How design systems can make your life (and your user’s life) better
The importance of guidelines in interface design
We live in a world where everyday new devices are being launched. There is an ongoing competition between manufacturers to make the best device. Smartphones, tablets, laptops, computers or any other IoT devices have acquired such an important place in our lives that we can’t imagine a day without them.
With the rising number of devices and operating systems, we designers face new challenges every day. Many of us are obsessed with creating the most intuitive and beautiful interface for our customers and find ourselves hooked to sources like Behance and Dribbble for inspiration. But what really makes a beautiful interface?
Many would debate that User Experience is more important. But I always believe that without a good user interface, you cannot deliver a great experience.
One of the key aspects of creating a good interface design is to follow the guidelines of the platform
This is a very basic rule which goes out a long way. Always follow the design guidelines provided by operating system or the device manufacturer. The reason is that these guidelines themselves are based on basic principles of consistency and simplicity. Be it Google’s Material Design, Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines or any other design system defined by the brand or the company, all of them uphold these principles.
Consistency
Consistency is the secret recipe of delivering a successful UI. I used successful instead of beautiful to emphasise on that fact that a properly designed interface paired with a thoughtful UX often succeeds in engaging the user.
In my career as a designer, I have seen PSDs, AIs and Sketch files with elements having inconsistent spacing around them. I really really hate working with files that have 25 different font styles in 50 different shades of grey. Recently, during a call with a team mate who works from a different office location, he shared a file and schooled me about 8 point grids and how he had implemented the same. I opened the file and checked. The first element I picked, had spacing like 13pt on top and 17pt on the left. In what world is 13 or 17 a multiple of 8?
How hard is it to maintain proper spacing and font styles across a design? How hard is it to limit yourself to a colour palette? I guess, I won’t be able to understand that ever because I have always practised consistent design and now it comes naturally to me.
I often use 8 point grids for phones and Bootstrap grids for web layouts. Apart from that, 10 point grid system is also a common practice in interface and graphic design. These are not hard and fast rules but best practises. They help keep the design consistent.
Simplicity
By simplicity, I don’t intend to mean minimalistic. Simple, in terms of user interface, stands for easy to use. It is a basic principle that enables any software or product to be used by a wide range of customers. I often look at Gmail as an example of good UI & UX design. As it caters to a very wide range of customers, from students to professionals to grandparents, it has followed the principle of simplicity to satisfy most of the users' needs.
We should look forward to remove unnecessary interactions and elements, keeping the ease-of-use for the customer in mind.
I have suffered much, working on source files by many other designers, with inconsistent spacings, too many font and colour variations and the worst ― without proper file structure. Grouping and renaming elements goes a long way. It is not only a good habit but also an important part of creating a successful design system. You will thank yourself next time you open the file to make some edits. And also the other designer, with whom you shared the file.
Some people might feel that a set of guidelines can limit their creativity. Having somebody already declare colours, fonts and other details will stop them from thinking openly. It might seem challenging but with proper thinking and collaboration can bring better results. It will prevent them from drifting away from the core values of the product and let them deliver a reliable design system.
