Whether it's the App Store, Play Store, Microsoft Store, Steam or any other platform with apps – the thing is that there are tons of them, tens of thousands. A user goes looking for a specific application (it doesn't matter what it's for; whether it's a game, a program for Windows, for mobile phones...) and will come across tons of similar ones. How will a user (you, us, me...) choose an application? Rarely based on the listed features, much more often based on its appearance: what the application's interface looks like, what images are used, what is the trailer if it's a game, what colors are used. To shorten the introduction, to get to the point: design matters! Design is VERY important.

Just look at how much giant companies invest in design, in advertising alone: Samsung for their mobile phones, Microsoft for their laptops, games for their innovative and strange advertisements. All this should be designed in order to attract the target audience (be it the general population, young people, old people, women, students...). You have many definitions of design, but here is one that I personally like:

"Design is a plan for creating a product or service with the intention of improving the human experience related to a specific problem."

In layman's terms: design is everything you see. The books on your desk – someone designed the covers, the pen you hold in your hand – even if it's the most basic model, someone designed the appearance and functionality, your cell phone – someone definitely designed the device, the desk – design, the house – design… Everything = design! Okay, maybe I'm getting a little carried away, but I'm trying to explain to you the importance of design. On a planet with seven and a half billion people, there are A LOT of products and it's important to stand out. Yes, functionality is important, but even if an app works perfectly, has a bunch of features, no bugs… but looks terrible, has a bad interface, the user experience (UX) is bad – the user will find another, next app.

Okay, that's about the essence of design. Let's go about creating a design. The title of this blog post is 'introduction' for a reason, because creating a good design is not something you sit down, read the theory, find a tutorial or two and come up with the perfect design. If only it were that easy. Design takes a long time to learn, and you start by studying the things around you. You are literally looking at the details of how something is made, to return to the old examples: what is the cover of the book, what is the shape of the chemical, what are the dimensions of the mobile phone, where and how long are the legs of the table, what is the layout of the rooms in the house... I know it sounds basic and strange, but it is just as important - absorbing information. Of course, a more advanced step is the Internet, search for the design of things that interest you and study, analyze, remember, combine. Read! About design: what are the trends, what is coming, why something is the way it is in design, what is 'out', what users like. So, the first step is KNOWLEDGE. 

Let's start designing! So you have the knowledge, you have the task: you know what needs to be designed. You have a specification, you have a detailed text of what the application should do, who it is for and all the necessary details. I will focus here on applications, because Fortuno deals with that, and you are probably interested in it since you are on our blog. Take a paper and a pen in your hands and sketch. Nothing complicated, just the position of the menu, buttons, images, texts, other elements. Sketch a lot of versions, try similar applications, get inspiration (don't copy!). Let the design sit on paper for a day or two - then come back to it with a fresh mind. Did you like one design? That's it? Start the program on your computer and let's design. Warning: here too there will be tons of revisions, improvements and additions. Are you wondering which program to use? There are lots of them, too many. Since this is a blog post based on personal experience, I will tell you which programs I use. Adobe Photoshop (it can easily be replaced by the Affinity Photo program) for design. And yes, I know it's not strictly for design (like, Adobe itself has a program called XD that's used for design), but when you grew up with Photoshop... Another interesting program with a few unique and useful features is Figma. A program designed exclusively for design. The great thing is that it has a browser and desktop version, and when you create your account - wherever you log in to Figma, your projects are there. So, it stores your designs online. Another useful program is Adobe Illustrator (which can easily be replaced by Affinity Designer). So those two programs, especially Designer, are very good for creating designs. They work in a different way, they use vector images and tools, instead of bitmaps. So now which program you know, or which program you're willing to learn, is up to you. I won't describe the programs too much, this is not a review of those programs. That's it, the second step: DESIGN.

Now, sometimes you also have an intermediate step, step 1.5. Preparation, as I mentioned at the beginning of the last chapter. Sometimes you have to do the preparation yourself, sometimes it is already done for you. It's your target audience research, colors and elements specific to the app you're working on. If it's not your application, asking the client what exactly he needs and creating a plan. So, making a specification.

Let's say you have a design, you like it and you think you're done. Well, you're not quite. If it's an application for a client, check with them to see if you've made the design according to their wishes. Sometimes it happens that the design is according to the specification, but the client changes their mind and you have to redo the design. Then, check with a dozen people how they think the design looks. Maybe it's great to you, but people around you notice a few problems that you didn't. Of course, here you have to decide for yourself which feedback is useful, high-quality and which you will listen to. Filter subjective feedback from objective. And finally, be prepared to adjust the design later - whether it's due to additions, whether the developers can't do something, or for some third reason. 

Nothing, that's it for the introduction. Really, just the basics, just briefly, and maybe now written like this it sounds like it's easy to design an application (product)... Trust me, it just sounds easy. Feel free to leave questions, comments, and feedback below in the comments.