Learn How to Code
  • Welcome
  • Foundations
    • Introduction
      • Becoming a web developer
      • Motivation and mindset
      • Join a supportive community
      • How does the web work?
    • Requirements
      • Prerequisites
      • Text editors
      • Command line basics
      • Setting up Git
      • Setting up Node
    • Git
      • Git basics
      • Project: Practicing Git
    • Frontend
      • HTML and CSS
      • Developer Tools
      • Project: Create a web page
    • JavaScript
      • Strings and Conditionals
      • Using Developer Tools
      • Functions
      • Problem solving
      • Project: Rock paper scissors
      • Writing clean code
      • Arrays and Loops
      • The DOM
      • Project: Etch-A-Sketch
      • Objects and More Arrays
      • Project: Calculator
    • Backend
      • Frameworks
    • Next steps
  • Deep dives
    • Computer Science
      • Pseudocode and algorithms
      • Recursion and algorithms
        • Project: Fibs and sorting
        • More on algorithms
        • Big O
        • Project: Practicing Big O
      • Data structures
        • Maps, Stacks and Queues
        • Project: Stacks and Queues
        • Nodes, Linked Lists and Trees
        • Project: Linked Lists
        • Project: Trees
        • Next steps
    • Databases
      • Databases and SQL
      • Project: SQL Zoo
    • Design / UX
      • Fonts and typography
      • Grids
      • Project: Teardown
      • Responsive design
      • Project: Mobile friendly
      • CSS frameworks
      • Project: Bootstrapping
    • HTML / CSS
      • HTML Basics
        • Linking
        • Images and media
        • Project: Embedding media
        • HTML5
        • Tables
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        • Project: Make a form
      • CSS Basics
        • Box model
        • Floats and positioning
        • Flexbox
        • Grids
        • Project: Breaking news
        • Best practices
        • Backgrounds and gradients
        • Project: One more thing
        • CSS3
        • Preprocessors
        • Project: Your own framework
      • Next steps
    • JavaScript
      • Refresher
      • Organization
      • Objects and constructors
      • Project: Library
      • Factory functions and module patterns
      • Project: Tic Tac Toe
      • Classes
      • ES6 Modules
      • Project: Restaurant
      • Object Oriented Programming
      • Project: Todo list
      • Linting
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      • ES6 features
      • JSON
      • Callbacks and promises
      • Using APIs
      • Async and Await
      • Project: Weather
      • Testing
      • Project: Testing 1-2-3
      • Advanced Testing
      • Project: Battleship
      • Backends
      • Project: Where's Waldo?
      • Project: All-Star
      • Next steps
    • NodeJS
      • Project: Going to school
      • Project: Passing the test
      • Express
        • Templates and middleware
        • CRUD and MVC
        • Project: Message board
        • Routes
        • Displaying data
        • Forms and deployment
        • Project: Inventory
      • Authentication
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      • Project: Clubhouse
      • APIs
      • Securing an API
      • Project: Blog
      • Testing
      • Testing with a database
      • Project: Social network
    • React
      • Props and State
      • Render lists and handle inputs
      • Project: CV
      • Lifecycle methods
      • Hooks
      • Project: Memory card
      • Router
      • Project: Shopping cart
      • Advanced concepts
    • Ruby
      • Installation
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      • Variables
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      • Debugging
      • Project: Caesar cipher
      • Project: Substrings
      • Project: Stock picker
      • Project: Bubble sort
      • Object oriented programming
      • Project: Tic Tac Toe
      • Project: Mastermind
      • Serialization
      • Project: Event manager
      • Project: Hangman
      • Computer Science
        • Recursion
        • Project: Merge Sort
        • Data structures and algorithms
        • Project: Linked Lists
        • Project: Binary Search Trees
        • Project: Knight Travails
      • Testing
      • RSpec
      • Project: Four in a row
      • Git
      • Project: Open Source
      • Project: Chess
      • Next steps
    • Ruby on Rails
      • Using Heroku
      • Installing Rails
      • Basics
        • Routing
        • Controllers
        • Views
        • Asset pipeline
        • Deployment
        • Project: Blog
      • Active Record
        • Project: Upvote
      • Forms
        • Cookies, sessions, and authentication
        • Project: Password
      • Advanced forms and Active Record
        • Associations
        • Project: Private Events
        • Callbacks
        • Menus, helpers and nested forms
        • Project: Ticket agent
      • APIs
        • External APIs
        • Project: Animals
        • Project: Photo widget
      • Mailers
        • Project: Confirmation
      • Advanced topics
        • Action Cable
      • Project: Social network
      • Next steps
  • Getting hired
    • Preparing to find a job
      • Plan a strategy
      • What companies want
      • Get yourself together
      • How to prepare
      • Project: Make your website
    • Applying and interviewing
      • Qualifying leads
      • Project: Make your resume
      • Applying for jobs
      • Preparing for an interview
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      • Final words
  • Maintained by
    • wbnns
  • License
    • CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 © 2022
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On this page
  • Introduction
  • Learning outcomes
  • Assignment
  • Additional resources
  1. Deep dives

Design / UX

Learn everything you need to know in order to start designing web interfaces and shaping user experiences.

Introduction

You can't code the front end and ignore design and user experience (UX). Not everyone is cut out to be an artist and you don't have to be. But you do have to actually use your design brain a little bit if you want a site your users actually care about visiting. That doesn't mean just having beautiful graphics, which is a common misconception about design.

User Experience is really about focusing on three things -- can the user get done what they are trying to do effectively, efficiently, and with satisfaction. Half the battle is just having the mindset of trying to optimize those three things by talking to your users. The other half is about actually building and measuring those things.

Web design is more than just building "pretty" things; it's about crafting useful and effective experiences for your users. It starts with making your site fast and reliable. Then you need to properly set up the structure and information architecture of the page so users have a logical schema for navigation. Then you will build your user interfaces for optimal user experience. Only then, finally, can you worry about aesthetics.

Given the focus web design has on crafting an effective user experience, which is the only way to have a successful website, it's probably worth spending a little time to absorb the high level stuff, huh? You don't want to go too crazy, though -- this is definitely a rabbit hole where you can spend way too much time trying to learn everything there is to know about UX or Design.

Remember that your goal here is to absorb the most important concepts and continue on your way. You can always come back when you've got enough experience to start asking the right questions.

Learning outcomes

  • What is design?

  • What is user experience?

  • What's the difference between UX and UI?

  • What are the three things UX is meant to focus on?

  • What is visual hierarchy and why is it so important for websites?

  • What are the primary ways to achieve visual hierarchy?

  • What is the design hierarchy pyramid?

  • What are the CRAP factors of effective layout and what are they used for?

Assignment

Additional resources

For if you just can't get enough UX/Design. Don't get too sidetracked... eye on the prize! Eye on the prize!

PreviousProject: SQL ZooNextFonts and typography

Last updated 4 years ago

Read

Read

Get . Don't worry about absorbing all the tools and techniques... focus on the high level stuff at the top.

Read

Read about the , which you've been subconsciously aware of for years.

that describe various aspects of design.

Startups, This is How Design Works
UX 101 -- What is User Experience
a more detailed look at what UX really is from Smashing Magazine
a very simple overview of Visual Hierarchy from 52weeksofUX
C.R.A.P Design Principles
Hack Design's full 52-week free design course
52 Weeks of UX's free 52 weeks of UX articles
Introduction to Visual Hierarchy from Formed Function
Understanding Visual Hierarchy in Web Design from TutsPlus
The Hierarchy of Design Elements from Jesse James Garrett
Videos from an Adobe Dev Evangelist
Using Photoshop to Design Interfaces
A more abstract article on "Learning to See" from ia.net
Usability 101 for Startups from Ripul Kumar
A large collection of free ux books
This very extensive free ux course