Tag: Design

Glassmorphism – How to Leverage This New UI Trend in Your Website

Posted on by galaxy-admin

Another year, another UI design trend making waves – Glassmorphism  

Each trend or practice brings different perks and challenges alike. While we all like to be adopt different and newest design trends, we also need to ensure that our design is future-proof and will not go out of style after a few months. 

Glassmorphism is the latest UI design trend everyone trying to emulate. We prefer to be at the forefront of new UX trends and here are our learnings after experimenting with this eye-catching and vibrant design trend – Glassmorphism.

Glassmorphism
Image by Galaxy Weblinks

Glassmorphism is largely about highlighting light or dark objects by placing them on vividly colored backgrounds. The design has elements of transparency, frostiness, or glossiness. Glassmorphing is that “airy” interface where you see objects floating within space. Eye-catching and colorful, this trend favors multi-layered approaches. Resembling milky glass surfaces, the interface is grabbing a lot of attention.

Designers have been playing with this style of the interface in a major way. Glasmorphism is there in a larger number of published website designs. For instance, Apple used this effect on the latest update of macOS Big Sur. Microsoft also used this new interface on the app surfaces of Windows Vista and named it “The Acrylic”

The likes of Apple and Microsoft are using this interface. This trend is being followed by all those who want to make a lasting impression on their visitors. It is safe to say that Glassmorphism is here to stay. It is a promising design that has a lot to offer.

Glassmorphism in Apple Big Sur
Image by Galaxy Weblinks

All brands regardless of the nature of the work can incorporate this sort of interface. It is an all-weather solution.

User experience lays the foundation for happy, satisfied customers. Here is how UX makes a lasting impact – 

A product’s ability to woo the audience rests on how strong, seamless, and speedy the interface is. As a conscious effort, the designers strive to create simple and minimalist designs and avoid using unnecessary information or low-resolution photos. The intriguing and minimal design keeps visitors engaged for longer. Glassmorphism UI complements modern design needs and user behavior. 

Here is what constitutes Glassmorphism Aesthetics 

Glassmorphism components
Image by Galaxy Weblinks

Here are some insightful tips on how we make this design work for our client’s website, for your website:

  • Not applying the blurring and transparent effect in areas that require active interactions.
  • Not using this design aesthetics in buttons, toggles, navigation menu, and similar elements.
  • Use transparency and blurring for boosting the overall look and feel, not only for decoration.
  • Applying fitting contrast with the cards in the interfaces for ease of accessibility.
  • Right spacing between the cards. Grouping together all the objects related to one another.
  • Choosing the right contrast and intuitive grouping of cards in the design layout
Glassmorphism
Image by Galaxy Weblinks

Glassmorphism usage is based on the designer’s discretion and they must use it judiciously. It is beautiful and minimalistic but falls short in the accessibility standards. Our design experts are exploring new trends and creative ways of making web products. At the same time, we try to overcome the shortcomings if there are any. Therefore, we are ensuring a higher level of accessibility in our web designs where we are leveraging Glassmorphism. 

Design is subjective, not bound by any rules. Websites are user-friendly and beautiful when the designers push their boundaries and experiment with the design trends. Glassmorphism is the latest trend and like the other trends, this will be replaced by something new soon. However, it does make a statement and if you wish to leverage this trend, we can help you while ensuring that the design is sustainable, future-proof, and accessible.  

Get in touch with our design team here and have a one on one about Glassmorphism. Contact us here!

Instagram Made Me Rethink About Touch Targets

Posted on by galaxy-admin

I’m sure you might have come across numerous articles on the web that talk about why we need adequate touch targets for each interactive element on any touch-based interface. (Especially mobiles which have a relatively smaller landscape.)

A ‘touch target’ refers to the area associated with an element that triggers the interaction when users tap on it. This area usually extends beyond the visual shape of an element when it isn’t an explicit part of its design.

Have a look at these two buttons, for instance; one is filled while the other is just textual.

Even though the button on the right does not have a visual shape like the other one, its touch target (although not explicitly visible) extends way beyond the text area.

Ideally , these touch targets should be at least 1cm x 1cm (or 38px x 38px) in size, as suggested by Nielsen Norman Group, to promote better capability for users.

Now, I’ve been an avid user of Instagram - which I’m sure you may know, has been one of the world’s most popular apps for quite a long time now - and lately, it struck me that most of the elements on its interface do not follow the common norms for touch targets.

Have a look at this shot, for instance.

Horizontal spacing

In the first highlight, you may notice that all the tags are very close by with hardly any horizontal space left in between. When tags are relatively long, they are much easier to tap on even if they are set close to each other.

Vertical spacing

This type of spacing is usually more concerning in the case of small screens, as no matter how big an element is horizontally, if it is stuffed tightly between two other interactive elements, it’ll be difficult to tap on it.

The same is happening with elements in the second highlight. The action to ‘view comments’ and the ‘profile names’ are very closely stacked.

Another example would be the location link just above the picture in the shot below.

Despite all the discrepancies in spacing, I do not remember a single instance wherein I tapped on an element which I wasn’t intending to tap on!

And I think most of you guys did not, either. Unusual, right? Considering how tight those elements are spatially.

This leads me to believe that the area that we cover when we tap is not that large, after all.

The bigger yellow circle has a dimension of 1cm X 1cm (or 36px X 36px), while the smaller oval (formed by tapping with the right thumb) is 24px (or 0.6cm) long and 15px (or 0.4cm) high - which is essentially how much area we cover while tapping - and it may even be smaller.

If we go by this logic, maybe we can mend our designs to fit more content in a relatively small landscape without sacrificing accessibility… or not? I’d love to know your thoughts on this.

UX Writing: The Art of Designing Conversations

Posted on by galaxy-admin

A staggering 88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a site after a bad experience, and often, it’s the words that make or break this experience. Bill Gates once remarked, “Content is king,” and in the world of UX, this rings truer than ever. UX Writing isn’t just about filling in the blanks; it’s about creating a narrative that guides, engages, and resonates with the user. This article explores the multifaceted role of UX Writing in shaping digital experiences, offering insights that blend strategy with creativity.

The Essence of UX Writing

UX writing is a vital aspect of user experience, guiding interactions between humans and digital platforms. It involves crafting conversations, from button labels to error messages, and its effectiveness relies on clarity, conciseness, and contextual relevance. UX writing is the unsung hero of user experience, leading users through a digital landscape without their awareness.

Conversation Design and User Interface Copywriting

At the heart of UX Writing lies Conversation Design, a discipline that shapes the dialog between user and interface. It’s about anticipating user needs and responses, ensuring that every interaction feels intuitive and human-centric. Similarly, User Interface Copywriting focuses on the language used in these interactions, blending clarity with personality to create a seamless experience.

Content Strategy for UX

A robust Content Strategy for UX underpins effective UX Writing. This strategy involves understanding the audience, their journey, and the desired outcomes of their interaction with the interface. It’s about creating content that not only informs but also engages and delights users, thereby enhancing the overall user experience.

Implementing UX Best Practices

A key aspect of UX Writing is aligning with best practices. This includes clear and concise language, maintaining a consistent voice and tone, and ensuring accessibility. For example, Dropbox’s use of friendly, approachable language in its interface helps demystify cloud storage, making it more accessible to non-tech savvy users.

Applying Actionable Insights

Actionable insights are at the core of effective UX Writing. This means not only understanding the user’s journey but also anticipating their needs and responses. Jst like when Spotify users search for a song that’s not available, the app doesn’t just display an error message; it suggests similar tracks. This proactive approach turns a potential frustration into an opportunity for discovery.

Microcopy in UX

Microcopy, a small text snippet, can clarify functions, address user concerns, and inject personality into the interface. It’s a blend of utility and creativity, providing essential information in a tone that resonates with the user. Airbnb’s search functionality uses a conversational touch to personalize the experience and set a relaxed tone, exemplifying UX Writing at its finest.

Digital Communication Design

Digital Communication Design in UX Writing involves the arrangement and presentation of text, incorporating factors like typography, color, spacing, and hierarchy to enhance readability and user comprehension. 

Good ways also involves presentation, as the layout on a screen significantly impacts information processing. Google’s simple search page is an example of this, designed for ease of navigation for all demographics.

User Experience Best Practices

Adhering to User Experience Best Practices involves creating content that is accessible, inclusive, and empathetic. It’s about understanding the diverse needs of users and ensuring that the interface is usable and understandable by all.

Voice and Tone in UX

The voice and tone used in UX Writing should align with the brand’s personality and the context of the user interaction. This consistency in voice fosters trust and reliability, while the appropriate tone can enhance user engagement and satisfaction.

Accessibility in UX Writing

Accessibility is crucial for ensuring content is perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust for all users, including those with disabilities. This approach not only meets legal requirements but also expands the reach and inclusivity of digital products. Microsoft’s inclusive design principles demonstrate this, catering to a wide range of abilities and reaching a broader audience.

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)

Understanding HCI principles is crucial in UX Writing. It involves recognizing how users interact with computers and designing text that facilitates these interactions in the most efficient and satisfying manner.

Real-World Digging

A study by NN/g found that clear microcopy can boost task completion rates by 22%, while user-friendly language in error messages reduces frustration and increases satisfaction. Effective UX Writing can boost a website’s conversion rate by 17%.

Conclusion: Crafting Digital Excellence with Galaxy Weblinks

UX Writing is an art that requires a deep understanding of user psychology, a flair for language, and a commitment to creating intuitive and engaging digital experiences. It is important in crafting digital experiences that are not only functional but also emotionally resonant. It’s about creating a conversation that feels personal, informative, and inclusive.

At Galaxy Weblinks, we understand the power of words in the digital space. Our approach to UX Writing goes beyond mere aesthetics; we focus on creating content that drives engagement and fulfills user needs, ultimately contributing to a seamless user journey. Our expertise in UX design, digital marketing, and web development is not just about building platforms; it’s about crafting experiences that resonate, reflect, and respond. Let Galaxy Weblinks guide you through the nuanced landscape of UX Writing, where every word is a deliberate step towards enriching user experiences.

Offshore UX | An option or need of the hour?

Posted on by galaxy-admin

The world of business is changing dramatically. Real-time data and advanced analytics tools allow companies to adapt their strategy instantaneously and, as the COVID-19 outbreak showed, technology now also allows us to communicate instantly with workers no matter where they are located.

As businesses all over the world had to rapidly adapt their technology stacks to a remote work environment, many are considering whether to allow employees to work at home post-pandemic. But there’s another option available to business owners who have suddenly found that managing workers remotely isn’t as bad as they had imagined — offshore contractors.

While many job roles have been contracted out for a while now, some have always remained in the realm of on-premise talent. One of those roles is the UX designer. In this post, we’ll talk about why it makes sense for your business to hire offshore contractors to handle your next UX design.

UX design has become a requirement

Notebook with UX designs

With the increase of technology in our daily lives comes increasing demands from consumers. Interfaces must be able to compete with the increasing standards. More products will begin to need UX designs. Being a market leader in your space, or even just staying afloat, will require it.

Even if you haven’t needed a UX designer in the past, there’s a good chance you will in the future. With that in mind, let’s talk about why offshore UX is a good business decision for your current or future UX designer needs.

Local talent can be hard to find

Sign board

Because of the demand for UX designers, it can be hard to find local talent that is also available for full-time work. This is especially true if you want to hire top talent, which will command a higher price and be harder to keep on staff without some other company coming along with a better offer.

Thankfully, some of the same skills you look for in a full-time employee are what you’d look for in a remote employee. For both, you want someone who is a self-starter and will get the work done on time and on spec with minimal oversight on your part. As top UX designers realize they can make more working for themselves and taking on multiple jobs at multiple firms throughout the year, it becomes easier to find a qualified person for the job without having to commit full year’s salary.

The economics of developing nations

Flags

In nations where costs are low, the highest-paid professions may pay little more than you would pay a UX designer. This means that UX designers in those nations can price themselves very competitively compared to western nations and still live a very comfortable life relative to their peers.

Of course, you’ll have to put some effort into finding the right candidate when you look outside English-speaking countries. Residents of most countries learn English as a second language, but you want to make sure that they speak it well enough that no language barriers exist. With offshoring, you’ll save money and provide someone with a better income than they could get in their economy alone.

Technology breaks down boundaries

people working

Because it is such a visual art, there was a time in the past when doing UX work remotely would have been extremely difficult. This may be why there is still a reluctance on the part of many to embrace outsourced UX designers.

We now have technology that allows us to video conference and share our screens easily. There are cloud-based solutions, such as Miro and Invision, that allow for collaboration on even the most advanced projects so you’ll be able to give feedback to designers in a professional manner and ensure that nothing gets lost in the translation.

Combine that with the fact that all but the poorest of countries have access to high-speed internet, it is now possible to engage in real-time feedback even for visual projects like UI and UX. The boundaries that once stood in the way of taking UX design off-premise have now been torn down by technological advances.

Offshoring is flexible

If you’re a large business, you already have a design department with competent directors and senior designers. In that case, it will be the additional workers that take the vision of the senior members and help implement it that would make prime candidates for offshore workers.

For small businesses, it is impossible to hire a full-time staff to do your design work. Offshoring makes finding someone for a one-off job even more affordable.

Conclusion

For most companies, hiring designers local is the way it’s always been done. With the coronavirus pandemic teaching us that remote work is not only possible but very practical, it may be a good time to consider the more affordable option. Now that we know situations can arise to force us into our homes, it would be a good time to take what we’ve learned from the outbreak and use that to experiment with new, cost-effective, and disaster-resistant forms of business.

What are Design Systems and why do we vouch for one?

Posted on by galaxy-admin

Design System is one of the most excessively used design terms in the software industry right now, so much so that it has given birth to a parody Twitter account that calls people out on their overuse of the concept as a mere keyword.

There is a lot of uncertainty about its definition, different professionals have different definition of Design Systems. But here’s one that will put your mind to ease.

A Design System is a set of deliverables(not a deliverable itself) that acts as a single source of truth for design and development teams to realize a product. It evolves constantly with the product, tools, and new technologies.

What a Design System isn’t

Going with the wind a lot of companies tend to claim that they have a Design System in place. But in reality, they’re just pointing towards their Sketch libraries and style guides.

You can’t call libraries or style guides Design Systems for the same reasons you can’t call individual notes of music, a song.

You can’t make a functional software with just some static designs and patterns, just as you can’t make a song with a music sheet filled with notes and melodies, you’d also need instruments and singers to conduct a piece of music.

How to find the right one?

Design Systems can be simple, comprehensive, strict, loose, mono or cross-platform. Based on the scale of projects or operations, you can define what kind of Design System you need. Because it’s always easier to find things when you know what you’re looking for.

Start by asking the right questions:

  • Number of people that’ll use the system?
  • What are their profiles?
  • Are they willing and able to adapt?
  • How many products, platforms, and technologies?
  • Degree of consistency across them

Based on the scope there are two types of Design system. You can either go for a Modular Design System or an Integrated one.

Modular

Module based Design Systems are good for large scale projects like e-commerce, finance and government websites. It’ll enable you to scale quickly and adapt to multiple user needs. There is one downside to module based system though, it can be expensive to build and maintain.

Integrated

An integrated system focuses on one unique context. It’s also composed of parts, but these parts will not be interchangeable. This kind of system suits products that have very few repeating parts and that need a strong and often changing Art Direction (portfolios, showcases, marketing campaign).

Based on the process you can either build a Centralized or Distributed Design System.

Centralized

In a centralized model, one team is in charge of the System and makes it evolve. This team ensures that the System covers everyone’s needs.

Distributed

In a distributed model, several people of several teams are in charge of the system. The adoption of the system is quicker because everyone feels involved but it also needs team leaders that will keep an overall vision of it.

Regardless of the type of system you choose, a Design System consists of:

  • Interaction models
  • Typography
  • Page layouts
  • Components
  • Colour
  • Sounds
  • Tone and voice
  • Words, grammar, and mechanics
  • Spacing
  • Code snippets paired with elements

Why building a Design System can be transformational for your organization?

If you’re a big organization, it’s likely that you have multiple products and services that need to reflect a consistent brand identity. A Design System helps you do that with it’s efficient organization and one-click implementation across all the assets. A Design System has all the pieces engineered to fit together like a lego set, as and when needed. Which makes designing highly scalable, reliable, efficient, and robust.

Here are the benefits of a Design System

  • Productive and cost-effective. Reusable components lets the team be efficient and deliver faster, as they don’t waste time on repetitive tasks or useless meetings.
  • Brand continuity across all products or services. If a UI element which is a part of hundreds of screens is changed, it conveniently reflects in all the places it’s used.
  • Better collaboration and knowledge sharing. With every essential piece of information easily accessible in the system, onboarding new team members also becomes easier.
  • No need to code. Everything is in one place just ready to be picked out and used without having to code. Just copy the required snippet and implement the visual element of your choice.

An extensive design system alone won’t solve your problems. You’ll also need good designers to create a unique and reusable system and good developers to interpret it their own way.

Let us know if you’re on the lookout for something just like this. Pardon the Coldplay wordplay.

How Zeplin Transforms Agile Workflows?

Posted on by galaxy-admin
With 71% of businesses using Agile approaches, tools like Zeplin are becoming more and more important. They’re not just facilitating smoother workflows; they’re reshaping how teams collaborate on software development. Zeplin, specifically, has made notable strides in this area, revolutionizing the way design and development teams interact.

Design Systems and Zeplin: A Synergy for Success

Zeplin’s role in reinforcing design systems is vital in an Agile environment. By providing a unified platform for design elements, it ensures coherence and uniformity across projects. A notable example is Airbnb’s design system, which utilizes tools like Zeplin to maintain a consistent brand and user experience across their digital platforms. By streamlining their design process, Airbnb has managed to reduce design discrepancies significantly, leading to a more cohesive user interface.

Streamlining UI/UX Feedback with Zeplin

Feedback loops are essential in Agile development, and Zeplin optimizes this by bridging the communication gap between designers and developers. For instance, Dropbox reported enhanced efficiency in their design process after integrating Zeplin. The platform allowed for quicker feedback and iterations, reducing their design revision time by approximately 30%. UI/UX designers can utilize Zeplin’s interactive environment to rapidly prototype and iterate designs, ensuring faster approvals and implementation.

Effective Collaboration through Zeplin Integrations

Zeplin’s ability to integrate with tools like Slack and JIRA enhances its effectiveness in Agile workflows. Shopify’s integration of Zeplin with Slack serves as a great example. This integration has facilitated faster updates and feedback within their teams, leading to improved project management and a more synchronized workflow. Such integrations demonstrate Zeplin’s versatility and its capacity to adapt to various team dynamics and project requirements. Teams should explore Zeplin’s integration capabilities to enhance real-time collaboration and project tracking, ensuring a more aligned and efficient workflow.

Overcoming Communication Challenges in Design with Zeplin

Communication is a pivotal aspect of project management, and Zeplin addresses this by providing clear and organized design specifications. IBM’s design team has utilized Zeplin to effectively manage communication among their globally distributed teams. This has led to a more streamlined and efficient design process, significantly reducing misunderstandings and delays in project timelines.

Quantifying Zeplin’s Impact on Agile Workflows

The measurable impact of Zeplin in Agile workflows is seen in the improvements in team productivity and project timelines. According to recent statistics, companies leveraging Zeplin have reported a 20-25% improvement in project turnaround times. This demonstrates Zeplin’s profound impact on enhancing efficiency and streamlining processes in Agile environments.

Galaxy Weblinks: Pioneering Agile Excellence with Zeplin

Navigating the complexities of UI/UX design, web development, and Agile methodologies requires more than just understanding; it demands the right tools and expertise. Galaxy Weblinks, with its deep-rooted experience in Agile practices and a suite of services including UI/UX and web development, is uniquely positioned to help businesses harness the full potential of tools like Zeplin. We specialize in fine-tuning Agile processes, ensuring our clients not only keep pace but lead in the competitive tech landscape. Reach out to us and transform your Agile journey into a story of success and innovation.

ACF vs Visual Composer website builder: Which is better?

Posted on by galaxy-admin
Building a WordPress website? The WordPress community provides you with plenty of options. You can either make an easy one using WordPress themes or a custom one using website builders. A website builder is the most convenient way to make a personalised website. WordPress community provides you with a ton of free and paid builders as per your needs and levels of expertise. Once you make up your mind on what you plan to do with your website, then you can chalk-out the structure and the elements that you’re going to need for the website to function. After locking in your requirements, you can choose your website builder. We recommend using two of our recent favorites.
  • ACF
  • Visual Composer

ACF

Image Source: advancedcustomfields.com

The interface of the Advanced Custom Fields is simple. It lets you create dynamic fields for individual elements of your website. Installation and activation of ACF adds Custom Fields to your WordPress dashboard. From the Custom Fields menu you can take full control of your edit screen & custom field data. The minimalistic interface of ACF can be mistaken for an under equipped website builder. You can make some of the most complex and powerful websites with ACF. The best thing about ACF’s interface is that it doesn’t try to overwhelm you. It only shows the functions that you need. ACF gives you the full control of your website right from header to footer. You can build individual elements of your website with custom fields. There are 25+ different field types to choose from, vis-a-vis. text, image, gallery and WYSIWYG editor. These fields are dynamic. You can use them to give your client an easy way to update their website according to their liking.

Visual Composer

Image Source: visualcomposer.io

It has a clean and modern interface which allows you to make basic layouts with ease. The interface lets you work on different elements of the website, right then and there. Visual Composer has a floating window which pops up every time you’re trying to add or edit an element. The window is movable and resizable, you can place it anywhere if it’s obstructing your view. Visual Composer gives you the best of both worlds with its backend and frontend editor. While building, you can easily choose from the ready-made layouts of landing page, call to action page, feature list, description page, service list or a product page. Adding elements in the website is also easy with the element window. The drag and drop visuals come at a cost of short codes. Migrating to another website builder or uninstalling Visual Composer leaves short codes in the content, rendering it unreadable. Fixing these short codes is an another chore on its own.

Which one do we prefer over another, you ask?

Well it’s a tough choice but…ACF! ACF and Visual Composer are serving two different audiences. ACF is focused on developers. Visual Composer on the other hand targets the people with little to no knowledge of website development. In case of both the builders. the audiences don’t need to have an extensive coding knowledge. Visual Composer focuses on making the website building experience as easy as it can be. Visual Composer is not made for complex websites it will only provide you with enough elements to get your website up and running.

Why ACF?

ACF does a commendable job with its active development and incredible support. The developers are constantly working to keep the plugin current. The heavily themed interface of Visual Composer is slow. The floating window takes time to load the elements, and the builder shows glitches when you switch from frontend to backend. Visual Composer is affordable for personal license but expensive for client work. ‘Advanced Custom Fields’ is more affordable and provides value for money. Another thing that doesn’t work in Visual Composer’s favor is that the pre-sales service and overall support for Visual Composer is terrible. It comes as no surprise that ACF has 900,000+ active installations compared to Visual Composer’s 500,000+. You can save your time and money with theme-based websites but you might not get the exact thing you’re looking for. Themes are designed keeping a universal requirement in mind. Your unique requirement might not fit in those templates everytime. But, if you have unique requirements and want the best for your website, then website builder is the right bid. Making custom websites is a hectic process. We can make that process easier. Our expert development team knows website builders like the back of their hands. Hit us up here if you’re looking for WordPress development partners.

Tool Alert: UI Faces: Easier Design Process IS Everything

Posted on by galaxy-admin
Dear fellow designers, have you ever felt serendipitous? (yeah yeah I will monitor my Word Porn consumption). That is how I felt when I found UI Faces. The tiny little tool solves one of the most boring, if not major problems of the designing process. It’s an ode to all the hours that our brethren & sistren had lost while looking up for the right avatar of the UI Mockup. UI Faces is a simple aggregator of people avatars that you can use in your design mockups. It has got a whole collection of beautiful & diverse people who let you use their face in your design (faith in humanity, restored). You can save time & energy and keep your sanity to continue the rest of the design process. Every single picture on the tool is processed and tagged with age, gender, emotion, and hair color. You can easily filter for quick search and sort them by your requirements. No fuss and fume. Even my Scrum Master seemed impressed so you can take his word, if not mine. The users who have submitted their photos are aware that their pictures will be used. Also, as every picture on the website is reviewed personally by Alex, there are no copyright issues. Great guy tbh! You can use all the avatars either by the good ole’ copy-paste, API, and Sketch plugin. Easy peasy and quick! Also, this baby belongs to Mighty Alex, so go give him a shoutout!