What is a UI Designer?

Posted by on May 18, 2012 in Design, UI Design, Usability, UX Design, Web Sites | 0 comments

What do you mean? As in what is UI?

UI stands for user interface. Like user experience designers, we work a bit with usability, but primarily UI designers are visual with a touch of front end development. Most UI designers can program using the following languages:
  • HTML
  • XHTML
  • (sometimes) HTML5
  • JQuery
  • JavaScript
  • CSS
Most UI Designers can also use Adobe’s Design Suite including:
  • Dreamweaver
  • Photoshop
  • Illustrator
  • Indesign
I can do all of those plus PHP and a few other tools listed on my resume.
In short, UI Designers help build websites.
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Default Values

Posted by on May 17, 2012 in Design, Strategy, Tutorials, UI Design, UI Pattern Library, Usability, UX Design, Web Sites | 0 comments

Challenge

Choosing which values in a menu should be default. Ever go to a site that has a very small country set as the default value, a country that may not even have internet (or at best makes up .5% of online internet users)? Had the UI/UX Designer thought through the system configurations, you may have filled out that form slightly faster (it’s a convenience factor).

Solution

Most users don’t want to fill out long forms and will go to another site that will make the process easier for them if you make them fill out a ten page survey on their life history. While the default values you choose may not be right, it is better to have a value as an example that can be easily changed than to have an empty field.

Additional UX Considerations:

  • Radio buttons, text fields and drop down boxes should be set to default values that are convenient to the user.
  • These fields should be described in a way that is quick to understand.
  • If a field is mandatory that should be noted.
  • When a user makes a mistake, fills out the form too long, or doesn’t choose an option that is mandatory the fields should be noted in a way that that will direct the user the the issue.

*UX stands for user experience

*UI stands for user interface

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Effective Web Design and SEO

Posted by on Apr 4, 2012 in Design, Guest Writer, Search Engine Optimization, UI Design, Web Sites | 0 comments

When it comes to effective web design and SEO, you should focus on this phrase – ‘quality content’. This is perhaps the most effective method of online marketing, by getting your company’s presence online and therefore reaching out to more potential customers. The content on your website should be useful to visitors, whether or not they make a purchase.

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