I'm taking an interior design class this semester, and today, I realized how similar interior design and web design are. There are some differences. Interior design is done in a physical 3D space, while web design is done in a virtual 2D space (for the most part). However, there are a lot of similarities. Here are some similarities that I've noticed. (Examples for interior design might be a little lacking due to my lack of experience)

Design Principles

The design principles of interior design (as learned in class) are the following:

1. Scale - the comparison of visual weight of an item to the viewer

2. Proportion - the comparison of visual weight of one item to another

3. Balance - the use of visual weight within a room to balance along a fulcrum

4. Rhythm - the repetition of patterns to generate interest

5. Emphasis - the use of elements (lighting, color, space, etc.) to draw your attention to certain parts of the room

6. Harmony - the combination of unity (things looking the same) and variety (things looking different)

These principles can apply in a comparable way to interior design and web design!

Accessibility and Codes

While both a room and a web page should look nice, it's also important that it be functional and accessible. Being aware of both safety rules and accessibility guidelines allows a designer to design a better product.

Interior Design

For a room, this may include using a ramp instead of stairs so that a wheelchair can get from one room to another. It may also include having a seating area in a waiting room, or having calming colors in a doctor's office.

It also means that the room should follow fire codes, building codes, and other regulations that ensure that the room is safe for use. A bedroom should always have a window in case of a fire, for example.

Web Design

From adding aria labels to providing an alt text for images, there are plenty of opportunities for accessibility in web design. A group known as WebAIM has a whole checklist of things to check your website for. I use their contrast checker a lot when I am trying to figure out the color scheme for a website that I'm building. And the best part about improving these kinds of accessibility issues is that it tends to improve the experience for more than just the target audience!

In addition to accessibility considerations, there are a lot of security considerations! If you're designing any sort of authorization system, there are plenty of things to watch out for. Even just using a simple form could turn into a form of exploitation. OWASP provides a Top 10 list for web application vulnerabilities that application developers need to look out for. Following this can keep users of the application safe from malicious actors.