This week (04/11/2021 – 04/17/2021), my partner and I worked to design separate design comps and come up with one cohesive design. We encountered some setbacks, but we’re still combining ideas and working towards the final design!
Visual Research
As always, I have to include my favorite part. Visual research can start at any point in the design process, but here is where it really shines. Making good color and font choices can make or break a design, and color should always be purposeful. You have to ask: what mood, message, or vibe do I want this product to convey? How can I effectively portray this mood, message, or vibe so the user has the best experience while the product is aesthetically pleasing? Pinterest, Dribbble, Behance, and Instagram are all great sites to use when looking for inspiration. You might even stumble upon a great UI kit that you can use for comping. Copying other artists can be tricky, but the rule of thumb is to make it your own and never outright steal a design. “Nothing is completely original — every new idea is very often just a remix of one or more previously used ideas, (Dawid Tomczyk for UX Collective).” Trying out different designs will allow you to eliminate aspects you don’t love and incorporate the good aspects into one design. Go outside your comfort zone! You never know what combination of fonts, colors, and shapes could speak to you.
User Interface Design
User interface design should reflect the desired user experience. Wireframes should come to life and begin to take on an identity of their own. What is UI? UXPlanet defines it, saying, “it consists of the buttons users click on, the text they read, the images, sliders, text entry fields, and all the rest of the items the user interacts with. This includes screen layout, transitions, interface animations and every single micro-interaction. Any sort of visual element, interaction, or animation must all be designed.” So, a design, right? Partially. Research and practice are needed in order to find the right fit. If you’re reading this and putting it into practice, you likely already know the major do’s and don’ts, but if you don’t, here’s a few: never use Comic Sans, don’t use light text on a light background, light doesn’t have multiple sources, and ALWAYS take advantage of white space. Tried and true designs are tried and true for a reason. Get outside your comfort zone, but don’t go overboard and lose your vision. Some things are just meant to be! Share your work, get some feedback, talk to mentors or peers or target users. Everything you design has a purpose, and it’s all about the user experience.
Recap
As we finish our design, we’ll begin to prototype and finalize our choices. We’re excited to see where this project will go! As I near the end of this semester and prepare for my final semester as an undergraduate, I’m excited for the work I will be doing with a local non-profit and in class. I’ll continue to update with some projects and insights in the near future. Good luck and stay safe, everyone!
brandi pinette 