User Interface Design
The quality of a user interface depends on a conceptual design that is both simple and perfectly suited to the user’s workflow (effectiveness). Adding an aesthetically pleasing visual design (emotion) and intuitive interaction (efficiency) creates an outstanding user experience.
Conceptual Design
The conceptual design is the cornerstone of every user interface and includes both the information architecture and the navigational model of the particular program. The goal is to provide optimal support for the user’s workflow based on detailed knowledge of the users’ requirements.
Starting with the definition of the system’s main components and overall layout, various view and window types are matched, according to their priority, to functionality. Subsequently refinements are added from widget level on up to the toolbars and buttons.
In order to identify potential showstoppers, technical constraints are considered right from the beginning.
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Interaction DesignFrom desktop to multi-touch, across all technologies, it is the detail interaction that increasingly determines a product’s success. In particular, new and animated controls extend user-friendliness both as to its stimulating nature as well as its system feedback. It is a matter of interactional added value. Rapidly increasing information density and the resulting cognitional load make a maximum of intuivity in a product a necessity. In the end this trend is also reflected in the growing standards users expect of modern user interfaces these days. |
Visual Design
The visual design is generally the feature that shapes the first impression. A coherent look and feel, concise key visuals as well as meaningful icons transport the professionalism, modernism, validity and also the enjoyment. The level of emotion versus effectiveness and efficiency strongly depends on the context, for example in consumer products.
If the company has corporate design guidelines, a harmonious alignment is the aim in order to emphasize the brand identity. Likewise, if an interaction design already exists, it is possible to engage us just for the visual design.
Design Process
Our controlled iteration-based process, where designated checkpoints mark each phase, is the foundation of our actions. The following five key points characterize the conceptual and visual aspects of our design process:
Alastair Green, Leica Geosystems
Wireframes
The first drafts primarily concentrate on the layout and the window model. All visual details, like colors and icons, are intentionally neglected at this stage. This facilitates time-efficient development of multiple alternatives and the testing of variations. In workshops a paper based approach may be sufficient to lead conceptual discussions to the point.
Once all stakeholders have generally agreed on the conceptual design, the wireframes are then elaborated to detailed mockups.
Mockups
Mockups are static yet very detailed screen designs. Drawing on the lines of the wireframes, the focus of this phase lies on the exploration of various visual representations and the practical implementation of specific interaction flows.
By this means, all project members quickly get an impression of what the application could look like in the future and which design elements are to be considered. After consolidating the design, a possible further step is the prototypical implementation in the language of the final development.
Iterations
Iterations are a necessary prerequisite of the design process to assure the fulfillment of all the requirements on the interface. Thus we work step-by-step towards the solution, from the initial draft to the detailed specification, always in close coordination with you.
It is crucial that representatives of all stake holding groups are involved in these regular workshops. This not only includes the product managers, but also particularly the representatives responsible for development. This is the only way to assess all expectations and potential show-stopping constraints.
Consolidation
A real challenge lies within the design or redesign of whole families of applications, especially when they have been developed over a longer time frame. Here our initial analysis has to cover the whole breadth of functionality. Starting with selected programs, a comprehensive concept will be created, sequentially applied and thus validated against other programs of the family.
Particularly interesting is the consolidation of interfaces when it comes to different types of media, for instance, when the interaction with a desktop based web-application has to be consistently aligned with the equivalent of functionality on a touch-based smart phone.
Further Steps
The results of a user interface design process will finally be documented in a style guide or a design manual. This documentation covers detailed specification of the interaction and visual design as well as fully elaborated screens.
On demand, key scenarios can be implemented in a prototype either to conduct optional user tests or to give very specific input for the implementation phase. Additionally, we are also able to develop custom look and feels for most contemporary GUI-technologies.
Context of Use – The key to innovation
An interactive system’s usability cannot be considered complete without consideration of the usage environment. The context of use is the key to designing a user interface with outstanding appeal and at the same time very intuitive.handling.
Jared M. Spool
