Discussion on the standard of interface design

One, why write design code? Who is the design specification for?

Before we talk about this topic, what is the design specification? The design specification refers to the specific technical requirements of the design and the rules of the design work. Generally include technical description of the overall objective, technical description of the function, technical description of technical specification, and technical description of the restrictive condition.

So why do we use design specifications? First, we can make clear the rules of the project to reduce the chance of making mistakes, and secondly, strengthen the cooperation between the team, the responsibility is clear, improve work efficiency. Third, exercise our overall thinking ability.

The specification is ultimately serviced for the project. Everything we do is to optimize the project and improve our efficiency. However, the design code is also a design team culture. The ultimate benefit is not only the project, but also our own. When we form this kind of culture, we will cooperate with the more tacit understanding; we do not need to stay there while the engineer is working overtime; we don't need to ask people over and over again when they are designing source files. Do you feel better when you stop working overtime because of someone else's business?

Design specifications permeate the entire software engineering. Different engineering models for the requirements of the specification is not the same, not detailed comprehensive design specifications is the best, because the norm is to have a living environment, small companies to adapt to the rapid development, large companies waterfall model suitable for rigorous. If you do not consider their own engineering model, and blindly pursue a comprehensive, detailed, the results can not really help us improve efficiency, but because too many other operations and delay the project cycle.

Norms should have generality and guidance, should not stifle the creativity of designers. I have seen a logo design specification: must be 45 degrees angle of view. I think it's funny, there's absolutely no need for such restrictions. We can standardize this way: to have a unified perspective, a unified chamfer, the number of colors do not exceed three, unified material, etc., so that can be unified icon style, but also guide designers.

Ii. What kinds of design specifications are there?

1. Product-level Strategic direction specification

The most stable design specification, adapt to the content that does not change for a long time. Can be divided into two large portions:

The first part: the whole company product design direction. For example: is the use of the company's VI definition as our main product color, or on a certain limit to play at will? The overall style to be tough to express or mellow some? How to build and extend the temperament of a brand to enhance the user's sense of belonging and so on.

Part Two: the constant content of consensus. For example, basic control design specifications, basic interaction specifications, document writing specifications and so on.

2. A single design specification in the project (Interactive specification, visual specification)

is the most detailed specifications of the project, the whole project is in accordance with these design specifications are completed, but also the final Test evaluation basis. The specification is subdivided into n many different directions. Examples include: process description, Interaction model, interaction Specification, Icon Design specification, interface design specification, interface implementation specification, control design specification, and so on. The content should vary according to the model of each company's software engineering. For example: Waterfall model software Engineering focus can be meticulous and comprehensive, but these are for companies with large companies that can withstand longer project cycles, while extreme programming focuses on process descriptions, interaction models, and project requirements changes; and some small companies that do not use software engineering, when defined, The emphasis is on the design specification and implementation specification of the interface. Everyone in the definition of the time or according to their own company's actual situation, really do optimize their work can be, this will be in the "How to customize the design specification" in detail.

3, the interface output specification

This refers to the file specification that we export to the engineer. What kind of content do we need to output to help us reduce communication friction with our engineers and what are our areas of work? I remember when I first came to this company, a very good designer complained that I have told him the coordinates more than 10 times, every time he said he was busy, no space to change, Now the boss said we design the interface has problems, we are not serious designers work, in fact, this responsibility is not in me. I think for a moment, this is really not his single personal problem, is our output interface is not standardized, no refinement, resulting in a range is not clear, responsibility is not clear. How to avoid it? We need to define the output specification, define what substance we need to provide to the engineer, such as the coordinate diagram, the effect chart, etc. In this process, in improving the efficiency of engineers at the same time, a large number of reducing the occurrence of this friction.

The output specification of an interface can be divided into the following areas: The element definition to be provided, for example: Cut map, coordinate diagram, Effect diagram, flowchart, frame composition, documents, etc., the specification of the diagram, such as: Picture format, picture sharing part of the division, the location of the map, a variety of states; file naming specification; classification of folders ; The specification of document writing; and so on.

4, the accounting document management norms

When multiple designers work with each other to complete a project, the design of the document management specification is particularly important. Let's imagine a few scenes: Scene One, you need to call a colleague design the interface of the child module, open PS source file a look: Wow, hundreds of layers, no folder management, no naming. Scene two, colleagues leave, temporary to use a he designed the interface, open his computer, looking for one hours did not find, fire big Ah, feel that they have painted all. Scene three, the boss ran to find you want a file, standing behind you, you find to find is not find, that urgent ah. I think these three scenes should be most designers have experienced, do you remember the mood?

It is very important to design the management specification of the document, whether it is teamwork or individual, it can effectively improve the working efficiency. Generally contains the following: the storage of documents, such as: Working file directory classification, the storage mode of the machine, the storage mode of the server, the storage of the resource file, etc. the name of the file, such as: The naming format of the map, the name of the source file format, the output of the schema, the format of multiple versions of the named format; management of source files , such as: Layer naming, Folder classification, source map processing, such as file change management (version management).

Third, how to customize the design specifications?

Custom specifications are not the responsibility of a particular designer. The existing SME bosses under the influence of the outside world, always issued a command: So-and-so designers, please write our company's design specifications, what content, what direction not to say, I personally think this way is completely wrong. Specification customization is not just uplink, but also downward. To obtain the support of the boss at the same time, but also to be peer and subordinate to the acceptance of the norms only meaningful, only to enforce the intensity. In the social Psychology of David Miles: Attitude compliance behavior. National participation in the promotion of the enthusiasm of all designers, strengthen the implementation of the commitment will be higher.

China has been talking about the golden mean, what is the moderation? It is to take the balance. Extremes, excessive behavior is not a good way to achieve the goal. Remember Zhou Yi said a word: small details change the big process. I often agree with this sentence, any company's restructuring should not be completely rejected and customized, like a big ship want to turn a parabolic line, if you have to sharp, that must have the ability to withstand the possibility of capsize. There is no best specification and process, only the most appropriate. Other people's things look good, that may not be suitable for themselves. Is Microsoft's code good? Tencent's process okay? If you are a design team of five people, you should not adopt their process, otherwise the complicated process will only delay the project cycle and then drag the company down.

The above talk so much, but is to warn everyone not blindly to copy other people's norms and processes. In the clear of their current company's design scale and process system, tailored to the actual situation to help project and design team cooperation norms, this is the most meaningful. So, how do we customize the specification? Here, I share my experience with you, make a reference:

1, from top to bottom. From the process point of view, we must first obtain the support of the boss, and then the same level or subordinates to customize. We have a lot of specifications for designers and engineers to do together. For example, cut the map file naming norms, if only the designer in accordance with the specification, and engineers do not, the final project of the Chettu resources must still be disorderly to do a group, it is difficult to locate the desired picture, the result of this specification has lost significance. To obtain the support of the boss is very important, he is the normative implementation of a guarantee.

With the support of the boss, we begin to list the approximate direction and scope, and start to discuss with our peers or subordinates. There is no point in discussing without a goal, so there must be scope, for example, today we only discuss the specification of output. What do we have to deliver to the engineers? Cut diagram, coordinate diagram, effect chart, frame composition, what else do you need? How should our Chettu catalogue be stored? And so on, we speak freely, in the meeting will set everyone's idea and ideas, summed up, and finally everyone signed. Give the boss a look after the signature, this is a valid specification.

2, from the team to the individual. Customize the team-work specification first, and then customize the individual operational specifications.

The standard of team cooperation is very important, the specification is good, it is easy to improve the work efficiency. For example, the source file management norms, in a number of designers to cooperate with a project, if everyone's designers have their own style and management methods, it will be a disaster. Each person in the call file, they have to ask each other n times, many times, both sides will not have a good mood to do things, have you ever experienced such a scene and deeply feel it? Personal operating standards than the team to a lesser, their own management of the confusion is the impact of personal efficiency, do not finish their overtime, but will not affect the entire team. But if the team doesn't communicate well, work overtime together. Therefore, the team cooperation on the norms must be done first, then to standardize the operation of individuals.

3, from large into small. First customize the large design direction, and then customize the project a single detailed description.

When we design products, we must have the direction of design, there is a unified product design specifications. Like Apple products, Thunderbolt products, Tencent products, no matter what their new products or software, we can feel that this is their company out, this is what I said the big design direction. Now is the age of the brand, we must have such a standard to build our brand temperament. However, it is not possible for this specification to define the kind of text that an interface should use or the size of the font used, which is obviously not applicable to all items. Then we need to write a specification for each project to define these small questions. A single detailed specification is a branch of a large design direction that is subordinate to a large design direction. Large design direction in general will not change in the short term, a single detailed specification, we can specifically define a template, each time the project is opened to fill in. So, we need to define the big direction first and then customize the individual detailed instructions in the project.

4, from the interaction to the visual. Customize the interactive specification first, then customize the visual specification. I don't think I need to say more than that, we all understand. Interaction is always the front end of the vision, the visual is on the basis of interaction to do product effects. If the interaction does not define the beginning of the definition of vision, I think most of it is a piece of waste paper.

Article Source: Blue Ideal