One of the most difficult decisions which we are faced with in life is deciding upon which career path we will opt for. If you have decided to become a UI designer then you should ensure that it is something which you love doing and you are willing to put in your all to achieve positive results. If you are confused about where to begin then you could follow these few simple steps to help you become a good user interface designer and keep climbing the ladder of success as time goes by.
How to Get Started in User Interface Design:
The following mentioned are few tips on how to become a ui designer and few ui developer skills one should possess.
1. Remember to keep up with the changing times: In order to remain as a relevant part of today’s twenty first century business world you must ensure that you keep up with the technological advancements in your field. If you do not do so then chances are that you will not be able to remain at the top of your game. If you are not willing to improve yourself in this regard then why should any client or even an employee waste their time as well as money in investing in a person such as yourself? Since there is so much competition in any field, you always need to do your best.
2. It is only practice that will help you get better: As a user interface designer or user face engineer as it is popularly referred to as, the only thing that could really help you become better over time is constant practice. If you notice that you are lacking in one aspect of the job then you ought to focus to improve in it. Everything will be incredibly daunting at first; however once you master all your theory and keep practicing everything will come naturally to you in due course. Any company is willing to hire individuals that constantly strive for perfection.
3. Do not shy away from seeking counsel at any time: In time of trouble, one of the best things you can do is to consult your co workers or even your friends who have substantial knowledge. You should not constantly rely on others, yet sometimes this becomes necessary to do. Once you inquire and seek counsel from others you will be surprised at the various options that they present before you. This in-turn will teach you how you can address the same issue from various fronts and in the long run your horizons will be broadened.
4. Keeping pushing yourself to become better: One of the best ways to motivate yourself is set strict goals which you need to work towards. Having specific goals to work towards really helps you to know exactly what you are aiming at. When you have something concrete to direct your energies towards then you automatically end up producing better work. So if you are a career driven person who wants to make a big name for yourself in this field, then you have to keep pushing yourself to become better.
5. Do not over work yourself as the results could be disastrous:
The moment you feel that you have hit a wall you should stop your work and just take a break in order to cool off. Such a break often serves to give you some perspective as well. Work is important yet at the same time you ought to ensure that you maintain a proper work- life balance such that in years to come you will not feel like you have missed out on any front. When you are at work, focus all your energy there without being distracted and when you are at home enjoy and savor your piece of mind without feeling guilty.
6. Master the use of HTML as well as CSS: If you do not understand how web pages work, then how can you expect to become a user interface designer? Before embarking on an ambitious project of any kind it is always advisable to start with the mere basics and then carry on. Hyper Text Markup Language which is referred to as html is used to set up a page where as CSS which is short for Cascading Style Sheets helps to alter as well as style those pages. Once you master these two they will help you to complete an array of different tasks.
7. Learning to use Photoshop will assist you in your work: There are innumerable designing applications which you can make use of, however rather than learning many and mastering none, it would be advisable for you to learn to use Photoshop first. This is for the simple reason that , once you have mastered the use of Photoshop then you can go on to learn any other designing application with speed as well as great ease. The use of Photoshop to complete tasks is one of the primary things which interviewers look for when employing UI designers to their companies
8. Keep your focus on what the user wants at all times: Remember that in this field what the user wants inadvertently becomes what you want and this is exactly what you should keep in mind at all times. You should always put the wants, likes as well as dislikes of the user above everything else, even above your very own preferences. If you are someone who listens to the dictates of your own mind alone, then maybe you should reconsider your decision of joining this career path, as it constantly calls attention to what users want and need.
9. Do give your attention to patterns: One very important part of this career path is ensuring that you have a keen observation powers if you are not observant by nature then what you should do is try your best so as to improve on this ability of yours. It could really yield rich dividends for you. Implying that, if you make use of familiar UI patterns on your own interface then users will feel much more at home, and if you were to go out of your way to make your interface much different than what the users are used to, the users might feel confused as well as incredibly daunted.
10. Remain consistent in the work which you deliver:
In this day and age time is a very valuable resource and users like consistency when it comes to making use of an interface. So you should try your best to make sure that things remain as consistent as they can, especially when it comes to aspects of an interface like layout, language or even design. Needless to say that users do take time to get used to a interface and after they get used to it if things change again then this will just end up making them feel agitated as well as annoyed and this is something which you as a ui designer should never want.
11. Make a clear hierarchy to increase clarity and minimize complications: Visual hierarchy is something which can go a long way in helping out users get their jobs done faster as well as in a more efficient manner. It is your responsibility to ensure that you make things clear and comprehensive such that everything on your interface runs in a smooth fashion. Make sure to use your designing skills to design interface in such a way that the eyeballs of the users are instantly attracted to the thing which is meant to be most important. Size, color and placement play key roles in this regard.
12. Provide feedback so as to assist the users: Your interface should be responsive enough that it is able to speak to the users when he or she may be wrong, right or even misunderstood. If this is not done then chances are the user will end up feeling lost as to what the issue might be or why he or she is not able to get the desired response instantly. You can easily provide simple clues by means of a visual aid or even a message to assist the user. When you do something like this then you are really taking into account what the user wants and that is something which will yield positive results for your interface.
13. Your interface should not be intolerant towards errors: No matter how clear and concise your interface as well as ui design is, chances are that sometimes people are going to make errors or mistakes, you should be tolerant towards such errors that are bound to occur at some point. Make it a point to use some measures to help users like an undo option or a cancel option, no one would like to start an action right from the beginning merely because he or she has made a small error in providing an email id. You can make use of the messaging technique to guide users when a mistake has been made.
14. Have your concepts very clear:
Before you are able to become a skilled professional as well as bag a job it is of paramount importance that you have all your concepts clear, this does not merely imply mastering Hyper Text Markup Language or CSS, rather it means more than that in terms of more in depth things like, knowing what the difference is between web applications, web sites, desktop applications as well as mobile applications. Though the differences may not be large or even significant as a professional you ought to be knowing them such that you do not have trouble at later times.
15. Layout is important: When it comes to mastering layouts, it will either come naturally to you, or on the contrary you might never be able to master it entirely. In order to better yourself when it comes to ui layout you can seek assistance from a number of good online sources or you can even refer to books that can guide you to get your basics clear as well as make wise decisions. You can start of by doing research on responsive web ui design guidelines.
16. You should aim at designed beauty: If you keep your interface simple, user friendly as well as uncomplicated then that itself is half the battle won for you. Your aim should always be not beauty for the sake of it, but on the contrary, designed beauty which is purposeful and effective.
17. Make strategic use of any color as well as texture:
You should make use of color, hues, shades, textures, contrasts etc to attract as well as redirect attention from any part of your interface. Different ui colors have been psychologically proven to have various impacts on the human mind so you can study up on that and use it to your advantage. One thing important to remember is that different colors mean various things in different cultures. For example in China the color red signifies joy and celebration where as in America it is used to denote danger.
18. Defaults could help reduce the user’s burden: Since your thought process should be in keeping with, rather than opposing that of the user, you should try your best to create defaults which could indeed be highly effective in helping the users and reducing their work load.
So these are some of the tips which you could use as a new UI designer. These steps are absolutely tried and tested so you need not worry at all. At first you will be faced with a lot of opposition as well as stiff criticism but you should not take it, rather you ought to use it to get better. There will be some people along the way who might try and place impediments in your path but you should ignore what they say as they are doing nothing but trying to make you insecure as well as vulnerable.
