UI design is much more than just fitting together the puzzle pieces of a layout. To design an interface is to create function from form, to create structure while simplifying, and to illuminate while delighting.
Win clients & work smarter with our FREE ebook: get it now! (opens in new tab)
Named a top 10 design tool for 2015 (opens in new tab) by net magazine for its wireframing and prototyping power, our friends at UXPin (opens in new tab) have written the book to help explain how to make the best first impression your users.
Web UI Design for the Human Eye: Colors, Space, Contrast (opens in new tab) distills topics covering UI design, interaction design, and visual design into practical design advice. The book explains enough theory so that you know why the practices work, then shows you the concepts in action using visual examples.
The five chapters cover:
- The most useful Gestalt principles for everyday design
- How to treat negative space a flexible design tool
- Colour theory and the emotions created by certain colors
- Examples from 33 companies including Medium, Bose, Etsy, Facebook, and Google
You can download the free e-book here (opens in new tab), and you're free to share it with anyone who might find it helpful.
For a nice companion piece, you can also check out Interaction Design Best Practices: Mastering the Tangibles (opens in new tab): another free download.