The Art and Science of a UI/UX Design

UI UX design has made our lives easier. It offers us the solutions we are looking for when it comes to delivering the right design alternatives. Web or app designs have the power to pass the appropriate message to our users, helping us offer the answers to the questions our users might be having. A good design takes care of its users' needs and delivers the right experience combining both art and science. UX Design is all about making sure that when someone uses our products, apps, services, and so on – not only do they enjoy using them, but it’s easy to use them. 

Although the term “user experience” might be a new concept for most of us, it was actually introduced back in 1995 by Don Norman, a designer and cognitive scientist. In fact, he was an innovator, becoming the first person to hold the "UX" job title when he joined Apple. 

“I invented the term because I thought human interface and usability was too narrow: I wanted to cover all aspects of the person’s experience with an Industrial design, graphics, the interface, physical interaction, and the manual are all part of the system,” said Don Norman. 

When thinking about UX design, the first answer should be what it stands for – User Experience. And as the name implies, it represents the experience our users have when interacting with us. UX design is all about making sure that when someone uses our products, apps, services, and so on – not only do they like what they are seeing – the visuals – but it’s also fun and easy for them to understand how to use it. 

UX design is also about mastering the art of understanding the needs of our audience. User experience represents the relationship between our users and our products. Can they use it easily and efficiently? Do they feel excited when using it? Well, yes, they should. But maybe there were times when you did not understand where to find a specific section on a website. That’s not your fault – not you as a user, at least. 

For example: Let’s say you’re shopping online for clothes. How easy is it to find that blue T-shirt you really want? Does the checkout process give you a headache? Or is it straightforward? All of these represent the user experience. 

The purpose of a UX designer lies in the development of creating easy, efficient, fun, and logical flows. All of these are in order to leave a positive impression when it comes to functionality so that our users can complete the entire customer purchasing cycle. But in order to achieve all these, we must also understand what our customers want. Their wishes. Their wants. And most importantly – their pain points with their current products. 

UI design (user interface design) represents the visuals – how a product looks. It creates an immediate impact, and it is the first impression we make when we interact with a product. Adobe even said that 38% of users lose interest in an app or website if it lacks engagement or simply if it looks bad – that’s how important it is. 

A user interface is what we see and interact with when using a digital product. It’s the touchscreen of your phone or computer. Or even your car’s touchpad to adjust the temperature or change the song on shuffle. A UI design is all about creating a pretty and interactive platform while also making sure that the product is as intuitive and visually appealing as possible. 

That’s why UI design is the art of choosing the fitting color palette that makes our brand stand out, the right font, the perfect placement of elements, the cool animations, and the aesthetically pleasing images. Not only will a UI designer think about how every button and every icon fits together, but he will also think about how everything fits with our brand and our industry. In my book, UI designers are the true artists in the product design process. 

The Art & Science of UI/UX Design, a book written by Anthony Conta discusses how we should understand the user’s needs in order to create a clear and simple design. The art of a  good UI UX design also requires consistency. With consistency, we can create a deductible experience that sustains a seamless experience across all screens and devices. A visually appealing interface can attract users, yet if the user experience is not the expected one they will leave as fast as they came.

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Typography.

The book talks about the power of typography and readability in UI/UX design. Line–height matters. When creating a project manually selecting and changing the line height, even with only a pixel value can get annoying really fast. But, the nightmare was put to an end by the latest update that Figma has made. We now have the ability to set the percentage of our line height and be sure we have the perfect design.

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Functionality.

Functionality will always come above all in a UX UI design, and I am certain we can all agree that there are some key moments in a user’s experience when we should keep this advice in mind. Think about when planning a vacation –  where you are going to stay is a big part of the project. But, online booking sites already know this. So, they design checkout sections where the values and the dates are upfront. 

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Scale.

‍And let’s not forget about the power of scaling. With the right scaling, you can create a hierarchy in your design. Meaning that not all elements and components from your design should carry the same size. With elements that are different sizes, you can create a visual hierarchy and guide your user through the design. A flawless design triggers a good user experience which is what every UI UX designer or graphic designer needs. 

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Accessibility.

‍Another topic that is mentioned in the book is the importance of an accessible design. Accessibility is the key to the gate that anyone desires. Is what makes a user experience good and what we all should think about in the design process. After all, we are creating interfaces for humans, not for unknown creatures. UI UX design should be accessible to anyone, it should follow familiar criteria and should also be inclusive to everyone’s needs. 

In the UX design world, accessibility makes sure we design web pages and apps that give our users the ability to navigate them smoothly. At the same time, web and app design can spark joy and deliver the necessary information without using a secret password. We need to do our research, understand our audience, and respond to their needs 

We at uinkits understand the importance of inputs in great user experiences and creating amazing UI designs. That’s why we’ve developed a Figma UI Kit with design components that include these essential UI elements that enable you to design intuitive and user-friendly interfaces effortlessly.  

“You press the button, we do the rest,” – Kodak.

Inspired by this iconic tagline from Kodak, we believe in simplifying the design process for you. Our Figma UI Kit, uinkits, is a complete design system with UI components that allows you, as a UI UX designer, to create your products as quickly as pressing a button.

Our design system includes components, icons, variables, cards, buttons, and everything you need for your design process. All you have to do is take your UI design component needed, and you’re ready to use it in your designs!