Andrew is a UI developer and occasional designer at NCR, focusing on POS (point-of-sale) and clienteling solutions. He has two decades of development experience in languages such as JavaScript, Visual Basic, Python, and C, and will admit to having developed a content management solution with Delphi and Perl if backed into a corner.
Any of these happen to you?
Tasked to develop a user interface with an incomplete design spec, so had to make guesses such as where to position on-screen elements?
Worked on a small team without a full-time designer, and requested to “just put a screen together for a demo”?
Been asked to consult with a user interface designer, but don’t know what types of questions to pose?
Nowadays, everyone wants attractive, easy-to-use interfaces, so if you’re more comfortable sifting through Java or C# code than OmniGraffle or Visio mockups, learn about topics that can assist in creating more usable desktop applications, mobile apps, and websites. This talk provides easy-to-implement hints that can improve even a bad or “so-so” user interface. Areas of focus include the need for consistency; “negative space”; location, location, location (it’s crucial in screen real-estate, too!); contrasting colors; and the importance of action verbs.
