2 Steps To Keep Your UI Projects Consistent

2 Steps To Keep Your UI Projects Consistent

1. Build an interface inventory

An interface inventory ensures that UI's are developed consistently within a framework.

Just like a style guide - it should be a living document that is growing as your product grows.

"An interface inventory is similar to a content inventory, only instead of sifting through and categorizing content, you're taking stock and categorizing the components making up your website [or product]. An interface inventory is a comprehensive collection of the bits and pieces that make up your interface."

- Interface Inventory, Brad Frost

The first stage is to systematically take screenshots of your designs, considering:

Typography

Text layouts

List and Menus

Images & Media

Logos Iconography

Forms

Radio/Checkbox

Second stage is: Categorizing everything

You can now start to identify common design pattern and build around these.

2. Build A pattern library

A pattern library identifies and classifies design patterns that are recurring solutions to typical design problems.

This breaks an interface down into smaller elements that can then be used as reusable building blocks.

These steps will build:

1. Consistency in your design

2. A visual vocabulary that you can share across team members

3. Efficiency over time as your designs develop