Inspiration is everywhere!
The truth is that we’re inspired by everything around us. The movies we watch, the songs we listen to, and even the social media posts that we see while scrolling through. As UI UX designers, we are continuously influenced by the work of other designers – whether it’s from simple icons or complex UI UX designs.
But even though we are creatives, there are days when our imagination seems to be at a standstill. Maybe we are tired. Maybe we have been working on the same project for a long time, and it feels like all the ideas have been exhausted. No matter the cause, experiencing a lack of inspiration is common for most of us – both UI designers and UX designers.
Unfortunately, for most of us, this only leads to anxiety that we can’t finish the project – not at the desired expectations, at least. And it’s normal! The role of a UI/UX designer is far from easy - we have to find the right balance between the visual aspect of a digital product and the user-centric experience it creates. But how can we do that if we just can’t find the right inspiration?
Naturally, we have to take many aspects into consideration during the design process. We also need some guidelines at the beginning of any project to know what exactly we want to achieve through it.
But don’t worry! The internet offers countless inspiration sources from which we can choose for our UI UX designs. Whether it's app or website design inspiration, we've got you!
Probably the currently most used website by UI UX designers, Dribble is a great go-to source for inspiration. This creative community hosts endless projects made both by professionals and amateurs to help you for app or website design inspiration. The accent is placed on the quality of the designs. Both as a UI designer and UX designer, it is very likely to come across really inspiring and stunning designs that can spark our imagination.
One thing to keep in mind is that the works displayed on Dribbble cannot be directly downloaded to Figma or Sketch files. However, it's a great design inspiration source to get you started on your projects.
Similar to Dribble, Behance is another online community where people can showcase their design projects so a UI/UX designer can easily find design inspiration. Illustrations, fashion, advertising, you name it - Behance is home to a wide array of designs. Because there are so many projects available for browsing, one strategy that you could implement is to look at the Best of Behance section. This is where the most popular designs can be found, so you will aim straight for those who were endorsed by other users.
If you are more into niche designs and are not exactly a fan of the mainstream, you could navigate the curated galleries. This can also help you come across more specific types of designs. For example, let’s say you wanted to work on a health and wellness mobile app, and you were searching for inspiration. One way to go about it is to skim through collections that were curated by Behance users that relate to the health industry. There are so many designs uploaded every day that it would be a missed opportunity not to take advantage of these tools. So, browse Behance and you'll surely find app or website design inspiration - or maybe even just ideas.
This online platform is destined for digital designers from every field to share their knowledge with others and get inspired. Besides presenting extensive collections of refreshing designs, Awwwards also hosts conferences in various cities around the world, like New York and Paris. These networking seminars have the purpose of providing communities of digital designers a place where they can meet and discuss industry-related topics.
This website is noticeably focused on performance, so it is a great place to discover professional UI/UX designers and observe their techniques.
4. Design Blogs
While browsing platforms that are specifically created for designers to upload their projects, reading about the UI/UX design process can also be a huge source of inspiration. From our Uinkits blog, UX Collective, The Nielsen Norman Group, and UX Planet, there are lots of blogs that foster industry insights that can help us exercise our creative muscles and provide us with some design inspiration for our projects.
Picture this: You are experiencing a creative block while working on an extensive project. To escape this uncomfortable situation, you could look up articles on design blogs that talk about ways to approach the tasks you are having difficulties with. Even if our initial reaction is to view inspiration only in relation to the visual aspect of design, we often need inspiration for more technical aspects.
5. Social Media
Social media creates the perfect environment for creativity to prosper. Whether you are browsing through an aesthetic Instagram page or you are binge-watching an interesting UX TikTok account, it is so easy to interact with inspiring designs on social media. In the last few years, there has been an impressive rise in the number of content creators and influencers who specialize in the digital design field.
Another aspect that makes social media great for design inspiration is that we are already using it on a daily basis. By following accounts related to this subject, we create a routine of engaging with web design content. That simplifies the process of looking for inspiration sources, as they are practically looking for us.
6. UI/UX Design Conferences
Networking is a crucial duty of a UI/UX designer. It has several benefits, from engaging with potential collaborators and clients to exchanging useful information about the latest advances in the industry. Design conferences also offer us the opportunity to gain a lot of inspiration. Because we interact with creatives that we would otherwise not get to know, we can have fruitful discussions with them about their work and achieve new perspectives.
Think about it: you're discovering new people, with new ideas, and maybe even different design directions. You never know when inspiration hits. And these conversations might be the reason for your app and website design inspiration.
7. Art and Movies
Inspiration can come from anywhere. We can watch a movie and draw interesting parallels to UI/UX design. We can look at old product packaging and feel our imagination flow. Media comes in various forms, and the artistic universe has a lot to offer. For example, a piece of media that is often referenced by digital designers is the 2013 drama Her. In this particular film, we are presented with a utopian use of technology. The main takeaway is the way the movie cleverly showcases the importance of user experience and the blurred lines between technology and reality. As UI/UX designers, art can always provide us with inspiration cues.
Finding inspiration for UI/UX design is an ongoing process that never stops. As we are constantly exposed to both digital and real-life design, our creative sphere navigates a continuous expansion. As long as we know which direction to take and what resources to investigate, we will always find a way to get inspired.
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!
