Flat design is a type of user interface design that employs minimal, two-dimensional objects and bright colors. It is frequently contrasted with the skeuomorphic style, which imitates real-life features to create the illusion of three dimensions. With the advent of Windows 8, Apple’s iOS 7, and Google’s Material Design, all of which use flat design, it grew in popularity.

Flat design was created for responsive design, which means that the content of a website adapts fluidly depending on the device’s screen size. Flat design guarantees that responsive designs operate effectively and load quickly by using simple forms and minimal textures (especially important since mobile devices have slower internet speeds). The flat design provides customers with a streamlined and more optimal user experience by minimizing visual noise (in the form of textures and shadows). Despite its ubiquity, flat design has several disadvantages in terms of user experience. The lack of three-dimensional effects (such as drop shadows) removes the cues that show how a user can interact with a design. Buttons in the flat design style, for example, do not stand out from other visual elements on a page and hence do not appear clickable. As a result of this risk, flat design is increasingly being used in a more balanced fashion, dubbed “flat design 2.0” or “nearly flat design.”

UX, or user experience, has been a buzzword since around 2005, and according to Gartner, the focus on digital experience is no longer limited to digital-born enterprises. You’ve probably heard of the term or had it in your portfolio. However, if you’re anything like the rest of us, you might be uncertain what the term “user experience” actually means. You will obtain a solid understanding of the many design elements that come together to produce a user’s experience when utilizing a product or service throughout this course. As you go along, you’ll learn how important user experience design is to a project and what areas you should think about when creating outstanding user experiences. We can’t provide you a definitive definition of “user experience” to end all debates because the phrase is still growing, but we can give you a strong grasp of the various parts of user experience so you can see what goes into producing outstanding UX designs.