Questions tagged [interface-design]

Questions about developing and implementing graphical elements of a user interface such as controls, aesthetics,

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140 votes
25 answers
72k views

New generation of Save icon that is not a "disk"?

Currently, the save icon in almost all applications represents a 3.5-inch disk from the 20th century. An example from Microsoft Office 2010 is shown below: As we move towards more advanced technology,...
Gan's user avatar
  • 1,782
135 votes
13 answers
23k views

How do I learn to be creative?

I've been a programmer my whole life, and now I've found that I really need to start designing my own stuff. I know how to use Photoshop in and out, but I just can't create anything nice. I often ...
Snowman's user avatar
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43 votes
11 answers
109k views

What is the difference between wireframes and mockups?

I would like to know the difference between Wireframes and Mockups. I'm hoping to gain a simple understanding of the difference or to definitively know that both are the same. I googled it but I ...
Rachuru's user avatar
  • 1,749
42 votes
18 answers
14k views

Good visual alternatives of representing the Push and Pull signs on doors?

Using "Push" and "Pull" should be quite straightforward, you read the word and follow the instructions. But day after day I see people in my office coming to the door and pushing when they should pull ...
Yisela's user avatar
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29 votes
11 answers
6k views

Do interfaces really need to "look good"?

I notice that sites and software with less superficial value (less style, inspiration, or simply "neat-ness") often succeed far above their fantastically, well-designed counterparts. Is the style, ...
CuriousWebDeveloper's user avatar
25 votes
4 answers
1k views

How to hire a graphic designer?

I am developing the backend for a website. I always had the trouble of making an attractive design for my websites and have never hired any graphic designer yet. I have no logo nor web template. What ...
Newton's user avatar
  • 347
18 votes
3 answers
3k views

How should ascenders and descenders that share the same space be handled?

This is the initial registration page for my client's communication app. ( I covered over the logo - note the white box - for his privacy) I do not like that the "y" descends and the "h" ascends into ...
user12985's user avatar
  • 368
17 votes
4 answers
6k views

Should I use company's logo color as a website color even if its bad?

I'm building a website for the company that I'm in, but the marketing department, isn't giving me much room with the colors. They say that we need to use the #2DCCD3 everywhere because it's in the ...
Nuno cruz's user avatar
  • 301
17 votes
2 answers
3k views

How to draw a hierarchy button set and look less offensive than it is?

I'm trying to create a button set that can be used to move through hierarchical data and it's looking like a swastika. I'm not sure how to correct it. In the image above if "Panel" was selected and ...
1.21 gigawatts's user avatar
17 votes
3 answers
730 views

Where does inspiration end, where does illegitimate copying start?

I'm creating the UI for a web application which will mainly run on Macs. So my goal is to preserve the look and feel of Mac OS. But since I don't use Apples Frameworks I'm not allowed to use their UI ...
Lenar Hoyt's user avatar
14 votes
4 answers
2k views

Colour combination for three buttons

What colour combination would work best for these three buttons: Should all of them remain the same colour? These are my options: Image of the whole page
methuselah's user avatar
14 votes
1 answer
2k views

What considerations are there in designing pixel fonts?

I'm designing monospace pixel fonts for a game, and so far I've only been able to work with extremely small sizes (largest I've managed is 5x9) because those ones are the easiest to try and err with. ...
Joe Z.'s user avatar
  • 292
13 votes
4 answers
2k views

How to document a double click?

I am writing documentation for a software program. To open a document, it must be double clicked. Considering readers skimming through the screenshots only and not reading the text, how to design the ...
Thomas Weller's user avatar
12 votes
6 answers
6k views

Is programming a website for mobile first really necessary?

I've read through a number of sources which state mobile first design is almost essential, which I can't deny it does have obvious benefits such as faster load times for mobiles which generally have ...
ccc's user avatar
  • 513
11 votes
4 answers
880 views

What do users remember the most, position or color of elements?

I have a navigation menu with some buttons, that looks a bit like this (NOTE: Each button has a distinctive icon that differentiate it from the rest, I didn't add them to the mockup but they are ...
Yisela's user avatar
  • 26.4k
11 votes
6 answers
40k views

How to resize a palette that's dropping off the screen?

I'm using CS6 on a laptop, usually hooked up to an external monitor. In that setup, the monitor is my primary screen and the latop's is my secondary. Since I like some real estate in my palettes, I ...
Vincent's user avatar
  • 25.2k
11 votes
6 answers
3k views

I currently work as a UX/UI designer and my boss (a back-end developer) doesn't trust my decisions and acts as if he needs a Production Artist

I find myself in need of some career advice. I work in a small, purposefully-secluded web development department inside a larger company. Everyone else on the team is a front-end or back-end developer ...
Elle Kelsheimer's user avatar
10 votes
3 answers
1k views

How do designers choose shapes in a design?

A lot of times, while browsing through sites like Dribbble, one comes across sites that use shapes. For example, this one: Sorry for being naive, but is there a reason behind choosing a particular ...
Nisha Changrani's user avatar
9 votes
4 answers
1k views

How to quickly generate rectangles in place of text

It's pretty common nowadays—especially for UI mockups—to replace insignificant text with subdued rectangles. See example below. Does anyone have a really simple way of creating those—especially in a ...
Pete's user avatar
  • 291
9 votes
11 answers
2k views

Are there examples of software that use a dark colour scheme?

A client told me they want something with more a design software feel rather than web 2.0 feel, particularly something with a dark colour scheme. So now I am looking for some examples to show to him. ...
9 votes
3 answers
1k views

What are some common mistakes that a designer can make when designing for web, and how can they be avoided?

What are some common mistakes to avoid while designing? I know color, text and images play a major part in designing, but there are so many other things that we need to take care of! I don't know ...
Jack's user avatar
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9 votes
5 answers
1k views

Mockups: Coding vs Drawing?

This isn't about web design but about interface design in general. Is better to code Interface Mockups or "draw" them in a graphics program, like GIMP, Photoshop, etc.?
Christopher's user avatar
9 votes
4 answers
852 views

How can a popular free site with minimal budget obtain quality UI/UX design support?

I'm the dev of a web-based music player called TheParade. I listen to music on youtube often, and wanted a better experience, so I created the app, which I've been incrementally coding up over the ...
bossdeep's user avatar
9 votes
5 answers
326 views

data visualization over time

I have a decent sized set of data - 500,000 records, each representing an event. The fields are: date time who did the event what the event was (there will be say 5-10 type of events) where the ...
user avatar
8 votes
4 answers
8k views

What colors are good to avoid eye fatigue in dark environments?

I'm working on a program that requires a dark interface, because it's mostly used in dark rooms. After some thought I decided to add a light version too and let the user swap them, but both still have ...
Yisela's user avatar
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8 votes
3 answers
8k views

Make Inkscape UI completely dark except the document [closed]

I went here and got myself the Inkscape Dark theme. I'm on 0.92, Windows x64. However, I see that the vast area on the screen (not sure what it's called), where the document is placed, is still white....
Ram Iyer's user avatar
  • 183
8 votes
1 answer
1k views

How important is the visual flow of an interface?

I recently had a conversation with a friend about the design of an installer application. I pointed out that its visual flow was confusing. It led my eyes from the left to the right and then up to the ...
Computerish's user avatar
  • 2,640
7 votes
6 answers
2k views

How can I ensure that users will think a button is clickable?

I had to make a page with a couple links on it, so I thought I would try to make the links big and decorative: But I ran into the problem that people didn't realize it was a button, so they didn't ...
cstack's user avatar
  • 203
7 votes
3 answers
2k views

'This page is under construction' message or no page at all?

From a Design point-of-view, if a page is not ready yet, but the rest of the site is; would it be better to: Have a 'this page is under construction' message, or Not have the page at all, until it ...
Möoz's user avatar
  • 179
7 votes
3 answers
3k views

Do I need to be Creative and Artistic to be a graphic designer?

I don't like to draw things, and I'm not so creative and artistic. Can I become a graphic/UI, UX designer? Your kind suggestions are highly appreciated.
mehmood khan's user avatar
7 votes
5 answers
763 views

The graphic design theory behind the landing page

Today most of the landing pages are using common pattern like following Navigation bar section Full width section with scrolling images Three small sections with feature images Contact details Is ...
Buzz's user avatar
  • 181
7 votes
3 answers
24k views

Grid-based design in Illustrator -- need help setting up a grid!

I'm trying to explore grid-based layout design in Illustrator to help me create mockups for prototypes. I was wondering if anybody here could help me set up a grid based layout easily in Illustrator ...
yeahumok's user avatar
  • 457
7 votes
3 answers
242 views

How can I overcome the impulse to continuously critique (and possibly rework) my designs?

I have been designing for almost 5 years now. I have noticed something very strange in my development lifespan. My appreciation for my works decreases substantially over time. Especially in my UX ...
the_critic's user avatar
7 votes
4 answers
2k views

professional design of an extremely slim vertical menu

Ok, so I am a programmer and a complete disaster at web design. Untill now I have been able to produce "acceptable" looks with the help of frameworks like bootstrap, but I am stuck with a little side ...
larzz11's user avatar
  • 173
7 votes
1 answer
1k views

Coming from a programming background, where should I start to learn web design?

I'm a web developer mainly working in front end developing. My main fields are HTML5, CSS3 and Flash ActionScript 3.0. Here in Iran, teamwork means nothing for most of the people, but I think it's ...
user avatar
7 votes
5 answers
921 views

what to use instead of $$$ as cost level in design? Is there any alternative?

This question may be quite confusing so I've attached an image with it. Below is a snap from Yelp site, there you can see $$$ which is for price level. So what I want to ask is, is there any ...
Abi Rana's user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
507 views

Is there a canonical way of representing parallax backgrounds in a wireframe?

I am currently working on several wireframes / mockups. The product I am designing will have a landing page with a parallax. What is the correct way of representing this in a wireframe? So far, I ...
mayk93's user avatar
  • 173
7 votes
3 answers
2k views

Icon to indicate a span of time

I have a mobile app interface with a list of dates and notes: Sep 5 - No longer contagious Sep 6 - Can return to school ... Sep 9 - Back to normal Right now I am using an ellipsis to indicate a gap ...
user15890's user avatar
7 votes
4 answers
1k views

Making an Effective Menu

I am making a menu for an indie game and I'm not quite satisfied with my results. The menu itself needs two text fields (one to enter your username and the other for your password) and two buttons. (“...
clankercrusher's user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
3k views

Web Design Sizes

This is one of my major issues these days. I'm using 15" Retina Macbook Pro. When I'm designing websites in Photoshop I normally use following settings, width = 2560, to make it easy to view on large ...
Rangana Chandrasena's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
1k views

Designing GUI for mobile apps working in bright sunlight environment

I'm going to create GUI for a mobile app that will work in bright sunlight environment (inside a car so it will not be fully exposed to sunlight) and the usability and visibility of certain GUI ...
syntagma's user avatar
  • 365
6 votes
5 answers
2k views

What questions should I ask when giving interviews to a senior graphic designer?

Ok, here's a weird issue I'm facing. My boss (no background in design) has gotten me to interview a graphic/UI design guy the company is hiring. Here's the gist: The job position in this case is a ...
Xeon's user avatar
  • 293
6 votes
4 answers
2k views

Am I working too slow?

I'm working as an UX designer for a startup studio that develop internet products and web services. So, i started 3 months ago, my boss's strategy is to develop some experiments and then collect ...
user25808's user avatar
6 votes
7 answers
3k views

How to begin with UI design

Newbie here. I like the web and UI design, and I know what good UI and good design is, but I lack Photoshop skills. Sometimes when I try to do design work my mind goes blank or gets mixed up because ...
Stephanus Lukmanto's user avatar
6 votes
5 answers
1k views

What elements should be on an iPhone app's splash screen?

I am currently developping an official iPhone app for a football club. Well, the development is nearly finished and I now have to worry about details, like the splashscreen. One solution would be to ...
Pierre Espenan's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
8k views

Noto Sans vs. Noto Sans UI

They look exactly the same. I looked around in Google's FAQ, but couldn't find anything about it. Is there supposed to be a difference?
Dor's user avatar
  • 171
6 votes
2 answers
1k views

Simulate Reading Mode on webpage

Latest UPDATE : After days of searching without a single conclusive (not even close) option or study regarding the topic I decided to create my own survey to narrow it down. This survey is only for GD ...
Alin's user avatar
  • 4,945
6 votes
5 answers
6k views

Sketch: how to get design to developer?

I've been wanting to learn Sketch but am not sure what the process is once it comes to handing over the design to the developer. Most developers won't have Sketch as it's mac only, and even then most ...
rjtkoh's user avatar
  • 467
6 votes
3 answers
44k views

UI Mockup and wireframing tool for Mac OS X app UI's [closed]

I'm looking to get some input from experienced designers, since my main job revolves around coding and not so much designing... What good tools are out there that one can use to mockup some os x ...
coconutpear's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
221 views

Mythology/ancient mobile-design do's and don'ts?

I am designing a mobile app about Greek mythology and want to make the app feel authentic. I was wondering when you try to make an app look old (antique...), what are the do's and don'ts? How can I ...
Kevin Amiranoff's user avatar

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