Essential Principles of User Interface (UI) Design
UI which stands for user interface is the point of contact between humans and computers. Any technology you interact with as a user is part of the user interface. For example, screens, sounds, images, shapes, colors, overall style, and responsiveness are all elements of UI.
Below are four components of a user interface:
Navigational elements:
Navigational elements help users navigate an interface. Examples of navigational elements in UI include slide bars, search fields, and back arrows.
Input controls:
On-page elements that enable users to input information are input controls. Buttons, checkboxes, and text fields are all examples of input controls.
Informational components:
Informational components are used to communicate information to the user. A progress bar beneath a video or tutorial is an example of an informational component.
Containers:
Containers organize content into easily digestible sections. Rather than listing every subheading underneath a tab, a container element like an accordion menu may be used to hide or show content.
Essential Principles of UI Design
An easy way to recall the essential principles of UI design is to learn the following principles:
Control:
The users should be in control of the interface.
Consistency:
Use common elements to make your UI predictable and easy to navigate, even for novice users.
Comfortability:
Interacting with a product should be an effortless, comfortable experience.
Cognitive load:
It’s critical to be mindful of bombarding users with content. Be as clear and concise as possible.
Simplicity:
The UI should be simple and elegant. Avoid complexity but should be very straightforward, easy to understand, and easy to use.
Familiarity:
Build into the interface concepts, terminology, workflows, and spatial arrangements already familiar to the user.
Clarity:
Provide your content with clarity. Make sure there’s no obstacle or anything confusing users, ensuring that clickable elements stand out in some way.
Accessibility:
You need to take into account accessibility issues, ensuring that people with impaired vision or other disabilities can access and use the product.
Flexibility:
Create a User Interface that will work and look great across multiple platforms.
Hierarchy:
This is an important UI design principle as it shapes how the user navigates a product and how easy or complicated the process is. It is important to know where to put what and how.
Error prevention:
Make the UI as easy to use as possible by preventing serious user errors. Users do not like being called upon to detect and remedy errors that should be prevented.
Feedback:
The user should be provided with feedback for every action. Feedback must be immediate and informative. This keeps the user informed and helps them to know whether some action was successful or not.
Great UI goes unnoticed, in that users can navigate a site or app and find what they’re looking for, without encountering challenges or getting confused by the elements of the page.
Simplicity, familiarity, and consistency are a few of the most important principles for a UI designer to keep in mind. Do you have any other recommendations? Please comment and share.
