Key Principles of Compelling User Interface Design
Feb 22, 2022
With the rapid adoption of digital channels across industries, an appealing user interface (UI) design has become a crucial component for businesses to deliver outstanding first impression at every digital touchpoint. UI is the process designers use to build interfaces in software or computerised devices, focusing on looks or style i. Great UI design can draw customers’ attention, enhance engagement and increase brand loyalty.
The success of any custom-built website or mobile application is determined by the user experience and user interface which ensure that the website is interactive, fully responsive, and interoperable with all devices, platforms and touchpoints. Check out the key principles of user interface design that improve digital experiences while keeping usability at the forefront.
Content Design and UI Mapping
It’s important to incorporate content strategy when building out your system navigation. Wireframes are essential tools to layout content and functionality on a page which takes into account user needs and user journeys.
More images and symbolic icons should be adopted to simplify the instructions and indicate clearly the next steps, facilitating users to access designated web pages efficiently. For instance, use a magnifying glass to represent the search function or a ringing bell to represent notifications.
Maintain Consistency
UI designers need to make sure every element composing the user interface is uniform and coherently behaving to deliver a constant user experience, including colour scheme, typography, menu hierarchy, call-to-actions, and process flows to improve usability.
A consistent interface design is predictable, intuitive and aesthetically enjoyable for the user to navigate. This explains why companies often place their logos at the top left of their website and main menu atop the web page.
Enhance Accessibility
Accessibility in design allows users of diverse abilities to navigate, understand, and use your UI successfully. We should address different needs and requirements of users, such as those who are visually impaired or colourblind.
Accessible UI designs provide sufficient contrast between foreground and background, make use of sharp colour to differentiate important functions, and ensure that interactive elements are easy to identify. Ultimately, accessibility in design enables users to clearly see how and where they can achieve their goal.
Provide Appropriate Response
UI design should determine the frequency of user interaction to provide appropriate system reaction. Good UI design provides visible system response and indicates a user action has been acknowledged. A system with feedback for every action helps users achieve their goals without friction.
Visual and aural feedbacks for simple actions like clicks and scrolls, and substantial shifts including page change and alert windows, indicate seamless responses making the system more intuitive to use.
Prevent Errors
Any possible glitches along the user journey should be considered and prevented. The system should be tested repeatedly before launch and equipped with measures to prevent human errors. When errors occur, offer an accurate error feedback message and respective suggestions in resolving those errors.
The system should encourage users to double-check and provide a warning or a prompt before mistakes are made. Error messages should almost always be expressed in plain language to ensure nothing gets lost in translation.
Research study indicated that the look and feel of the website or mobile application was the main driver of first impressions. Visual appeal matters, great UI design gets people to trust your website and to stick around. Reach out to Regen8 team to learn more about how human-centred UI/UX design can differentiate your digital channels.
i https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/ui-design
