My experience with UI design as an indie developer

My first app was a webview that displayed a basic HTML page, using javascript for functionality and a little CSS for styling. It looked awful, dreadful even. Back then, I didn’t know much about design.

And the case remained that way for a while. I assumed that having a functional app was sufficient, especially since my first apps fell into the utilities category. I’m not saying I didn’t try any design attempts. But it was all random, without even trying to learn the subject. I mean, I had no idea there was such a thing as UI design…

This is something I blame on Android at times. Because each manufacturer used a different design language for their apps, which differed from Google’s apps, which differed from all third-party apps. It’s all shambles, all a mess. I’m not sure if this was also the case for Apple, but that was my experience. When I first noticed that apps can be “beautiful”, I was looking at WhatsApp on my cousin’s iPhone and comparing it to the Android version.

When Google released Material Design, I started to learn about it and apply it to my Android apps. But I never felt like it’s something I enjoyed or was passionate about. However, things changed when I began working with iOS development. I felt like I was in a different world when I got a MacBook and an iPhone. I had the impression that apps had something in common. Not just the visual design, but also the overall experience.

Since then, I’ve become more thoughtful and conscientious about UI design. I started reading more about the topic. And, when I was planning my next apps, I kept imagining and thinking about their designs first, before the functionality, which had never happened to me before. Design quickly became a passion, particularly minimal and clean designs.

I really enjoy making designs for my apps. Something that not all developers agree on. And I’m well aware that my designs are not perfect. Actually, I know they have a lot of flaws. But I’m constantly learning, reading, and trying to improve my designs. I’d even say that design was the main motivation and the driving force behind some of my projects. And I want to be as good at design as I’m at development.