Interview with webmaster Xiaoxiaowei of Chinese UI Design Network

Design | stationmaster

Editor: China UI Design network chinaui.com is a UI (user interface users interface, the same below) design-oriented, other design supplemented by professional Man-machine interface Design website . Designed to enhance communication between UI designers and promote the development of Chinese UI design. China UI design Network to display UI design works as the main function, bringing together the design of domestic and foreign products. Through the Internet , for the designers in different regions set up a bridge to exchange learning. China UI Design Network was established in 2003, just two years to develop into the largest UI design theme of the Web site, today we interviewed Chinaui webmaster Xiaoxiaowei, chat about China UI Design network.

China UI Design Network webmaster Xiaoxiaowei

China UI Design Website long: Xiaoxiaowei, Network name: BlueSky. Xiaoxiaowei is a senior UI designer, and the design director of Beijing U-Ai Interactive Technology Co., Ltd.

Visual Alliance: Xiao Wei, hello. First of all, to our readers about the Chinese UI design network at the beginning of the establishment of some cases?

The BLUESKY:CHINAUI was officially launched on January 15, 2003. In the second half of 2002, when I was working in Jinshan Software, working in contact with the UI design, this has generated a strong interest. I like the web design before, also very like to do a personal homepage, calculate I was from 2000 contact with the Internet, then began to learn to do the personal homepage, the main content is mainly around my interest in some of the design, plane, Web pages, 3d or something, changed several editions, always have no characteristics. Until one night suddenly think of the site again when the revision of the Web site to do a special UI design, I search the Internet UI design, can be found in the content is very small, mostly foreign content, so decided to revision of the homepage, to do the domestic first UI design professional website. Then think of Chinaui this domain name, check a bit, incredibly did not register, was really very excited, immediately to register the domain name down, and then began to plan this site. In fact, the purpose of the station was very simple, is to do a dedicated UI site, did not want to make him how big, is entirely personal interest.

Visual Alliance: China UI Design Web site as a theme of UI design, the interface design of course is very good, when the design of the Web page must have spent a lot of time, have taken into account what the UI aspects of the problem?

BlueSky: Now in the Site page is a few improvements and adjustments after the appearance. This style is designed to take into account a number of related factors. First of all, from the tone, the site's main function is to Exchange original works, in order to highlight the work, the color of the site itself in the design of the design of the relatively elegant. The structure of the site will be divided into each column is very clear, user-friendly browsing. In the upcoming new website, but also the first to add the concept of color navigation, because people's vision of color is the most sensitive, we have to do the function of the site color classification, so more convenient for everyone to use the site.

Visual Alliance: How many core members were there when the website was founded? What's the status of everyone now?

BlueSky: The first year after the establishment of the station, there are a number of friends to join together to engage in web sites. First Ongya Winter (net name: Cloud Night), is he helped me write Chinaui website program. I can not program , remember that I did the site page, everywhere to find a friend to help me write the program, and finally Donger willing to help me write, with his help, Chinaui really made a molding site launched. He is now a technical director at a company in Beijing. After is the Doomsday (net name: anyone), after the website launches, I and he introduced the website and my idea on the net, he specially supports, then joins in, helps me to redesign and the management forum , and together has planned the website the first revision, The function and structure after that revision has been extended to the present. He is now in England, and his beloved people live a sweet life , doing what they like to do. With the formation of the site, we are willing to join in a force. Shang (net name Sky), at that time is my colleague in Jinshan, he usually do not like to send things on the internet, but in the work to do some site management work. He is now in Guangzhou, finally ended the drift of feelings, to get married, but also in the heart of their own business. Then is Zhang Wei (net name: Rokey), he is already famous now, he is very talented, in Chinaui published his works, I feel particularly has the potential, pulls him into the Jinshan company, becomes the colleague, he also joins the Chinaui core member, he has brought many fresh blood to the website, So that the overall level of the site has improved a grade. He now has the right to enter Microsoftand become an excellent GUI designer. Then there is Liu Qi (net name: Phenol hemp), the current head of the group's UI design director, specializing in mobile phone aspects of the UI design. Liu Chao (net name: In full bloom), is currently Nokia China's UI design director, but also on the mobile phone's UI design has been quite successful. Rinchinnyamyn (Network Name: Kobayashi), just set up its own company earlier this year, dedicated to usability testing and interactive research.

More than two years later, the original youth, now have all become the domestic UI design Montana-level characters, we work together to create a chinaui,chinaui also achieved everyone.

Visual Alliance: What's the biggest difficulty in building a website at the beginning? What other problems do you usually encounter during the development stage of the website?

BlueSky: The biggest difficulty at the beginning of the website was publicity. When you first set up, you want to expand the popularity of some websites, more visits, I find ways to advertise, write that kind of advertising stickers, in other design forums on the hair, the results were mercilessly deleted (PS: Fully understand why the deletion of stickers, now Chinaui will also delete other people posted ads), To many large websites e-mail, exchange links, because the site is too small to be rejected. Want to eat into a fat is really impossible, so the heart to do their own website content, think about why people do not want to recommend, not willing to link, that is because their website has not yet to that extent. Later content to do more and more rich, natural but also more visits, visibility has improved.

Site development phase of the problem, the most headaches should be the server problem, this problem has been bothering me all the time. Believe that for most websites, this is a problem. When Chinaui was first established, I used to be my previous personal homepage space, only 100M, two months have not enough space, replaced by 800M, and not long enough, and then replaced by 2G space, this 2G space has been used to 2004 years of March. Starting from the end of 03, because this 2G of space is leased virtual host, bandwidth restrictions, so there are always too many connections, inaccessible situation, and 2G space is more and more full. Later in the March 04, friend Cai Xin Bagongshan provided a server to me to solve the difficulties at that time. Access to more and more users, independent servers also have problems, Unicom Room server, telecommunications access difficult, or regional inaccessible. Now the Chinaui is our own to buy the server hosted in the CNC machine room, but there is the problem of North-South interoperability, the north to visit the speed is good, while some southern cities visit slow like a snail. In fact, no wonder who, money to buy more than a few servers, on what the problem is solved.

The website receives the attention of various people more and more, some small hacker also will give me spot. Worst of all, this April was a continuous attack that led to a one-week web site not being accessed properly.

CHINAUI Headquarters

Visual Alliance: What do you do now besides doing the Chinese UI design network?

BlueSky: I am now in addition to operating a website, the company also provides some professional UI design services, including various types of software interface design, mobile device interface design.

Visual Alliance: Domestic UI design is at what stage, the Chinese UI design network users visit the purpose of the site is generally what?

BlueSky: The domestic UI design has become more prosperous since last year, and many companies are aware of the importance of UI design to the product , but also the emergence of a lot of good UI designers. Now the overall level of domestic UI design is higher than in the 03, several grades. Chinaui for the domestic UI designers to provide a good platform for communication, the main purpose of the site is to communicate and display their own works. Learn from each other and improve together.

Visual Alliance: What is the main audience for China's UI design network?

BlueSky: Now most of the visitors to the site are engaged in UI design work or interested in the people, including students, designers, white-collar, enterprise project leader, etc., I hope that in the future, more people engaged in development to visit our website, We will also provide some relevant content and function for this group of people.

Visual Alliance: China UI Design web as the largest UI design portal, what is the secret of success? Which sections of the site would you recommend to users?

BlueSky: In fact, there is no secret, I think the site must give people have a look, can let the people browsing the site after the harvest. Moreover, the website must have a topic, can have certain representative in a certain domain. Chinaui can now be known by most people because of these conditions.

Chinaui has some very special columns I recommend you to visit, first of all, "interface design appreciation", this column, we will be the most timely first time to report a variety of software and equipment of the latest interface. There is also the "Interaction Theory", which has a lot of theoretical knowledge about human-computer interaction. In the "Original Interface Design" column, there are many designers to display their outstanding works.

In the new website will also add a lot of feature columns, are we carefully planned, carefully set up the learning, communication platform.

Visual Alliance: Have you considered the commercial operation of the Chinese UI Design network, and how do you think about the commercialization of the website?

Bluesky:chinaui is still relatively a non-commercial site, with the subsequent function of the site more and more perfect and rich, will gradually move towards commercialization. For a Web site, if the trend towards benign development, the more development, the inevitable operating costs will become higher. Like Chinaui, just do, I only need to invest hundreds of yuan, rent a space. But development is growing, and fees will grow with each other. Just do the site is, that is personal interest, do now become a responsibility, in order to be able to do the site more professional and formal, commercialization is inevitable.

Visual Alliance: What is the main source of funding for the current Chinese UI Design network operation?

BlueSky: At present, the site itself is not profitable, the operation of the site's funds mainly rely on other companies business.

Visual Alliance: There is a message that there are venture capital enterprises on some domestic design-related sites have investment intentions, how do you think of this problem?

BlueSky: Investing is a good thing, but I think it's a good idea to consider how to accept and use investment. The first thing to do is to make clear what the investment is for and how to get a bigger return. One has to be very clear about the direction of their own website development, as well as value-added points. So I think that the site in the absorption of investment before, or should be more to do their own good, the basis of play well, the direction of development to see. In order to make effective use of investment and achieve better development.

Visual Alliance: Please use a sentence to summarize the development of their own web site and expectations of the future?

BlueSky: We have been exploring China's UI design, along the way through a variety of ups and downs, on and off. Hopefully in the future, Chinaui can really put up a banner for China's UI design.

Visual Alliance: A few words for users who have supported China's UI design network for many years

BlueSky: Thank you for your love and support for Chinaui, we will make every effort to build a better learning and communication platform for everyone.

Visual Alliance: Thank you for your acceptance of the Visual Alliance website interview, and finally wish Chinaui smooth development!

Group photo, Xiaoxiaowei (right 2), Zhang Hainu (right 1), Shangpeng (left 2), CHINAUI staff (left 1, left 3)

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