Top UI UX Design Inspiration 136
By: They Make Design
Tags: Inspiration, Art, Design, Technology, Visual Design

Tips from They Make Design

1. Create a great product.

Start with the product, not the UI.

User Interface is a very important aspect of the product that can have a huge impact on your users experience. Things like the array of features, the performance, the responsiveness of your app, the ease-of-use of your app, the reliability of your app and the quality of your product can all be put to the test with the introduction of a bad user interface.

The very moment you start to think of a new project do not begin by thinking about your user interface first. Instead think about your product first and start with what you want to achieve and the value your product will bring to your users.

Good UI/UX begins with a good product.

The best platform, which is the most popular because of the product itself, has the best user experience.

2. Do not overload the users with information

It’s not the 80/20 rule to the 60/20 rule

The concept behind the 80/20 rule is based on the idea that 20% of the work will give you 80% of the outcome. It’s a very good rule and it holds a lot of truth. However, the problem comes when people think it will be 80% of the work and 20% of the outcome or 20% of the work and 80% of the outcome.

It’s quite the opposite.

Break it down to 60/20 rule:

20% of the information will give you 80% of the outcome. 20% of work will give you 80% of the outcome.

The user wants to be in control constantly. You should only give the user the information they need, and provide them with tools to make decisions for themselves rather than make decisions for them.

3. Make the user feel in control

Control is a very important aspect to a great user experience design. The power of control gives people the ability to make decisions, enables people to be independent and you should sympathise with your users while providing them all the necessary tools to control the app.

A large part of control is based on the ability to customize. If you can allow them to customize and personalize your app, your app is bound to appeal more to your users. The ability to add a user icon of your own personal brand is one example of this.

Using your app should feel like driving a car. You always have the full power and control of the system. It feels safe and you are comfortable that you know how everything works.

4. Consistency is key

Everything should look the same and they should function the same. When you are designing your interface you must give a lot of thought to the consistency and the common themes. No matter what you do, it should be consistent. Colour schemes, tone of voice, design patterns: all these things should be consistent.

5. Consistent means being consistent despite the environment

Many application reacts and behaves a certain way, just because you are using the application on a smartphone, tablet, notebook or desktop. Everything should be consistent and you should design in such a way that everything functions in the same way.

The music player should always have the same functions in all environments (and things like that)

6. Handle errors gracefully

Users absolutely hate it when your interface displays an error message. It’s very frustrating and will cause them to give up on your app. Always try to be considerate and give the user the error message in a pleasant way. People will disregard the error screen and try to fix the error themselves, however, if your interface is extremely good, the error should be easy to fix and the error message should take you directly to the error.

7. Always show the actions at the bottom of the screen where the users are looking

If you have a select box, you can show the options at the top of the screen but you should display the result or the selected action at the bottom of the screen where the users gaze is.

8. Set up templates for common, repetitive functions

When you build your application you should create different pages for the actions that are involved in your application. For example, I might have a page for what the users can do with specific products and another for different actions against the products.

This might be a call to the bank, a search for credit cards, information about the accounts, to submit a form online.

If you do this by using templates, you make your life a lot easier for the future. I can continue to add new features to my pages and I only need to build the pages once for the new feature.

9. Design your application so it’s easy to use.

This includes the way you handle errors. Your application should be friendly and should be a joy to use. People should never be anno