"Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works." -- Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, Inc.
The website is an interface that defines a company's or individual's online presence, in addition, it should also attain the needs of the visitor. Moreover, this interaction needs to create a unique experience for the visitor and creating this experience in minimal time is the vital role of UI/ UX design.
The scientific study of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) offers us insights to focus on some basic principles to follow for Mobile or Web UI/ UX designing.
- User first: A detailed user survey can assist in creating a design that will be specific to the fundamental requirements of the user. This is - important when designing mobile UI/ UX because if the needs of the users are not catered to, they are more likely to move to other apps or websites. It is necessary for the designer to understand not only what the user wants but also what he needs.
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Simplicity focusing on accessibility: A paper by Harvard Psychologist George Miller called, "The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on our Capacity for Processing Information" cites that people can only hold 5 to 9 things in their short term memory with any reliability. That being said, a simple design is easier to remember in the short term. A simple UI/ UX interface will provide easy accessibility to the user to complete the task at hand quickly with any distractions.
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Creating a seamless experience by maintaining elemental hierarchy: Transition from one page to another is an essential part of best UI/ UX design practices. Maintaining a consistent design and creating a seamless experience is necessary and is also determined by the placement and size of elements. Transition experience between using a website and a mobile app should also be seamless as the user is likely to transition from one device to another.
....Continued in PART II