A few years ago I had the opportunity to sit down with a designer possessed
of a rare talent. We were both part of the same team and he was creating some
UI elements that I was to wire up. As I sat there (in awe) watching him work
I realized that much of his considerable skill was rooted in fundamentals not
unlike the art of programming. Of course, there are design skills that are
intuitive that can't be "learned." But, that can also be said of the logical
clarity found in a really elegant data model or a brilliant inheritance tree.
I am certainly no designer, but I have observed the more creative among us
for several years and have gained some insight into their world. In this
article I'll share some basic principles that can help raise your design
acumen and improve t... (more)