UI/UX Articles And Interesting Tidbits Of The Week
February//7//2020
Here are some interesting finds on UI/UX of the week!
1.
Bright Colors in UI Design. Interesting article from Tubik Studio on the impact of Bright Colors in Interfaces. The article sheds light on the association of colors with enhanced functionality, navigation/interaction perception, readability, legibility, and also association with Product Design trends. It also lists some of the downfalls that can potentially haunt this strategy, if not strategically devised and applied. Highlight of the article includes:
“The more vibrant colors you apply in UI, the more difficult it becomes to match them. To make users feel pleased and comfortable, designers try to bring balance and harmony into user interface design. The color harmony is about the arrangement of the colors in design most attractively and effectively for users’ perception. Harmonic color combinations contribute to a nice first impression from the website or application. The color theory defines several basic color schemes that were proven to work efficiently.”
2.
Humans Dismiss Facts Outside their Worldview. Not an habitual article I typically highlight in this newsletter, but one worth listing, for the topic it brings forth and also for how it decidedly educates and gives a better grasp to what is currently happening in the world. It’s a good testimony to something that Designers should also understand about users and their habits: while we always expect consumers/users to be rather flexible and adaptive, much like certain ideologies, habits and tasks, there are routines that makes humans inherently safe and tranquil. Disrupting these can cause aversion to the catalyst force, and may eventually cause an abandonment of a solution, product or even ideology/belief. Something worth reflecting upon. Highlight of the article includes:
“Denialist phenomena are many and varied, but the story behind them is, ultimately, quite simple. Human cognition is inseparable from the unconscious emotional responses that go with it. Under the right conditions, universal human traits such as in-group favoritism, existential anxiety, and a desire for stability and control combine into a toxic, system-justifying identity politics. When group interests, creeds, or dogmas are threatened by unwelcome factual information, biased thinking becomes denial. And unfortunately these facts about human nature can be manipulated for political ends.”
3.
7 Principles of Icon Design. A thorough and well organized article on the principles that underline an effective Icon Design strategy and deployment. This article sheds light on considerations as pertinent as Clarity, Brevity, Readability, Alignment, Consistency, among others. The author provides insightful examples on each of these principles, something that a UI and Design System strategy also need to contemplate. Well worth a read. Highlight of the article includes:
“An icon set isn’t done after it’s been drawn to perfection. It requires further testing and preparation to make sure it’s easy for contributors to make new icons, designers to use them in their designs (for screen, print, etc.), and engineers to code them into production. A quality icon set is organized, well-documented, and tested in context. Nice to have: it’s supported by custom tools like an icon manager as well.”
