A good interface can turn a functional product into an unforgettable one and encourage users to come back again and again.

This article is a detailed roadmap that can be your best assistant in your journey through the world of UI design.

Whether you're a master designer looking to add magic to your arsenal or a novice seeker eager to unlock the secrets of the basics, this compendium of wisdom will equip you with the knowledge you need to create not only visually compelling but also intuitive portals to the world of beauty. An eight-book rulebook unfolds before you, each book part of a mysterious "magic interface formula".

Elements of the formula:

🫀 Empathy. There is no universal concept of beauty. Only when you truly understand your target audience can you create a design that they will love.

🖼️ Layout is the foundation of the interface. It should smoothly guide the user's eyes from one element to another.

🎟 Simplicity. Every element in your design should serve a purpose. Clutter makes it harder to understand the message and worsens the user experience.

🧭 Guidance. The design should not only be pleasing to the eye, but also guide the user by providing clear instructions and tips.

💎 Aesthetics is not limited to visuals, it is also about the feelings and emotions that design evokes.

🛸 Novelty. Innovative design attracts attention, but the real art is finding a balance between something new and familiar, so that users are interested but comfortable at the same time.

🎛 Consistency ensures recognition and simplifies the learning curve of the interface. It allows the user to feel at home in different sections of the site or app, building brand trust.

🕹 Engagement. An engaging design is like a good conversation - it keeps the user interested, responds to their actions, and encourages them to come back again and again.

1. Empathy.

1. Pay attention to the cultural and social context of your target audience so that the design can evoke the desired emotional response.

2. Immerse yourself in the specifics of the product's field and application.

3. Take into account the demographic characteristics of your users, such as age, gender, profession, which will make the design more targeted.

4. Take into account the level of users' familiarity with digital technologies.

Nielsen Norman Group has repeatedly conducted analyses aimed at studying the characteristics of different demographic groups (young people, children, the elderly), each of which has its own specific needs, expectations and preferences, which is key to creating adapted interfaces.

2. Layout.

5. Leverage negative space to create a clean, uncluttered interface that emphasises key components and improves ease of understanding.

6. Apply the golden ratio or rule of thirds to achieve harmonious balance and visually satisfying proportions.

7. Create a visual hierarchy with changes in size, colour, and margins, guiding the user's eye through the interface.

8. Use grids and guide lines to give your design structure and consistency, ensuring that elements are placed in a harmonious way.

The designers of the Allset app skilfully use a Z-shaped layout on the welcome screen to create a rhythm and draw the user's attention to the "Register or Login" button. Thanks to the grid and the variety of negative space, the design presents many options in an easy-to-understand way.

9. Design elements that will serve as anchor points to grab attention and make it easier for the user to navigate the interface.

10. Introduce dynamics with rhythmic repetition, using regular patterns to grab and hold the user's attention.

Use F or Z compositional schemes to align your design with the natural movement of the human eye when viewing content. The F layout is ideal for text-heavy interfaces, focusing on the top and left sides of the screen.

3. Simplicity.

11. Set priorities and remove unnecessary features, focusing on key functions to create a more intuitive and user-friendly interface.

12. Group items and clearly categorise them using menus or tabs to organise content, making it easier to navigate and more organised.

13. Don't force users to think! Ensure that navigation and user scenarios are logical and expected. Use UI elements that are familiar to users and place them in predictable places, minimising the need for thought.

14. Good design is as little design as possible. Follow the principles of minimalism, keeping only functional elements. Limit the use of colours, fonts, and graphic elements to keep the interface sleek and streamlined.

The Tesla app is obviously designed with a focus on minimalism and aesthetics. The effect is achieved primarily by reducing the number of components and text. There are no intrusive details, and the main visual element is the image of the car itself

15. Decompose complex tasks, such as filling out extensive forms, into smaller steps. Using visual progress bars or navigation "breadcrumbs" allows users to see their progress and understand how much is left to do.

16. Improve loading speeds and the efficiency of interactive processes to ensure less frequent interactions. Use smart defaults, auto-complete, and suggestions to optimise input and speed up decision-making.

4. Management.

17.Create an unrivalled onboarding experience for new users so that they experience all the benefits of your product from the start.

18. Develop logical and intuitive ways to interact that don't require extra effort from users.

19. Integrate contextual cues into the design that appear at key moments to help users easily understand the next steps.

The fascinating onboarding in the How We Feel app allows users to immediately assess how useful a product will be for them.

Tips and recommendations are based on how the user is feeling at the moment, giving them a sense of control

20. Present information in stages, revealing only the necessary data at each step. This strategy avoids overloading the interface and focuses the user's attention on the tasks at hand.

21. Develop a design that motivates interaction. Elements such as bright buttons and icons along with clear calls to action should encourage users to take action.

22. Provide effective feedback. Implement a mechanism that provides users with an immediate response through visual or audio cues to their actions.

5. Aesthetics.

Typography

23. Introduce a typographic hierarchy. Use variations in font size, formatting, and styles to emphasise key elements of the content.

24. Focus on readability. Choose fonts that are easy to read on devices of different sizes, especially for body copy.

25. The typography should reflect the unique character of your brand and reinforce its image, whether it's professionalism, playfulness, elegance or any other feature.

The designers of the Nike Run Club app use a massive italic typeface as the main focus. It evokes a sense of movement, but does not overload the interface due to the combination of a neutral font and a large amount of negative space.

26. When choosing a font combination, ensure that they are in harmony and compatible.

27. Reduce the use of different fonts and graphic elements to avoid overloading the interface and unnecessary complexity.

28. Adjust text settings such as line spacing, kerning, tracking, and line height to optimise readability and visual perception. Experiment with the settings to achieve the perfect result.

Colour palette

29. Provide sufficient contrast in the interface to improve readability and accessibility.

30. Use the chosen colour palette consistently to ensure visual harmony in the design.

31. Follow the 60-30-10 principle in colour distribution: 60% for a dominant colour, 30% for a secondary colour and 10% for an accent colour to help create a balanced and aesthetically pleasing design.

The MasterClass app is an exemplary example of the 60-30-10 rule. This solution looks aesthetically pleasing and functional

32. Draw on colour psychology. Research how different shades affect emotions and their semantics in different cultures so that your colour choices resonate with the emotional state of your target audience, minimising the risk of cultural misunderstandings.

33. Use colours with specific semantic meanings to indicate the status of processes, such as red to indicate problems or green to indicate success, to help users understand the information more intuitively.

34. Use colours in a targeted manner to emphasise critical controls, such as buttons or hyperlinks, to guide users to key actions.

Content

35. Focus on the content, avoiding unnecessary decorative elements, so that content is the primary means of communication.

36. Choose images that reinforce your messages and reflect your brand's uniqueness, avoiding standard stock photos in favour of more authentic visual content.

37. Combine graphic elements with specific and expressive text. Give preference to brevity by using lists and short descriptions instead of large text blocks.

The Hims app puts content at the centre of everything. There is no unnecessary decor, only high-quality visuals, including carefully selected photos and short videos that match the overall mood and style. The interface is coherent and user-friendly

38. Integrate subtle interactions and animations that enhance engagement but don't overwhelm the main content.

39. Choose videos to tell stories or explain complex ideas. Video becomes key when text and images are not effective enough to convey information.

40. Include high-quality photos or three-dimensional product visualisations, as detailed visuals can significantly increase product interest and drive sales.

6. Novelty.

41. Try to achieve uniqueness in your projects. Unique ideas and details can put your product ahead of the competition.

42. Stay on top of the latest technologies and design tools, considering how they can be used to improve your projects.

43. Follow the MAYA principle - develop advanced yet user-friendly solutions, maintaining a balance between innovation and familiarity for the end user.

The Citizen security app empowers users to protect themselves and their cities. The integration of the personal agent concept is both innovative and convenient, offering a new but logical enhancement to the experience

44. Open up new horizons of creativity by diving into different areas outside of UI design. Draw inspiration from art, architecture, and nature to enrich your projects with new ideas.

45. Stay in touch with current trends, but choose them critically so that your designs remain authentic and reflect your unique vision.

46. Ensure that innovations serve to enhance the user experience rather than hinder it, with an emphasis on functionality and purpose.

7. Consistency.

47. Create a single design system that acts as a compass for all elements of your project, ensuring consistency in visual and functional dimensions.

48. Limit variations in design patterns to simplify user interaction with the interface, making it intuitive and easy to navigate.

49. Ensure consistent behaviour of elements throughout the site or application, allowing users to easily adapt and have clear expectations of their interaction.

Apple's Health app is a model for a consistent experience across devices. An extensive library of components and templates enables seamless integration of new features while maintaining ease of use and consistency

50. Use universal templates for common categories of pages, as they provide a clear structure and make it easier to navigate and absorb information.

51. Provide a consistent user experience across all types of devices and environments.

52. Develop and enforce design standards. Consistency in language, style, and formatting contributes to a logical and coherent narrative.

8. Involvement.

53. Integrate gamification mechanics, such as points, rewards, leaderboards, to stimulate and maintain user engagement.

54. Offer personalisation and customisation options. Allowing users to tailor their experience can significantly increase engagement by making content more targeted.

55. Engage through storytelling. Incorporate storytelling into your design by turning your interface into an engaging story that attracts and evokes an emotional response.

The creators of the Bloom app effectively use gamification and educational components to keep investors engaged and help them make informed investment decisions. An example is receiving random gift shares, a type of variable reward that arouses delight and surprise among users

56. Showcase achievements. Introduce elements such as progress bars to visualise users' progress. This keeps them motivated and gives them a sense of accomplishment.

57. Engage with dynamic rewards - unexpected bonuses or prizes can keep users interested and engaged.

58. Build in opportunities for social interaction by providing users with the means to share content or compete against each other. This approach will help build community and increase engagement.

Thank you for your attention!