A Quick Guide to How Graphic Design Influences Software Development – How often have you judged a company by its website? Have you ever found yourself exiting a website because you were not satisfied with its design? Let’s take a look at some stats.

It takes only 0.05 seconds for a visitor to create an opinion of a website and consider whether to stay or go.  Around 38% of visitors will stop using a website if the web design or the content is unappealing.

A website’s content and web design do  indeed matter.  In fact, users will have barely scratched the surface of a website, barely using any site features, before they make assumptions about it. Website graphics design is crucial to the survival of any site and greatly affects software development.

Business Credibility = Website Design

A company website becomes a window to any business. Therefore, a website has to exude credibility.  If it does not, a business risks handing customers to competitors. According to some statistics, judgment on the credibility of a company is 75% based on its website design. Also, when it comes to the effects of aesthetics, research shows that first-impressions are usually 94% related to web design. Custom-made software is the key to enhancing digital experiences and sets a business apart from its competitors. To make a winning custom software, developers need to seamlessly unite backend developers and front-end graphics design developers.

Let’s find out more about how graphics design influences software development in this quick guide.

Text and Text Features

Graphics design in software development considers all the visual components of a website, one of these is the choice of text or typography. According to experts, font selection greatly affects whether or not viewers decide to explore a website.

There is a scan path, a particular pattern, to how humans read a string of text. In an average scan path, a person can read a webpage in 7 to 9 chunks of letters before pausing to allow processing of what they have just read.

Good software should consider the reader’s scan path to make their content more readable and appealing to users.  The type of font or lettering also affects the tone of the webpage. This element must be considered by software or app developers to make a winning website. Here are some fonts and their corresponding uses.

  • Helvetica – this font is used by the United States government in their tax forms. This is why the Helvetica font gives off an official effect.
  • Courier – if you used a typewriter before, you’ll be familiar with the Courier font. This font is mostly used for casual documents and forms.
  • Futura Book – this font belongs to the sans serif family of fonts and is best suited for commercial distribution. The Futura Book is simple, appealing, and readable in any screen type or size.

Full Stack Development

Software programming and development has two distinct branches: the software developers handling the server side of the project (backend developers) and those working on the user interface (UI). Each has its own programming languages, specific practices, etc.

This division is still prevalent today however, some practices lean more into the use of full-stack development.

Evidence that this shift is happening is seen in visual design software like HTML which now has features to allow basic programming functions. Java is also improving its visual features.  Newer applications like Java and Ruby on Rails were developed with full-stack programming properties.

Wireframes and Client Presentations

Software developers use wireframes, a schematic diagram of how their finished product will look and how users will interact with the software. Developers make use of this kind of diagram to explain how the user moves through the software and how the software responds.

The different design elements of the software are examined in the POV of the imaginary user. Wireframe presentations help developers gain a better understanding of their design and what users will find interesting. This helps create a software or app that will better appeal to users.

Make UX Easier from the Start

No matter what type of software is being developed, programmers have one common goal: to improve user experience. Graphic designers and software programmers want an app that can produce an uninterrupted user experience, a complete immersion.

Enhanced user experience is also the goal of smartphone developers. It is evident that intrusive mobile phone controls are now shifting to easy hand gestures and other visual cues. Text blocks are replaced with graphics and these visuals are deeply integrated with the app environment.

Early websites and apps were text-heavy, confusing, and incoherent. Nowadays, software and apps are easier to use and understand and are much more compact. It is also obvious that because of this visually-driven user experience, graphic design and software engineering is close to becoming more unified.

Final Words

The two branches of programming become indistinguishable when a website becomes fully operational. Graphic website designers must collaborate with backend software developers to create a streamlined result for users. When everything else is considered, the user’s experience is what matters most.

It is also essential to test if your digital user experience is seamless or not and for the same we recommend you to perform cross browser testing of your website using the HeadSpin platform.

Users mostly grade a website based on appearance and this affects their overall judgment. To avoid this, an immersive and uninterrupted software design should be applied. The clever use of subtle visual features, hand gestures, face recognition, and other technologies are just some ways to do it.

Users need that wow factor in a website. Software engineers and designers must take steps to unearth the practices users want. Doing so will help developers approach website creation based on a user’s viewpoint.

Author Bio

Pranjal Bora works as Head of Product Development at Digital Authority Partners.