you in this regard. After all, there are professionals out there that have undergone many years of training and know exactly what is required to create a user interface that really works. It may cost you some money, to begin with, but the ROI you should experience as a consequence should make it more than worth it and much better value in the long run.
However, you do need to take the time to choose a UI designer with a lot of care and consideration. Make sure you look for someone who has plenty of years of experience in the industry. You should also make the effort to read reviews that have been left by people who have used the designer before. One of the most important things to do, though, is to check out the person’s portfolio to see the work that they have done so far so you can be sure you are happy with the quality and creativity.
Smart Homes in Indonesia: Making homes of the future
Final words on user interface design
So there you have it: the complete guide to user interface design. We hope that this has helped you to get a better understanding of what is required when it comes to developing an incredible user interface for your product. After all, if the interface of your product is difficult to use or does not look stylish, it is going to result in people not using your product, and this is the last thing that anyone wants for their business!