User Interface is the Application for the Client
published on 10/25/2008 1:51:16 PM

We as software developers look at the application in a very pragmatic way. Our judgment is based on lines of code, performance, unit tests, code coverage, automation, deployment and of course the most important is how it solves the client’s problem.

Unfortunately, our client does not examine the application from the same angle. For a client/user the user interface is the complete application. They don’t really care what technology you have used or how much is your code coverage. Their only concern is that the application works as expected and looks astonishing.

A couple of months back I was designing a website for my mother. The website was about a dress boutique which was used to exhibit the collection. So, I made the website dynamic with features like adding a featured item, uploading the deleting images etc. Everything worked as expected but the website lacked the magical look and feel. I tried my best to put some makeup on the website but it just made it uglier. My mother was not pleased with the look of the website and wanted me to do it again.

Does, that means that all developers should quit coding and start working on Photoshop and Illustrator. Heck no! If we know that we are not good with designing the interface than we can always forward that task to someone who knows how to do it.

There are tons of websites which allow you to request a coder to perform a task. Some of them are www.rentacoder.com, www.getafreelancer.com, www.guru.com etc.

Next time when you create an application make sure the user interface is nice even if you have to pay someone to create it. Trust me it is worth it!