User interface design – UI and UX

A functional, efficient and visually pleasing user interface improves usability and does not provoke frustration or other unpleasant sensations. However, user experience is subjective, and various users value various things. In addition to the user, the user experience is affected by the time, place and situation of use, and they are not always the same.

User requirements

Device users are diverse, and their behavioral patterns can differ considerably from each other. They can have different needs that may be mutually contradictory. Some user needs may be related to physical things, such as the vision and height of the user. Some needs may be related to culture and preferences, such as language and characters used.

Operating environment

The operating environment and situation also impose their own limitations. For example, temperature, luminosity, cleanliness, noise, vibration and cramped conditions may affect the operating situation and must be taken into account in the user interface design.

Operating situation

The operating situation, in turn, can be part of a normal and surprise-free process, but sometimes sudden situations and haste may arise. Some user interfaces are used continuously, but some only occasionally or extremely rarely. A good interface is optimized to work not only in normal operating situations and ‑environments but also under surprising circumstances.

Use cases

Devices and their operating processes impose their own requirements on the interface, which designers need to understand. To obtain as good an understanding as possible of how the device is used, various use case scenarios are made to guide the design of the actual interface. In accordance with the possibilities, sometimes changes can also be made to device-related operational modes and processes.

Usability

For example, investing in usability can speed up operation processes, make usage comfortable, reduce the number of errors made by the user, prevent situations of abuse, and promote operational safety.

Visual look

In the visual appearance of the interface, matters promoting usability as well as the brand of the device manufacturer are taken into consideration. Usability is influenced by fonts, colors, graphic symbols, icons and layout. The brand look may appear as colors, fonts, logo or other graphical elements, as well as similarity to the user interfaces of other devices of the brand.