For UX/UI designers, a lot depends on the ability to use certain tools correctly. A UI kit is like a magic wand for a novice designer since it makes their professional life so much easier. If you keep reading, you will find out more about what exactly a UI kit is and how to apply it to your projects.
What Is a UI Kit?
A UI kit is a ready-made set of graphics in source file format (for example, PSD or Sketch). A designer or a UI design agency creates a set and puts it in the public domain or sells it, and users download it and use it for its interface.
You don’t have to waste time and create all the elements from scratch. You can take ready-made buttons, forms and fields, change them, and get an interface in the same visual style and with the same logic as the elements.
Designers create UI kits for online stores, multimedia applications, news sites, or any other projects for the web and mobile.
What Tasks Does the UI Kit Solve?
A set of elements is not worth doing for every project. Here are the main tasks that the UI kit solves.
Unification for a Complex Project
The product that you are planning to develop needs to be systematic – so that all subsequent pages are aligned with the already prepared ones. A UI kit helps keep the same style and the same interface solutions and also saves time for front end developers.
Knowledge Base Creation
When several designers and developers work on a project at once, and new people regularly come on to the team, it becomes more difficult to transfer and share knowledge. One designer knows how an element should look and work, and a beginner needs tips. In order not to waste time with the “old-timers” of the team, they can use the kit for reference.
Speed up Work
UI kits contain the source files of the elements – that is, the designer needs to draw something from scratch less often or look for the same component across all layers of the layout.
So, if you have a continually evolving complex project that a large team is working on (for example, an online store), you need a UI kit. If you make a small end product with a small group (for example, develop a landing page), you can do without it.
What Items Are Included in UI Kits?
The set of pre-made elements included depends on what exactly the designer created it for. A UI kit will be different for e-commerce and corporate websites, blogs, and music players.
Navigation Items
Horizontal or vertical panels, drop-down menu, additional block for pop-up text with description, a hamburger icon.
Forms
All that the user fills out: registration form, feedback, checkout.
Footers
They can only contain contacts if you are making a landing, or duplicating the menu if you are an online store.
Widgets
All indicators on the dashboard that are important for the site: the number of subscribers, the latest photos on Instagram, the weather, the exchange rate, and so on.
Controls and Input Fields
Buttons, input fields, and other basic elements.
Blog Elements
How news and articles will be displayed.
E-Commerce Elements
Filters, catalog, product cards, different display options, similar, and “you recently watched” products.
Where to Find the Examples of a UI Kit?
As you already know, many designers create UI kits a presentation. In this case, they often show examples of finished pages assembled from different elements. The UI kit is a self-contained product that you can sell and buy. There are special trading platforms for this, such as Designmodo Market, Creative Market, and others.
Is it possible to make a universal UI kit or use the same one on different projects? Theoretically, yes, but usually they are developed individually for a specific project – and take into account its business objectives and corporate identity.
On many services, you can find free UI kits, for example, on Freebiesbug and Graphic Burger. This is convenient for beginner designers: you can use ready-made solutions for your interfaces.
Also, a good UI kit can inspire you to create your own and increase the overall level of visibility. When we work with products of other designers, we learn to notice the importance of the details and form our vision. Combine practice with theory – this is a powerful tool in the development of a designer.
Final Words
Should you start developing your UI kit? Definitely, yes. It will allow you to observe the work of other designers and gain new useful skills even if you are doing it just for yourself and not for a real project. Moreover, you can try to sell the kit and make some money.
If you do not want to sell on websites and pay commission, you can use the Gumroad service. Here all the money will be yours.
Also, do not forget that you can share your product for free or prepare a free version of your paid UI kit and place it on sites such as Freebiesbug and Graphic Burger. This way, you can attract attention to yourself as a UX/UI designer.
