subject: User Interface Design Reviewed [print this page] User Interface Design Reviewed User Interface Design Reviewed
Recently, we visited a site that we wouldn't like to mention here for apparent reasons. The fact is, it was just bowled over by the graphics and we made the decision to examine it further more. However after about 20 mins of going through the site, we were about to pull our hair out. The interface was so poor that we could not get our way through it. There is strictly no point in having a great looking web site if people can't use it the way they should.
Taking into consideration that we've been working with the internet since 1999 and have seen lots of web sites, we rated it as one of the best in terms of visuals but among the worst when it comes to user interface design. Additionally, now that we're working with Web 2.0, interface design becomes all the more important.
So how do you make your existing interface much more exciting? Or how do you use the best interface techniques? Let's now discuss about the ease of use. Regardless of how appealing the visuals on your site might be, the user will just close it if it is too troublesome to use. A well designed web site with a quality user interface simply flows in terms of content and links. Nothing seems out of place or even forced into view. You may have the best features but we place ease of use over everything else. Why is Google one of the leading search engines today? Because it places ease of use over everything else. It is really simple actually.
Alright, now let's talk about the user interface design. Once you have completed the ease of use aspect, then the design part comes next. 95% of websites on the net can be easily classified into one particular class based on their layout simply because someplace down the line, they use the same layout techniques.
Try and get into the 5% and you will have won almost half the battle. You should always keep the end user as well as the basics of design in mind. You cannot design a corporate web site like a Vegas Casino. It has to comply with the rules. The exact same applies to web user interface design.
Lastly, for features, in case you really feel that you have a correct mix of the above two, then you can try out different capabilities. If you are not a seasoned developer then you should try to stick to simple features, and then move on to more advanced techniques.
