When users open an app, they have expectations of what they will see and how it will work. The user experience depends not only on a successful outcome but also on how a user feels while on the site. The principles of consistency, contrast, color, typography, and balance all have an effect on the mood and attitude of users, and User Interface (UI) Designers need to be aware of these important guidelines.
Consistency
Consistency of visual design means that when a user opens an app or website, they aren’t faced with something completely new and unexpected. Consistent design makes users comfortable because they know what to expect and it is easy to see what to do next. Users don’t have to learn new ways to do things all the time, and this means users can learn new products more quickly. When products meet users’ expectations, it reduces confusion and improves the user experience.
Some areas where consistency is especially important are language, elements, established conventions, and visual consistency.
Language
Using common terms in a consistent way helps users get up to speed on a new product quickly. Terms like ‘login, ’ ‘logout, ’ ‘search, ’ ‘submit, ’ and ‘FAQ’ are easily recognizable and enable users to get around a new website or app because they are familiar.
Elements
When design elements like buttons, menus, and navigation bars are similar to what users have seen before, it takes them less time to move through the screens. Consistent colors and fonts throughout the product make users more comfortable.
Established Conventions
When designs share consistent conventions across products, users can rely on their knowledge of other websites and applications to get around a new one.
Alignment
When people are used to reading from left to right, that is what they expect to see on websites, too. Center alignment works well for mobile designs, but a page that is right-aligned feels off balance.
Contrast
The principle of contrast helps to build a hierarchy of information to help users see the organization of the product. Differences in design elements signal where users should start or what they should do next. Contrast also helps users with visual problems get through an app or website.
Constrast can be demonstrated in the following elements:
- Size
- Color
- Alignment
- Movement
- Shape
- Saturation
- Space
- Texture
Color
Color is one of the most important aspects of user interface (UI) design, so learning how to use it effectively in web and mobile app design is crucial. fewer is more when it comes to colors and contrast is important. The right combination of colors can change people’s moods and behavior.
Colors affect mood and feelings. Different colors have different meanings and this can influence human behavior, so color is very important to UI design. According to research on people’s reactions to color, these are some of the common color associations:
- Orange is a warm color. It is associated with creativity, joy, and affordability. Orange is an upbeat color and is popular for ecommerce.
- Red is a warm color, and its associations are more powerful than orange. It is a color of warning and aggression, as well as love and passion. It also signals action, so it is often used for CTAs and warnings.
- Yellow is another warm color associated with positivity, happiness, and sunshine. It grabs the attention as a background color with black or dark blue.
- Pink is a delicate color and has a connection to innocence, tranquility, and romance.
- Blue is a cool color and calls forth feelings of calm, confidence, and stability. It is very popular for insurance and medical apps.
- Green is another cool color. It is associated with nature, growth, money, and healing. The color green is also psychologically connected to the message ‘go, ’ so it is often used to signify success.
- Black is connected to authority and power. Some common associations are wealth, formality, mystery, and seriousness. It can be overwhelming, so many designs stick with black for text.
- Purple is connected to royalty and luxury.
- White signals purity and cleanliness. It is popular for medical equipment and electronics manufacturers because these businesses stress clean and sterile environments.
Typography
Typography is both an art and a science. It is made up of typefaces and fonts. Typefaces are a group of fonts that all relate to each other, or a font family, if you like. Fonts are the collections of individual letters and pieces of punctuation that make up a typeface. Fonts come in different sizes, widths, and weights, but they are all in the same typeface style, so they can be used together to create an attractive design.
Some of the most important guidelines for typography in design are listed here:
- Don’t use too many different typefaces in one design.
- Make sure text can be read easily by using well-positioned text in a large enough size.
- Use negative space to separate paragraphs
- Don’t crowd characters.
Balance
One of the most important visual design principles is balance. When a design appears balanced, it gives users a sense of calm and harmony, and it is easier for them to move through the site seamlessly. Four types of balance are symmetrical, asymmetrical, radial, and mosaic.
- Symmetrical balance looks formal with mirror images on both sides of a vertical axis. This gives some people a feeling of calm and some find it boring.
- Asymmetrical balance features two groups that are unalike on either side of an axis. Although the elements are not the same, they are still balanced through color or size.
- Radial balance is created by items arranged around a center point in the shape of a wheel. This configuration draws attention to the center of the design.
- Mosaic balance leans in the direction of imbalance. It is often made up of a repeated pattern.
How to Learn UI Design
If you would like to learn more about visual design or switch to a career in UX or UI design, one of the best ways to do that is to sign up for classes. You can choose classes that meet in-person or online to learn about software and design principles. Some people prefer to attend brick-and-mortar sessions when learning new information, but that isn’t always available. Live online classes have a similar set-up with a real-time, remote instructor who can answer questions and take control of your monitor—with permission—to show you how to do things. Training is part or full-time and available weekdays, weeknights, or weekends.
The best way to prepare for a career shift to a field like UX or UI design is to enroll in a bootcamp or certificate program. These are intensive training courses that run from a few weeks to a few months and another plus of training is that you will leave class with a professional-quality portfolio that you can show to prospective employers.
Conclusion
It’s easy to take UI design classes and start a new career. Choose between in-person sessions in NYC at Noble’s location or sign up for live online UI design courses and attend from anywhere. Find UI bootcamps in your area and get started in a new direction today.