The Importance of a Well-Designed Interface

A good touch panel interface offers a fun, engaging, and visceral experience without any chance of intimidation. Interaction design defines the interplay of the software experience with users’ behaviors, responses and gestures. In other words, interaction design principles are geared toward maximizing the user experience by facilitating the ease with which they can learn, become immersed in and enjoy the software experience. While closely aligned with purely visual graphic design, audio design, and textual design, interaction design provides an overall enveloping focus on how well and naturally users interact with technology. A user interface should smoothly take users from their first touch to full engagement with tasks. If help and instructions are included, integrate them with the natural flow of use and do not steer attention away from content. If you are trying to reveal the existence of functions, make those functions apparent at the right moment (when they have an effect).

Following are a list of user-centered design principles to consider which will assist you in creating a successful UI.