Presented by:
Andrew Klein &
Dustin DiTommaso




                   Grid Systems
                   Building Blocks To A Better User Experience
Grid Systems improve
usability and inform your
design decisions.
Interaction Design
Designing Systems / Screens / Modules / Controls
Grid Design
Grid System / Framework / Templates / Modules
Clarity
Efficiency
Economy
Continuity
Multiple
Sections
Maintaining
Continuity
Grid Design
Grid System / Framework / Templates / Modules
“Attractive things
 work better.”
– Don Norman
“…the user may be strongly affected
  by the aesthetic aspect of the
  interface even when they try to
  evaluate the interface in its
  functional aspects…”
Solve problems once
 
Improve workflow
 
Add new content consistent
with the overall vision
 
Facilitate collaboration
among designers
What is a Grid?
Columns
Gutters
Margins
Baseline Grid
Flowlines
Modular grid
Fields &
Spatial Zones
Proportional
Systems
Rule of Thirds
Mathematical
Logic
Golden Section
Guiding Principles to consider:

1. A grid should focus on problem solving
   first and aesthetics second
     
2. The simpler the grid, the more effective
Sketching
Iterate
Evaluate
Resolve
Sketching
Sketching
Digitizing
Use a grid system to increase usability
by creating more aesthetic compositions
through crafting a well considered
framework on which to build a system
of screen templates
References
Design Elements: A Graphic Style Manual Timothy Samara
Making and Breaking the Grid: A Graphic Design Layout Workshop Timothy Samara
Layout essentials: 100 design principles for using grids Beth Tondreau


The influence of prototype fidelity and aesthetics of design in usability tests: effects on user
behaviour, subjective evaluation and emotion. Sauer J, Sonderegger A.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18691696


http://usabilityfriction.com/2010/03/30/aesthetic-usability-effect/
http://www.slideshare.net/kylemeyer/grids-in-modern-web-design
http://www.slideshare.net/fluxus/understanding-interaction-design
Resources
http://960.gs/
http://gridulator.com/
http://grid.mindplay.dk/
http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/calculate_convert/goldenratiocalculator.html
Thank you,

Andrew Klein        Dustin DiTommaso
andrew@madpow.net   dustin@madpow.net
                    @DU5TB1N

Grid Systems: Building Blocks to a Better User Experience