An Introduction to UI/UX

It has no measurements, in regards of right or wrong.

24 Jun

An Introduction to UI/UX

Written by Kreatiklan Tagged as Business and Brands

This week, we started a new series focused on UI/UX. Before we get started, we should know what actually UI/UX means and its basics. This will be an introduction and start our journey to know more. Back to the history where UI/UX starts develop, the first graphical user interface or GUI was developed by computer scientists at Xerox PARC in 1980’s. This groundbreaking innovation made users can interact with their personal computers by visually submitting commands through icons, buttons, menus, and check boxes. In 1984, Apple Computer released Macintosh as personal computer which included a point and click mouse this start when people are not using any code to operate computer which simplify the process of a command. The development of this user interface makes the user experiences eventually. Cognitive scientist Don Norman is credited with the term, “user experience” back in the early 1990’s when he worked at Apple.

UI stands for User interface which most in user area and the graphical layout of an application. User interface design or user interface engineering is the grandeur design of user interfaces for machines and software, such as computers, home appliances, mobile devices, and other electronic devices, with the focus on maximizing usability and the user experience. It consists of the buttons users click on, the text they read, the images, sliders, text entry fields, and all the rest of the items the user interacts with. This includes screen layout, transitions, interface animations and every single micro-interaction. Any sort of visual element, interaction, or animation must all be designed.

As in definitions, UX means user experience, which is, simply put, UX is the experience the user has while using a product. While a UI is the layout of a product, UX is the interactions, emotions and responses rendered by the user during the time user uses the product. User experience is about knowing who the target customers are and how to make their experiences using the product most pleasant. As such, the top priorities in the product are usually functionality, usability, and user ability. UX designer should consider the Why, What and How of product usability they built. Why means users’ motivations for adopting a product, the task they wish to perform with, and values of the product. The What addresses the things people can do with a product. The How relates to the design of functionality in an accessible and aesthetically convenient and pleasant altogether.

Specifically said UI is all about the visual design, the colors, the layout and its typography while UX is the interaction design, the prototypes, the user research and the the scenarios. No matter how great the UI is, it cannot be effective if it’s not backed up by a satisfying user experience. Quoted from web usability consultant at Nielsen Norman Group – Don Norman and Jakob Nielsen said:

“It’s important to distinguish the total user experience from the user interface (UI), even though the UI is obviously an extremely important part of the design. As an example, consider a website with movie reviews. Even if the UI for finding a film is perfect, the UX will be poor for a user who wants information about a small independent release if the underlying database only contains movies from the major studios.”

To simplify what we get today, UI is the vehicles to get to our place, while UX is the feeling when we get there using those vehicle. UI can means much and can have traditional ways, and UX is dependable on a user’s experience with an application psychologically. By understanding how our designs are perceived, we can make adjustments so that the apps we create are more effective in achieving the goals of the user. This is why in its building process, we need to involve with the user itself to know what they prefer.

As designer we are all able to develop our thinking and method to our own. There are no boundaries and its all up to you. It has no measurements, in regards of right or wrong. We also need to look up at our clients and partners to develop the way. If you are a freelancer, you probably able to try many ways until you find the right ones. If you work as a team partner, you have to constantly consult them before applying the right method.

We think we’re done making you understand the basics. Follow our page on Instagram and don’t hesitate to ask what we can creatively do to your brand