Liquid Lab

The targeted audience for Liquid Lab are athletes, and those committed to improving their health. They have goals along the lines of managing their nutrition as part of their weight loss, muscle gain, or endurance program.

While researching types of websites the target audience would frequent, I found common themes were boldness, strength, toughness, and movement. A common pattern was the use of bold, all-caps sans serif font in its headers. Accent colors are often a high-intensity primary color. In addition to the bold typography, the imagery used in the sites surveyed often showed a strong, focused athlete exercising. These sites conveyed willpower and perseverance in sports. Some also included props to reinforce the movement in a static image. The sites are informative and masculine but also offer inspiration and encouragement.

The initial color scheme explored for Liquid Lab proved to be low contrast and difficult to differentiate when tested for different types of color blindness. A triadic color palette for Liquid Lab was ultimately landed on because triadic themes generate energy when situated near each other. Furthermore, blues, yellows, and reds are often used in sports teams which would resonate with the audience. The blue-black is strong and powerful and has a sense of authority. High-saturation red is used not only for the function of grabbing attention, but also create a stimulating effect, generate excitement, and appetite. An intense, saturated yellow adds additional energy while a low saturation yellow is used in place of white text to add a bit of warmth to the overall composition. These colors are very distinct from each other, making them easy to read for the visually impaired.

These low fidelity compositions were quick studies on how the guiding keywords manifested visually in the forms, flow, and overall tone. The geometric shapes were designed to direct the eyes to objects of interest while asymmetrical lines guided the page, created dynamism and energy. Object orientation was experimented with to create contrast and movement. A horizontally oriented and static page was also explored to communicate balance.

As my introductory exercise in UI design, Liquid Lab touched on many of the fundamentals of design and was a exciting learning experience. Some challenges I faced include finding the balance between a unique composition versus one a common design patterns. With infinite possibilities in combining hues, values, and saturation, it was easy to get carried away while exploring color. The greater challenge for me was finding a set of colors that not only connected with potential users, but was also accessible. Choosing a set of fonts is similarly difficult. I spent hours sifting through hundreds of typefaces, studying their subtle differences, and agonizing over font pairings.

While this design exercise covered many of the basics of UI design, further steps could include button states, additional pages, interaction and motion design, user flows, and prototypes.