Designing is one of the most important parts of any project or creation. A design is simply a blueprint or description of the design of an item or system, usually in the form of a blueprint or drawing, or the output of that design, such as a machine part. The word ‘design’ itself usually refers to a visual image of the end product, but designers also refer to ‘form’ – that is, the way in which something actually looks rather than what it is made of. The term to design also describes the act of creating a design.
Designing is often seen as part of the product development process and designers spend long hours, weeks or months thinking of the user interface or overall layout of the product. As well as thinking about the user interface, designers work on the visual presentation of the product. This includes the creation of the main features, such as colours, text, images, animations and other visual elements. The main aim in designing is to create a great design and communicate the great design effectively to users.
The term to design encompasses a great deal of technical writing and the interaction of the designer with other specialists during the design process, including computer-aided design (CAD) software and user interface specialists. Designers also work with business analysts and marketing staff to define the message that the product, or service, is trying to convey. They will also work alongside the business team to determine how best to reach their target audience and what methods are likely to be most successful in reaching this audience.
Interface designers are part of the design team and play a key role in communication between the business team and the customers. The role of interface designers is to ensure that the information provided by the software or website is clear, easy to use and pleasant to look at. They often take a lead from the computer-aided design team but are not bound by their constraints. Usually they must have a good understanding of graphic design, typography and usability issues and must be able to communicate these well with the end user.
One of the most common misconceptions is that only big companies can afford to employ designers. However, there are plenty of small businesses who struggle to make the kind of money needed to hire designers who can do the job properly. This is why hiring a designer is an essential part of doing business and should not be taken lightly. The best designers can start at around $35 an hour and can increase their rate depending on their project and reputation. There is no reason why you shouldn’t employ a designer who is professional, creative and affordable.
Many companies believe that hiring a good a designer is going to break them into the technology market. This is not the case however; the biggest problem companies face today is not the technology but rather the usability of the product or service. In other words, the user interface of your product does not need to be complex but it does need to be easy to understand. This is where a ui designer comes in, they make your product or service simple to use so that even those people who have little or no experience in designing software programs will be able to use them properly.
