Post IX: GUI and Program Design

Hi again! To be honest, I've only felt minuscule inklings towards programming and all things computer science, thinking my maximum computer interaction would be limited to Adobe and Clip Studio Paint (my digital art program), as I have a huge affinity for the arts. Although upon taking Computer Science Principles, I now can't help but want to incorporate what I've learned into what I love, and what resulted from that is this interest in Graphic User Interface (GUI) and Web Design, as I see the topic as a reasonable application for both.

Below are some questions regarding these two and a bit more.

1. What elements must be considered in designing a user interface?

According to Oluwatobi Akindunjoye of UX Colllective, the fundamental elements of interface design are:

• Language - Words are important when working with titles or the name of a brand. The phrasing and tone of your words can be used to set and direct the intents and atmosphere of your website, which may be serious, playful, etc.

• Color - They are used to either set the mood of one's website or help your website's navigation.

Photo from miro.medium.com

• Imagery - Can come in different styles such as shapes, illustrations, photography, 3D renderings, etc. But whatever the style, they can serve as content, mood, and navigation.

• Typography - This can serve as the content on which we consume or can serve as a part of once's interface. Certain fonts and styles can determine the readability and professionalism of one's website.

• Icon - Icons are a special kind of imagery that allow one to explain one's own services with a hint of personal visual style. They also bring recognizability that enable others to differentiate you from other designs.

2. What abstractions and layers of abstraction are in programs?

• According to Sweetwater.com, in computing, an abstraction layer, or abstraction level, is a way to hide the implementation details of deep functionality, allowing the separation to facilitate interoperability and platform independence. This is how peripherals can work with computers using different operating systems. For example, an audio interface can connect to the USB port of a computer running either macOS or Windows; the interface doesn’t need to be re-coded to work with each operating system, instead the interface only needs to have a driver that can run on each operating system’s abstraction layer.

Photo from milo.medium.com

3. How are well developed algorithms a component of programming and program design?

• An algorithm is defined as a process of specific steps in order to accomplish a task. They are the instructions integrated into a program and then given to a computer. The more specific, clear, and thorough one's instructions, the less often one will encounter problems in their program.