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UI design choices.
UI design is something that receives less importance compared to the holy grail of coding. But we all hate websites with crappy layouts and cumbersome navigation structures. I came across this really neat tradeoff matrix on UI design by Mike Padilla.
| Design | Benefit | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Shallow information architecture | Fewer clicks to find info | More clutter |
| Deep information architecture | Clean, reduced clutter | More clicks to find info |
| Small font | More information per screen | More difficult to read for some users |
| Large font | Easier to read | Less information per screen |
| Drop-down box | Selection amongst many choices using limited space | Hidden choices |
| Radio buttons | See all selections at all times | Additional space required, clutter |
| Icons | Quick recognition once learned, aesthetically pleasing | Must be learned |
| Text links | Always understood | Must be read, do not stand out as actionable items as much from other text |
| Abbreviations | Save space | Must learn or recognize |
| Full text | Easily understood | Requires additional space |
| Keyboard shortcuts | High speed of data entry | Must be learned |
| Point and click | Intuitive | Additional time required for interaction due to increase motor skills required |
Mike goes on to suggest the following factors to judge a UI:
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