More and more, user interfaces on desktops, mobile devices and kiosks are using darker colored backgrounds. Understanding the reasons goes beyond aesthetics, however. Studies have been conducted to analyze how the combination of text and background color affects readability, aesthetics,…

Modal windows are windows that are shown on top of an application screen to convey information to, or collect information from, the user. These “popups” prevent the user from interacting with the application until the window is closed by the…

Icons and user interface design are practically inseparable. Icons convey meaning, can cross language barriers, help establish brands, give products and devices a contemporary look and feel, and make for easy touch targets. Their creation and use, however, can still…

Applications often need to gather information from users, whether it be personal or pertaining to their work activities. In UX design, reducing the impact of this process is essential to an efficient workflow and a positive user experience. To this…

Contextual menus in user interface systems are pop-up menus that change depending on where you click. This provides a shortcut to actions and features users will want and need most often. These menus are usually accessed by “right-clicking” on the…

Formative and Summative usability tests in usability circles offer two distinct advantages. While both deal in assessing the quality of a user interface, these two forms of tests do so from different perspectives. Formative usability tests are qualitative—they are used…

Quotations about UX and UI Design: “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” – Albert Einstein “Clutter is a failure of design, not an attribute of information.” – Edward Tufte “White space is to be…

Medical UI design is being shaped by experiences with consumer electronic devices among physicians, medical staff and even patients. This influence includes screen layout, icons, gesture-based interaction, navigation, responsiveness and connectivity. As such, companies are starting to understand the need…

In User Interface design, intuitive simplicity is always a main goal. This often expands to the number of clicks a user will need to reach a certain feature, with the believe being the fewer clicks, the more efficient and simple…