This UX/UI Design Resource Is the Only One Your Company Will Ever Need
Buzzwords in digital marketing aren’t uncommon. From every company boasting a team of innovators to every ad exec labeling themselves a thought leader, there seems to be an array of terms that every professional will encounter at some point. User experience is one of those terms. But it’s also one of those terms that if you know and apply well, you can ensure you’re making a positive impact for your business and your customers. And that’s where the UX/UI Starter Kit comes in.
What is user experience?
According to Don Norman, former user experience architect at Apple and author of The Design of Everyday Things, states that user experience is “everything that touches your experience with [a] product.” And yes, it’s just as expansive as it sounds. There are user experience designers for almost every item in your home, the console or interface in your car, and of course, the website you’re using to read this blog.
While your average person typically explores this topic through the lens of website and phone application design, the expansive nature of this topic explains why it feels like it is used so broadly and many times, over used or looked at mistakenly.
As one of the first people to have “user experience” in their job title, Norman has questioned this as a role, stating that everyone who is in charge of delivering a product or service should be deeply invested in the user experience, as elements far away from the actual end result are critical to the final interaction with potential customers.
Whether you’re designing a landing page for a special event, your company’s new website or your first app, designing with your potential customer in mind is the first step to closing in on that final call, download or sale.
“We want to design technology to be a collaborator — a team worker — with people,” says Norman.
Why User Experience Is Important
15 seconds. One. Five. According to Crazy Egg’s blog, The Daily Egg, that’s how long the average user will stay on your website (even if it’s good). If you don’t catch your user’s attention in that timeframe, you can say good-bye to that conversion and good-bye to the ROI for the money you spent paying that 20-year-old to design your website.
Poorly designed websites lead to a high bounce rate, which leads to low Google rankings, which lead to less people finding your site. So, no pressure. Even with this in mind, many people try to reinvent the wheel in the name of innovation.
The aesthetic-usability effect states that users are more likely to rate pretty websites as user-friendly, so even if your user likes the site, if they hit the proverbial “wall” due to bad experience design, they’ll leave your site and all its pretty colors.
Use Good Design That’s Customer Focused to Get Real Results
If you’re like most entrepreneurs or small business owners, you want to get to the bottom line.
For the record, it’s below.
In all seriousness, good design means happy customers which means more dollars. Invest in it. Even if you have to do it yourself.
A (Very Brief) UX/UI 101 Course and Why The UX/UI Starter Kit is the Only Link You’ll Ever Need
What makes for good user experience design? Let’s ask some experts.
To simplify what Norman said earlier and Hoa Loranger just stated, good design works well with all the things that make us human. It’s easiest for us to process information in chunks. We like when websites look like other websites because they feel more familiar. We like to simplify things as much as possible. We can only remember around seven items in our working memory. These are all common human tendencies and they lead to some of the founding principles of UX. Yes, there are some fancy names for the principles and a lot of the above phenomenon are a little more complex, but you get the idea. As Norman stated, as (aspiring) designers, we are collaborators with our users, and our websites and apps are our fifteen-second first date. These recommendations and concepts exist not because people are trying to complicate an already vast concept, but because they’re based on how humans function. And designing with these principles in mind works — for your business and your customers.
For more detailed explanations of user experience laws (complete with some fancy names and cool examples), visit the laws of UX.
So now that you know what your users need, how do you deliver?
Humane by Design has the answer. In a beautifully designed interface (remember humans like pretty things), the creators of Humane by Design have created a list of founding principles that will guide any novice designer on how to create sites and interfaces that appeal to humans needs and do so ethically, keeping in mind the complexities and vast needs and abilities we have.
In seven short words, the site is able to breakdown key aspects that every user experience project should have:
Empowering.
Finite.
Inclusive.
Resilient.
Thoughtful.
Respectful.
Transparent.
Through simple words and easy to digest visuals, this site turns concept concepts into key tactics every user experience designer should have in their arsenal when designing.
Interested in learning more UX/UI concepts?
Sina Sadegh, creator of UX/UI Daily, was kind enough to include a “Learn Design” segment in the UI/UX Starter Kit, complete with documentaries on the history of user experience design, courses built by the top universities and online instructors, and training in the latest software so that once you know the principles, you don’t have to wait to get to work!
Why the UI/UX Starter Kit is Different
From sites that boast the ability to help you brainstorm your way to Fortune 500 status to those that swear gamification will turn Lazy Tim in IT to Productive Tim the Teamplayer, there are sites and apps everywhere that claim to be everything you need and then some.
But the UX/UI Starter Kit is different. While I may sound like a dreamy-eyed 13-year-old gushing about her crush, it’s truly impressive that despite having over 200 resources available to enhance your skillset, give you some inspiration and bring your concepts to life, the UX/UI Starter Kit stands by the fact that it’s just a starting point.
Though you may do all the things listed above, because of the vastness of user experience, the relative newness of the concept and how important it is to get it right, there is still so much to learn from the subject and best practices are changing every day.
That’s also why the UX/UI Starter Kit links to UX/UI Daily, where Sadegh adds links, details and discussion topics to his social platforms as a basis for connection and growth, so novices and experts alike can share, grow and learn from each other.
How the Novice Designer Can Use the UX/UI Starter Kit
Not to toot the author’s horn but this article will give you a great starting point. BUT, should you choose to build off that, I highly recommend selecting the “Learn Design” tab on the resource and clicking through the links.
Once you have the concepts down, look through the “Design Systems” category where you can learn how to best design for the products and sites that we interact with daily. From a behind-the-scenes look at what led to the new interface and visual language that transformed the AirBnB site to learning how to create comprehensive approaches to design from monoliths like Apple, this tab is your chance to see how it’s done.
Need some inspiration? Visit the “Inspiration” and “Mockups” tabs to get a gist of what the process you’re about to embark on has looked like for other creators.
Dive in and explore. This is your chance to really take a look at some of the concepts we’ve discussed early on and see how they turn into the sites and apps you and I interact with daily.
Now, it’s time to get your hands dirty.
Whether you’re building a site from the ground up or looking to tweak yours into perfection, you’ll have the chance to approach your project with a new lens and a clearer eye.
Aside from the structural and logistical elements to build on, the kit has a design resource that approaches key design concepts to add more tools to your tool belt. The “Color,” “Icons,” “Illustrations,” “Font” and “Stock Photos” tabs will help you get your site moving and off the ground. If you want to make keep it simple and keep it cheap, just hit the “Freebies” button and take a load off your mind and pockets.
And then, explore.
As stated, user experience is about exploration and collaboration. Websites and applications are never a set-it-and-forget-it type of deal (Norman’s advice never gets old). There will be many instances where you need to revisit your site architecture, site design and even site content (there’s nothing like an 80’s power suit sitting on the top of a webpage for a company claiming to be filled with innovators). You will have to adapt to the changes in technology, design and human behavior. But that’s what makes it fun.
And the UX/UI Starter Kit will always be here. Ready to adapt and grow with you as you explore.
Give the Gift of Good Design to Others
Good design is the gift that keeps on giving, and not just in terms of paychecks. Tools like Squarespace, Wix and others are placing the creation of websites and apps in the hands of your everyday consumer. When we share these user experience tools and concepts with other designers and novices alike, we prevent bad websites from getting created and make the web more accessible, user friendly and pleasant for everyone.
So go ahead, share the UX/UI Starter Kit today.