Mainlines about usability and application UI design

Intended for: all platform developers

Usability and application UI design is a factor that we use to leave to the end of a project, it's because developers often think that is not an important part of our daily job (this is not my). Due to current times, most spaniard companies (my country, I don't know outside) analyst/developers are: architects (senior and junior people), designers of our own application and test people, all in one.


In 90's this was revolutionary... but now...

Is not common in big companies where have departments for all this project areas, but in small and medium ones we have to fight with all of these by ourselves; is what it is. For testing is commonly accepted that the developer can't make good tests over their own creations because you'll never accept your own mistakes until other one tells you. If this is always the same ... Why don't we understand the same concept when we made user interfaces?

Is a real fact that developers have a straight tendency to make horrible interfaces that only we understand. We have to break that rule and start to make things right, as final users desire to be: this is the key to success. We can make an application with a huge performance, that optimizes the results of other companie's  software a 80% better that do the same: if user don't understand it or if he doesn't feel comfortable using it... the application will be a total fail.


User's anger must be present in our daily job


Now I'm going to explain the dogmas that must be present before making a correct user interface, in web or in desktop:

1. You always have to be in the final user's seat. For this task we can't make a general rule, because it depends on the user for that application: is not the same a defense environment, a bank environment or intended for developer users as we can be. Do you think in Visual Studio designed in the same way of a banking system? I can imagine that and... what a mess!
2. Make an effort in our application understanbility, mainly because everything is outside our environment (because our business is every business). Understand this is very important. Everyone outside computing science doesn't have the knowledge about operating systems and more important: they don't have to have it. Our applications must be used by the people intended to be used: storage staff, secretaries, bank staff, army men, etc.... and there will be people there with advanced computing knowledge but mainly not!
3. Have a criteria for designing on-screen controls: use logic for placing things, maintain this through application. If we not follow that criteria, fails during its use will be a big set; that leaves users to say something like: - This is a big sh*t! - or something else.
4. The last one in this set of basic concepts, but not the less important one: an elegant and functional design. Is not good to have a well-functional application if its design not reflects that is it true. Technology is evolutive and application user interfaces evolutionate with them: interfaces such as Windows 3.11 are completely obsolete...

Here I bring you the basic principles were I use to work over user interfaces. In next articles I will explain some of my secrets to make good-look applications to be used by any kind of user. My experience in this field have been usefull for any company were I have worked; I hope this will be the same usefull for you.

C# and Developing