Ok, so we’ve all been there. You tell a compu-gentile what you do and they say something like “Oh, wow, web development that must be fun. Web designers are so cool.” NO! You have to clarify, “I am not a designer, sorry. I do the backend stuff. I’m not good at making things look nice. I have people that do those things for me.” There is a certain stigma that is attached to “softer science” of interface design. Kind of like “NO, I’m the architect, not the decorator. “ However, this is an important facet in any developer’s knowledge base. Like hardware setup, and server installs. Not technically part of the gig, but it makes you a more resourceful, and valuable asset.
“Awesome. So the girl starts out by attacking UI design. Softball.” Hey, give me a minute. This is something that I have recently become quite passionate about. I’m really trying to change some minds out there when it comes to friendly, intuitive design. (No, this has nothing to do with a boy.) Plus, I will be re-designing the front end of Project:Awesome within the next few months so this is something that has been brewing.
So how do I personally go about designing a new interface?
1. Steal other people’s sh*t. Seriously, not kidding right now. If you’re a developer designing a front end you are most likely in a small organization. You don’t have the money for focus groups and research teams. This type of thing is important though. Remember, the most important thing in web design, you want to make a site that people want to be at. There are an unlimited number of websites out there. Unlike physical business people aren’t limited by location. If you think you have something unique you don’t. If you do it won’t be for long. So, first, go take a look at some sites that are in the same genre as yours and get some ideas. I’m not saying steal their style, I’m saying glean some knowledge from the buku bucks they are spending.
2. What do you hate? Ok, so we all have our pet peeves when it comes to websites. Por exemplo: I hate when a site has huge ads all over the place. In the middle of articles, monster quarter page flashy “SOMEONE HAS A CRUSH ON YOU CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT WHO” “KILL THE SPIDER TO SAVE 234098723 DOLLARS A YEAR ON YOUR CAR INSURANCE FREE MORTGAGE WITH PURCHASE” I know that ads are a large portion of the revenue for many sites, but there is a way to make it tasteful. Yes a 400x500 px monstrosity will get you the big bucks, but how much traffic will you lose? Facebook manages ad placement perfectly. Trust in your instincts. Also, ask other people what they dislike about the web.
3. What do you like? I like AJAXy looking JS submenus. They save you page space and look snazzy. I like lots of information in a little area. The fact that I am logged in, that I have 54709 new messages, that I have a new comment… all in the same place. These are things that I will remember when doing my redesign.
4. Web Fashion No joke this past Saturday I went to a makeup event and the one girl said “Looks from the 40s are really in this season.” HELLO??? That’s so Winter ’07. No, but seriously, like clothing the web has a fashion as well. Right now if you take a look around you will find very dual-chromatic themes. Meaning one, maybe two colors on white. Simple ROYBGIVs. Reds, blues, very big. Simplicity is key. I see rounded edges on pages and components. Square corners on menus.
5. Find the least intar-friendly person you know and ask them if it makes sense to them.One of the best developers I’ve ever had the privilege of working with sent me this article: http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/fog0000000249.html (It’s a tie btw him and this guy, really can’t call it). It’s an older article but the wisdom is timeless. One of the most important pieces of wisdom I garnered from that is make sure it makes sense to the people that are the least comfortable with the web. I use my mom, but she’s getting better at the whole web thing so I could use a new candidate.
These are my 5 steps to simple and effective web design. Remember, its nothing to be afraid of. It doesn’t make you less technical to be a good designer. That’s an antiquated notion along the lines of HD DVD and two way pagers. Learn it!
USELESS WITHOUT PICS.
ReplyDeleteOh..and I agree w/everyguywhoreadsthis!
ReplyDeleteI cannot justify theft of other peoples work, if you haven't got the funds for design you should employ a freelancer and charge that to the Client. Theft violates copyright most of the time.
ReplyDeleteYou probably already know this - but UI design is alot like Religion. People will fight to the death over layout, choice of widgets, etc - and there is no one true answer.
ReplyDeleteI've run into the Less is more camp and they can be just as annoying as the every bell and whistle camp.
Also, technology does matter as you move across mediums. Take WAP pages for example. Frames are a no-no, and JS doesn't work so well either. So it depends on the audience you are trying to capture (or in your case, inspire!)
Anyways, very cool idea with this site. Good luck!
Not true, you made great cookies at GG!
ReplyDeleteI would argue that the interface design-- specifically, the flow of how information is gathered from the user, and how it is presented-- is NOT the domain of the web designer; the web designer knows how to make stuff pretty. [S]he is not necessarily well versed in Computer Human Interfacing, nor is s[he] canonically familiar with the back-end enough to know what information is needed in the first place and how the questions should best be posed (is it best as a free-form field, can it be reduced to discrete choices, etc).
ReplyDeleteThis is the domain of a software engineer who happens to specialize in (or understand) user interface design. Protip: Many engineers think they do, and are dreadfully wrong; they create UIs that reflect how the software internals think, not how the human user thinks.
Anyway, what I'm saying is that UI design is more the engineer's territory, but not every engineer has the chops for it... and that it is distinct from the SITE design (look and feel, layout, colors, etc) that you typically think of as the graphic designer's territory.
thanks for this nice info, it's so useful for me.
ReplyDeleteAgree with EveryGuyWhoReadsTHis - without pictures it's not so understandable. Sorry
ReplyDelete