How to Approach Platform UI/UX Design

If you’re planning to undergo UI/UX design project, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the little things you have to do. This is especially the case if the goal is to develop for multiple platforms. You have to make sure that your project meets user expectations, function properly, and fit into the standard platform templates. There are no magical answers on how to go about it, but here are some tips to approach UI and UX design in a way that can make your life a whole lot easier.

First, make sure you understand your audience. Dig deep into figuring out what they really want out of your app or website. That’s the best way to start getting an idea of how to deliver the ideal user experience. It will help to look at similar successful websites or apps to really analyze what makes the website or app so popular. That’s not to say you should copy the competition. Researching consumer forums will really help you uncover the pros and cons of a website or app according to the consumers. This will help you improve upon what’s already out there.

Next, make sure you design visual standards and strategies that makes it easy to take your website or app into multiple platforms. For website development and design, it will prove valuable to go with responsive design so that your website is optimized for all viewing standards. For app design, it will make sense to use a design software or app builder tool that allows you to easily convert your app in the most popular operating systems and screen sizes.

A great way to bring your data to life is by sketching a design mockup. While many people go straight to wireframing, sketching a design mockup will be easier and more free-flowing. You can come up with an abundance of ideas without having to deal with the technical aspects of using a software program. You can quickly and easily write down notes, label all the elements, and describe how the website flows.

Once you have a strong idea of how you want your website or app to look, you can start building wireframes to visually bring your idea to life. You’ll be able to set up how all the various pages are linked and work together. This can quickly be transferred to the prototyping stage. If you are designing an app, many app design programs can take your wireframes and build you a prototype in no time.

Finally, you should start working on the UI aspect of your project. You can start working on logos, icons, fonts, graphics, the browsing structure, navigation menu, etc. It’s easier to work on the UI at this point because you’ll have come up with your main ideas for your project by now. You won’t have to go work on the UX and content, then go back to the UI repeatedly to keep updating the website or app.

Approaching user interface and user experience design in this manner will allow you to get the ideas you need, translate your idea into multiple platforms, come up with the actual design, and build a workable prototype. What you need to know is that there are no shortcuts when it comes to UI/UX design. You’ll have to loop back repeatedly once you come up with a new idea, feature, content, etc. It really does feel like a constant work of progress due to all the reiterations you’ll make, and in many ways it is.