Design & Usability, Meet me at the Intersection
User Interface is the user’s first impression that defines if she wants to take the next step, the experience
I read once that artists make art to solve their problems while designers make designs to solve other’s problems.
As design tools become more accessible and easier to user, more people engage with it. The truth is that design is more complex than you think.
It isn’t about opening Photoshop and start drawing shapes and choosing colors.
There is an intricacy behind every design and principles you must follow to achieve the right result.
The following Principles need to be considered in design production:
- Size & Scale
- Color & Contrast
- Typographic Hierarchy
- Spacing
- Proximity
- Transparency & Depth
- Alignment
- Rule of Odds
- Repetition
- Lines
- Rule of thirds
- Perspective
Color Balance / Psychology
The psychology of color as it relates to persuasion is one of the most interesting – and most controversial – aspects of modern marketing.
As research shows, personal preference, experiences and cultural differences affect how we perceive color and how it affects us on a psychological – visceral even level.
Even linguistically, we use color to describe our emotional status, when we feel moody or melancholic, we say:
“I feel blue today”
Or when we’re jealous we describe our mood as “I’m green with envy”
Color, whether we like it or not, represents values and can stand for a wide range of emotions and principles, often principles beyond our control.
That’s why it is crucial to
- Know what you as a company want to stand for
- What reactions you want to elicit from your audience
Let’s suppose you own a medical center that needs a logo and a website. You have been thinking about colors to use for it.
You personally love red because of its passion and strength. But the truth is that you need to re-think the usage of such a bold color for a company in Medicine.
You need to think about your audience and their psychology.
Your audience, your patients will come to you to heal, to have a surgery, to recover, so it seems very likely for them to be stressed and anxious or even sad.
They want to be in an environment that inspires calmness, trust and composure.
So using red could be a big no for such a brand. Let’s not forget that red is the color of blood so they last thing you want is to discourage your patients from choosing you or making them freak out.
Yes (Font) Size Matters
Font size on your page can contribute to the user experience, especially if your visitor has to zoom in or out to read your content.
Most people sit about 50 – 60 cm from their computer screens and approx. 30 – 40 cm from their mobile screens. This is important to keep in mind when considering the best font size approach for your website.
Keep in mind that Sans Serif is better in digital forms and web reading while Serif is good for printed forms such as books and magazines. That’s because the style of Serif helps the eye to focus on the rows when reading
Power of simplicity
Flat design is having a moment in UX/UI but we’ve also seen it in major brand identity redesigns in the likes of AirBnB, PayPal and Google.
What makes flat design so hot right now is some unparalleled advantages it has:
Design, When Less Is Literally More
In the digital world, great user experience is key.
Minimal design concepts are based on the idea that anything that is ornamental is unnecessary and has to go.
If a design element doesn’t serve a purpose or has a function, the user will be at loss, frustrated or bored.
Ease of Use
Flat design due to its inherent simplicity is perceived as more trustworthy and easy to navigate.
Used in responsive web design, flat principles make for a fast-loading page and a smooth user experience, an attribute you want to strive for whether you’re selling luxury bags, grocery products or cars.
Clean design leads to Trust
Many clients and even agencies feel that the more complex a design the more trusted the company will be, or its audience impressed.
This is not the case though.
Users amidst the chaos and sheer volume of digital content they have to navigate through every day, are in need of clean, functional design.
It’s what helps the user associate the digital asset looked at with positive sentiments; quality, reliability and then extrapolate those to the company itself. But let’s be clear.
Clean doesn’t mean boring.
Clean doesn’t mean uninspired.
Clean doesn’t mean simplistic.
Clean is about finding the right balance between Design Principles and avoiding anything that doesn’t contribute to a purpose or user goal.
Navigation & Storytelling
Once you hooked your user with your sleek, functional design, the next bet is how you’re making them stay.
You can do this by making things interesting for them.
Tell a story that will be outstanding and impactful. A story that’s authentically you.
Create a smooth and convenient flow for the user to follow. Share a story with a beginning, middle and an end. Create images and feelings that will stay with your user long after they bounce from your site.
But again, design interferes, design has to be taken seriously.
Mind your user, respect them by making your paragraphs short, your images high quality and your CTAs easy to find and click/tap.
Photography VS Shapes
Depending on the industry, photography might be the win-or-fail of your digital presence. If you’re an architect office, you want your portfolio to communicate the range, quality and reliability of your work.
That’s why you should go with a professional photographer to help you capture the best possible presentation of your website.
When your company doesn’t deal with physical assets or products, (Us, anyone?) inadvertently shapes, animations and svg elements are your BFF.
Good design satisfies the user. Great design makes her come back (often with company)
Behind every clean-cut website there’s a lot of research, planning and production hours to create a fully functional, pleasing-to-look at and use website or app.
Design is not easy. It’s not about pleasing a company CEO, or an Art Director’s whims. It’s about respecting and serving your user.
At iTrust we love creating sleek ecommerce stores and brand websites that serve the user and support your business goals. Check out some of our works and get in touch!
