7 Guidelines on User Interface Design on Websites

If you are a web designer, most likely you are also a user interface designer. This is applicable whether you are a graphic designer, freelance web designer or full time web designer. Web pages these days are very easy to navigate but with new technology, web designers need to create a more dynamic and customized web experience.

User Interface Design focuses on the user or customer’s experience with the product. It’s goal should be making the user’s interaction as easy, simple and efficient as possible.

There are 7 things that you need to remember about designing a user interface website.

1.       Everything should be clear – Every user will avoid or gear away from elements or icons they don’t know. It is human nature that people will ignore things they are not familiar with. When designing a website, stay away from things that will make people ask what that thing does or people will most likely ignore because no one will bother finding out.

2.       Preferred action – Each user would feelcomfortable if they know and understand what to do next in a certain website. Everything should be clear and the next step that the user is supposed to do next should be obvious. The website will be a flop or will receive assistance requests if the users are not familiar with how to navigate the page.

3.       Context – Users expect to see elements or icons that they use close to each other. If not close, then, they should be somewhere visible on the page.

4.       Default settings – Default settings can be and will be very powerful.  All default values of the website you are designing should be as useful and practical as possible. Most people don’t change the default settings of their phone, TV even their fridge.

5.       Guide for the action – Users don’t usually do something unless they are asked to. If you designed a pop-up question every now and then, then that’s the only time the user will follow your instruction or answer your question. If you want the users to do something, then ask them to do it.

6.       Feedback – Users want to be in control of the page they are navigating. Create elements that will make users in control and in return they will use the product or program again.

7.       Ease – Make your website less complicated and more engaging. Show the users the step by step process of whatever it is that you would want them to do in your website. Remember that users hate boring, hard and overwhelming things in a website.

Website Design Image Trends To Look Out For

As a web designer, choosing pictures for your website can be difficult, since there’s a lot to choose from. You can’t just pick what you fancy, right? Therefore you have to be strategic because everything that you decide to put on your website will determine its value. Having said that, here are some trends that may help you decide.

Monochromatic Visuals

If you don’t want your website to look over the top, then as a web designer, the clean and smooth look of monochromatic visuals may fly for you. It’s also a good way to lead your site visitors to your website’s content hierarchy since the photos are inviting yet not too flashy to the point that it distracts them altogether. This trend, contrary to other’s beliefs, isn’t restricted in black and white combination alone. This simply focus on a specific colors instead of rich combinations, so other shades and colors are fine.

Clever Infographics

They say that a single photo speaks a thousand words. Therefore what better way to please the eyes of visitor and convey a message to them than clever infographics?  Besides, people are more likely to be hooked with infographics than a block of texts. Plus, it’s strategic because it combines the power of both visual and textual information.

Hero Images

Though the reason for the term can’t be explained yet. You may look at it as large image the stands alone to represent the website and strive for its victory. Sounds like a hero right? So, instead of trying to jam sliders and text in one page that may or may not point to the sites objective, why not use hero image that do that with much less noise.

Real Images

Stock images may look good, but not when you’re trying to relate to your target market. If you want to gain trust from users and create sense of familiarity with them, you’re better off with real images. Why? Because they’re more believable than those pretty stock models.

Photo Manipulation

Now, don’t be worried about real images look a little too dull. Because you can tweak them a little bit to achieve your desired effect. Dream-like, blurry, vintage-style versions of real photos can now be done using filters andeffects. 

Vector Graphics

The difference of vector graphics to regular images is that the first are based on strokes while the latter are based on pixels. Now you’re wondering the advantage of vector graphics? Well, as a graphic designer who wants distinct visuals, better image quality and faster loading website, then vector graphics is your new best friend. Aside from that, it also works especially well for background images, header and footer.

Web designing is definitely no joke. You have to pay attention to the most intricate detail while trying to ace the bigger picture. But for a web designer who is passionate about what he does, it’ll help to try to see them as little bumps on the road to success. Besides, there are always some tips like these that will help you along the way. 

The Anatomy of a Web Designer

Based on a survey of 500 web designers, this presentation shows the attitudes towards the web design industry on a wonderful medical journal themed design. Find out about web designers attitudes towards money, the future of web design and competition speculative work with our "anatomy of a web designer"

10 Inspiring Ecommerce Website Designs

The most dominant sense that people rely to and value would be their sense of sight. We are 90% visual beings wherein what we see affects what we do, what we feel, and what we are.

This is the reason why an ecommerce website designer takes designing seriously. Because they know that if the website don’t appeal to visitors within seconds of seeing it then the chances of those visitors buying or availing anything from the site would be very slim.

Though first impression are often wrong, still, it last. Hence, as a general rule, the design has to be visually appealing.

Aspiring ecommerce website designers just have to fully understand and appreciate the wonders of typography, creative navigation options and other aspect, and learn how to combine all of those. When they do, they’ll be able to creative a website that will attract clients and make them stay through the sites personality.

Here are some of the website that may inspire all the designer-minds out there:

1.    Tierra POD

2.    Redmart

3.    Skinny Ties

4.    Satchel Page

5.    Everlane

6.    Bold and Noble

7.    Stacy Adams

8.    Qrowdr

9.    Freepeople

10. Faucet Face

Since the purpose of an ecommerce website is to lure people into buying whatever the site is offering, it is but reasonable to make sure that the site alone is attractive enough. If a designer can’t do that, there’s no telling that the site will prosper.

Why Good Website Design is So Important

So, what are the right choices? We gathered the data to answer that question in this easy-to-follow Presentation. Learn which parts of your website design impact users the most so you can properly plan, prioritize, and optimize your site.

~ http://yugenelee.com/

UX Designer: How To Spot The Right One

Due to websites that are becoming a household name because of good UX design , businessmen trying to penetrate online market require a designer to have this in his skillset .

As result, knowing this, those that are eager to have a job immediately claims to be experts even though they’re not.

Now the problem is, as a businessman who wants a real expert ecommerce website designers in his company, how can you tell whether the guy that you're hiring is indeed an expert?

There’s only one way to find out, pay attention if the designer you’re dealing with right now possess the following qualities.

Has The Background

This doesn’t only mean educational background or experience in the field. This is also to emphasize that a designer claiming to be expert on UX has to have a good grasp of the target users’ way of thinking. In short, having a background on cognitive psychology is a really huge plus point on the designer’s side.

Insists On Site Observation

You want a web designer who really knows how to make a design work? Go for the guy who doesn’t drill holes on his chair in front of the computer. The designer who goes out in the field where actual users are and derive his designs from how he sees fit for them is a catch.

Creates Solution For An Existing Problem

Most companies try to come up with gimmicks which they assume will lure in clients. What they don’t realize is that there are existing problems that if solved will make users more than happy.

Knowing that, make sure that the designer you’re talking to knows how to do task analysis, make a strategy out of it and derive a design from those in order to make a solution for the current problem that is troubling the users.

Can Improve The System

Just because there’s an existing system that is being followed doesn’t mean it is absolute. This is why after task analysis the designer should think critically enough to refine those tasks and produce a more efficient flow. Doing this makes a designer produce a better design that can really benefit the users.

Comes Up With User-Centered Designs

Real expert UX designers have a better understanding of your target market. That’s not all, their designs should also revolve around consumers’ needs that they expect to be provided and even the information that will greatly help them but don’t realize it.

Makes Users Happy

A lot of designers will tell you that their ultimate goal is to make your potential clients happy. Because if they’re happy then you’ll be too right? Before you start forming your “You’re hired!” speech think again. Unless that person isn’t elaborating that into how he can do it with what resources and method then he’s probably all talk with no result.

Walk-Through

You know that UX isn’t the only part of a design right? The other side of the coin is the UI or user interface; if your guy can walk you through UI analysis then you have a higher chance that you just found the right person for the job.

He asks question that will identify more strategic issues such as interruptive flow, cognitive loading, and required knowledge. He can also spot your design’s limitations and different approaches that may either work or not for both the users and your domain.

Data-Driven Design

There are certain designs that are really widely utilized due to their popularity. However, an expert UX designers don’t just copy them, he takes data, learns the pros and cons of those designs and makes a design that fits the domain purpose and target market’s needs.

Different Angle

Speaking of data driven designs, just because he has gathered data about designs doesn’t mean he blindly relies on them. True experts always have their own angle or their own take on the information, resources and situation in hand.