How not to make a web application interface

The creation of a web or local application should involve at least two actors: the developer and a designer.

Interface design was revolutionized several times, mainly by Apple. An initial progress has been achieved by the unification, all programs having to use the same commands for the same functions, which was not previously the case, we had to relearn the keyboard with each software.

Then ideas in Palo Alto were taken, and appeared the GUI with the mouse. But then the firm has consistently innovated in this area and since the iPod has never sold a device without its user's use is fully developed to provide the most intuitive behavior to the user.

Why programmers should not define the interface ...

The interface design requires sensitivity to the user, an affinity for humans, while a programmer is by nature more abstract and more attracted by mechanical aspects.
A programmer is usually not capable of defining an interface and a lot of software and websites are unfortunately an illustration (see Gnome Shell 3).

How not to make an interface

• Define the functions of the software and create a command for each.
• Add function after function over time, and add a button for each.

How to make an interface

• Must divest itself completely of its experience and be able to put in place a user totally beginner.
  Try to imagine being transported in a foreign country where you know neither the language nor the customs duty to cope with the signs to find the services you need.
• Define the interface independently of the software. Then try to associate the code with the user's actions.
• Use a predefined framework for its widgets, and make the best use of it, imaginatively.
• Create a model prior to the construction of the interface, imagine it in action, all user actions and find simplifications.
• Remove all unnecessary steps in performing a task. For example, aggregate functions on a single page.

More

• Evolution of web site design over time.
• A bad design can kill a website. Gawker after the redesign.
• Realism in UI design. A tutorial on interface design: which level of realism?