Design that Delivers

SignaCertsig_vui_thumb_1

Tripwirenodemanager_thumb

Serena Softwareserena_admin_thumb

Since 1991, FryDesign has been creating elegant and intuitive visual interface designs… translating complex issues into pleasing environments that present users with a clear understanding and path for what they need to accomplish.

Creating visual interface that empowers users to flow through an application easily and intuitively is much more than designing a “good look”– it’s understanding how to intelligently work with human visual perception.

In visual interface design, the same physical laws that apply to the perception of 3-D objects can be applied to 2-D objects. The arrangement and interplay of objects – including space, color, contrast and size, as well as the dynamic tensions they create – all have to be carefully considered. In this way, we can guide the users' focus and direct their attention.

The use of icons within visual interface design is also critical, because users will see icons before text. Icons help the user identify functionality, which vitally impacts the flow and experience of the software. Extensibility is a third essential issue, because the interface must be able to be consistently expressed through a variety of environments and levels of functionality.

At FryDesign, we believe that successful visual interface design is always a collaborative effort, because the design must satisfy the logistical needs of engineering and the “brand experience” needs of marketing. When you want visual interface design for a complex application, you want the assurance of an experienced designer on your side… the kind you’ll find at FryDesign.

To view sample visual interface designs, click on the thumbnails to the left, or scroll down.


vui_signacert
Click on a thumbnail Noise Reduction Thumbnail Reference Management thumbnail Extensive Monitoring Types thumbnail
 title_signacert

FryDesign entered into a collaborative relationship with SignaCert’s development team to create an esthetic and articulate visual interface for the management console of Enterprise Trust Server, a browser-based application.

SignaCert provided design roughs that included all of the functionality envisioned at that time. They were looking for a design partner to fully develop the visual interface design, and requested that FryDesign add aesthetic appeal. In the words of the client: “You are free to do whatever you want to make them look cool.”

Beyond a cool look, we approached the project with the goal of providing a cool user experience. This is a good example of Zen design, in that it’s defined more by “what it is not” than “what it is.” It's not distracting, it’s clear. It's not unnecessarily complex or detailed--it's simple and elegant.

Note the subtle use of dimension with the beveling of objects, yet the beveling is restricted to one pixel. This creates dimension and differentiates objects, without “objectifying” them. Careful attention was given to the subtle value changes of gray and blue, to help define areas of control and the hierarchy of information.

Originally created in 2006, FryDesign continues to support this visual interface design for Signacert 3+ years later.

Enterprise Trust Server is a registered trademark of SignaCert, Inc.
backtotop
 
Tripwire Visual Interface
Click on a thumbnailNode Manager Rule Manager
 Tripwire Title

FryDesign worked collaboratively with both the engineering and marketing departments, to create the visual interface designs, icons and marketing materials for Tripwire Enterprise.

The primary challenge of this project was the highly complex display of a lot more information in the same space. From a design perspective, we were trying to isolate and display the information without objectifying the elements of the user interface.

Note the use of visual perception principals to lead the users’ eyes to visual prioritization. We chose an almond and gray blue palette for very specific reasons, in order to help us achieve a more effective workflow environment. Almond flows outwardly and creates a feeling of space. The color blue provides contrast and yet it recedes. The use of open space gives the user the feeling of “breathing room.”

The priority of this design is to guide the users’ eye flow and to achieve balance and harmony within the working environment. FryDesign created the interface for the original release of the software and continues to support it.

Tripwire Enterprise is a registered trademark of the Tripwire, Inc.
backtotop
 
Serena Software Visual Interfaces
Click on a thumbnailCollage Screen Dimensions Administration Console ChangeMan Mover Screen
 Serena Software title

Serena acquired software products from a variety of companies, with the overall goal of creating a family of products to offer to their clients. These products had pre-existing interfaces, so there was a need to brand them, in order to make them look and feel related to the overall Serena brand.

The visual interface design within the overall branding initiative required a huge collaborative effort between engineering, marketing and FryDesign. We converted and adapted the original interfaces with respect to functionality, so that they would all possess a similar appearance and behavior—and become familiar to users. Working closely with engineering, we were able to re-design the interfaces while avoiding any coding conflicts or engineering roadblocks.

Our highly effective collaborative approach to creating the new interface design kept the cost of communication and re-coding to a minimum, while we unified a diverse set of products into a family branded products.

Collage, ChangeMan. Dimensions, and Mover are trademarks of the Serena Software, Inc.
backtotop