4 ms·

Ask HN: Best way to learn UI/UX and web design?

13 points by rayalez 8y ago

andrei_says_ 8y ago
UI is different from UX and both are large areas of knowledge and training. I’d recommend working on projects which force you to learn as you go along. You can also read a bit of theory on both but don’t get trapped in the “being informed == learning” fallacy. Reading about bycicles is different from balancing on one and learning to do tricks on it. Any theory you inform yourself about you need to combine with experience points or it’s not very useful. UX theory: The Design of Everyday Things and Don’t Make Me Think are good books on UX. You can find a lot of articles on medium but know that many of are written by inexperienced designers and writers and can be quite convoluted and confusing. Much of the web writing is polluted by lists, tips and instructions which provide a false sense of learning. Memorizing a list does not give you experience. Smashing Magazine has curated sections on both UX and UI. UI wise I liked the Microinteractions book, the designing forms book from alistapart, and the web typography book by Jason Santa Maria. Also this: http://webtypography.net/ http://webtypography.net/ And this: https://practicaltypography.com/ https://practicaltypography.com/ are good resources on typography. Lastly, take a look at Kathy Sierra’s work, including her website and book. Both are very inspiring. But don’t forget to go through a project where you make the ui and UX decisions and ideally get a chance to refine them in the presence of use data. The experience points are the multiplier to the theory.
acconrad 8y ago
There are really 5 fundamentals you'll want to practice if you want to dive into user interface design for the web: 1. Typography 2. Whitespace 3. Color selection 4. Image use and presentation 5. Animation / iconography With those 5 you'll get the 80/20 of what's needed to make a great design. From there you can dive into the specifics of user experience, information architecture, and a whole host of other facets to make things both aesthetically pleasing and intuitive. If you want a crash course in those 5 topics, I actually put together a free book with examples on how to apply those things to the web: http://anonconsulting.com/ui-crash-course/ http://anonconsulting.com/ui-crash-course/ Let me know what you think and if you have any further questions don't hesitate to reach out.
jhpriestley 8y ago
I'm not an expert at UI/UX/design, but I'd say I've gone from mortifyingly incompetent to not-completely-awful so if that's the transition you're also looking to make, maybe my advice can help. What helped me was to look at designs that I thought were decent and just duplicate them. You actually learn a lot this way and it's much easier than trying to come up with original designs; also much more practical than reading a bunch of theory (which I've also tried).
Leo-Cabibihan 8y ago
This video helped me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR4EbVDkWcI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR4EbVDkWcI (Design for non designers)
webbygiants 8y ago
Your website is a key to your business success. It gives the impression the way it looks to visitors. Website has to be catchy in terms of its design and contain important features that you want to show to your customers. This is why an effective website is a need of the time. The designer of a website plays a crucial role for its quality and professional excellence. Every website comes with a unique idea and needs a unique design solution. I will recommend you to hire Webbygiants for their agile web-solutions. They will design and build your website keeping in view that it should be considered user-friendly, easy-to-navigate and attractive. If you are seeking a quality Website Design services at http://www.webbygiants.com/ http://www.webbygiants.com/, your right destination is Webbygiants.

13 points by rayalez 8y ago

UI is different from UX and both are large areas of knowledge and training. I’d recommend working on projects which force you to learn as you go along. You can also read a bit of theory on both but don’t get trapped in the “being informed == learning” fallacy. Reading about bycicles is different from balancing on one and learning to do tricks on it. Any theory you inform yourself about you need to combine with experience points or it’s not very useful. UX theory: The Design of Everyday Things and Don’t Make Me Think are good books on UX. You can find a lot of articles on medium but know that many of are written by inexperienced designers and writers and can be quite convoluted and confusing. Much of the web writing is polluted by lists, tips and instructions which provide a false sense of learning. Memorizing a list does not give you experience. Smashing Magazine has curated sections on both UX and UI. UI wise I liked the Microinteractions book, the designing forms book from alistapart, and the web typography book by Jason Santa Maria. Also this: http://webtypography.net/ http://webtypography.net/ And this: https://practicaltypography.com/ https://practicaltypography.com/ are good resources on typography. Lastly, take a look at Kathy Sierra’s work, including her website and book. Both are very inspiring. But don’t forget to go through a project where you make the ui and UX decisions and ideally get a chance to refine them in the presence of use data. The experience points are the multiplier to the theory.

acconrad 8y ago

There are really 5 fundamentals you'll want to practice if you want to dive into user interface design for the web: 1. Typography 2. Whitespace 3. Color selection 4. Image use and presentation 5. Animation / iconography With those 5 you'll get the 80/20 of what's needed to make a great design. From there you can dive into the specifics of user experience, information architecture, and a whole host of other facets to make things both aesthetically pleasing and intuitive. If you want a crash course in those 5 topics, I actually put together a free book with examples on how to apply those things to the web: http://anonconsulting.com/ui-crash-course/ http://anonconsulting.com/ui-crash-course/ Let me know what you think and if you have any further questions don't hesitate to reach out.

jhpriestley 8y ago

I'm not an expert at UI/UX/design, but I'd say I've gone from mortifyingly incompetent to not-completely-awful so if that's the transition you're also looking to make, maybe my advice can help. What helped me was to look at designs that I thought were decent and just duplicate them. You actually learn a lot this way and it's much easier than trying to come up with original designs; also much more practical than reading a bunch of theory (which I've also tried).

Leo-Cabibihan 8y ago

This video helped me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR4EbVDkWcI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR4EbVDkWcI (Design for non designers)

webbygiants 8y ago

Your website is a key to your business success. It gives the impression the way it looks to visitors. Website has to be catchy in terms of its design and contain important features that you want to show to your customers. This is why an effective website is a need of the time. The designer of a website plays a crucial role for its quality and professional excellence. Every website comes with a unique idea and needs a unique design solution. I will recommend you to hire Webbygiants for their agile web-solutions. They will design and build your website keeping in view that it should be considered user-friendly, easy-to-navigate and attractive. If you are seeking a quality Website Design services at http://www.webbygiants.com/ http://www.webbygiants.com/, your right destination is Webbygiants.