Strategies To Build An Exceptional UI Design
UI is a very diverse topic, so it won’t be possible to put every detail over here. Just consider it as an overview. Let’s get into the prime strategies that can be put together to build an extraordinary user interface design.
1. Build Interface Inventory
Whether you are working on a new product or starting re-work on the existing project, you must start with building an interface inventory by defining your UI patterns library.
For instance, the content inventory supports maintaining consistency in the content, in terms of text, images, and the variety of content. Likewise, the interface inventory ensures to maintain consistency in the developed user interface within a well-defined and complete framework.
Dedicating a definite time to maintaining the interface inventory can save a lot of time in the long run. The inventory will support maintaining a consistent design system with the whole team. This consistency enables to develop an easily scalable project.
An interface inventory planning helps to dedicate definite time and efforts that a specific element requires on priority. It is no less than a style guide, which is having proper and detailed documentation that grows with the product’s growth.
What is an Interface Inventory?
The term ‘Interface Inventory’ was proposed by ‘Brad Frost’. It enlists the ideas of content inventories and integrates with the user interface design. In simple words, it helps to define all the relevant elements and other details that should be considered in your UI design.
If you are working on a new project, then you might look out for a competitor’s product for reference and analyze their work. This will upfront you to different interface components and help you figure out what elements you can consider.
On the other hand, if you are redesigning the product, then an interface inventory will be like checking out all the components and analyzing their systematic documentation, regardless of their large or small involvement.
Process of Building an Interface Inventory
Stage 1: Initially, take screenshots of every progress you have done in your design in a systematic manner. Some might consider it time-consuming, but it is important to maintain uniformity in the UI design.
On the other hand, you might also witness inconsistencies in the design elements, especially when you have a large-sized team.
Your interface inventory will help to quickly identify inconsistencies in the elements that require fixes. The different components considered to build a user interface includes;
- Typography
- Heading and Subheadings
- Text Elements or Paragraphs
- Lists
- Images and Media
- Logos
- Images
- Iconography
- Forms
- Text Inputs
- Select Menus
- Radio Inputs
- Checkbox Inputs
Stage 2: Now, categorization of everything takes place. You need to arrange or put all the screenshots in an order to make them organized and meaningful. The screenshots can be organized on various tools, but it is suggested to prefer PowerPoint or Keynote to organize everything. With these organization tools, it will become easier to present or demonstrate the entire work in a well-formatted method to your team.
After proper organization, it becomes easier to discuss the project detailing with the team and the client as well. Such an organized mode of discussion can introduce a better understanding of every individual component that is required in the design.
Such discussions, even lead to keeping all the elements uniform and maintaining efficiency by identifying shared patterns.
2. Build a Pattern Library
After taking care of interface inventory and organizing all the components, now it’s time to identify a common UI pattern and ensure the design around it. The interface inventory will picture all the design inconsistencies. Thus, it is time to address all the inconsistencies and update your UI in a defined manner.
You can also use LEGO tools that help to build highly complicated things by keeping the interface intact. Such a complicated interface can be made up with the help of smaller components. In these components, the pattern libraries are used.
What is Pattern Library?
A pattern library recognizes and classifies design patterns that are recurring solutions to a typical design problem. These might be:
- Breadcrumb Trails
- Carousels
- Calendar Pickers
A UI Pattern Library divides an interface into smaller elements that can be used as a reusable building block.
Benefits of Using Pattern Library in UI Design
- Consistency in DesignTo build a complex user interface, when you are preferring smaller and reusable components, then it ensures that all your user interface elements are consistent. Such consistency becomes possible because all the elements are built from simple and similar components.
- Cross-Team Shareable Visual VocabularyThe usage of a pattern library for product designing keeps each team member on the same page. Everyone is using defined UI patterns as a base, instead of designing their customized elements.
- Time Efficient in Designing User InterfaceIt is efficient to maintain the product design as it grows over time because it is built on a core pattern library.
