Design is a creative field where forms and space intermingle to lend us a variety of experiences. Whatever design we come across, our brains are hardwired to transform that piece into simpler components made up of basic shapes and forms that are at play with the spaces. When the elements are arranged in an orderly manner, the intelligent use of spaces draws our eye to the most noticeable space –be it positive or negative. As much as the positive space seems to dominate the negative counterpart, both are used in equilibrium to tell a harmonious, coherent, and a seamlessly complete story. But what kind of story do spaces tell in web design?
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Art direction has been part of advertising and print design for over 100 years, but on the web art direction is rare and there have been few meaningful conversations about it. Art Direction for the Web by Andy Clarke changes that and explains art direction, what it means, why it matters, and who can do it. Jump to table of contents or pre-order the book right away. This is a book about why art direction matters and how you can art-direct compelling and effective experiences across devices and platforms.
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How do we go about understanding the myriad of users and their needs? One of the most common problems when designing for accessibility is knowing what needs you should design for. The more inclusive you are to the needs of your users, the more accessible your design is. In this article, Steven Lambert will take a closer look at the different lenses of accessibility through which you can refine your designs.
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The importance of Conversational UI cannot be understated, even if some of us wish it wasn’t happening. Conversational UI is not a new concept. Technologies such as Natural Language Processing are key to delivering great a conversational UI, and we’re finally to the point where everyone can use it, regardless of skill level. In this article, Burke Holland is going to take a look at why NLP is so important, and how you can build your own.
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After defining your project, you need to test how it will work before you begin to develop it. It is possible to represent the interactivity of an app before its development, and this gives developers a global vision of an app’s functioning, user behavior and steps to afford. There are many ways to design and create an app’s look. In this article, Manuela Langella will show you how to transfer an app’s design from Photoshop to XD, and how to work on it and having fun while prototyping.
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Karim Maaloul decided to start a series of short WebGL experiments on Codepen, and he has finally found the time to compile them all together on a single website named “Moments of Happiness”. In this article, Karim has detailed the solution used to make a running cycle. On his Codepen page, all of these experiments are available, with the code at your disposal. Feel free to play around and make your own interactive toys. As you’ll see, all of the experiments share one principle: The behavior of each character responds programmatically to user input. No precalculated animation — every movement is defined at runtime.
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As the number of chart types and approaches keeps growing, the things are getting worse, and sometimes even top experts get confused with identifying the goals of one chart type or another. Stacked bar charts are often worthwhile and should be considered when the occasion demands. In this article, Vitaly Radionov explains why you should be careful when and where you use them.
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Sound UX principles apply to all user groups, regardless of their social status or preferences. Today, users anticipate a superior experience and have a strong understanding of the value delivered. They are focused on results and a one-button approach, expecting their orders to be addressed at the highest level of service and with maximum transparency. However, more so in the luxury field, human interaction within the digital experience is not an option, but rather an undeniably powerful tool that improves communication and increases loyalty. In this article, Yegor Tsynkevich & Vadim Slavin will present a case study and share observations on the peculiarities of the UX design of a luxury lifestyle service platform and its mobile apps.
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The human to computer interaction is heavily based on interacting with graphical UI elements, and color plays a critical role in this interaction. When designing a new app, it’s often difficult to decide on a color scheme that works well, as there are an infinite number of possible color combinations out there. In this article, Nick Babich will go over the most important points related to color in apps. He’ll cover traditional color scheme patterns, custom color combinations that aren’t based strictly on any one pattern, and he’ll also learn how to choose colors and contrasts for your app that support usability. If you’d like to hone your own color usage skills, you can download and test Adobe XD for free, and get started right away.
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Are you a designer wanting to dive in the art of drawing letters but feel overwhelmed with the options on where to start? In this article, Alma Hoffmann shares her journey as a learner and helps you to get started by sharing tips, practical advice, how-to videos and freebies. A little spoiler alert: Practice makes progress.
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