UX/UI,THEPERFECTCOUPLE

First things first, what’s this UX/UI thing?

This week, Kablamo’s UX/UI lead, Victoria Adams weighs in on the UX/UI thing…

I think a good analogy for UX and UI to to imagine constructing a great building. The UXer is the architect and the UI plays the role of an interior designer. Let’s use fictional personas, ‘Alice the Architect’ and ‘Ian the Interior Designer’.

At the beginning of the project, Alice undertakes research and meets with the target residents of the building interviewing them questions like ‘what do you like to do at home?, ‘who lives with you?’, ‘do you have pets?’, ‘What is your cultural background?’. These findings contribute to the design for the layout of the building. She also looks at the broader area surrounding the building to understand its context and what fits into the environment. Alice then draws up some blueprints of floor plans and mocks up a few variations and see what the people have to say.

In digital terms, conducting User Research gives you a window into the world of the users and wireframes are a valuable tool to prompt early feedback in a format where any changes are quick and issues are spotted well before development begins.

Ian takes the User Research as inspiration to begin creating the look and feel of the building. What type of furniture and colours do the users tend to prefer? What atmosphere are they seeking from their living space?

In digital terms, this means mood boards of colours, fonts, images and layouts of apps. Once the UI designer receives the wireframes, they start applying the mood board onto the interface, incorporating colour, branding and animation.

Alice and Ian work closely together in co-creation and ideation sessions, also ensuring that accessibility requirements are met. The engineers are consulted throughout to ensure feasibility of designs.

Once construction begins they oversee the work, supporting the development team (physical or digital) to create a beautiful, usable product.

The two working together in synergy not only delivers the functional goals of the residents (the users) but also achieves a positive emotional reaction to each and every living space.

Drop us a line if you want to learn more.