Interface design

"Dressing for success is a major part of professional achievement."

 

Metaphor

In design, a metaphor is the symbolic representation of the structure to be built. A metaphor acts as a familiar visual aid upon which the entryway, interiors, doors and windows of the environment are constructed. As an example the image shown bellow is a link to my thumbnail gallery site.

Thumbnail gallery

Clarity

Every element on a page should have a reason for being there. Furthermore, that reason should be apparent to the visitor. One of the ways to support the metaphor wihile ensuring accessibility is to use words in addition to images. Othe methods that are necessary to support clarity is ensuring that anything that appears on the page-image maps, buttons, linds, spot art, Java applets-clearly perform the purpose for which it is intended.

Orientation

A site visitor must know where he or she is within a given site every step of the way. By building upon the concepts of metaphor, clarity, and consistency, along with a few other tricks, we can ensure of keeping visitors well-oriented within a site. Bellow are few of the methods:

  • Each page within the site has a title
  • Headers that define the page's identity are clearly available
  • Use footers

Consistency

Consistent design means carrying an interface's features through the entire site. Consitency is gained by:

  • Using the site's metaphor throughout the site
  • Keeping graphic elements compatible
  • Maintaining a consistent color palette
  • Arranging navigation options uniformly
  • Working carefully with fonts

Navigation

Navigation is as much a part of interface design as any of the other concepts like:

  • Site structure
  • Navigation location
  • Navigation media
  • Management of growing data

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