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Flat UI: Free Web User Interface Kit

designmodo.github.com

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Re: Flat UI: Free Web User Interface Kit

#181

Post by zende »

jQueryIsAwesome wrote: post #106
danso wrote: post #59

I love the work that was put into this and there are some elements that I think are done extremely well and stand on their own...but after seeing a page where everything is flat, I've totally joined the non-flat side of the debate, due to the confusion/ambiguity of the interface...the buttons were especially jarring for me.

I know, it's not a "button" if you don't feel that you can _press_ it. Check what I mean in this image (mod using box-shadow): http://i.imgur.com/ZyiH7AJ.jpg , a few visual clues can help a lot to the user.

Google's new design language handles this pretty well using "almost flat" design. They still have a rectangular button (no gradient or rounded corners), but there's a slight drop shadow.

Re: Flat UI: Free Web User Interface Kit

#182

Post by ErikRogneby »

r4dius wrote: post #171
ErikRogneby wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It only takes mousing over the button to get an indicator that it can be interacted with. That combined with placement should be sufficient to communicate purpose.

An over-reliance on a hover state leaves tablet users in the dust, though. I see no reason for completely flat buttons, as it's eminently possible to design ones with subtle depth that play well within the bounds of "distinctly digital". The principle that your users need to touch everything in order to learn their boundaries is a dangerous gamble, and may very well be leaving conversions on the table due to risk-ave…

Excellent points. You have won me over.

Re: Flat UI: Free Web User Interface Kit

#183

Post by Wingman4l7 »

dibbeke wrote: post #133

Weirdly, nobody is complaining about the contrast. This might all seem crisp on a high-def screen in good lighting conditions, but try a cheap tablet or laptop and evaluate again. Elderly have tremendous problems reading the labels on the buttons. Try the firefox plugin https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/wcag-contrast... to evaluate the contrast.

Just saw this elsewhere on HN and it seemed appropriate: http://contrastrebellion.com/

Re: Flat UI: Free Web User Interface Kit

#184

Post by Wingman4l7 »

mkhattab wrote: post #130
haberman wrote: post #51

While very pretty, these controls make me feel like an old person who is learning how to use a computer for the first time. I have no idea how anything will respond if I click on it. It's a bit unnerving, but helps me empathize with first-time computer users.

Speaking of feeling old, I can barely see the light gray text at the footer and in some of the sub-headings.

You're not the only one who doesn't like it: http://contrastrebellion.com/

Re: Flat UI: Free Web User Interface Kit

#185

Post by reallycomeon »

haberman wrote: post #51

While very pretty, these controls make me feel like an old person who is learning how to use a computer for the first time. I have no idea how anything will respond if I click on it. It's a bit unnerving, but helps me empathize with first-time computer users.

Exactly... we're accustomed to the system representing our beliefs. Today people are growing accustomed to the system, without the same preconceived beliefs.

Re: Flat UI: Free Web User Interface Kit

#186

Post by joseph_cooney »

codefoe wrote: post #60
joseph_cooney wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

why do people want to make the web look the same? - to leverage the good work of others making things look nice. To allow users to easily know how things work, because they are familiar with them.

That, was the single most stupid thing I've heard in a while. "because they are familiar with them". It's websites, not homes for elderly people. It's the designers job to make the user be able to understand where something is and the direction this conversation is heading, I don't think any of you have ever seen good design - or a designer for that matter. And those who say that a feature that brings in profit is mo…

re: the single most stupid thing I've heard in a while - wow, I say stuff way more stupid than that all the time. Really, though - most users don't look at a site and think 'gee, I wish the designer had dome something more original with the login UI'. They want to look at stuff and immediately know how it works. The UI needs to be almost mechanical. If they notice it, it is usually a bad thing, and if using familiar idioms helps achieve familiarity, then good.

Re: Flat UI: Free Web User Interface Kit

#187

Post by Jakehp »

arrowgunz wrote: post #90

Just beautiful. It looks so refreshing after getting used to Twitter Bootstrap. I love Bootstrap but it's everywhere on the internet now. This looks pretty refreshing and neat. Well done.

Agreed, have you seen Bootstrap's new default feel/theme?http://rc.getbootstrap.com

It's also more flat and metro. Anyone know of a release date?

Re: Flat UI: Free Web User Interface Kit

#189

Post by gurkendoktor »

progrock wrote: post #139
danso wrote: post #59

I love the work that was put into this and there are some elements that I think are done extremely well and stand on their own...but after seeing a page where everything is flat, I've totally joined the non-flat side of the debate, due to the confusion/ambiguity of the interface...the buttons were especially jarring for me.

There's an easy solution for this: As soon as you interact with the page, be it mouse, touch proximity, or keyboard, you could highlight clickable elements - perhaps with a border, perhaps links with an underline. Then you have the best of both worlds.

Being able to almost interact with an element to check whether it is interactive is not the "best" of both worlds, it's a compromise.

Re: Flat UI: Free Web User Interface Kit

#190

Post by vixus »

untog wrote: post #166
mtgx wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It gets worse on something like Windows 8's Metro where you get to see like 20 different square blocks, each with a different color, that may update all the time too. Try not to get a brain seizure from that.

Actually, Metro works much better because everything is clickable. Every block has an action. UI kits like this are considerably less intuitive.

But everything in this UI kit is clickable. Design and clickability of elements is down to the designer.
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