Thinking about interfaces

I want to share some thoughts about the interfaces, sometimes turning into tips and comments. I note that quite often we meet with various online services, so when I say the interface - I mean not only the classic windows of desktop applications, but also the interfaces found on the web). I hope that this information will be useful for someone, and for the more experienced, just a convenient formulation of what they already know (which, by the way, as practice shows, is also very useful).

Just want to note that the design of interfaces has very little in common with graphic design and, especially, visual art. And knowledge of the theory of color, form and object is not enough here.


You need to start working on the interface at the design stage, or to be precise, at the “interaction design” stage, otherwise it will turn into screwing buttons and dies (previously, many designers hung their custom skins to all winamps in portfolios and called this interface design). In general, in this matter it is best to go precisely from the user and his needs, from his behavior. Abstracting from all that heap of functionality which we want to give it. It is necessary to imagine (and better to document, at least for internal use) what the main scenarios of his behavior will be, as well as where and what he wants to press (in principle, design issues are worthy of special mention).
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The visual interface is based on visual templates.
Looking at any interface, the user asks the questions - “What's so interesting?”, And almost immediately - “What is the connection between these objects?”. And yes - he should get answers to these questions almost immediately. The links between the elements should always be the same throughout the use of the interface (if all of our tooltips are closed with a cross, then you should not suddenly enter the “Close” button somewhere). The user very quickly gets used to a certain grouping of elements, how and where they act, and begins to apply this experience to all pages and screens of this interface.

Create a visual hierarchy
Users practically do not notice the high-quality visual hierarchy. ZATO, its absence is immediately apparent and confusing. Elements can have many properties, the change of which allows them to be selected, to establish a connection (color, saturation, contrast, size and position). However, it is best to use only one of them. Moreover, it is worth choosing a certain “base” and moving from it to a smaller side. Those. if we find that two elements of different importance compete for the user's attention, “screwing the fuse” on the less important would be a better solution than trying to “ignite” the more important (if all the words are in bold red font, does one of them stand out?).

Do not forget the logical route
The composition of all elements should not only follow the grid (alignment and the grid are generally one of the most important techniques in design), but also form an effective and logical route for the user through the interface. At the same time, it is necessary to remember that the view moves from top to bottom and from left to right (for Western languages). In this case, the technology of tracking eye movements is very helpful (for those to whom they are available, of course), although it is possible to catch completely obvious blunders by simply testing for a group of people.


Avoid visual "noise"
Visual noise in the interface arises due to excessive graphic elements that distract attention from elements directly related to the functionality. Optional decorative and unnecessarily “voluminous” elements, abuse of lines and other dividers between controls, inappropriate or excessively intensive use of color, texture and contrast - all this does not in the best way affect the interface.

In the end I will once again express my opinion on the subject of beauty and functionality. Designers are not artists. Artists create objects that evoke an “aesthetic response”, this is self-expression on a specific topic (although many modern “designers” strive to create something as incomprehensible and abstract as possible). Designers, on the contrary, create objects for other people. And if we talk about interface designers, then they should best convey information about how the program or service that they design works (rather than drawing, decorating, putting in order, etc.).
We also actively try to bring all these thoughts to clients in Aytronic, but so far with varying success. Unfortunately, many continue to judge the work of designers on the "number of paint poured on the screen," and not on the meaning and solved problems.