UX/UI designers make websites clear, convenient, and beautiful – these specialists do not program anything, but you can’t get anywhere in IT without them. Let’s find out how to start creating interfaces from scratch.
No matter what is going on in the world, websites and apps are still essential. They provide logistics, help us keep in touch, and keep us in the information field. New digital services must remain user-friendly, allowing us to navigate through interfaces and quickly solve our tasks easily. UX/UI designers are responsible for all this convenience.
The field of UX/UI is closely related to IT. But here it is not necessary to know how to program, and the entry threshold for interface design is not as high as in development. At the same time, the profession opens up opportunities for remote work in emigration.
What is UX design
UX design is the process of designing the user experience. Specialists who do it do not create attractive graphics; rather, they are marketing researchers. UX designers think generally about how the interface should be organized: such that users don’t want to leave the site and the company’s sales increase. To accomplish so, they consider perceptual psychology and user behaviors.
A big UX/UI Design Company has UX laboratories where research is conducted, ranging from basic user interviews and A/B testing to i-tracking. Smaller organizations lack the means for this, thus designers are governed by widely established standards and trends. This is not an issue since most users are seasoned and familiar with current sites, and their expectations and behavior are fairly predictable.
The most convenient interface is often one that is identical to hundreds of others, so consumers can easily locate the correct buttons and blocks. Users traverse interfaces using certain patterns. One prominent example is the F-pattern.
In addition to patterns, UX designers consider the user’s journey – from arriving at the site to completing the desired activity. They take into consideration various user circumstances. Some individuals, for example, shop fast, but others would spend hours paging through a catalog or being sidetracked by subsidiary parts. It all relies on the brand’s expertise and the audience’s needs.
A wireframe is the end product of user experience effort. It’s a schematic illustration of the interface. It uses gray rectangles to represent the primary blocks, their size, placement, and connection to one another.
What is UI-design
UI design is the production of a visual component. At this point, colors are chosen, icons are created, button and backdrop shapes are determined, and typefaces are chosen.
In UI design, the brand’s personality and emotional message are prioritized. It is also crucial to consider the characteristics of visual perception, such as making the text contrast with the backdrop and avoiding extremely bright colors, which cause the eyes to fatigue fast. Take into consideration the various monitor attributes, such as resolution and color rendering, to ensure that the site is presented appropriately throughout.
The end product is a mockup, which appears precisely like the genuine interface.
The final layout may be turned over to the front-end developer, who will integrate it into the code. However, if the site has a lot of intricate or obscure animation, it is advisable to create a prototype – an animated layout – during the design stage. On it, the developer can observe how the pieces move. Without a prototype, the frontender follows textual notes or confers with the designer.
In major corporations, UX and UI design are often handled by separate specialists: one is responsible for user ease, the other for aesthetics. However, for small and medium-sized enterprises, UX/UI designers who can handle both are in high demand.
Beginners often work for small businesses; getting a position at a major company requires more skills and experience. As a result, it makes sense to develop both UX and UI abilities simultaneously.
Which is better to study?
UX and UI design are two self-contained fields. In the first case, it is about designing the user’s path on the site, and in the second case – about creating beautiful buttons, icons, and inscriptions. But it’s better to learn both UX and UI simultaneously – there are more opportunities to work with such a set of skills.
UX/UI designers should understand the basics of marketing, care about the convenience of the site, select readable fonts, and make the interface emotional – with the help of colors and illustrations. The basics of the profession can be mastered independently, but for deep knowledge, it is better to take courses – at least short-term. UX/UI designers are needed remotely even in small companies – you can take a junior position and gradually improve your skills.
