What is Interface Design?

Web interface design is not book design, it is not poster design, it is not illustration.

Interface design is about the creation of digital environments that allow and encourage human activity; reflecting or adapting to voices and content.

Great web designs are a bit like great buildings.

All office buildings, have lobbies and bathrooms and staircases. Two, when you enter well constructed building, you will notice how easy they are to use. At the lobby there is a list of all offices floor-wise to help you get to where you want to go, quickly. When you reach the floor, you will notice the Office Numbers and Name Plates to guide you. The bathrooms are clearly marked and you can reach it by following the guides.

Websites too, share commonalities. Except that there is no one around to ask for directions. Which makes it all the more important that navigation is easy to follow and unambiguous.

But navigation is just one element in the whole process. Great interface design is the happy outcome of Usability, Navigation, Copy, Visual Imagery, Persuasion Architecture, Search Engine Optimization and more.

Although a great site design is completely individual, it is also a great deal like other site designs that perform similar functions.

The same can be said of great magazine and newspaper layouts; they differ from ordinary magazine and newspaper layouts in a hundred subtle details. Few celebrate great magazine layouts, yet millions consciously or unconsciously appreciate them.

Ditto for great interface design. The moral: When you think interface design, think usability from an end user’s perspective.