User interface design

User interface design
ScotXW · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Name	User interface design
Field	Human–computer interaction
Related	Interaction design, User experience design, Usability

User interface design is the craft of creating interfaces that enable people to interact with software, hardware, and services in effective, efficient, and satisfying ways. Practitioners draw on research from human factors, cognitive psychology, and ergonomics to shape elements such as layouts, controls, and visual affordances for desktop, mobile, web, and embedded systems.

Overview

User interface design sits at the intersection of Human–computer interaction research, Cognitive psychology findings, and industrial practice exemplified by organizations like Apple Inc., Microsoft, and Google. The field addresses visual languages influenced by movements such as Bauhaus and firms including IDEO and Frog Design, while also engaging standards bodies like ISO and institutions such as the Interaction Design Foundation.

Principles and Guidelines

Foundational principles reference heuristics from experts affiliated with Nielsen Norman Group, guidelines from Apple Human Interface Guidelines, Microsoft Fluent Design System, and pattern libraries used at Mozilla and Amazon (company). Designers apply laws named after figures like Fitts's law, Hick's law, and Miller's law alongside cognitive constructs from Donald Norman and laboratory results from Stanford University labs and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Accessibility standards include mandates derived from ADA enforcement and specifications by W3C through the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

Design Process and Methodologies

Typical workflows combine approaches popularized at IDEO with academic methods from Carnegie Mellon University and practitioner frameworks such as Design thinking and Agile software development. Teams use artifacts and roles familiar at companies like Facebook and IBM—for example, product managers from Google collaborating with researchers trained at University of California, Berkeley and prototypers inspired by work at MIT Media Lab. Iterative cycles often cite methods from Lean Startup and evaluation strategies taught in courses at University of Washington.

Interaction Modalities and Patterns

Interfaces accommodate modalities demonstrated in devices from Apple Inc. (e.g., iPhone multi-touch), wearables by Fitbit and Garmin, voice systems like Amazon Echo and Google Assistant, and gesture interaction research at Sony and Microsoft Research. Common patterns reference components used in Android (operating system), iOS, and web frameworks pioneered by React (JavaScript library) creators at Facebook and by teams at Angular (web framework) origins from Google. Interaction archetypes invoke studies from Bell Labs and prototypes shown at events such as CES.

Evaluation and Usability Testing

Usability testing practices trace to labs at Bell Labs, Hewlett-Packard research, and academic programs at Carnegie Mellon University and Stanford University. Methods include formative techniques promoted by Jakob Nielsen and summative metrics aligned with work at Nielsen Norman Group and company research groups at Microsoft Research and Google Research. Accessibility audits reference rulings tied to ADA cases and compliance testing tools developed by teams at Mozilla and W3C.

Tools and Technologies

Designers use tools originating from companies such as Adobe Systems (e.g., Adobe Photoshop), startups like Figma, and suites maintained by Sketch (vector graphics editor) creators and contributors linked to Bohemian Coding. Prototyping and handoff workflows interoperate with development platforms from GitHub and continuous integration services by CircleCI and Jenkins (software), while front-end implementations rely on libraries produced by Google (e.g., Angular (web framework)) and initiatives from Apple Inc. for iOS and macOS.

History and Evolution of UI Design

The discipline evolved from early command-line systems at institutions like MIT and Stanford Research Institute through graphical breakthroughs at Xerox PARC, whose work influenced products at Apple Inc. and Microsoft. Milestones include the introduction of the Graphical user interface in commercial systems, contributions by researchers at Bell Labs and PARC inventors such as those associated with Xerox Alto. The rise of the web accelerated new paradigms via companies like Netscape and standards set by W3C, while mobile revolutions driven by Apple Inc. and Google reshaped conventions and spurred research at universities including Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Carnegie Mellon University.

Category:Design