UI principles for great interaction design make your site interactive

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Interaction design is now a very common problem, but many designers and developers still do not know its specific meaning. Today, we will be different from the past: we will delve into the user interface and design principles that make your site interactive.

First, what is IXD

Interactive design (ie IXD) is a new area of rapid development, roughly 10-15 years ago, originated from a number of design-related research, and was later identified and accepted by professional designers.

Interactive design facilitates communication between people and the environment, where we refer to the exchange of people and websites, where interaction designers consider the interaction of users and computers without having to think about all the aspects of software or systems that involve users, as UX designers do. You may have heard of human-computer interaction at different universities--these degrees are basically cultivated in the IXd field.

What does a designer like to do?

An interactive designer will think about who is the target user of the product and who will use it. This information is provided by the user researcher or information architect. On the basis of these studies, an interactive designer spends a lot of time interacting with the software for the user and creating this amazing interaction as quickly as possible.

The designer must identify the key interaction and draw the block diagram, so keep sketching. Some designers will draw directly, some designers will use software to assist (at the end of the article to show some good examples), there are other designers will either individually or in cooperation to create the interface.

Interactive design (IXD) constantly shows new ways of interacting, because users always expect new things to happen to the site. But interaction designers need to be aware of how these features affect users, and then choose what they really want to achieve and what they can put on for a while in many ideas.

Below we will see some of the concepts of driving interaction design.

Target Driven design

Although IXD does not need to be done, user research is critical in order to get the best design feedback. When users use software, they generally have a few goals in mind and your application should meet those goals well. In order to successfully combine design and functionality, user research is the most important element.

This is so important that many user researchers can also find work as interactive designers because they are analyzing skills in the human behavior patterns used in software.

Simplistic

People don't know what the user interface is. In fact, they don't care. They don't know that someone is plotting what they see behind the site. They only know they need a simple website. They want an easy-to-use system that loads/responds quickly and does not allow users to think and give users no reason to grieve.

Scenarios and Patterns

Some of the products we use usually have a very clear function design, so everyone knows how to use them. Take the scissors for example. A three-year-old child knows how to use it, two fingers in two rings, and only one active way to use it. Nothing is simpler. Your site should be as simple and easy to use as a pair of scissors.

Why use the word "situation" here? Because the word expresses a website or the function of some columns behind the system.

With regard to patterns, the user interface should consist of a series of well-known components, and if the user wants to submit a form, they will first find the Submit button. This button is a common element, and it is not necessary for the designer to repeat the early wheels every time they accept a new project.

Some people will say that imitating the existing pattern, not reinventing the wheel will make people feel not innovative. Talking about innovation when usability is not guaranteed is an idiot. Remember, ease of use and innovation are different.

If you want to innovate, you still need to understand the known patterns. However, if you pursue high usability, no one encourages you to reinvent the wheel, because users need time to adapt to your wheels.

Creating a highly easy-to-use system requires interaction designers to have a deeper understanding of conventions, scenarios, and web usability.

Now that you understand some of the principles of interaction design, let's look at how a great interaction design affects users.

Visitor positioning

Interaction designers need to know which users their designs are targeting, so they can position them through the user.

The page shows where the user is staying, and the experience does not confuse the user when browsing. Users can also learn how to jump from one page to another. It's important to let users know where they are now. This interaction experience is bad when the search results without a query and does not tell the user what to do next.

Continuous dialogue

Interactive design focuses a lot of effort on giving users continuous feedback. Tell users whether they are doing right or wrong, even on an unconscious level, which is a popular element for users. You only have to tell them that they have succeeded when the user completes the action.

When you buy something on Amazon, you get a confirmation in your browser and in your mailbox. When you submit a message by contacting the form, you get a confirmation on the page.

This allows the interaction to not only stay on the site's browsing and feature use, but also bring the interaction to a new level: It helps users better understand their current state, and minimizes doubts and problems, and eliminates user frustration.

Thinking about Workflows

IXD also consider workflows. If you have a registration form, what happens when a user submits a message with it? Will the page refresh, will jump to the homepage, will show confirmation, will jump to the landing page, or at the same time jump to the top two pages?

It's about having many choices and choosing, the one that'll fit your users expectancies best. All of the elements mentioned are part of the Web site workflow. Each interaction should follow the next logical step and match the experience created before your site.

Visual level

To get users to do what you want, you can use visual levels to help them. You can use layout, element size, and color combinations to achieve visually salient effects to guide the user's eyes.

You can also use visual hierarchy to enable users to find what they want. Do you want to rent a car? Ensure that you can use the visual hierarchy to guide users to the "leasing" page.

Good wireframe tool

It's so important to draw drafts and wireframes, so I'd like to show you some handy tools so you can start interactive design work right away.

Mockingbird

Mockingbird is a web-based application where users can create, connect, preview, and share a block diagram of a site or application. Its interface is simple and friendly, users can drag and drop elements, resize, or even through a link with colleagues to facilitate sharing.

Because Mockingbird is a web-based application, it means that you create and modify your ideas everywhere from any computer.

Lovely Sponsor

Lovely sponsor is an online chart application that allows users to create flowcharts, organization charts, site maps, and flow diagrams.

The main feature of the application is to speculate on what you are drawing – which helps simplify the drawing process, and it is also easy to return to the old version and undo the changes.

Mockflow

Mockflow is also a good web application that has a clean, simple organization interface and a wide range of functional features.

Used with drag-and-drop, there are built-in components from charts to menus, ads and Pull-down menus. You can upload your own pictures or choose the generic material that the site provides, so the process of building the Block diagram is very fast.

Simplediagrams

Simplediagrams is another desktop application that helps users to express their ideas by creating a block diagram, which uses the same drag-and-drop technology as the application mentioned above.

Although less functional than other applications, Simplediagrams provides basic tools to help users create a faster block diagram.

After introducing Simplediagrams today's article should end. Don't forget the importance of user testing, remember that innovation and usability tend to go in the wrong direction. Innovate when creating a magical interactive interface and focus on how to make it easier for those who use it.

Keep these in mind and you will become a great web or application interaction designer.

What do you think of this great interaction design field? Have you ever tried to design a similar interface element without, or knowing these principles, is it what you aspire to?

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