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Interface Design: Why Does it Matter? I think I should open this article with two statements: 1) I'm not a graphic designer and 2) interface design isn't just about eye candy. I've seen some beautiful looking apps that after 5 minutes of test driving have forced me to abandon them. An app that for example led me neatly into the help screen and then provided no means at all to exit it, short of closing the app, springs to mind. I've used some very ugly looking apps very efficiently for years. The important thing was that they did what they were intended to, without any unnecessary fluff. The buttons may have been left in their default state, but as we weren't trying to sell the app, it really didn't matter. That said, I currently work with a rather beautifully skinned and designed internal CMS. Do I work better because the buttons I'm clicking are turquoise and pulse prettily? Possibly. Form should follow function. If your app exists to perform a task, then every part of the interface should facilitate that task, rather than wandering off into side alleys and distractions. If your app is a game, the graphics should not only be professional looking and attractive, but they should convey the atmosphere of your game to the user. Is it a horror and suspense type game? Fluffy kittens and roses will be inappropriate (in most situations at any rate). Navigation is vital. Are the buttons where the user expects them? Do they look like their function? If they are not actually labeled, its even more important that they conform to user expections of what certain types of button should do. If I used a button that looks like this: and linked it to the zoom function in my app... people might become confused. This type of icon has become firmly associated with RSS feeds, so even though I could imagine it representing something getting bigger, it would not be a good idea to use it in this way. I asked our resident graphic designer, Steve Thomas, for some tips I could share with you. He came up with some top tips to bear in mind when designing your mobile app, and this beautiful screenshot of an app to consider. Tips on good UI Design from the Master Don’t reinvent the wheel We often take if for granted that App users learn from their experience and are familiar with how how Apps behave. So take advantage of that familiarity and use it within your App. Everything in it’s right place Warning: Add an action item within the navigation and the App may not behave as the user would expect it to behave. So make sure your navigation items and action items are clearly separated. Hit and Active states Button sizes Do you have an app you are proud of? Would you like to share any design tips you've used on it? We'd love to hear from you!
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