[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjtwmXITzuo&wmode=window&h=315&wmode=window&h=315]

"When you’re crafting a user interface, you need to keep in mind that you’re trying to help users complete a daily task." This bit of common sense advice comes from Uday Gajendar, Principal Product Designer for Citrix. There are some very basic do and don’t design fundamentals, said Gajendar. Don’t clutter up the screen with extraneous information and buttons, and do organize content through prioritization, hierarchy, color, typography, grid and image elements. I asked him about the design philosophy that says you should follow all the rules of design but then break one so harshly that it’s obvious and users see it right away. Though he agreed, he stressed that you should only experiment after you fully understand the basics. "UI design is like a language," he says. "You learn the grammar first, and then once you’ve mastered it, you learn how to break the rules and create your own style." Image: Learn button [Bigstock]